# Subtractive EQ

> Subtractive EQ practice: the sound is dull, thin or buried and you want to boost, but you only get cuts. Level-matched, and scored against the original.

Page: https://mixchops.com/eq/cuts

The exercise runs at [https://mixchops.com/eq/cuts](https://mixchops.com/eq/cuts) in any modern browser, with headphones or decent speakers.

## Fix it *without a boost.*

Subtractive EQ means fixing a sound by cutting what’s in the way, not boosting what’s missing. Here the sound is dull, thin or its mids are buried, and the instinct is to boost. You get only a low-shelf cut and a high-shelf cut. Everything plays level-matched, so louder can’t fool you into thinking it’s better.

### How it works

1. Flip between Bypass and Problem and decide what’s wrong: dull, thin or buried.
2. Cut with the low shelf, the high shelf, or both (Tab switches between them).
3. Listen to Your EQ against Bypass, then check.

### How it’s scored

How close the tone of your fix gets to the original, ignoring overall level: 100 is a perfect match. Buried mids can only be approximated with two shelves, so a perfect score isn’t possible there. Pass with a 65 average over five challenges.

### Levels

Five levels: dull, thin on a drum kit, dull or thin on a drum kit, buried mids in a full mix, and any of the three in the mix. Levels 1 and 2 are free. Levels 3 and up are part of [Mix Chops Pro](https://mixchops.com/pro), and every level is open while Mix Chops is in early access.

Step 6 of 7 · [Next: Fix the Mix](https://mixchops.com/eq/fixmix) · [Learn: High-pass and low-pass filters](https://mixchops.com/learn/high-pass-low-pass-filters) · [Learn: Shelving EQ](https://mixchops.com/learn/shelving-eq) · [Learn: Subtractive EQ](https://mixchops.com/learn/subtractive-eq) · [All EQ exercises](https://mixchops.com/eq) · [Daily session](https://mixchops.com/eq/daily)