ABSTRACT
This chapter explores active listening and its importance in recording projects as well as everyday life. Sound waves that reach our ears tell us about not only the sources producing the sounds, but also about our physical environment, such as the objects, walls, and other physical structures that may reflect, absorb, or diffuse sound. Active listening is crucial to our work in audio engineering, and we can take advantage of times when we are not specifically working on an audio project to heighten our awareness of the auditory landscape and practice our critical listening skills. Just as musical ear training or solfège is an integral part of musical training, technical ear training is necessary for audio engineers, and it has applications in recording studios, live sound reinforcement, and audio hardware/software development. The chapter outlines the four main goals of technical ear training: linking audio attributes to perception that is isomorphic mapping, increasing awareness, increasing speed of detection and increasing consistency.
