Ear-training apps for mix engineers, compared.
Five tools that mix engineers actually use, on the dimensions that actually matter. We're one of them - we list ourselves first because we wrote the page, not because we win every category.
The five tools at a glance.
Skim this. The brief overviews below explain what each row actually means, and link to a deeper comparison where one exists.
| Compare | Reverie Mix | SoundGym | Train Your Ears EQ Edition 2 | Quiztones | Golden Ears (Dave Moulton) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, or Pro at $12/mo or $120/yr | $24.95/mo, $142/yr, or $495 lifetime | Around €49 / $50, one-time purchase | Free start; iOS Pro $4.99/mo or $19.99/yr; Mac $19.99 one-time | $149.95 first year, then $19.95/yr renewal; student pricing available |
| Free tier | Permanent. All available exercises (EQ, compressor attack, compressor release, stereo image, phase, low-end cleanup, loudness, mix-move diagnosis). Reverb decay is coming soon. 20 rounds per day. | Limited. The daily workout (five quick games) plus access to a small subset of features. Most of the catalogue and the focused training mode require Pro. | Demo download, not a permanent free tier. | iOS is free to get started. Audio importing plus Hard and Expert quizzes require Quiztones Pro. Mac is paid one-time. | No interactive free tier - this is course material, not an app. |
| Runs on | Any modern browser. Desktop is more comfortable for canvas-precise games; everything works on a phone. | Browser, with a desktop companion app. | Standalone or as a plugin (VST / AU) inside any DAW. | iOS and Mac. No Android or Windows version at this time. | Streaming - listen on any device with a browser or audio player. |
| Material | Real, finished mixes - drums, vocals, full bands. Not synthesized tones. | Mix of synthesized loops and tracks; you can train with guitar, piano, drums, or full songs. | Whatever audio you load - your own mixes, reference tracks, project material from sessions you're working on. | Loops, single instruments, and tones. You can also import music from your device library to train against. | Real musical examples, pink noise, and solo instruments, paired with hundreds of A/B comparisons and drills. |
| Focus | Mix decisions only. Every exercise maps to one thing an engineer reaches for in a session. | Broad ear training - mix-engineering exercises sit alongside pitch, melody, and rhythm games. | EQ ear training only - boost and cut detection at configurable Q. | EQ-centered practice - tone, EQ, gain, boost, and cut quizzes across the spectrum. | Frequencies, effects and processing, delays and decays, and master-frequency drills. |
| Multitrack stems | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Community / leaderboards | No | Yes | No | No | No |
The five options.
Two-minute overview of each. Where we've written a deep dive, the link goes to the dedicated comparison page.
Reverie Mix
Browser-based critical-listening practice for mix engineers and producers. Eight exercises are available on the free tier; reverb decay is coming soon. Pro adds unlimited daily rounds, Style filters, and deeper practice controls.
Best for - Mix engineers and producers who want short, deliberate critical-listening practice without a subscription tax or a leaderboard to chase.
SoundGym
The largest gamified ear-training platform. Twenty-one sound games covering EQ, compression, panning, reverb, plus pitch, beat, and rhythm work.
Best for - Producers and engineers who want one platform for everything ear-related - including pitch and rhythm - and who get a real lift from leaderboards, duels, and badges.
Train Your Ears EQ Edition 2
A native VST / AU plugin host. You drop in your own audio and the trainer applies hidden EQ moves you have to identify.
Best for - Engineers who already live inside a DAW, want training audio to match the work they actually do, and prefer a one-time purchase.
Quiztones
Apple-native EQ ear training. Hundreds of quizzes built from frequency-altered loops, single instruments, and tones.
Best for - Apple-device practice. Engineers who want to drill EQ frequencies on an iPhone or Mac between sessions.
Golden Ears (Dave Moulton)
The audio-school staple - Dave Moulton's frequency and effects training course, now streamable by membership.
Best for - Foundational, lecture-paced training. Audio engineering students, or anyone who wants Moulton's pedagogy and a structured course rather than gamified drills.
What to compare on.
Most ear-training comparisons stop at price and game count. Those aren't the dimensions that actually matter to a mix engineer's daily practice. Look at these instead.
Material - synthesized tones or real mixes.
Pink noise and isolated tones are easier to grade. Real mixes are what you actually work on. Some platforms train almost exclusively on the former.
Difficulty granularity.
How small can the difference between processed and unprocessed get? A 6 dB EQ boost is a different exercise from a 1 dB one. Coarse-only training plateaus fast.
Stems vs. master only.
Practicing EQ on a full mix is different from practicing EQ on an isolated kick. Multitrack stem isolation is rare and disproportionately useful.
Mix-engineering scope.
Critical listening for mix decisions is a narrower domain than general ear training (pitch, rhythm, melody). Decide what you actually want to train, then pick a tool that's deep there.
Cost over time.
A one-time EQ tool, a free browser tier, a $19.99/yr mobile subscription, and a $495 lifetime plan behave very differently over time. Math the actual horizon.
Where it runs.
Browser, DAW plugin, mobile, or pre-recorded course. The right form factor is the one that fits the time you actually have, not the one with the most features.
Pick by use case.
Mix engineer who wants cheap, focused critical-listening practice with stems.
All available exercises with 20 free rounds per day; $12/mo for unlimited daily rounds, Style filters, stems, and finer steps.
→ Reverie Mix
Producer who wants gamification, leaderboards, and broad ear training including pitch and rhythm.
Largest catalogue, active community, lifetime tier available.
→ SoundGym
Engineer who lives in the DAW and wants EQ training on their own audio, no subscription.
$50 one-time, runs as a plugin, train on the project you're actually working on.
→ Train Your Ears EQ Edition
Mobile-first practice between sessions or on the train.
iOS and Mac apps, 450+ EQ quizzes, free iOS start, and iOS Pro at $4.99/mo or $19.99/yr.
→ Quiztones
Audio-school context, foundational frequency curriculum, lecture-paced.
Dave Moulton course material, streamed by membership, with student pricing available.
→ Golden Ears (Dave Moulton)
Questions.
What is the best ear-training app for mix engineers in 2026?
Which ear-training app is cheapest?
Are ear-training apps actually worth it for mixing?
Do I need a subscription for ear training?
Does Reverie Mix replace my DAW or my monitors?
Try Reverie Mix.
Permanent free tier - all available exercises, 20 rounds per day, no card. Pro at $12/mo or $120/yr adds unlimited daily rounds, Style filters, multitrack stem isolation, and finer difficulty steps.