FAQ

Do I need headphones?

For the psychoacoustics and binaural modules, yes — they measure things that only exist with a separate feed to each ear. The hearing test also needs them. For the rest, decent monitoring is enough.

Is SoundSense a subscription?

No. It is one purchase through Gumroad (€49), claimed to your Squaresmile account. See Licences and paid tools for how claiming works.

Is it for live sound or studio?

Both. The live-sound modules — Ring-Out, Phase, comb filtering in Delay, and Precedence — are what set it apart from ear training aimed at producers.

Does it use real music?

Yes. Every question plays real recorded stems or complete multitrack songs. Stems stream on demand and are cached after first play, so repeats are instant.

Is the hearing test medical?

No. It is a pure-tone screen per ear, meant to make you take your ears seriously — not a diagnosis. See an audiologist for that. Details in Take the hearing test.

Will it work on my phone or iPad?

Yes. SoundSense runs in the browser on phone, tablet and laptop. The one exception is the Ring-Out Simulator, whose 31-band EQ needs a desktop or tablet screen.

Does my progress follow me between devices?

Yes. Mastery, streaks, badges, ranks and your review queue sync with your Squaresmile account. Train on one machine, continue on another. The one exception is hearing-test results, which stay on the device. See Account sync.

What counts as a "correct answer" for unlocks?

Only an exact answer. Partial credit raises your score and mastery but does not add to the correct-answer total that unlocks Intermediate (50), Advanced (150) and the Ring-Out Simulator (150).

Why did my mastery drop after one bad session?

Mastery is the average of your last 20 answers in that module, so recent form counts. It recovers the same way it fell.

Can I do more than one Daily Shift a day?

No — one per day. The dashboard card shows it as done until tomorrow. You can keep training any module for as long as you like.

Where did the answer buttons go?

If a module loads with no way to answer, the stems are probably still loading — there is a loading state while they arrive. If it stays blank, see Troubleshooting.