Main Act Studio vs SoundGym: A Score, or What to Practise Next?
SoundGym is an audio ear-training platform built around short listening games, daily workouts, progress tracking, community, and educator surfaces. Its current official catalog covers skills such as frequency, dynamics, spatial placement, and sound recognition.
Free daily practice is available. No card required. After signup, we’ll open the recommended school.
How they differ
Start with how you prefer to learn.
Main Act Studio trains the same ears and is built around a different question: what happens after the score. The free two-minute Golden Ears check names the band you missed most and the three-step path that trains it. Studio Mix then prescribes a daily session: listening reps, mix decisions on separated band stems, and mixing-theory cards on a spaced-repetition schedule.
Both products train listening. The difference is whether the result stops at a number or comes with a drill path and a prescribed daily session.
What we compared
Product format, published features, and Main Act’s current price. Teacher fit, taste, and individual results will vary.
Features
Compare the products, line by line.
Main Act Studio prices match the current checkout price. Check the competitor’s official site for its latest price.
| Decision | Main Act Studio | SoundGym |
|---|---|---|
| After the ear test | Names the band you missed most and the drill path for it (landmark, narrow, transfer) | Scores and progress per game; check the current product for how results shape later workouts |
| Ear training drills | Interactive Studio Mix drills on real music: EQ, compression, reverb, panning, masking, balance | A changing catalog of audio-training games; verify the current official library |
| Mix decision drills | Yes: balance, EQ match, and compression decisions on separated band stems | Audio games and matching exercises; check the current catalog for broader mix scenarios |
| Your own mix | Free Mix Check reads a bounce in the browser and names the first move to test | Not presented as a core surface on the current official product |
| Knowledge cards (mixing theory) | Authored cards scheduled with spaced repetition | Learning programs and game explanations use a different review model |
| Daily structured session | Prescribed 5-phase session: warmup, skill, review, applied, reflection | Daily workout plan |
| Where it leads | 9 belts from white to black; upper belts require hands-on mix drills, not identification alone | XP and rank system |
| Reference track library | Curated by genre with annotations | Reference matching exercises |
| Also in the Studio plan | Live Sound and Lighting on the same account and belt path | Audio training plus learning, community, and educator surfaces |
| Pricing | One system: $7.92/mo billed yearly ($95/yr), $16.95 monthly, $249 lifetime. Everything starts at $11.83/mo billed yearly. | See SoundGym's official source for current pricing. |
After the ear test
- Main Act Studio
- Names the band you missed most and the drill path for it (landmark, narrow, transfer)
- SoundGym
- Scores and progress per game; check the current product for how results shape later workouts
Ear training drills
- Main Act Studio
- Interactive Studio Mix drills on real music: EQ, compression, reverb, panning, masking, balance
- SoundGym
- A changing catalog of audio-training games; verify the current official library
Mix decision drills
- Main Act Studio
- Yes: balance, EQ match, and compression decisions on separated band stems
- SoundGym
- Audio games and matching exercises; check the current catalog for broader mix scenarios
Your own mix
- Main Act Studio
- Free Mix Check reads a bounce in the browser and names the first move to test
- SoundGym
- Not presented as a core surface on the current official product
Knowledge cards (mixing theory)
- Main Act Studio
- Authored cards scheduled with spaced repetition
- SoundGym
- Learning programs and game explanations use a different review model
Daily structured session
- Main Act Studio
- Prescribed 5-phase session: warmup, skill, review, applied, reflection
- SoundGym
- Daily workout plan
Where it leads
- Main Act Studio
- 9 belts from white to black; upper belts require hands-on mix drills, not identification alone
- SoundGym
- XP and rank system
Reference track library
- Main Act Studio
- Curated by genre with annotations
- SoundGym
- Reference matching exercises
Also in the Studio plan
- Main Act Studio
- Live Sound and Lighting on the same account and belt path
- SoundGym
- Audio training plus learning, community, and educator surfaces
Pricing
- Main Act Studio
- One system: $7.92/mo billed yearly ($95/yr), $16.95 monthly, $249 lifetime. Everything starts at $11.83/mo billed yearly.
- SoundGym
- See SoundGym's official source for current pricing.
Recommendation
Which one should you choose?
SoundGym is a well-built audio gym: games, progress, community, and educator workflows around listening development.
Main Act Studio is the pick when you want more than a score. The free ear check names the weak band and the drill path for it; Studio Mix then prescribes a daily session of listening reps, mix decisions, and theory review, with a belt path to black.
Try both free tiers on the same headphones. If you want a library of games to choose from, SoundGym fits. If you want to be told what to drill next and why, start with the Golden Ears check.
Keep researching
Frequently asked questions
Which one tells me what to practise after the test?
Main Act. The Golden Ears result names the band you missed most and the three-step path for it, and Studio Mix prescribes the daily session instead of leaving you to pick games. SoundGym reports scores and progress per game; check its current product for how results shape later workouts.
Does Main Act Studio train ears as seriously as a dedicated ear-training app?
Ear training is the core of Studio Mix: frequency, compression, reverb, panning, masking, and balance drills on real music, with smaller, harder contrasts as your belt rises. It then adds mix decisions and theory review in the same session.
Does Main Act need any software or downloads?
No. Every Studio Mix drill runs in the browser using Web Audio, on phone, tablet, or desktop, with nothing to install.
Method and sources
Sources and review date
Reviewed August 29, 2026 using the provider page below and Main Act’s current product information. Features and third-party offers can change. This comparison is written by Main Act.
Pricing
The button opens pricing for the Main Act product recommended on this page. You can compare the Everything plan there too.
View current pricing