treewind: "Interesting about men and women hearing differently - that's a new one on me."

Yeppers....women are more sensitive to highs...they hear the highs better then men, and the reverse is true.

treewind: "There is no single magic EQ curve that makes everything right. Agreed, there is often something to be said for cutting out some instrumental mids to make a voice stand out in the mix without being too loud, but really, you have to use your ears to decide what's right every time"

I believe I said that...YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR EARS...assuming that your ears are hearing right. Some people who have been musicians or engineers for a while, OFTEN have hearing deficiencies at the high end...also those musicians, rock for instance, have measurable hearing losses. However the 'crooked seagull' is a GREAT place to start. You may want to tweak a few freqs here and there, but by the time you're done, and got your BEST sound, it WILL resemble something like that old 'bird'!..however, as I also pointed out, the 'V' shape, came out more severe, when I posted it, as opposed to how it looked when I originally typed it.

...and then there is this...MANY people, musicians are NOT accustomed to hearing correctly!!..but rather, to what they're 'used to'.
Some people just trust that a recording should be listened to 'flat'. that would be nice, but not always the case. Try this...take out one of your favorite CD's, put it in the machine, and dial the playback, using the 'seagull', then listen...what does it tell you?
If you only have analogue dial tuners, start off with the treble just below max, and the bass about at 6 or 7...but closer to 6. Because amps and tuners are not all the same, in regards to the specs, you might have to fiddle with it..and of course, this is all useful, IF, your ears are in good shape.

Just try it....this isn't rocket science..it's better!
Also, I did provide a sample of a 'live' outdoor recording(worse possible recording conditions), using acoustic, electric guitars and a vocalist...all live, and pre-set to record at the levels they were. Check it out.
BTW, our studio controlled atmosphere is even clearer..but if you do 'live' gigs, the link SHOULD interest you!!!

GfS