A bass-boost is not a louder bass. It is a frequency-shaped low-shelf curve applied before the master bus clips. Here is what actually moves when you push the 80 Hz slider, and why most home-studio tracks sound muddy long before anyone reaches for an EQ.
A spectrum analyzer turns your ears into a screen you can defend in a mix review. Here is what the five-band display actually tells you — and the three traps that make it lie.