Toneboosters | TB FlX Dynamic equalizer

Dynamic equalizer – blending flexible dynamics processing and equalization in one optimized plugin. 

Description

TB FlX (“Flex“) combines equalization and dynamics processing in one go. It works just as most equalizers; by moving 5 nodes along a frequency axis, a frequency-dependent gain is defined. In TB FlX, each node has additional functionality, including:

• The ability to define a level input/output curve (or compressor curve);
• Attack and release times; with classical or intelligent release curves;
• Amount of stereo widening.

The compressor input/output curve can be configured beyond the capabilities of conventional compressors. This means that expansion, downward compression, upward compression, negative ratios, etcetera can be set by moving just a few nodes in the compressor input/output field.
TB FlX automatically interpolates all these parameters (equalization curve, compressor characteristic, attack and release times, and alike) across frequency in real time, to give the smoothest possible dynamics equalizer behavior. This complete process is performed with no less than four times oversampling.

Features

• Almost 100 parameters to shape the sound in a clean and simple interface.
• 5 nodes to control a frequency-dependent gain and compressor input/output characteristic at any frequency in the audible frequency range.
• 3-node dynamics editor supporting upward compression, downward compression, expansion, and negative ratios. The compressor curves can either be a hard knee or smooth.
• Each frequency node has its own attack time, release time, and stereo widening parameter.
• Compressor release curves can either be ‘classic’ or ‘intelligent’ for improved transparency.
• Intelligent widening algorithm – automatically disallowing out-of-phase signals at the output that sound ‘hollow’ and unpleasant.
• Integrated output spectrum analyzer.
• Spectrum editor and compressor editor support zoom functionality for microscopic fine-tuning.
• Dry/wet control to blend between input and output.
• Based on the VST 2.4 specification to allow compatibility with virtually all host programs.

Try & buy

EUR 15.00

http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-flx/

Just tried it briefly on a few tracks-keys, bass & drums. I need to learn it but it sounded pretty transparent, smooth & punchy when needed. SC would be a plus but still useful & good value.

I just found using it difficult & confusing in general. I wish the nodes could be locked plus the ability to use typical type compressor values. The comp works well though.

One feature I neglected to mention - because I only found it now, by accident - is that there is a zoom mode that lets you make the transfer function larger. You invoke it by dragging a box around a portion of the display. Clicking on a blank spot in the display puts the zoom back to normal. It works for both the EQ pane and the transfer pane.

This makes it slightly easier to effect small changes, or to make changes to the lowest part of the Y axis, such as setting up expansion for signals below some low level. However, because a change to one node affects the entire curve, it's likely that you'll end up making changes without being able to see their full impact.

bitflipper

More, shall we say, "unique" characteristics of this unusual plugin...your prior experience with compressors may not help you to understand this plugin.

Whenever I tried to use expansion, I'd get goofy curves like this:


The curve shape between the middle and upper nodes depends on the value of the lowest node. This is unlike any compressor I've ever used, and I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation - just not in the documentation.

The choice of hard or soft knee is not at all intuitive: it depends on how many nodes are active, IOW how many nodes are not in their default position. When two nodes are active, a hard-knee is in effect. Otherwise, it's a soft knee.


There is a makeup gain control, but it's global. You cannot adjust the makeup gain of each node independently. I would have labeled it "Output Level". 

Finally, there is the (delay-based) "Width" control, which has two modes: manual and intelligent. The intelligent mode purportedly keeps you from doing something stupid with the effect that would hurt mono compatibility. Personally, I'd just stay away from this feature altogether.

The more I play with TB FIX, the more I like it. Yeh, it's quirky and takes some getting used to. But in the end it does do what it claims, and it's the cheapest way to add dynamic EQ to your toolkit. 

This is very difficult for me to get a handle on or my head around [not your explanation, but] the functions of those three nodes in the small box.  How the three nodes function is not intuitive to me at all.  I get the idea of the compression gain, attack and can see how to set those, but not the pictorial curve of the three nodes.  If there are just two nodes that makes sense, but the third makes me feel like I am in an advanced experimental math class when I am still learning basic algebra and geometry.


Please keep explaining things when you figure them out.  Your explanations do help and they get me going back to the plugin and experimenting.


Is there a manual for this plugin?

The transfer curve window looks a lot like the multiband compressor window in Ozone. At least, that's what came to mind when I first saw it. 



In Ozone, you also have three (optionally four) nodes, defining three (or four) segments, each of which can have its own compression ratio. It's quite a versatile compressor, supporting upward and downward compression and expansion, plus limiting. The graphical UI makes it easy to configure and visualize each channel's behavior.

But we may be confusing ourselves by thinking of TB FIX's controls in compressor terms. Even though it uses familiar parameters such as Attack and Release, and offers a graphical transfer function like a compressor, it's not a compressor. It's an equalizer, and you're not controlling the amount of compression, but rather the gain of a filter. 

Maybe that seems like a subtle a distinction, but it's significant. Whereas a multiband compressor adjusts all frequencies within a band equally, a dynamic EQ applies a varying amount of gain depending on where a frequency falls relative to the center frequency of the band. Conventional transfer functions would seem inadequate to describe something so complex.

I guess I'm trying to justify the unusual characteristics of TB FIX by assuming there is a reason, albeit non-obvious and undocumented, for making the transfer curves the way it does.

Just perused the manual on this plugin.  It clearly treats it as a compressor through the explanation of how to use it.  And I was just getting to accept it as something other than a compressor.   When in doubt read the manual, but then again....

I've been demoing the new version this week. It addresses most of the UI-related complaints users had about the initial release. I found the new version, with its larger display and improved transfer function window, much easier to use.  I still don't think I need it, although I am still digging through past projects looking for track candidates that might benefit from it.