Killer new EQ Plug-In

This one puts a good number of EQ's to shame. Give it a look-see. I've been using his EQuality for the last couple of years with great joy. This one eclipses the EQuality plugin: The EQualibrium . There's not much to limit you there. How many bands did you want? What EQ character do you want in the bass range vs. top range or even mid, low mid, high mid, extreme low, extreme highs, it keeps going....  And it's CHEAP!

MachineClaw


When did £149.99 or $227 USD become cheap?

This does play into the calibre plug-ins one may shop for, sure, (I don't mean that in an insulting or demeaning way) but when you factor in the 15% discount (higher in U.S dollars) he offers until the end of April, and when comparing this EQ to Sonoris' Mastering EQ, Flux E-Pure, and the mighty Algorithmix Red (which is STILL only 32-bit), just the price alone per feature is cheap. All of these EQ's I own and I can say with certainty, this was the BEST deal by far. This EQ does more for me than any of the competition. If you go through the features it has, demo it, and research the competition I think you'll find it quite a bargain. I got mine for $99US, since I already owned the EQuality plugin. 

The point I wanted to make was that price-per-feature, it's a great deal. I wasn't clear about that in the OP.

Disclaimer: Algorithmix is very expensive and used in Mastering facilities worldwide. Comparing it to the DMG Audio EQ is not really being fair. Algorithmix is designed for additional uses outside the scope of normal human hearing. With that said, it's still expensive, and Algorithmix hasn't updated it in quite some time. I question whether they are still even a company. 

It looks like a fabulous plugin, Brian. At that price, it had better be! 

Folks should remember that from a purely technical POV, an EQ is an EQ and pretty much does the same thing whether it's an expensive one or the one that comes bundled with your DAW. What distinguishes one from another is features and ergonomics. So if it lets you dial in settings quickly, it's a good one. And that's purely a personal preference.

I'm willing to pay to NOT have any more EQs or Compressors.  If I can't get great results with IK,Waves and Sonar it has nothing to do with the quality of my EQ's.  YMMV

On a related subject I found Dan Worrall's new video about linear phase vs. minimum phase EQ very informative http://www.youtube.com/em...el=0&wmode=transparent Of course, he is using Pro-Q in the video.

Looks like the  FabFilter Pro-Q

http://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q-equalizer-plug-inht.

The Fabfilter EQ is recommended by profs here like CJ and others. 

Maybe the best solution for fixing but for mixing, coloring?...   SSL EQ , API (Waves) and  Maag EQ (Plugin Alliance) are still the kings of EQ for me. 

Does anyone ever use 32 bands of eq on a track? I would just record the track better.
 

Overview

• Massively flexible EQ suitable for all critical professional applications
• Audio Engine can be incredibly low CPU usage, or incredibly high for mastering applications
• EQ features pristine digital curves, plus circuit models of vintage EQs, and engineering filters
• Completely reconfigurable UI with set-up wizard to suit to your specific workflow
• Extensive routing, grouping, channel and metering control
• Extensive analyser functionality, including 1/3 octave, 1/12 octave, spectrograph
• Even in lowest CPU mode, generates super-high-quality prototypes - clear undistorted top-end
• In FIR mode, Linear, Analogue, Minimum, Zero-Latency Analogue or even Free phase control
• 32 bands of EQ, Q 0.1->50, +/-36dB range
• Each band can be Peak, HPF, LPF, High Shelf, Low Shelf or Notch
• In stereo, each bank can process Mid, Side or the full stereo image
• Surround support for channels groupings in DTS
• Fully parametric filters (high and low-pass), 6/12/18/24/30/36/42/48db/oct
• Windows VST, VST3 and AAX as 32+64bit, RTAS 32bit
• Mac VST, VST3, AU and AAX as 32+64bit, RTAS 32bit

pathos

Mosvalve


Does anyone ever use 32 bands of eq on a track? I would just record the track better.

I take it you're new to eq & recording! You'd use it for setting up your listening environment.

Well I'm no expert for sure but I'm not sure if eq'ing your monitors is a good thing to do.. Wouldn't room treatment be a better way to go for that?

Mosvalve

pathos

Mosvalve


Does anyone ever use 32 bands of eq on a track? I would just record the track better.

I take it you're new to eq & recording! You'd use it for setting up your listening environment.

Well I'm no expert for sure but I'm not sure if eq'ing your monitors is a good thing to do.. Wouldn't room treatment be a better way to go for that?

Hi Bob,
 
Personally, I think monitor eq far exceeds room treatment. The reason being? I've mixed in bad rooms with no monitor flattening due to not having the tools or a choice at the time....and I've mixed in bad rooms to where all I did was correct the monitors so they were flat. Never an issue that way. So for me, monitor eq wins hands down every time. Sure room correction can be super important too, but none of that matters to me if the monitors are not right to begin with.
 
As for the 32 bands thing, I do this all the time in mastering. I have Roger Nichols eq's that are custom created for me on every new job. The eq's allow the user to add as many bands as they need. So it's nothing for me to have an eq of nothing but low to mid low freqs, another with mid to high mid freqs and then an eq with nothing but highs. I COULD just use one and have everything there....but I like the triple eq system, it just works for me.
 
So though you may never use anything like this for mixing, it can be quite helpful in a serious mastering environment. :)
 
-Danny

Mosvalve

Danny Danzi

Mosvalve

pathos

Mosvalve


Does anyone ever use 32 bands of eq on a track? I would just record the track better.

I take it you're new to eq & recording! You'd use it for setting up your listening environment.

Well I'm no expert for sure but I'm not sure if eq'ing your monitors is a good thing to do.. Wouldn't room treatment be a better way to go for that?

Hi Bob,
 
Personally, I think monitor eq far exceeds room treatment. The reason being? I've mixed in bad rooms with no monitor flattening due to not having the tools or a choice at the time....and I've mixed in bad rooms to where all I did was correct the monitors so they were flat. Never an issue that way. So for me, monitor eq wins hands down every time. Sure room correction can be super important too, but none of that matters to me if the monitors are not right to begin with.
 
As for the 32 bands thing, I do this all the time in mastering. I have Roger Nichols eq's that are custom created for me on every new job. The eq's allow the user to add as many bands as they need. So it's nothing for me to have an eq of nothing but low to mid low freqs, another with mid to high mid freqs and then an eq with nothing but highs. I COULD just use one and have everything there....but I like the triple eq system, it just works for me.
 
So though you may never use anything like this for mixing, it can be quite helpful in a serious mastering environment. :)
 
-Danny

Hey Danny, I suppose an eq like this is useful or needed in mastering though I'm not versed enough for serious eq mastering. I know there are many opinions on the subject of eq'ing monitors and you sparked my interest in the subject. Where can I find out about eq'ing my monitors?  If eq'ing them is going to solve room issues I want to be on board with that.

Hey Bob, well eq's, effects etc...will always be subjective as well as a per person preference...so in that sense, yeah an eq like that is definitely useful to someone like me. But it's definitely not a necessity or for everyone, that's for sure. :)
 
On the monitor tuning thing, it will NOT solve room issues. That's a separate entity. I'll explain a little about it for you as well as tell you a few things you can do to take care of it.
 
If you went out today and had some big time coin and bought the most expensive set of monitors you could find, they would not be perfect. You hope they would be for the price you paid for them, but unfortunately, they need to be tuned before you can truly rely on them. When your monitors are not tuned, the decisions you make can make this the most frustrating hobby you've ever pursued.
 
Let's take a look at a small example. So you got these new monitors. You paid big bucks for them, you set them up, you mix a song and then you start listening to this mix in other places. In these "other places" you notice the mix sounds muddy with too much low end while accentuating the wrong low end. You know that other professionally recorded music sounds great on these systems, why doesn't your stuff sound good? It should sound great...I mean heck, you just bought these killer monitors right?
 
Here's what happened. The monitors you bought ARE incredible. But because of the effects of your room and the way monitors are built to push or favor certain frequencies, what you heard when you mixed was not a good representation of what SHOULD have been coming out of the monitors. This is why room correction gets mentioned so much.
 
However, if you eq the monitors to be flat, the effects of a bad room are not as intense as they would be without monitor correction. Keep in mind, there ARE rooms that will suck the life right out of your monitors....so in cases like those, a bad room can wreak havoc. But to be honest, if you are in a bed room, spare room, office, finished basement etc, forget that ugly room correction stuff. It's hideous in my opinion and not needed in most situations.
 
Monitor correction: In my opinion Bob, everyone should have a good set of monitors along with a sub. There will be people that will argue against me on that. But I'll never agree. Little nearfield monitors NEVER show you the low end they claim they can get. If you get a sub and then correct the monitors along with the sub, your issues are cut down by at least 75% or more and you will never second guess how much low end you have in your mixes.
 
So definitely consider a good set of monitors and a sub to go with them. Once you have that in place, there are several free programs you can search for on the net that you can try along with a mic and and eq that will help you dial in your monitors. Me personally? I hate this idea and of all the people that have claimed to use it while bragging about it, I've never heard any of their mixes and said to myself "I need to listen to this guy more often." So in this field, it's important to try to investigate who you may be taking advice from...myself included. If you have ever heard my stuff and think it sucks, you don't want to listen to anything I have to say. Seriously....it's important that we lead by example or shut up and leave it to people that know how to get good results that CAN lead by sound examples.
 
If you're still with me and I may have passed your "I like your mixes" tests, I would personally recommend ARC by Ik Multimedia. Again, people will fight with me about it because they believe it does not make any corrections at all. I can't say for sure what it does other than, it corrected my monitors to the point of what I hear in my studio, is what I hear everywhere after I've mixed or mastered something. Just about all the guys in the song forum here that are putting out strong mixes, are using ARC. All my engineer friends are using it and it's been one of the best tools of all time for me as en engineer.
 
Those that are NOT using ARC that are getting great results in the big leagues have professionals come out and scope their rooms. They pretty much do what you'd do with ARC....meaning, a guy comes out, he puts a mic where you sit at your sweet spot, he blows some noise through your monitors and it creates a readout on his machine. It shows where your monitors may be putting out too much low end, not enough low end, too much high end, not enough high end....you get the picture.
 
From there, you supply an eq to this guy and he sets the eq so that the graph on his analyzer reads flat. So his eq curve on the graph will look like this after setting the eq you supply: =====================
 
You NEVER touch this eq no matter what. If you move the monitors or change the room arrangement, the entire procedure will need to be redone. This is the good thing about ARC. You can do the correction anytime you want and with as many monitors as you own and you don't need to call a guy to come out. So if I were you, this is where I'd look and honest when I tell you, this is what has worked for me in both my studios as well as every studio I have worked in. The first thing I do when I work in another room is ARC the monitors and I've been golden. There have been a few guys that have been unsuccessful with ARC. So there is a small % that don't do well with it. But for me and several others, I/we can't say enough about it as it truly has made an incredible difference. I have an old ARC thread in the software forum if you search for it. It's a pretty good read that may shed some more light on it for you.
 
Good luck Bob....I hope some of this helps in your search.
 
-Danny

I bought Equilibrium a couple of days ago, its awesome!

Hey Danny I appreciate you taking the time to give me a detailed explanation. It's very insightful. I'm going to look into ARC. The area I mix and record in is fairly big. It's a little over 35 feet long by 18 1/2 feet wide with 9 foot high ceilings. I think my monitors and sub are decent. I assume arc can handle any size room. I'm sure it's worth trying. As far as room treatment I have some in the area where my monitors are on the sides behind and above. The floor is carpeted. The treatment I have has tamed the room some. There are definitely area's that are boomy, tiny etc. What is the most recent version of ARC?

I download the free trial, tried it, think I'll stick to waves, I seem to get better results with them.

Mosvalve


Hey Danny I appreciate you taking the time to give me a detailed explanation. It's very insightful. I'm going to look into ARC. The area I mix and record in is fairly big. It's a little over 35 feet long by 18 1/2 feet wide with 9 foot high ceilings. I think my monitors and sub are decent. I assume arc can handle any size room. I'm sure it's worth trying. As far as room treatment I have some in the area where my monitors are on the sides behind and above. The floor is carpeted. The treatment I have has tamed the room some. There are definitely area's that are boomy, tiny etc. What is the most recent version of ARC?

Hey Bob, not a problem. Just to cover both our butts....sincere apologies to the OP for somewhat getting a bit off track. Sometimes this stuff comes up and we/I seize the moment.
 
Bob, that's a big room...so to me that doesn't fall into the basic format. So you'll definitely need room correction plus something that flattens your monitors. You already have some, so that's great. ARC is going to make your monitors flat. If you get it, do the corrections with the sub on. Actually, if you DO get it, read this article I did on it. I've done several on ARC but this is definitely the most detailed. It will help you every step of the way if you decide to purchase it.
 
http://issuu.com/Wusik/docs/wsmapr201296dpi/37
 
The latest version is ARC 2. To me, it's very close to ARC 1 but a bit different. The majority of users prefer ARC 2 to ARC 1. Me, I'm still in the ARC 1 camp due to having such wonderful results with it. I'm one of those guys that believes in leaving a well-oiled machine alone. Like, I'll never upgrade my operating system on a pc. I'll go buy another pc with that OS on it and new hardware before I'll mess with something that works perfectly. Because of that, I still have just about every pc I've ever had. No more Win 95 boxes, but I got one with Win 98 SE that still purrs like a kitten with Sonar 2.2 on it and Pro Audio 9! LOL! :)
 
Anyway, ARC is really killer. In some cases, it MAY even help with room issues (so it claims) but I've never put too much stock into that because I don't know for sure what it really does. I don't believe what I read. I believe what I hear and how something works and let me tell you, for me it works. The one thing it HAS done for me is it's flattened out my monitors better than any guy with an analyzer and I can do this myself without worrying about if it was done right. If you mess up the ARC corrections, you'll know it. Best of luck. :)
 
-Danny