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Post by M57 on Jul 10, 2017 6:40:48 GMT -6
I bought soothe a few months back hoping it could be the salve for problem frequencies (not just a de-esser). It's OK, but no panecea for all my run away frequency woes, and I'm finding myself reaching for it less and less. Now, I'm noticing that more and more companies are coming out with 'intelligent' EQ's like SurferEQ and EQ+, which promise a wonderful world where complex EQing decisions made by the plug based on pitch and other factors, creating a real-time moving EQ setting that can bring out harmonics, get your tracks to sit perfectly in the mix, solve masking issues, and create world peace. There's a part of me that's saying, "Yeah," plugs doing things that they should be doing, taking things to another level - not just emulating real gear. But there's another part of me that's saying Yes, it may scratch that itch, but then everything starts to itch and I'm always itchy. No, I'm not trying to bother you with my personal medical problems.  Some add, some some subtract. Some are there to fix problems that shouldn't be there in the first place. I mean, if I can easily fix room and improper mic placement issues with a plugin, why bother to care at all when I'm tracking? I.e., might these things encourage us to be lazy? Anyway, I was wondering if someone might be using one or a few of these and be able to describe how useful they are and what kind of functionality they have that overlaps with others. the oaksound, Neutron, and SoundRadix products come to my mind off the bat, but I know there are others folks could throw into the mix (pun intended). I was hoping that this might also be a thread where people could not just compare and contrast, but also bounce around their broader thoughts on the topic. |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 10, 2017 7:15:56 GMT -6
I'm still loving this one on drums. www.soundradix.com/products/auto-align/I picked up their whole bundle on sale. Haven't really used Pi at all. Surfer EQ is ok, but the q settings are usually more broad than I want. I tried out Soothe and thought it was just ok. I still haven't really found a foolproof de-esser, usually give up on the plugins, and manually de-ess with automation. |
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Post by M57 on Jul 10, 2017 7:21:02 GMT -6
I'm still loving this one on drums. www.soundradix.com/products/auto-align/I picked up their whole bundle on sale. Haven't really used Pi at all. Surfer EQ is ok, but the q settings are usually more broad than I want. I tried out Soothe and thought it was just ok. I still haven't really found a foolproof de-esser, usually give up on the plugins, and manually de-ess with automation. Eiosis takes a lot of tinkering. I almost gave up on it, but I'm finding that used judiciously it can be very effective. |
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Post by M57 on Jul 10, 2017 9:05:01 GMT -6
Here's another. Waves f6This one seems pretty simple. Sounds like it's just a "dumb" real-time bandpass EQ - it doesn't analyze any pitch movement or anything like that. But functionally it's exactly what I'm looking for. Anyone have it? EDIT: Just watched the tutorial video. Yeah, exactly what I'm looking for, but it looks like there's no real time visual analysis to help dial in those offending frequencies. Like they expect me to use my ears??!! |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 10, 2017 9:29:08 GMT -6
Here's another. Waves f6This one seems pretty simple. Sounds like it's just a "dumb" real-time bandpass EQ - it doesn't analyze any pitch movement or anything like that. But functionally it's exactly what I'm looking for. Anyone have it? EDIT: Just watched the tutorial video. Yeah, exactly what I'm looking for, but it looks like there's no real time visual analysis to help dial in those offending frequencies. Like they expect me to use my ears??!! How about this... www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_dyneq_v2.html |
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Post by M57 on Jul 10, 2017 9:50:06 GMT -6
Unless there's something I'm missing, the bx does the same thing and still doesn't have an analyzer. At $300 vs. $49 for the f6, the bx is priced way out of the market. Honestly, the waves GUI looks a lot more intuitive. |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 10, 2017 10:06:07 GMT -6
Unless there's something I'm missing, the bx does the same thing and still doesn't have an analyzer. At $300 vs. $49 for the f6, the bx is priced way out of the market. Honestly, the waves GUI looks a lot more intuitive. Similar tool, just putting it out there as another option. How about the FabFilter Pro MB? It's a multiband compressor instead of a dynamic eq (not actually sure how different they are in practice, despite the naming diferences). This at least has the GUI you're looking for. Really deep plugin. www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-mb-multiband-compressor-plug-in |
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Post by M57 on Jul 10, 2017 10:12:35 GMT -6
>>a multiband compressor instead of a dynamic eq (not actually sure how different they are in practice, despite the naming diferences)<< Good question. What is the difference? I have a couple MB comps - I suppose I should try them out. Certainly one thing this is important is how surgical they can get. |
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Post by ragan on Jul 10, 2017 10:25:21 GMT -6
In my view, FabFilter is the top of the heap for anything precise or surgical. ProQ2, ProMB and ProDS are huge staples for me.
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Post by Tbone81 on Jul 10, 2017 15:54:09 GMT -6
You guys should check out Medla Audio's dynamic eq. It's really great, has multiple bands and spectrum analyzer GUI. So far the few plugs I've used from them are killer, and very affordable.
I use it on bass and side chain it to kick, the same way people would side chain a comp to make sure the kick/bass weren't stepping on each other. I also use it on heavy, loud guitars and side chain from the vocals so the voice can cut through in that upper mid range without sacrificing the brightness in the gtr's.
I feel like applications like these are where dynamic eqs really shine.
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Post by junior on Jul 11, 2017 0:30:55 GMT -6
You guys should check out Medla Audio's dynamic eq. It's really great, has multiple bands and spectrum analyzer GUI. So far the few plugs I've used from them are killer, and very affordable. I use it on bass and side chain it to kick, the same way people would side chain a comp to make sure the kick/bass weren't stepping on each other. I also use it on heavy, loud guitars and side chain from the vocals so the voice can cut through in that upper mid range without sacrificing the brightness in the gtr's. I feel like applications like these are where dynamic eqs really shine. Cosigned. Melda stuff (especially their EQs) are workhorses. Love MAutoDynamicEQ  www.meldaproduction.com/MAutoDynamicEq?kw=eq |
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Post by M57 on Jul 11, 2017 4:33:57 GMT -6
So here's the list so far..
sonible EQ+ ($100)
SoundRadix Surfer EQ ($200)
Melda MAutoDynamicEQ ($116)
Fab Filter Pro MB ($200)
Brainworks bx_dyneq ($300)
Oaksound soothe ($100) I already have this one
Waves f6 ($50)
Izotope Neutron ($250)
Will any Multiband compressor do the trick? I'd like something that helps me identify the problem areas (a strong GUI), can work surgically, and doesn't have a huge learning curve. Right now, the MAutoDynamicEQ just looks the most intuitive and usable. I know everyone loves Fab Filter. I haven't watched a video on it in a few years now, so I'll check it out again. Any other nominations?
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Post by Tbone81 on Jul 11, 2017 16:14:29 GMT -6
So here's the list so far.. sonible EQ+ ($100) SoundRadix Surfer EQ ($200) Melda MAutoDynamicEQ ($116) Fab Filter Pro MB ($200) Brainworks bx_dyneq ($300) Oaksound soothe ($100) I already have this one Waves f6 ($50) Izotope Neutron ($250) Will any Multiband compressor do the trick? I'd like something that helps me identify the problem areas (a strong GUI), can work surgically, and doesn't have a huge learning curve. Right now, the MAutoDynamicEQ just looks the most intuitive and usable. I know everyone loves Fab Filter. I haven't watched a video on it in a few years now, so I'll check it out again. Any other nominations? <Br><BR> Sonnox SuprEssor might be worth checking out. Not quite a multiband compressor but a very cool, frequency selective, compressor/de-esser. If you set it with a broad Q it makes a great over compressor. |
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Post by sopwith on Jul 12, 2017 2:40:26 GMT -6
I jumped on the $99 Neutron introductory price, and I have to say it's extremely powerful and makes it super easy to clean up mixes. I use the dynamic EQs all the time, sidechained to specific instruments so I don't have to automate everything (for instance, ducking a couple db in the mids of a guitar track only when the vocal comes in). Also very good at identifying when tracks are masking each other, plus a ton of great presets. Great transient shaper as well. Love it and use it on most tracks. Not a ton of "vibe", but it's fantastic to put in line after a color eq.
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Some add, some some subtract. Some are there to fix problems that shouldn't be there in the first place. I mean, if I can easily fix room and improper mic placement issues with a plugin, why bother to care at all when I'm tracking? I.e., might these things encourage us to be lazy?
