are eq plugins dif from one another

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djclueveli

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is the sound of one eq plug compared to another eq plug different in sound wise? (eg. the waves q-10 and waves Req). if so what makes eq plugs dif from one another and in your opinion what is the best eq plug?
 
Yes they are all different in some way or another.

What makes them different is the colouration that they induce upon the material.

Some are more transparent than others.

Some do not retain the quality of the audio as well as others and leave nasty remnants of their use.

psp master q should get you going.

try waves linear phase eq

These are high quality mastering eq plugins.
 
Listen very closely to EQs. Some of them do mild damage to the quality of a track before you even turn a knob. The Waves Linear EQ is nice, as are the Universal Audio and PSP EQs.
 
Its hard to hear the quality difference of plugins without good speakers.
 
The differences can be subtle or dramatic, but they are there. Also take a look at the Elemental Audio eqs, Equim and Firium.
 
are the waves paragraphic 10 eq and waves Req high quality eq's to mix with? what are high quality eq's to mix with? i know waves lineq is a high quality eq but it's meant for mastering.
 
You can use the lin eq for mixing, but the problem with high end plugins is that they are very heavy on the cpu.

Most induce latency also.

Look at Sonalksis 517

Also voxengo
 
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Actually i meant to say the high end plugs tend to induce latency.
 
pingu said:
Actually i meant to say the high end plugs tend to induce latency.
Click to expand...

Hmmm- - never noticed that before either - must be a PT thing......

:D
 
NL5 said:
Hmmm- - never noticed that before either - must be a PT thing......

:D
Click to expand...


Yep you definately feel it with pt, not that i use pt anymore
 
I don't think anybody explained why there are differences and the difference between the eq types mentioned:



Plug-ins, similar to outboard eqs, can be comprimised depending on the budget of the project and the time the company gave it's employees to finish the project.

In the outboard realm, this could mean cheap parts and subpar assembly procedures. All that has an important role in the way your gear will sound and perform.


In the digital realm (plug ins), eqs can be mathematically comprimised. Also for similar reasons. If they spend more development time on the plug ins, the final cost will increase, perhaps out of the budget range of most consumers.

It's all code based, so if the algorhythms are subpar, then you can imagine how that affects the sound.






Now for the types:



Lin EQ was designed more as a final mix eq. To put it simply:

It's a very transparent eq, but it uses a lot of math to accomplish that. A lot of math means a lot of cpu power.

A lot of cpu power for one plug in means limited amounts of plug ins for your mix. So in the end, it's not a very pratical choice for mixing. Better for mastering or "final mix adjustment" (for lack of a better homerecording termonology).


Also, lin eqs incorporate delay in thier processing, so any track with the lin eq will be offset a good amount (timewise) from the rest.


So if you're going to mix with eq plug ins, better to have something like a renaisannce eq, pultec, joe meekqualizer or focuserite eq. Not the best sound I've ever heard, but very practical.




In terms of "sound", thats more of a psyschoacoustic term. Meaning there's not real measurement for taste. But what I can say is that, I suppose eq plug-ins do well at eqing, but in terms of coloration, I'm not incredibly convinced about huge differences in coloration.


The closest I can think of that "colors" the sound is the waves Q-Clone, which uses convolution technology. But thats another story.
 
LeeRosario said:
Also, lin eqs incorporate delay in thier processing, so any track with the lin eq will be offset a good amount (timewise) from the rest.
Click to expand...

Again, isn't this is a PT issue? I believe most other proggy's automatically compensate, right? (Cubasse/Nuendo does)
 
But it goes without saying the platform does not induce the latency its the processing of the plug. The fact that PT le does not have ADC makes us aware of it.
 
pingu said:
But it goes without saying the platform does not induce the latency its the processing of the plug. The fact that PT le does not have ADC makes us aware of it.
Click to expand...


The full blown PT rigs have delay compensation? I thought none of them had it. Seems like without that, mixing would be mighty difficult.
 
LeeRosario said:
Also, lin eqs incorporate delay in thier processing, so any track with the lin eq will be offset a good amount (timewise) from the rest.
Click to expand...
Just to clarify: all plugins, no matter what they are induce some processing delay, some more some less. Things like Lin EQ would of course have more than say the built in EQ in Cubase. However, this shuold not be an issue in modern DAWs such as Cubase and Logic as they have automatic plugin delay compensation... if your's doesn't, then perhaps its time to shift to something better :p

As for differences, other than budget and time constraints, there are other design philosophies at play. For example filter designs (Butterworth, Chebichev, byquad, etc) that all have their pros and cons. In digital designs there are also the FIR and IIR design considerations. Not to mention that there is always the tradeoff between sound quality and CPU utilization.
 
NL5 said:
Again, isn't this is a PT issue? I believe most other proggy's automatically compensate, right? (Cubasse/Nuendo does)
Click to expand...

As far as I know, some platforms do compinsate for latency. I take the pro tools part for granted having worked on it so much.

I know that if you try to do some basic mixing in wavelab, it does seem to compinsate, even on heavy plug ins like the Lin MB and Lin EQ.

In PT, you can physically see if there are any offsets (in samples), so that's kina helpful, but not that it applies to things like Nuendo or Cubase.
 
PT has delay compensation, but not the LE versions.
 
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