EQ vs. Multi-Band

[Shane]

I'm currently mastering a project with the precision limiter and PEQ or Pultec Pro.

I've often used the LinMB, but for this project the results aren't as good as the EQ's.

When do you use a Multi-band compressor vs. a good EQ.

 

[baronluigi]

I never use MB

 

[A Gruesome Discovery]

There's the rare occasion when you'd want to \"tame\" a frequency rather than simply dip it a bit... ok, not the best description, but for example: I tend to have an issue with high-gain guitar tracks where the area around 250Hz becomes very overbearing, but only during certain loud passages, such as palm mutes. Cutting a few dB using an EQ would affect the entire performance, and I don't want that, but a bit of multiband compression will attenuate the offending parts only when they become, well, offending.
Granted, I do this only on the guitar tracks, and I never use multiband comps for mastering. If I feel I need to reach for one at that stage, then a better course of action would be to go back and fix the mix. So my basic opinion would be to always use EQ when mastering, and use MB when something in the mix needs a band-aid (EDIT: horrible, horrible pun not intended).

 

[MASSIVE Mastering]

I'm with them.

Which is weird... Normally I get caught up in the \"why the hell are you using MBC on that?\" discussions...

 

[Eurocide]

As with all compressors, MBC are the 3rd and 4th hand on faders during the mix for certain frequency bands.
If automation is needed use it - if not let it as is.

 

[Eric Dahlberg]

for example: I tend to have an issue with high-gain guitar tracks where the area around 250Hz becomes very overbearing, but only during certain loud passages, such as palm mutes.

That's a good point. I heard Metallica's 'One' yesterday, those guitar tones could definitely have benefitted from an MBC or dynamic EQ (not to mention some mids, but that's another matter).

 

[Shane]

Cool thoughts everyone, (except baronluigi)!


Re: MBC
That's pretty much what I use it for too... taming those stubborn freq's.


Check this out... I was noodling around and found a cool combo.

I use Wavelab to master and compile my cd's.

First is the PEQ then the PultecPro and LA2A; and finally the Prec. Limiter is in the last slot.

I set the P.Lim. to +0.30 in mode B and adjust the LA2A to taste using it to lighty compress and raise the gain until the P. Lim. only reduces about 3db's. The Pultec and PEQ sound great even when unused. I usually use the PEQ first to adjust any freq's and then possibly employ the Pultec. The sound is best described as silky smooth and open.

 

[Eric Dahlberg]

Why'd you exclude Luigi? You asked \"When do you use a Multi-band compressor vs. a good EQ\" & he told you he never uses MBC.

 

[Paul Woodlock]

...

I set the P.Lim. to +0.30 in mode B and adjust the LA2A to taste using it to lighty compress and raise the gain until the P. Lim. only reduces about 3db's. The Pultec and PEQ sound great even when unused. I usually use the PEQ first to adjust any freq's and then possibly employ the Pultec. The sound is best described as silky smooth and open.

The PEQ DOES NOTHING when unused.

 

[Shane]

The PEQ DOES NOTHING when unused.

Is that your informed opinion? Did you actually try it? :roll:

Cause, my ears could definately hear the difference.

 

[Mark Edmonds]

Well your ears are deluding you my friend! :roll: :wink:

As far as I know, the only VST EQ plugin anywhere that does something when set to \"flat\" is the Pultec. All the rest are pass-through. It is very easy to prove too so worth two minutes to recalibrate your ears

Mark

 

[Paul Woodlock]

The PEQ DOES NOTHING when unused.

Is that your informed opinion? Did you actually try it? :roll: Cause, my ears could definately hear the difference.

I tested all the UAD-1 EQS plus URS, Sonalksis and some others recently due to someone else claiming a similar thing with plugs in general

Inserted with all gains at zero the PEQ NULLS to well under -100dBFS

With the NULL test going, I can turn my monitors falt out and it's still silent.

The only UAD-1 EQ that doesnt' NULL is the Pultec. Which of course isn't designed to, as they've modelled the bypassed sound.


Paul

 

[Disper]

\"To preserve the greatest sonic detail and ensure a minimum of artifacts in the upper frequency range, the Precision Equalizer is up-sampled to 192kHz.\"

Couldn't this affect the sonics?
I did notice a slight difference in overall sound with the peq when i demo'ed it...

D

 

[Paul Woodlock]

"To preserve the greatest sonic detail and ensure a minimum of artifacts in the upper frequency range, the Precision Equalizer is up-sampled to 192kHz."

Couldn't this affect the sonics?
I did notice a slight difference in overall sound with the peq when i demo'ed it...

D

Do a blind test. i.e get a friend to switch it in and out without you knowing whether it's bypassed or not and try and see if you can identify whether it's on or not.

At best I would wager you'd get right 50% of the time due to pure chance

It's possible the up and downsampling is responsible for the slight residue below -100dB I measured.

Also interesting that Mark Edmonds posted 4 files to this forum a few weeks ago, to see if anyone could identify which ahd been processed by a flat pultec. Hardly anyone identified the pultec. Search for the topic if ya interested

Paul

 

[Paul Woodlock]

Well your ears are deluding you my friend! :roll: :wink:
.....
Mark

This is very common. Peoples hearing is a very variable quantity, and is affected highly by psycology. I've tweaked an Eq on the WRONG CHANNEL before, and although it wasn't doing what I thought it should be doing, I definitely swore it was doing something. Basically becuase I was EXPECTING a change. Of course it was doing nothing, as the EQ was on a different muted channel DOH!!!

Give a regular 'smoker' a toke on a splif that's only tobacco, and he'll feel something becuase he's expecting to feel something

PLus you gotta be so careful of the LOUDER IS BETTER_LOUDER IS NOT BETTER Syndrome.

Zillions have been fooled by L1/L2 type loudness maximisers becuase of this. And as a result degraded their mixes.

Paul