whats the eq with least artifacts ?

Discussion in 'Software' started by Gyro Gearloose, Jun 6, 2020.

  1. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2019
    Messages:
    4,237
    Likes Received:
    1,846
    Location:
    Germany
    whats the eq with least artifacts ?

    and which good linear phase eq uses very less cpu ?

    even its old post it ...
     
  2.  
  3. Baxter

    Baxter Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2011
    Messages:
    3,828
    Likes Received:
    2,657
    Location:
    Sweden
    Define "artifacts". Aliasing? Use EQs that have oversampling.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • Useful Useful x 1
    • List
  4. shankar

    shankar Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2015
    Messages:
    320
    Likes Received:
    287
    When you say with less artifacts, do you think of transparency?
    I start a new post a few days ago and I ask my friends here to tell me what are the most transparent Eqs for mastering.

    If this is what you are looking for, here is the post link: https://audiosex.pro/threads/what-is-your-favorite-transparent-equalizer.54094/

    However, we were not talking about CPU consumption.
    I was able to discover new Eqs that I didn't know before.

    if you are exclusively looking for a linear Eq with the oversampling function, I recommend Fabfilter Pro-Q3 or the Sonoris Mastering EQ.
    But be careful, the oversampling function uses a lot of CPU.

    I hope this will help you :wink:
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Useful Useful x 1
    • List
  5. PlzNo

    PlzNo Ultrasonic

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2018
    Messages:
    105
    Likes Received:
    37
    I got used to render my audio whenever using Linear Phase, I prefer FabFilter as its very clean without coloration.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Useful Useful x 1
    • List
  6. Qrchack

    Qrchack Rock Star

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2015
    Messages:
    798
    Likes Received:
    338
    Location:
    Poland
    Any decent digital EQ is several lightyears above analog hardware in terms of signal to noise, stability, reliability, and being consistent in terms of multiple units (important for stereo imaging and surround). Linear phase is impossible to do in analog. This tells you it probably isn't a must-have. You won't hear much difference between different EQ plugins, if any (unless it's emulating some vintage hardware), and if there are any "artifacts", you probably don't even know what they could sound like.

    TL;DR your issue probably isn't due to using the wrong EQ, but due to you still having to learn how to use one well.

    Yes I'm aware that there are subtle differences, but it doesn't matter since in 99% cases the end result is a 128kbps MP3 stream. Most stock and some (clean/transparent) 3rd party EQs utilize the same old biquad formula from Audio EQ Cookbook because it just works and does it well. EQs are linear for the most part, so they don't need oversampling really. I'm currently finishing my bachelor's on analog modelling in VSTs. One very common method is to derive the transfer function of a hardware device from schematic and calculate the bilinear transform for it. This introduces some error (as in - at the highest frequencies the value in kHz set doesn't correspond to the actual filter's response) - oversampling can help a little with that. But just moving the knob further up or changing the Q makes the issue pretty much inaudible. See https://science-of-sound.net/2016/07/oversampling-digital-equalizers/. You can see this in a lot of EQs by the fact that the bell curve gets "pinched" as it goes towards 20k.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Winner Winner x 1
    • List
  7. Blue

    Blue Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2015
    Messages:
    1,807
    Likes Received:
    954
    Did you try The Crave ?Many people are happy with it on Gearslutz.I don't know it btw.
     
  8. Moogerfooger

    Moogerfooger Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2016
    Messages:
    1,393
    Likes Received:
    756
    Soothe2 lol
     
    • Funny Funny x 4
    • Winner Winner x 1
    • List
  9. SineWave

    SineWave Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2011
    Messages:
    4,273
    Likes Received:
    3,371
    Location:
    Where the sun doesn't shine.
    Software EQs by their nature don't really exhibit many artefacts - they are very precise and clean "devices". There can be aliasing if you're not using oversampling, so the frequency curves get squeezed at the nyquist frequency and those frequencies reflect back into the audible spectrum. They are usually rather hard to hear, though.

    There can be phase issues when you're boosting the same frequency with the similar bandwidth on one sound and boosting or cutting it on the other - which is a well known [is it?] EQ artefact that you can actually use to your advantage while mixing. Reversing the phase on one of the sounds can be very helpful to get the phase just the way you want it to.

    Linear phase EQs aren't possible to make in the analogue world and while they sound more transparent due to phase being linear, they have their own set of artefacts you have to deal with. Like aliasing at the nyquist bounce-back effect can still occur if there is no oversampling employed, and pre-ringing at the frequency you're changing. The more narrow the bandwidth and boost/cut, the more obvious the pre-ringing.

    Also, all EQs have more or less "transient smearing",.. but I'm not sure how to measure or hear that, and how important it is since people love to kill all the transients with clippers and limiters anyway.

    Analogue EQs suffer from many issues except aliasing, but we love them, and analogue gear in general, precisely because of these issues and imperfections as they sound pleasing to the ear. Perfect imperfection is the most natural thing... :wink:
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2020
  10. SineWave

    SineWave Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2011
    Messages:
    4,273
    Likes Received:
    3,371
    Location:
    Where the sun doesn't shine.
    You can see what an EQ is doing to your audio by examining it with DDMF Plugin Doctor or Christian Budde's VST Analyser which is a bit old now and can deal only with x86 plugins. Shame. I liked VST Analyser more. Still, PluginDoctor is just fine, too.
     
  11. Kwissbeats

    Kwissbeats Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2014
    Messages:
    1,559
    Likes Received:
    652
    My findings are, that especially EQs that are recommended for their transparency in the high frequencies, exhibit unexpected
    (by my understanding) bell curves inserted in shelf operations, and vice versa.
    And to add to the confusion, shelves and even cuts are not measured at the same points.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2020
  12. Trurl

    Trurl Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2019
    Messages:
    2,480
    Likes Received:
    1,453
    Are there any popular vst eqs that DO and noticeable artifacts that someone can point to?
     
  13. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2019
    Messages:
    4,237
    Likes Received:
    1,846
    Location:
    Germany
    yeah real hitting transients

    has becoming rare in many productions
    i wanted too avoid this thru these thread eh eh...
    see
    its bout the summing of these artifacts in a mix i thought
     
  14. Kwissbeats

    Kwissbeats Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2014
    Messages:
    1,559
    Likes Received:
    652
    h̶t̶t̶p̶s̶:̶/̶/̶s̶r̶c̶.̶i̶n̶f̶i̶n̶i̶t̶e̶w̶a̶v̶e̶.̶c̶a̶/̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶l̶e̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶a̶b̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶, someone could pick the worst and maybe make us a example :winker:

    Edit: wrong site (still interesting it's about aliasing), can't find the right one atm....
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2020
  15. JMOUTTON

    JMOUTTON Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2016
    Messages:
    1,051
    Likes Received:
    855
    Location:
    Virginia
    Clean digital EQs that are not emulating non-linear analogue gear are not going to do anything to your transients unless you are operating in linear phase, then some pre-ringing might cause wonkiness if you are not oversampling. That is a topic for somewhere else.

    Upsamle your mixing to at least 48KHz and over-sample, though generally EQs don't alias enough to for you to really care even with 10000s of tracks unless you are just making huge boost at the extreme top end. EQs don't generate harmonic content so you have no harmonics climbing up the frequency spectrum as long as your stay reasonable.

    This is generally not an area where you should spend too much time scratching your head as the problem is most likely somewhere else. Especially if you making your music very loud and are going through multiple dynamic processors. It is the equivalent of focusing on the effects of mosquito farts while standing in field full of cows.
     
  16. devilorcracker

    devilorcracker Platinum Record

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2013
    Messages:
    516
    Likes Received:
    263
    Well, if you look at PluginDoctor.
     
  17. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2019
    Messages:
    4,237
    Likes Received:
    1,846
    Location:
    Germany
    :woot::wow:
     
Loading...
Loading...