during mastering i always struggle to bring up the presence frequency band (around 600 and 6k). my low end, low mids and top end/air sounds fine as is but i can hear i should boost the presence band but any EQ i tested so far always makes boosts in this band sound harsh.

so please hit me with your recommandations of EQs (plugins for windows) for the smoothest presence/clarity/bite boost.

thanks

 

You could try with some harmonic distortion vst, to make it more subtle

I really like this "Clariphonic DSP MKII" I usually put it on the master for a clear reference.

 

thx. good idea but the saturator would have to be multiband then since i d only need it on the quoted band. any recommandations?

i tried clariphonic and it didnt work for me. also afaik clariphonic doesnt add harmonic distortion but is a parallel EQ.

 

Try PSP E27

 

yes, it is a parallel eq. Have you tried Ozone Exciter? it is multiband. You could also try some Acqua/Acustica audio eq, they tend to be very discreet in the eq, they are not so aggressive.
for me. also afaik clariphonic doesnt add harmonic distortion but is a parallel EQ.

 

I usually use 3 instances of the standard Ableton EQ when I master. The first one to take out the low end. The second to repeat it (after initially using the stock 3 band multi compressor, and the third one I leave in the chain but rarely need to use it.
The thing is you can use ANY EQ during the mastering stage, just make sure you only target the frequencies that need it.

This is the last track I finished mastering. (After opening, select WATCH on you tube for it to play)

 

Lower the Q-factor.
It's not the eq. It's the configuration.

 

Sounds like the source might be harsh itself, you're just noticing it when you boost it. But if you want EQ's that have that je ne sais quoi i can think of a few:

-Kush Bliss (not particularly smooth, but for some reason you can boost those bands without adding too much harshness)
-Maag the EQ red (has a bit more subtle smoothening effect but it's there)
-Acustica Audio Cream (maybe a bit too smooth for mastering)

Aditionally, Multiband compression or dynamic EQ could also work, as well as some saturation. Also, try whatever EQ you've already been trying but on a wider band, don't be affraid of the extra frequencies being affected, for tone shaping this might actually work better.

 

Are you sure the problem is not in the mix? because many times this difference in frequencies can be a question of the mix

 

let's back up. How's your room treatment? How's the mix?
I find it hard that most EQs are "harsh". Either there are (narrower) resonances in the mix that are harsh that needs to be reduced (or ducked/de-essed), or there's some issue with the room/speakers/listening position/etc.
Edit: between 600 and 6k there is body, honk, nasality, telephony, presense, sharpness and clarity/"tsch". Which one is getting most annoying?

 

Last edited: Jul 24, 2022

if u have treatment acoustic done and aaaaaaaaaaaall the things that u want to "check" as done... maybe u need to pick a one "vari-mu" compressor for the final touch. then a limiter or something like that. try it or think first if u need some thing like this.

 

6K is right where you really begin to encounter harsh sounds ala Sibilance. More like 7K but this harshness is easily addressed by an instance of Fabfilter Pro-DS on the individual offensive channel. Perhaps you are using an additive analog EQ approach, so after your compressor to sweeten/color?

Noone uses this thing it seems, but Fabfilter do not just stick it into the bundle for fun. This is exactly what it is for.

 

For me the De-esser is to use when you need to treat a frequency that does not correct. But if you're adding "nuisance" frequencies, why put a De-esser there? It is better to avoid those frequencies. Sure you can put a De-Esser or a multiband on it and turn those frequencies up, but it won't sound as natural.


It would be the same if I raised the bass and then, since I have a "hum" type sound, put a De-Hum to treat what I raised, I don't know, I don't think so. I would go back to the eq and not raise that frequency so much.

 

it's because everything in the prior processors loaded into this sort of Fabfilter based FX chain is great up until the Pro-C2 compressor instance. Saturation and Subtractive EQing is done prior to the compressor in this signal flow. Another! additive/sweetener EQ is often added in this specific insert after Pro-C2. Often this is an analog EQ because people prefer to use them for color. Now, this signal is no longer compressed, but is the output of the EQ. It will have transients right at 7k. Almost every time. Pro-DS with the threshold correctly set will remove the "annoying" which people use to describe the mix. The OP wants to say every EQ causes this. My point is that, yes in the correct position in your channel signal flow; it most certainly can appear to do this. You could do some outlaw style bad work habits and load another pro q3. gasp.

Then, your pro-MB and then pro-L instances bring it up. nice :>)

 

Last edited: Jul 24, 2022

Yes, without a doubt Fafbilter is one of the best vst packages. But you say this:

So, if the OP is putting in a hard EQ, why smooth it out later with a De-esser? Wouldn't it be better not to play those hard frequencies so much? or look for another more subtle eq? work the mix, etc?
I'm not saying that what you say doesn't work, it sure will, but it won't be the same if you treat the frequencies as natural as possible. You must know the effect that a De-esser gives you that is not very pleasant when compressing the signal

Edit:
What I want to say is...
I think it's always better to go to the previous step than to try to fix something later.
For example
Suppose I record from a console and at the input I add an eq that ends up making my track very hard or bright, and then later to eliminate that hardness, I put another eq in the daw or a De-esser. For my point of view, it is better to go to the "Previous step" I go to the console and lower the eq. (Unless you want that analog flavor)

And the same in the daw, if I am adding an eq that gives me unwanted sound, then why treat it with a De-esser or multiband? Better, I reduce the eq, I could also attenuate it, or I look for another vst, but you can also go one step earlier if nothing works, because if nothing works then the problem could be in the mix or recording.
I mean, if you add and add things to cover up something that wouldn't be right, it just gets muddier and muddier.
Well, it's just my opinion, I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just thinking out loud with you.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 24, 2022

man can you recommend me some courses or videos that brought u to the level of asking such questions?

i cannot understand how people reach this level of detail...unfortunately i'm not that detailed yet

if you can recommend any videos let me know thanks

 

Because it compresses the highs this way. De-esser is a dynamics tool.

How about toning the dial down?

If you bring up the highs with an EQ and everything is suddenly harsh, that means you had harsh highs all this time, just they were too quiet for you to notice. No EQ is crappy enough to mess up the mix by itself, unless you're doing like a 12dB boost on a master bus with some anal-mod nonsense.
Instead of looking for another EQ you should look at your mix. Most probably some of the sounds are too harsh.
First off tho, take a break, relax your ears, listen to reference tracks, then come back.
Try bringing up highs for one or thee leading sounds (bass, guitars or voice), the snare and the hi-hats. Find out what makes the mix harsher, maybe saturate it instead of EQing it. Re-record it if you can, or delve into sound-design and fix the issue there.
Maybe even attenuate highs on other sounds to make this part of the spectre less cluttered.
It's possible that upping the vocals' highs and hi-hats would be enough to make your track sound brighter.
Also look out for 4-7 kHz region, the sense of harshness most often comes from there. You might wanna use a multiband compressor or dynamic EQ on the whole mix and/or on individual sounds.
There are lots of things to talk about, really. Having some mix examples by OP would've been very helpful.

OP's question is entry-level actually. Arguably the most commonly asked one. Also, a nitpick, they're calling bus processing "mastering", but it's part of a mixing stage.
Look for guides at FabFilter's youtube channel. That would give you the basics. After that, it's all experience and ear training. This concerns OP too.

 

Last edited: Jul 24, 2022

I know what a De-Esser does, I don't ask what it's for, I ask, what is the point of adding an annoying eq and then treating it with a De-esser?

That's what I was saying, almost always the problem is in the mix. For me, the first thing is to find the point just before putting any vst, and I have made many mistakes by simply saying "oh, I'm going to put this vst that I like" instead of looking for balance in the mix. But sometimes it is also good to have a reference point of what the goal is to reach, and that is why I usually put something subtle in the master, that activates and deactivates it to have a reference. No, of course an eq is not bad to ruin the mix, you use it wrong. But, I think that sometimes we need different paths, maybe it's an eq, a saturation, a compressor just to give it color, etc. This goes in personal tastes of how one wants it to sound. And yes, it is always something that I think is necessary, it would be very useful if when we ask something about an audio, we could upload the file to have a clearer reference, I see that this happens in many posts

 

maage eq4

 

I beg to differ. Firstly, only one mode offers a bell, all others are shelves (and mainly above 6kHz) secondly, neither the freq not the Q is adjustable which renders this plugin useless for a specific treatment.

CPU hog, no precise freq, no Q.

Apart from your recommandations, . Neither Bliss, nor Cream are precisely adjustable (freq, Q).

The course is called practice. Means do it, listen to it, compare it, do it better. No vid can teach you this.

In case you only have a stereo file (which is suboptimal anyways):
1. Take M/S into consideration.
2. Static emphasize with wide bell, dynamic attentuation with small bell(s) (free TDR Nova should do).
3. Something like Soothe or DSEQ to tame the harshness.

In case you're doing a mix or stem mastering, identify which sound(s) are most likely to sound harsh and leave them off.