What is the Best Automatic Matching EQ to Reference Track Software (for Mac)?

Note: I realize I could take a snapshot of a reference track and use a surgical EQ to drag bands up and down to match, but I'm hoping to find a plugin/app that could do this for me . . . not out of laziness, but out of necessity . . . I'm wearing too many freakin' hats and need to delegate some tasks and cannot afford to pay a fellow human . . .

 

Izotope would do that with true balance I believe. But its a moving target.

Are you trying to capture a stable target or its a complete song approximation that you would like to copy ?

 

I would love to capture as much as possible, but I don't think the tech is there yet, so I'd settle for a general snapshot of selected areas of a song.

 

Personally would use Ozone, this is really great tutorial, around 29th minute you can watch about matching EQ functionality

 

Maybe Fabfilter Pro Q3 would be more appropriate then ?

 

iZotope Audiolens or Sonible true:balance are what I think you are after for reference matching.
iZotope Ozone 10 and FabFilter Pro-Q 3 also both have EQ match.

 

Kilohearts Carve EQ seems to have this feature . . . great developer. Any others come to mind?

 

Try Tokyo Dawn Labs Nova GE using smart operation for static spectral matching. Use it at about 30% strength. Not as precise as other options but does a great job of getting you in the range.

 

MatchEQ in Logic is nice. Maybe some new AI tech will emerge which is better than any of the current options. They all still have the same fundamental problems; people trying to find a low-effort crutch, and the fact they are not magic.

 

I've seen this question a lot over the years and I've experience doing homemade IRs for ampsims cabinets. Ozone 4 (yes, 4) used to be the best but since v5 gives more work to do it. But both iZotope, ProQ and others mentioned here do the job.

The fastest to use hands down though is Melda MFreeFormEQ (all of their EQs can do it, this is the simplest one). Including:
- smoothness
- minimum / linear phase (analog too, but that doesn't translate to an IR if you want it or to matching EQ in general)
- export to an IR with two clicks

Edited: it has other goodies like reversing source/target in case you missed it and so on...

 

Last edited: Aug 16, 2023

Any options that can take a reference track and automatically match the EQ without user tweaking (unless/until needed, of course).

 

That's trickier because inside a DAW or even an standalone you can't automate the process without perhaps some crazy Reaper scripting.

I think someone mentioned once a command line tool. Something like:
eq_matcher.exe source.wav target.wav output_ir.wav --option here ...

Don't remember what exactly

 

It's impossible to get something remotely useable (on a full mix) with match eq. What you hear in the reference is the result of stereo field, dynamics and tonal balance (eq shape).

For example a compressed snare will need less level to sit in the mix while a very dynamic one will peak more. EQ match will indeed shape similar tonal balances, but the sound won't be the same because you literally have different dynamics in your song.

What the match eq will do, it will shape the tonal balance of the song and bury some elements in the mix while bringing out too much some other elements. You can't really make music without using your ears. You can find someone that does stem mastering and let them do the polish, the results are quite good

 

The Logic Match EQ workflow is so simple. It's not Pro-Q3, but for free and daw integrated; it's great.

 

Yeah, I guess overall tonal balance is more realistic and maybe using smart EQing for individual tracks.

 

Run a limiter before any match eq and get close or at the reference level. I find when using izotope’s match eq it matters and definitely helps.

Same with proQ3

 

I've never used Logic, but it might be the exception. If it has the EQ matching as a DAW feature everything changes.

 

Yep, that's just a fact.
The other day though I was thinking in using one of these new wonderful track isolation tools to eq-match at least guitar and bass tones. Not perfect as we all know but worth a shot.

 

Do any of the EQ matching to Reference work particularly well with individual instrument tracks? Maybe I'd like to get closer to The Beatles Paperback Writer guitar lead sound. ;-)