The "sound" of EQ3. Could someone explain?

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:08 pm

Hi,
The other day i was trying to get rid of some unneeded low frequencies in one of my instruments, and decided to use EQ3 due to its powerful kill switch. As soon as I plugged the thing in, i noticed an audible change in sound. It was colored, and different. I'd dare to say "worse". And I'm not talking about the low frequencies here, some mid range stuff (I hadn't even touched the parameters of the plugin yet).

Could someone explain what is going on? It kinda freaks me, because most of the time when I need low freqs kills I use eq3...

rhythmtech · Post by **rhythmtech** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:14 pm

first thing i noticed was the bass freq is set to 250!!! thats gotta go down to at least 120 to be usable.. just compare the freqs to eq4 and change them as need be.

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:17 pm

Yeah, but as I mentioned, I hadn't even started to kill the lows. I just plugged eq3 on that channel and there you go, sound changed. I dragged the plugin from the plugins list, nothing else. No killing, no messing with the frequencies. The sound changed just because it was in the audio chain. Weird. I have also noticed audible changes in the level of audio signal when you plug it in.

divi · Post by **divi** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:34 pm

i guess that s because it's intended as a 'fat' dj mixer eq and not as a clean and transparant studio eq like eq4

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:53 pm

eq3 is not a transparent EQ, for me that means I never use it

Abletons programmers and some users like it, it's not for me.

here's the official word

Robert Henke wrote:The EQ3 was not designed to be perfectly flat, but to allow for killing frequencies completely. It is not exactly a linear tool, but more an EQ with character.
If you dislike the coloration, use the EQ4. But EQ4 will not allow you to get 48 dB/octave and the ability to set the volume of a band to zero.

Robert Henke
Ableton

http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic. ... hlight=eq3

here's the alternative

http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19011&

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:57 pm

That should be it. Definitely.

Thanks man, that was what I needed to know. Otherwise, I was paying too much attention to my mixes, and I should probably get a life or something

stallos · Post by **stallos** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:55 pm

I definitely notice the effect of sticking an eq3 in an audio channel.

OK, so I have read the related threads and was thinking of switching over to EQ4 instead of EQ 3 on my DJ template to save some much needed resources (started using Reaktor more and more so need all the room I can make

)

One thing I like about EQ3 is being able to kill the bass with the push of a single button. Would I still be able to do this using EQ4 without the need for a 3rd party plugin like EQ killer ?

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 2:03 pm

Yes you can, set it as suggested on the mentioned thread and assign the on/off button of EQ4's filter number 1 to a key or button.

Now, if EQ3 colours the sound, and EQ4 cannot kill as effectively as EQ3 (it doesn't have such a steep filter slope), what plugins are out there that will do the trick of killllliiiiiiing my unwanted low freqs without messing with the rest of the sound?

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 2:49 pm

u gotta set the cross-over right on it for it to be clear....

Can't remember the freq right now.... 1khz or... 1.4khz or something.

With the freqs in the right place EQ3 is transparent as far as I can tell.

-Ben

ryansupak · Post by **ryansupak** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:34 pm

I love EQ3; I use two of them in series per program channel and only use the rolloffs (not the LMH gain knobs), which effectively gives me a "variable state", and "passive" EQ with tons of personality and flexibility.

$0.02,
rs

M. Bréqs · Post by **M. Bréqs** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:43 pm

MrYellow wrote:u gotta set the cross-over right on it for it to be clear....

Can't remember the freq right now.... 1khz or... 1.4khz or something.

With the freqs in the right place EQ3 is transparent as far as I can tell.

-Ben

I would be very keen to learn those crossover points...

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:23 pm

I like the eq 3 personally

I put it over loops and kicks set to bypass - when I want to cut the bass and leave it sounding midrange(y) I enable the device with the low turned off - it's more for specific sound effects than actual eqing - that's what Eq 4 is for

You can do some awesome stuff with EQ3 - I don't dj live with Live but I do dj at home with it when I'm bored and it's a great make believe dj eq

I like how you can set certain freq's to attentuate or the opposite of attenuate when you cut freq's in and out - it's aight with me

adonis

interceptor · Post by **interceptor** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:56 pm

I too dig the sound of eq3. If i want to fatten up something i just place one eq3 untouched on the material and it sounds fat without being distorted.

It somehow sounds vintage to me. Like the sound of old records or that fat sound you get from listening to the radio. I have always wondered how the radiostations got that juicy sound. It's especially easy to it hear just on talking.

Don't know of any other plugin that does this. The eq3 is definatly a useful plugin. The only thing I miss is more control over the fatness.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:03 pm

interceptor wrote:I too dig the sound of eq3. If i want to fatten up something i just place one eq3 untouched on the material and it sounds fat without being distorted.

It somehow sounds vintage to me. Like the sound of old records or that fat sound you get from listening to the radio. I have always wondered how the radiostations got that juicy sound. It's especially easy to it hear just on talking.

Don't know of any other plugin that does this. The eq3 is definatly a useful plugin. The only thing I miss is more control over the fatness.

Same, untouched and it adds this sound - it's hot

cosmosuave · Post by **cosmosuave** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:34 pm

M. Bréqs wrote:
MrYellow wrote:u gotta set the cross-over right on it for it to be clear....

Can't remember the freq right now.... 1khz or... 1.4khz or something.

With the freqs in the right place EQ3 is transparent as far as I can tell.

-Ben
I would be very keen to learn those crossover points...

You mean you have not figured it out... Since you are the one that gave us the hi/lo pass filter on EQ4... Tsk Tsk...