KVR :: Effects » New linear-phase EQ - SplineEQ [View Original Topic]
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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:51 am

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Photosounder SplineEQ is our new spline-based linear phase equalizer plugin (VST/AU), available now in a free version and a commercial version.

http://photosounder.com/splineeq/

There are lots of great curve-based linear phase equalizers out there (e.g. Pro-Q) but I wanted to make one that's simpler (in a minimalistic sort of way) but nevertheless that affords a lot of control (something for which I believe Bézier splines are ideal) and perhaps more importantly something much more affordable. I also wanted to make a free EQ because there's a lot of great free EQs out there so I made a free version of it that is fully functional.

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DarkStar - Thu Dec 15, 2011 6:58 am

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Looks interesting - what's the difference between the free and commercial versions?

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:02 am

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The free version only has up to 4 bands while the commercial version has up to 60 bands. Also the free version cannot open or save presets (well at least not using its own format thing, you can always save as a .fxp).

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miedex - Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:04 am

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This looks awesome.

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VariKusBrainZ - Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:07 am

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$39..........bargain

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:10 am

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Wait till you see it in action, the spectral visualisation thing looks pretty nice when it moves with the sound. Which reminds me, I need to make a video showing how it works, but I need material to equalise, and I need to know how to equalise it (I don't make music myself so I'm not used to using an equalizer for the aesthetic embetterment of sound), is there anyone who'd like to volunteer some material for me to use?

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:14 am

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And yes, that's the idea, I suppose I could have priced it much higher but I think it's more interesting to price it as competitively as possible, mostly when there's a lack of similar plugins in that price range.

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Dean Aka Nekro - Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:09 am

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Have quite a few linear-phase EQ options already, However i will try the limited version and if its working well for my needs then get the full version A_SN. Thanks for going about it this way, I think the logic behind it is a really good move fwiw to you. 60-Bands? That is a tweaker's/fiddler's wet dream man

All the best

Dean

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:26 am

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I was going to go with more than 60 bands but with 60 bands that gives me 250 parameters (4 for each of the 60 bands + 10 other parameters) and not all hosts seem to be able to use more than 256. But if anyone needs more I'll be happy to make builds with more than that.

And those 60 bands with splines can end up being less than as many with other types. For example if you try to make a comb you can only make 20 spikes because you need 3 bands to make a single high-Q notch filter (although it's actually better than a regular notch filter, you can control its shape better since the curve must go through every yellow dot).

Also the preset format is a text format which can be easily modified/created which is convenient for some purposes, like that time I made an harmonics notch filter I just did the first notch filter in SplineEQ and did the rest from it in a text editor (the text editor has to support Unix line endings btw).

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3ee - Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:33 am

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This thing is hypnotizing me to buy it!

No seriously ... this seems like something cool, I'm off to put it to some tests!



What do you prefer more exactly?
Some loops, song sections perhaps?

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3ee - Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:36 am

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Where do I report bugs?
I've just encountered a deadly one under Win7.

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:42 am

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Well, I'm not dead set on anything specific but I guess that loops of some instrument(s) would be best since single instruments are better suited to showing off the huge gain range, whereas more complex mixes need to be handled with more subtlety (and be changed by only a few dB). And something that loops well would be convenient since I could run it for as long as needed but also because it compares with itself (as in first you hear the unmodified loop then you hear how it changes). As for what it actually should be I think it should be whatever you think shows well what SplineEQ can do. I'm a bit out of my depth for that, I don't even normally use any EQs.

Thanks .

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RunBeerRun - Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:43 am

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Sounds awesome, huge range of cut/boost!

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:05 am

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I know right? I wonder why I couldn't find any EQ that goes all the way down to -infinite dB. And at first I was gonna make it go up to only +30 dB but when testing I found that in some cases you want to boost some things (like very weak harmonics, to bring them back) by up to 60 dB.

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Bronto Scorpio - Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:24 am

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Nice! Seems to be a really nice EQ for some creative sound design

Cheers
Dennis

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3ee - Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:25 am

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It's good to know we can have that possibility, but most of the times, I for example, operate within the +|- 12 db range.
A linear phase eq might also be used for mastering, in that case, a more suitable range would be +|- 6 or 3 db perhaps...

Would you please consider implementing a switch to limit the range to a desired one?

Can we use this thread for bug reports and suggestions as well?

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stanlea - Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:27 am

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And maybe a LV2 version would be fine too.

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:51 am

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Yeah I'll try to implement some sort of zooming. And sure you can post bug reports and suggestions here.

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 10:54 am

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Oops I missed that one. What happens?


What is that?

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stanlea - Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:04 am

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http://lv2plug.in/trac/

good examples here :

http://www.linuxdsp.co.uk/

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3ee - Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:22 am

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Don't know exactly as I quickly closed my DAW as the plugin crashed (the dynamic part of the GUI + the nodes disappeared accompanied by that generic horrible clipped stuttering sound.)

This happened while I double clicked some parameters but don't recall which atm, will let you know if it happens again.
I also remember, right clicking a parameter to enter a value before the crash at some point... and something seem odd (parameter reset 1.0 instead of 0 ?! don't really remember as I happened quickly.)

Another one is that the nodes will occasionally jump while dragging them around. Causing unpleasant glitches especially with large boosts/cuts.


Here's another simple one that I can reproduce:


-click on a node.
-adjust frequency by scrolling on it's freq parameter.
-click on another one, scroll up or down on it's freq parameter.
-notice the jumping bug.

This also happens with the Gain parameter.

ADDED: the "Q" handles also jump occasionally... very bad when you notice a sudden 60db boost!

Win7 64bit, FL Studio 10, 32bit plugin

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Syrou - Thu Dec 15, 2011 12:27 pm

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Not able to reproduce that error 3ee =/ Which host are you running?

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3ee - Thu Dec 15, 2011 12:31 pm

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Win7 64bit, FL Studio 10, 32bit plugin

Also happens in Live Lite 8.2.2.

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:08 pm

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Mhhh I hadn't noticed that before (or rather I thought I had fixed it) but the last bug seems to be that when you select another node the 3 knobs (freq, gain and slope, which is not Q by the way) retain the value of the previously selected knob, so when you move them they start from that other value. The knobs don't get their parameter IDs changed correctly or something. Either way I'll try to fix it.

As for the rest I have no idea, I'm not sure what happens or how you make it happen. Anyway if you're not already doing so make sure to set the limiter to 0 dB, I made it to prevent disagreeable accidents when accidentally setting something too high.


Well I use WDL/IPlug, I'm happy to make builds of whatever it supports but I'm gonna stick to just one framework.

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:16 pm

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That's weird, I fixed the aforementioned knob bug by uncommenting some code. That makes me wonder why it was commented in the first place. Just hang on, now I just have to make 10 builds... (2 for Windows + 3 for Mac, for both the free and commercial version).

EDIT: Just updated it, hope it fixes it for you.

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Compyfox - Thu Dec 15, 2011 3:19 pm

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A bit large vertically, and it looks a bit Synthmaker-ish (due to the "controls" of the bands), but else the GUI looks nice and 4 bands as freeware are fair.

I'm also stuffed with LP EQ's, but nice to see another one around the block that's free for entry level, and affordable for those that need more.

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A_SN - Thu Dec 15, 2011 4:48 pm

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I'm not sure what Synthmakerish means. What does it mean? And it's large vertically because of the huge gain range too, although it's also because early on I hardcoded the visualisation thing to be square (and you could rotate it).

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A.M. Gold - Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:38 pm

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Does the freeware version save settings in host projects? If not, seems it's more of a demo version.

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3ee - Thu Dec 15, 2011 11:17 pm

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Yes, it does! (at least one instance as I tested )

@ A_SN, just got the latest version and the jumping bug appears to be gone.

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Compyfox - Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:00 am

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Take a look at certain early graphical EQs made with SynthMaker. These EQs used a similar system to widen the Q, drag and drop, etc... this is what reminds me of it even up until this day, even though it's not "limited" to SE/SM anymore.

I still find the GUI a bit large compared to the tagging, but then again, I'm on a 1024x600 EeePC and not my 1680x1050 dual head rig.

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A_SN - Fri Dec 16, 2011 3:15 am

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Yes it does. The only limitation concerning presets is with SplineEQ's own preset loading/saving system, but there are no other limitations, and you can even save presets in .fxp if your host lets you do that.


Sorry but I still have no idea what that means, you're gonna have to name the names of plugins. Is this about the visualisation area with the spline controls? And I don't understand what you mean by widen the Q, there's nothing like a Q in SplineEQ.

Ah yes it's gonna seem a bit cramped on a 1024x600 screen since the visualisation area itself is 512x512 . I made sure it would fit well on a 1024x768 (I didn't think anyone would use anything smaller to make music) while keeping in mind that most people have much larger screens. And when it comes to having a graph with lots of controls on it you want it to be about as large as it can reasonably be.

EDIT: In case you're wondering if I made this plugin in Synthmaker, then no. I made it using the WDL/IPlug framework, but even then I don't use their graphics routines, I use the window's framebuffer with my own drawing code for everything. The knobs were made in 3DS Max, the rest of the interface in Photoshop, and for the visualisation I created fast anti-aliased line and circle drawing algorithms made from Gaussian and error functions (all look-up tabled and using a modified Bresenham routine for speed in the case of lines) just for that plugin.

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Syrou - Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:50 am

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It's a great piece of software. Runs really smooth for me and in all my productions. Looking forward for the future of this plugin

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Dunc - Fri Dec 23, 2011 7:29 am

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Thought I'd pop this topic near the top again by saying this seems to use next to nothing on my system ( a lot less than some more well known offerings).

I really like the visualisation which helps me to see the reduction/increase being made. I might be a bit strange in that regard though...

I'm using the free version for the time being, but I'm looking to get the full blown version in the future (hopefully in January/February).


Have a good festive break A_SN

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A_SN - Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:04 am

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About that, does anyone have anything for me? I'll throw in a NFR license!

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A_SN - Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:11 am

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Ah yes, I made sure that CPU-wise my plugin is as efficient or more efficient than other linear-phase equalizers. I think that due to the fact that we use fast convolution we're close to having it done as efficiently as possible, I don't think it could be done much more efficiently than that.

And if you bought it now you'd be the 3rd person to have bought it! Yes, I've only sold two so far, it didn't really go as I had planned... like there's something I must have not done right. Sellings things isn't my forte, I'm more a Woz than a Jobs .

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Dunc - Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:41 am

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Perhaps the visualisation is putting those off whom are more used to a pre/post frequency analyser plot of some sort.
Your refreshing take on the visual output makes sense to me, but like I said a couple of post's ago, I'm probably a bit strange...


Perhaps you should open a thread on your Photosounder forum (afterall, it's another product from Photosounder dot com) to generate more interest in this...it would also show that you are still around as well (no post in that forum since mid November).

As for an example of music to EQ, alas I am unable to provide on that one. I can barely listen to my own music output, nevermind subjecting others to it.

Anyway, have a good one.

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gpunk - Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:11 am

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Crowded market
Yours does offer something unique in the way it works but not particularly in the way it sounds (No disrespect meant)
There are cheaper linear phase EQs on the market and as such that may be why sales are not great (Christmas being round the corner, wouldn't help either)

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A_SN - Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:01 am

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Indeed, it is a pretty vanilla linear phase EQ in the way it processes the sound, although the way the filter is designed is pretty different.

However I looked long and hard and I couldn't find a single linear phase EQ for less than $89, unless they were free. Can you give any names for ones below $89? I really didn't think there were any.

I thought maybe also people are just content with the free version (you guys should know)? I have a pretty terrible downloads/buys ratio compared to Photosounder, like, about an order of magnitude worse.

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Johnny! - Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:28 pm

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I'd say that most people are pretty happy with EQs they got with their DAWs + no matter what you say it's just another EQ with a bit different GUI (it doesn't matter what's under the hood as imo differences in sound in all EQs written by serious developers are marginal unless theyre designed to colour the sound somehow). Seems like the market is quite filled up with so many EQs available that yet another one is not really exciting anymore (same with compressors and probably a few more fx types)

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3ee - Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:58 pm

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Mid-side support would also be a big up!
...and an alternative view/working space ...rectangle instead of square.

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A_SN - Fri Dec 23, 2011 1:25 pm

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OK but I thought I had an edge because mine is of the linear phase type (does any DAW come with a linear phase EQ? I guess the real question is how many people really care for a linear phase EQ...) and much cheaper than the other ones like that. I can understand how it's mundane and not really exciting anymore. I guess only what is novel is exciting?


Well, I was considering going on working on it and adding lots of features (like M/S support and who knows what else) to make a much fancier version of SplineEQ, but it seems that the consensus is that I'd have more success doing something more original. Just wondering though, how should I best implement the M/S thing, by having a mid curve and a side curve, separate?

It seems I'd be better off going on with my original plan: at first I was going to make an original dynamics processor kind of effect codenamed EQEnv that would process the dynamics (the envelope/volume of the sound) based on an EQ, but without EQing anything, so that you could emphasise a sound in a different frequency range (for example a kick drum vs a snare drum) without changing anything in frequency, only in volume. Does that sound exciting (it's so hard to know what will interest you guys sometimes, I just have no idea)? Anyway I figured while working on it that since part of it is an EQ I might as well release a simple EQ plugin. I thought it might have a broad appeal...

Also, why rectangle instead of square? What's wrong with the 512x512 square? Too tall? Too narrow? Both?

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3ee - Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:36 pm

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Not separate, maybe just a switch for individual bands (Stereo-default, L, R, Mid, Side)




I for one, am not comfortable with anything else other than rectangle and I assume most people are used to rectangle looking eqs also.

As it is, it feels too tall.

Here's a more minimalistic look... too many parameters at once will distract the user... some of the options can be tucked into a menu or a "B" side or something. For example the visualization settings.

http://www.box.com/s/c1mjgkp60v8jtybutog9

How's that? Excuse the poor quality mockup pls!

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gpunk - Fri Dec 23, 2011 7:20 pm

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DDMF $29
And truth be told DDMF have something of a cult following right now (Myself included) not only because of the prices but because of the good support and great features.
I am not saying DDMF is better in any way than yours at all, just answering the question

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Integratron - Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:38 pm

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I've been focusing on EQs lately and there seems to be a ton of useless, generic EQs and a handful of EQs as slick as SplineEQ. I really like it and I think you just need to give it some time and clever marketing. You should submit a 6-band version to Computer Music magazine for some serious exposure... all to gain and nothing to loose IMHO.

I have the same problem with my music. Most peops that hear it like it but it seems such a chore to market intellectual product!

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Integratron - Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:42 am

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I just noticed that SplineEQ is not recognized by the latest version of Acid Sound Forge Audio Studio, version 10.0

It did run fine in Ableton Live Intro 8.2.7

I would most likely purchase this EQ if it could run with Sonys' Sound Forge.

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Dean Aka Nekro - Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:02 am

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Its working fine in Sound Forge Pro 10 fwiw

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Integratron - Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:23 am

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I'll try it again. Got it. I did not have it "organized". Just went to "All" and then moved to "Favorites".

SplineEQ is a keeper.

EQ certainly has a bigger impact on the sound than a compressor. I think that's why you'll see so many questions about compression... it is not as easy to hear as EQ and the parameters are a good deal more esoteric... also, the effect is generally much less obvious.

It seems to me that more users obsess over their compressors than their EQ... I just don't get it!

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V'ger - Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:02 am

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This looks good but bizarrely refuses to load in all hosts except Savihost. In Reaper, Minihost, Cantabile Lite it will cause the host to hang in a massive way forcing a process-kill in task manager, but in Savihost it will load instantly and runs perfectly and light.. (XP 32) I don't normally have much issues with plugs so this is exceptional.. What could be the cause?

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Integratron - Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:57 am

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Seemed to work OK with Ableton Live Intro. As soon as I went to adjust one of the EQ nodes, it locked up Tracktion big time!

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A_SN - Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:24 am

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Ho ho ho! The spirit of Christmas got to me so I slashed the price of SplineEQ from $39 to $19. Merry Christmas!


I don't know what to tell you, it loads just fine for me with Reaper and Minihost along with the other hosts I've tested.


Glad you glad it to work. I'm afraid that in a lot of cases that people have a problem there's not much I can do...


Oh, their LP10 is pretty good. Now I feel silly for thinking there was no one else in that price range. I wish I had known about that before I released, they just completely fell under my radar when I did my research. That's great, it shows me what I have to do with SplineEQ to be as competitive, so there's definitelty a SplineEQ 2.0 coming with at least L-R/M-S processing and selectable gain range. And that's also behind the price change. I was advised that if I made it as cheap as I originally planned ($19, I wanted something crazy enough and in the impulse buying range) it would make SplineEQ look like there's something wrong with it, and I was even advised not to price it less than $49.


Yeah, I have very little in the way of marketing ideas, but I told about the CM version idea to the editor of CMM and he likes it.

By the way 3ee your mockup is interesting, I'll consider something like that.

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Dean Aka Nekro - Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:28 am

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It should work fine/hope it does do for you man



I do not get all het up about any processor or effect, I am far too busy making sure that i get the microphones in the most optimal positions relative to source and taste/preference and which microphone to use for each source relative to what is wanted. Phase obcessed if you prefer

All the best

Dean

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IrionDaRonin - Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:18 pm

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Another problem with the Trial Demo here.

I can't make it load in FL Studio neither. It shows the typical loading sand watch and it takes ages to load (in fact, never), then FL Studio freezes and i need to close/re-open.

I'm on Windows XP Home. And V'ger in XP Professional. Could it be a matter of operative system? (Instead of daws?)

I would like to give it a try, looks interesting.

Have a good day

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Integratron - Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:06 pm

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Thank you for the generous Xmas offer but I need the plug to work in my apps. I think it needs a bit more work.

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A_SN - Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:58 pm

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I'm trying to download the demo of Tracktion but it's just not happening, nothing is downloading. So maybe your problem is using a product made by people who can't even make sure that their demo can be downloaded . Kidding, I'll try again later to see if I can download it.


Good theory, I'll try that when I get a XP virtual machine running. There's a lot of possible points of failure here, not just my code but also the framework (WDL/IPlug) that I use which is still work in progress (probably the most likely cause for a plugin not loading since my code doesn't do anything extraordinary when the plugin is loading) and naturally the host. And on top of that the OS it runs on makes things behave differently so you end up having to test every host in every OS variant...

Just today I've had to fix something that happens only in Ableton Live only on Mac OS only with the AU version... and the origin of the problem was that POSIX semaphores don't seem to work on that thing only for a reason I can't figure out yet...

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Integratron - Sun Dec 25, 2011 4:46 pm

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Working great in Sound Forge Audio Studio 10, Acid Music Studio 7.0 and Tracktion. I must have had something else that caused the apps to crash!

This is my new favorite EQ. I'm on my way to purchase now!

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Integratron - Sun Dec 25, 2011 5:06 pm

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Currently on sale for $19.00!!

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D.H. Miltz - Sun Dec 25, 2011 5:22 pm

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Thanks for this.

Seems to work fine with XP (Home, SP3) here. Using MU.LAB.

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IrionDaRonin - Sun Dec 25, 2011 5:31 pm

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Ah, now i have read that, i forgot, SP2 here!
I hope you can do something

Have a good day everyone

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Integratron - Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:11 pm

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I'm running with XP Home SP3.

Michael - Thanks for this great EQ. I've been looking and testing for a while now and SplineEQ is perfect for me. This may sound crazy but I intend to use it as a final EQ tweak to my masters before burning.

I have just two suggestions:

1) Eliminate possible confusion for your customers and use different file names for the zipped full and zipped demo versions downloads.

2) Add the dB scale to the right side of the SplineEQ window... just as it is on the left side.

I really like this EQ. Powerful, intuitive with a zero-time learning curve and very ergonomic.

Thank you for that very fast delivery, especially on Xmas!

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A_SN - Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:23 am

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I've uploaded a new build that should fix the crashes in Ableton Live on OS X. Who still has problems that didn't somehow resolve themselves? It's getting hard to keep track.


Cool, I wouldn't mind having a testimonial from you! http://photosounder.com/splineeq/testimonials.php

I've changed the name of the free version's zip (not really a demo by the way). Why do you want to have a dB scale to the right? It's better to the left anyway because on the right the notches would kind of clash with the minus signs. Plus on the left I need some space between the edge and the visualisation square, whereas on the right I don't need that.

EDIT: Also, how long does it take for KVR to add a plugin to the database? I mailed them all the info 10 days ago.

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Integratron - Tue Dec 27, 2011 9:32 am

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Although all is running fine, I'll try the newer version. Should I just use the same link that you sent when I purchased?

You gave me a better idea for monioring amount of dB of EQ... Perhaps you could add some fine horizontal lines that run across the screen in the background. This way I can tell how many dB I've adjusted at the higher (actually all) frequncies!

I'm not sure how long it takes KVR to post your request... I've never done that before.

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A_SN - Tue Dec 27, 2011 9:36 am

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Yes, the link is permanent, you should bookmark it.

And there are horizontal lines, there's a whole frequencies and gain grid in the background (it fades away when your mouse isn't in the visualisation square anymore but it's always there when you edit the curve).

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A_SN - Tue Dec 27, 2011 5:01 pm

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New version, it does a better job at addressing the issue with Ableton Live OS X (by fixing the code protection thing that was lacking) so it shouldn't crash anymore.

Also I've added a visible version number in the lower corner of the screen to help know if you're up to date. It currently reads 1.0.1.

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Integratron - Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:53 pm

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I didn't look for the version number but that's a nice touch... I'll check it out. I see what you mean about the horizontal guide lines... they only show when the user mouses over the screen... that makes sense!

You have so many powerful tools on the SplineEQ UI, I was thinking a tilt with adjustable center frequency would be very cool.

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contrary - Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:37 am

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PP ( pay ENEMY) won't let me purchase as a guest ; pity

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A_SN - Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:39 am

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It needs your e-mail address, otherwise I couldn't deliver the serial to you.

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contrary - Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:46 am

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They ask for much more here . ( I have used up my non-data mining quota !!)

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A_SN - Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:47 am

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Well, they do need your name and credit card number. It's hard to pay online without providing those things .

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miedex - Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:49 am

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You can always buy a prepaid credit card and register it with bogus info.

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contrary - Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:54 am

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duh.......


They want much more to be " verified"


tell them to accept purchases as a guest. I have bought from other devs still with PP . Must be a choice in the flow chart somewhere when ( the vendor ) you sign up with them ...



Looks like some nice coding ; I'll step aside; good luck to you .

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A_SN - Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:14 pm

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I looked into it, in my PayPal settings there's nothing blocked. When I click SplineEQ's buy button it offers either to login or "Don't have a PayPal account?" and then you only have to enter your credit card info, your email, and you probably don't even need to enter valid information for the rest. So I don't see what the problem is.

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contrary - Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:28 pm

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PM sent ;

Great plugg !!! Everyone buy immeadiatley


Sorry again for the hijack

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A_SN - Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:43 pm

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Don't worry, whatever keeps the thread bumped makes me happy . And you're right, everyone should buy this immediately!

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Nielzie - Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:56 pm

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I must admit that this is a very nice EQ imho. Really surprised me, just had to buy after trying it, especially for the ultra low price This would be far more expensive if there was a big company marketing machine behind it, believe me. That's why I like the "smaller" (but devoted and high quality) developers so much

Only thing that I would welcome is a small manual which explains the colors, animations, etc. some more

I'm inviting everyone to at least give the free version a good spin and try it!

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Integratron - Wed Dec 28, 2011 3:30 pm

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Yes, highly recommended.

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Dunc - Sat Dec 31, 2011 12:30 am

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Just bought this as it suits my way of visualising the changes made to sound .

Thanks for this A_SN.


Have a good New Year...

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A_SN - Sun Jan 01, 2012 11:17 am

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Good news everyone, I've just written the manual! Hope it answers all your questions, and if it doesn't let me know about it.

http://photosounder.com/splineeq/manual.pdf


Haha yeah well that's what you have to do when you have zero marketing. And then I only have to pay for my own modest living expenses, no one else to write checks to.


Thanks, glad you like how that works!

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Anonymous - Mon Jan 02, 2012 4:49 pm

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DELETED

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A_SN - Mon Jan 02, 2012 6:41 pm

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Cool, thanks for the heads up, it crashes here too! Great litmus test. So it looks like there's something wrong with what SplineEQ does with its memory, tomorrow I'll change and simplify how that works and that should do the trick. Hopefully that's the same thing that's been causing hangs on Macs.

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A_SN - Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:59 am

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Good news, I said what I did I would and now it's fixed and v1.0.2 is out. No memory gets destroyed/created anymore except at initialisation which avoids problems.

It's possibly also the solution to every other problem (heap corruption causes all sorts of crap) so if you had a problem with SplineEQ before that would be nice if you could check if it's still there and let me know if it's fixed or not. Thanks you!

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A_SN - Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:55 pm

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v1.0.3 is out. It should fix the hangs on Mac.

It would hang because the AU validator would change sample rates, and in my rate-changing code I had a double lock of the same mutex which caused the hang.

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V'ger - Tue Jan 03, 2012 4:54 pm

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Yes that did it, loads up in a flash now, cheers

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A_SN - Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:48 am

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Glad to hear that! Is there anything else that still needs resolving now?

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Six Bit Deeo - Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:31 pm

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Sounds interesting..

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DuX - Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:25 pm

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Very interesting EQ. The visualisation screen somehow suits me really well, even though I've been living with "normal" kind of analysers for years and years. It is useful and quicker to pinpoint the right frequencies. I have read the whole thread and I'll tell you my opinion on some things that others haven't mentioned. I have a pretty good 4 core PC running XP x86 SP3. So called, DuXP, I don't know why. I'm running EnergyXT and Reaper hosts. It works well with both of them, however, the zipper noise I hear when I move the bands is really not pleasant. I know I can get rid of it buy adjusting the "delay", but it doesn't look good when you start it that way. Probably the default preset should be a little different? So we don't get a zipper noise with the first preset when you move the bands? The second gripe that I noted immediately is only of cosmetic nature - the numbers are really hard to see even from a little distance from the monitor. The contrast between the numbers and the button background is far too low, and the numbers are too small. Also, what someone mentioned - we should be able to choose the range from -+6dB, over -+12dB etc. and the GUI is definitely too big, actually too tall, without any real need to be so tall. Only if you're making -78dB boosts and cuts, of course. But I think I needed that on just a very few occasions, and it usually is between -+6dB for mastering, and -+12dB for mixing.

I also find it weird that the limiter is turned off at -60dB, and turned on at 0dB. That's confusing as actually it should be in reverse. I don't know what that parameter should represent? If it's a limiter threshold, then it should work like I said - turned off at 0 and fully turned on at -60dB. However, that's too big of a threshold range for a limiter... so I still wonder what that button does. When you put a threshold on limiter at -60dB all you get is square signal full of distortion at -60dBFS. Could you explain how the limiter works, and what does that button do?

Otherwise, this EQ has made me a bit excited, which is very hard these days. Not with the sound, which is clean, but mostly with quite original and useful visualisation, and flawless, smooth GUI, except for the crackling/zipper noise when you move the bands... it should probably handle the audio buffers somewhat more gracefully?

Keep doing the great work! This EQ is a great, great value for money, and I might easily become accustomed to this kind of visualisation... it makes great sense for mixing, not so much for mastering, but it is helpful, too, and it all works smoothly - that says a lot about your programming skills. Really nicely programmed , except the buffers . Moving the bands should use a little less CPU, I think, and CPU usage should not jump so much as it can mean a world of difference when mixing. It can mean a difference between a nicely sounding, or crackly sounding project, when you work at 70% or more of constant CPU usage.

I'm going to keep an eye on this one! Thank you so much for an almost fully functional demo. One can really use it in mixes and mastering, and I think a lot of people could become "addicted" to it this way, as they can actually use it in their projects, and when they do... it's very hard to get away from buying it.

Cheers!

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A_SN - Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:09 pm

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That's strange, there really shouldn't be any zipper noise. I made a point to make sure there wouldn't be any and people have told me that it's all smooth. I'd like more information on how you get that zipper noise. Anyway it should take at least twice as much CPU when changing bands because the same piece of sound has to be processed once with the old EQ, again with the new EQ then the two must be blended together to have a smooth transition to the new EQ. Maybe the zipper noise comes from the fact that you're running out of CPU power? What kind of processor do you have? And what Resolution/Delay settings do you use?

As for the limiter it seems that lots of people are confused about what it does. Unlike limiters used for aesthetic effect which operate below 0 dB this limiter is to prevent any samples from going above 0 dB which is why the range is 0 dB to +60 dB and not -60. So +60 dB is off because no sample can possibly be above +60 dB.

As for the size of the GUI, well you're right, but I felt I kind of had to go with a one size fits all approach. But I will add a knob to choose a zoom, and when I do I guess I can make the GUI shorter vertically if that's what people want (it probably is).

And I'm glad you like the visualisation. I'll soon add an optional more classical analyser curves feature, it would be nice to design curves while having such an overlay as a guide.

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DuX - Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:35 am

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Oh, I can get rid of the zipper noise easily, by putting the delay from 1.0 to 0.9 or less, but I was thinking that it would probably be better that the default preset didn't make this zipper noise right from the start. Speaking of delay... I would actually expect to get rid of the zipper noise at bigger delays [buffers?]?

This should help you to optimise it. It's the somewhat small ASIO buffer that I use, that is to blame for the zipper noise. The CPU usage is negligible, as it is a Phenom at 3.6GHz 4 core CPU. The ASIO buffer is set at 256 samples, which is quite normal, even too big, for today's standards. When I put it to 384 [or 512 and so on] samples, the zipper noise disappears and everything works smoothly. So it is possible that you optimised its processing for bigger audio buffers, and didn't take in account that many people today use 256, 128, and even 64 samples ASIO buffers. It is needed often when you record audio, and you want as short audio latency as possible, so many people who record audio, do use such small audio latencies/ASIO buffers. I put the latency to 512 samples only on rare occasions and usually when I'm just finishing the project, and there's nothing more to record or play left. Bigger buffer does give you smoother audio when your CPU is at 70% or more. It usually gives you some more headroom for more plugins, too. LOL

LOL - so the limiter works from 0dB to +60dB! OK, mystery solved, thanks! It would probably be more useful if it was the other way round, as some people like to flatten out those peaks in the -dB region of audio. However it's not a big problem to put it at 0dB, and lower the gain in the DAW and flatten those peaks. Limiters, if used moderately, really come in handy, even if they're just simple clippers, or null-clippers [better].

Yeah, this kind of visualisation is quite useful for mixing, as you can see the fundamental frequencies better than with usual analyser [at least for me], especially from the distance. Speaking of distance... those numbers are really tiny and hard to see.

Thank you again for a really interesting EQ! Cheers!

Edit: I noticed that it's doing weird things with the phase, though. The phase should be linear, right? Have you tried it in Christian Budde's VST analyzer? The phase runs all over the place which is not the case with DDMF LP-10 that I like and use, for instance. Link: http://www.kvraudio.com/product/vst_plugin_analyser_by_christian_budde The curve response is like it should be, but the phase response is hmmmm

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Krakatau - Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:52 am

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I just downloaded the free version and my very first impression is really impressed by it tweakability, intuitiveness and overall responsiveness

I much appreciate among other goodies the feature that allows to reverse the equalisation profile that, i assume, can be very effective applied on submixers

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loopdon - Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:00 am

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Reverse the EQ profile?
I shall check this!
I have so far only seen this kind of visualisation/eq inversion feature in
Image-Line's offerings, PEQ2 and Equo.

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Krakatau - Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:08 am

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I think it could be very effective if you need to clearly distinguish two soundsources without changing both loudness

So logically the more effective would be then, on bus mixers

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DuX - Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:26 am

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"curve effects" are all VERY useful.

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Syrou - Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:49 am

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You didnt check the review of the plugin by any chance?

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Krakatau - Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:57 am

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indeed no...

...better did, well done !

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Panphobia - Sat Jan 14, 2012 8:28 am

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Awesome plugin

Maybe the best free EQ I have found, and the full version is very cheap

So cheap in fact that I was wondering if it was made in SE or something, but you have cleared that up.

You said that it wasnt selling very well. This is a unique product, and after you upgrade it with new features such as the zoom you plan (and other features) I could see it gaining popularity. Its maybe not the type of thing that will create a buying frenzy. That is because while it has a neat visual, it is very similar to some other eq's, so my guess is that people are thinking that they already have something similar in their arsenal. Don't sweat it I can see this taking off over time, especially when people start to realize the price/awesomeness ratio.

Thanks for the free version! I would buy the full version but my wife is looking

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manducator - Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:32 am

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Sad to hear... But I guess most people who do audiowork for a longer time already have a (favorite) eq. Me for instance; I have DMGaudio equality, which wasn't cheap but yeah, it's a great plugin. I really have to think again to buy another eq, after having spend big bucks on Equality already (and I'm satisfied). That's just reality, I guess.

But than again, SplineEQ is cheap...

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A_SN - Sun Jan 15, 2012 8:34 am

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I still can't reproduce your zipper problem though. I tried in Reaper and setting the buffer size really low but it doesn't change anything (and it shouldn't given how it concatenates all the input buffers together into an intermediary buffer of a given length) even with the Delay knob all the way up.

I'm not sure why you'd want to limiter to go below 0 dB as your output is normally supposed to have samples up to 0 dB, right? What's a null clipper?

And those numbers are tiny (8 points) but i I made them bigger I'd have to make the knobs bigger and everything would be bigger!

As for the phase response it's actually what the phase response of a mere delay looks like. So I assume that the plugin analyzer somehow takes into account LP10's delay properly but not SplineEQ?


You mean split a sound using the EQ in a way that makes mixing again the split sound be the same again? That wouldn't work because a curve + its reverse != a flat line, since it's all logarithmic. Maybe I shiuld have a 'linear gain scale' knob for that then.


It's alright, I didn't even plan to make an EQ in the first place, it was all supposed to be just a part of that upcoming EQ-based dynamics processor. That's what I hope will do well, even though I already know I'll have a tough time explaining what it does. And SplineEQ is at the top of the KVR rankings, so I guess it's not all bad .

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Panphobia - Sun Jan 15, 2012 10:53 am

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Cool, glad to hear that you have more plans for plugs

Spline is great, and Photosounder is on my short list. I never heard of it before but it looks really good, I like the demos. You are clearly a talented and creative developer, I can't wait to see what you come up with next.

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damstraversaz - Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:21 am

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what a great Eq ! I will bought it for sure.reaper shows me a latency of 2048 samples, wich is great for mixing, could it be possible to have a 0 latency version ( I knew nothing about coding , Linear phase and limiter latency) but it will be great for live use.
fantastic work, congratulations !

By the way, i just saw this EQ by chance, so maybe you need to have more announcements or reviews ( rekkerd, Vi-control, audiofanzine etc)
Damien

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chokehold - Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:49 am

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Tried the free version for about 20-30 minutes, and ... I'm not "hating", I just don't see the use in this EQ.

With Spline EQ, you don't select the frequency you wish to cut or boost, but you use the splines to "draw" curves around them.
To boost or cut a frequency range, you have to arrange 2 splines around the center frequency you wish to change, which then doesn't only affect the frequency you wish to change, but also affects everything between the two splines' "base points" and the next higher or lower "base points" of other splines.

You have to become somewhat of a spline-arranging artist, and you have to "think between the frequencies you want to change", to efficiently reach the boosting/cutting you wanted to make in the first place, and when time is money (which in the music biz it always is) that's just unintuitive, time-consuming and counter-productive.

If I reach for an EQ, it is because there are certain frequencies that should be boosted or cut, and not because I wish to draw a fancy curve with splines.

Select the center frequency ... and boost or cut it. Maybe even set how wide/narrow the band is. That's the perfect and most direct approach for altering frequency related stuff.

Load Spline EQ and try the most effective and commonly-used way of using an EQ for either Mixing or Mastering: Sweep.
Go ahead.

As I said in the beginning, I'm not just blindly hating or ranting.
There's a free version, a commercial version, both PC and Mac versions, a 64-bit version for both, the GUI is clean and you're doing everything around the plugin absolutely fine and "right".

It's just the sense of the whole thing itself, that seems a little odd to me. :/

But maybe I'm just doing something wrong. If that's the case: are there any YouTube tutorials for Spline EQ online? I'd be thrilled to be enlightened!

Still, I wish you all the best with Spline EQ, and of course I'm just as curious about your upcoming EQ/dynamics plugin as all the others are!

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A_SN - Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:45 am

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I just released a new version (1.0.4), nothing major, the main change is that now it works in mono properly (doesn't output in stereo if the input is mono, saves half the CPU too), I fiddled with the visualisation a bit so now it's less bright by default and I might have fixed some rare bugs (but there isn't much left to fix in the way of bugs anymore I think).


It's impossible to have a 0 latency for a linear phase EQ, it has to have some latency. You can make the latency go down with SplineEQ at the expense of CPU efficiency or frequency resolution, that's as good as it theoretically could get.

As for the press stuff, I guess maybe I'm not doing right. I e-mailed a bunch of them but it didn't do much. Well, I announced it successfully on Rekkerd though. As for reviews I don't know how to go about getting anyone to review it... I wish someone with an experience of doing that kind of thing effectively would help me.


Well, it's a different approach. It can't be everything that the regular approach is, it doesn't mean it should exist . All you have to know if you want to do the equivalent of sweep filters is just use 3 points, 2 low and 1 high in the middle. You don't even need to touch the handles most of the time, unless you want to really shape the curve. It sounds like you tried doing that with just 2 sloped points, that's not the best way to do it, you need 3 points. You can do most things without touching the handles, just shifting the yellow dots.

As for the sweep you can just use the transposition knob, it'll do your sweep. You can even do an imperfect kind of sweep just by dragging a point above a bunch of other points all at the same level. It's imperfect because the shape of bell curve keeps changing as you get closer/further from one of the flat points, but it's close enough.

And no videos yet, I really need to get around to it, it's just that I always end up prioritising other things...

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