TDR VOS SlickEQ - Release 1.0.0

[xtrax]

Thank You very much for the new EQ. Great work indeed.

[Lesha]

Did they mention phase problems when cutting low frequencies by any chance?

Really, this is most probably not the problem. With minimum phase filters (filters that try to introduce the least amount of delay), the frequency magnitude is directly dependent on the phase magnitude (and the other way around). In other words, all minimum phase EQs introduce exactly the same phase distortion for exactly the same frequency magnitude "shape" (analogue or not, it doesn't matter).

There's no doubt that the phase distortion minimum filters introduce is audible. But that's not really an interesting aspect for "A vs D" debates.

I am sorry for not being completely on topic, but I need some clarification.

As a producer I am not really familiar with the way filters work, but I concentrate on how music sounds.
But something caught my attention a while ago, and that is linear vs. minimum phase EQ and their shortcomings. Please, feel free to correct me, but I have understood that linear phase has a flat linear response, but at the expense of higher CPU consumption and a pre-delay.
On the other hand, minimum phase EQs are lighter on the CPU and don't have pre-delay, at the expense of phase displacement.

If I got that right, do I need to worry at all about that or I can just keep on using minimum phase for mixing, and linear phase for mastering purposes?

In fact, I want to know which kind of EQ is best for a HPF and for the bass frequencies?

Thank you.


PS. Sorry for my English.

[FabienTDR]

Hey Lesha,

you won't like the answer... ...it depends!


When you find a minute, check out this book:
http://www.dspguide.com/pdfbook.htm
It's free, accessible and highly recommended.

It has a small chapter which discusses the question (although not just music related):
http://www.dspguide.com/ch21.htm

You have your ears, so there's really no need to worry. In the majority of practical cases, a linear phase filter will most probably be the less interesting option. Most of all because it will introduce substantial amounts of latency (or complexity) and represents the worst option performance wise.

Making these decisions is engineering. I really recommend to read the book in fullness since it perfectly explains over and over again that there is no "best" in engineering, it's always about finding "the most adequate" solution for a specific task.

Now, when it comes to EQs, almost 100 years of exclusive minimal phase EQing couldn't break the music industry! It's well proven, no need to worry!

I'm generally a friend of linear phase filters, but wasn't a reasonable option for SlickEQ. It would have asked for real-time fast convolution techniques that don't fit well with our non-linearity models and anti-aliasing approach.

[Lesha]

Thank you Fabien, seems like an interesting read, but not to my liking, too technical!
I would rather spend time twisting knobs and sweeping frequencies. Perhaps I'll give it a go when I have enough free time.

Thanks a lot for your answers, so I guess I can keep on using GHi EQ for my HPF tasks and not worry too much. It's low on CPU and I think it performs well.

I should also stay away from Christian Budde's VST Plugin Analyser in the future and stop checking the EQ phase response

[Hermetech Mastering]

The equation of "Linear Phase" to "Mastering" was nothing more than ad copy/marketing. Of course, in the end you must use your ears, but as I'm used to analogue EQ I often prefer minimum phase in digital. In my experience, LP can sound very strange, especially on low frequencies.

[Lesha]

The equation of "Linear Phase" to "Mastering" was nothing more than ad copy/marketing. Of course, in the end you must use your ears, but as I'm used to analogue EQ I often prefer minimum phase in digital. In my experience, LP can sound very strange, especially on low frequencies.

You mean HP?

[sinkmusic]

The equation of "Linear Phase" to "Mastering" was nothing more than ad copy/marketing. Of course, in the end you must use your ears, but as I'm used to analogue EQ I often prefer minimum phase in digital. In my experience, LP can sound very strange, especially on low frequencies.

You mean HP?

I think that by "LP" he means "linear phase", and not "Low Pass".

[Lesha]

The equation of "Linear Phase" to "Mastering" was nothing more than ad copy/marketing. Of course, in the end you must use your ears, but as I'm used to analogue EQ I often prefer minimum phase in digital. In my experience, LP can sound very strange, especially on low frequencies.

You mean HP?

I think that by "LP" he means "linear phase", and not "Low Pass".

Ah, Ok

[sunny_j]

any update on the update?

[FabienTDR]

sunny_j, we're currently testing the AAX edition and we'll release it together with a small 1.1.0 update (minor fixes and slightly improved cpu performance). AAX testing is not completed yet, there's no reliable release date. But "as soon as possible".