Voxengo TEOTE 1.10 automatic spectral balancer plugin released

[Aleksey Vaneev]

May 11, 2022: Voxengo is happy to release TEOTE version 1.10, an automatic spectral balancer plugin for professional music production applications, available in AAX, AudioUnit, VST, and VST3 plugin formats, for macOS and Windows computers. TEOTE was designed to be a very useful tool for both mixing and mastering. It automatically performs such tasks like gentle resonances taming, de-essing, tilt equalizing, usually performed during mixing and mastering. In mixing, TEOTE sounds good on pretty much any material.

The list of changes in this version:

* Implemented the "C/S/F" topology selector. This feature is fully backwards-compatible, sound-wise.
* Made the filters switch off at extreme knob positions.
* Added automation parameters for all previously introduced features.

The “C/S/F” selector adjusts envelope follower’s topology. While the numerical modes adjust timings, this selector specifies structure (or schematic) of the envelope follower that produces a dynamic envelope. The “C” mode is a “classic” topology first introduced in TEOTE 1.0. The “S” mode is a symmetric topology which is similar to the “C” topology, but with some of its boost-cut asymmetries removed. This is now a default mode as it produces a comparably less “muffled” sound; however, this mode may require a lower “Slope” setting since it sounds brighter. Compared to the “C” topology, the “S” topology produces fewer low-frequency overshoots and has a more pronounced mid-frequencies, but it sounds less “vintage”, subjectively. The “F” topology implements a filter-like schematic which works as a low-pass filter, without attack-release switching logic. This topology usually sounds overly snappy and “in your face”, so adjustments of the “Base Atk” and “FX” parameters may be required; this mode does not require the “Base Rls” parameter.



While by definition TEOTE is a dynamic equalizer, its technology is solely based on multi-band dynamics processing. This allows TEOTE to have only minor phase issues, and to produce a subtle transient-emphasis effect associated with dynamics processing. TEOTE tries to make the program material follow the specified spectral profile, tuned to the contemporary mastering standards by default. It can be said that TEOTE “straightens” the frequency response, making further adjustments a lot easier; it removes a lot of repeating work.

“TEOTE” is an acronym for “That’s Easier On The Ear”. TEOTE is a serious contender in helping bring your music production to the next level!

TEOTE features:

* Automatic spectral balancing
* Selectable processing band count
* Unlinked stereo processing
* Multi-band gain adjustments meter
* Stereo and multi-channel processing
* Internal channel routing
* Channel grouping
* Up to 8x oversampling
* 64-bit floating point processing
* Preset manager
* Undo/redo history
* A/B comparisons
* Contextual hint messages
* All sample rates support
* Zero processing latency

Demo version of TEOTE can be downloaded freely at the Voxengo web site: https://www.voxengo.com/product/teote/?eref=fo

[zvenx]

Thank you Aleksey.
rsp

[Lesha]

Thank you for the constant enhancement!

[Trancit]

Thx very much!

[J1000]

As much as generally like Voxengo plugins and have bought TEOTE right after it's release, I'm not using it at all.

First, whichever material I put into it that already sounds great to my ear i.e. already being fully polished, EQ-ed, compressed etc., TEOTE always does the same thing to it - dynamically reduces (lower) midrange and boosts highs. That doesn't sound "easy on the ear", but bright and flimsy. Some resonances should occur in that frequency range and it's one of most pleasing musical aspects of any acoustic or even electronic instrument. I don't want it flattened so that overall curve responds closely to some noise profile, even if it's corrected to equal loudness contour. Music shouldn't be corrected to be more noise-like.

Second, the nature of multiband splitting introduces problems of it's own, the most crucial of them being overlapping ranges. No matter how many bands you choose, sine signal will activate adjacent bands and always produces V-shaped response. You just can't engage single band without activating (many) bands beside it. So, whether it's sine-like signal, noise or anything in between, multiband compressors (which TEOTE technically is) act the same way in terms of produced curvature. This is just inherent drawback of this approach. I choose ReaFIR for any surgical resonance-taming tasks and use regular EQ to get the overall mix balance. That sounds best to my ear.

[astralprojection]

zero processing latency, i would assume then its not in linear phase mode? what are those minor phase issues you mention btw? from a technical standpoint im curious. usually multiband plugins that are not in lin phase mode are great for shaping and altering phase of your input, but if phase is already where you want it, i would assume this does cause some phase shifts? some people are more in tune with this than others but for mastering applications specifically, a phase shift can be either exactly what you want or the opposite.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

I suggest you to check TEOTE in a widely-used PluginDoctor, at FX 30-50 setting, which seems usual, and see how it affects the phase. To put it short: it's almost linear-phase despite being minimum-phase IIR. The reason: its filters are not steep.

I won't argue about usability of TEOTE, I'll only say I'm happy with its sales and user reception. Can't please everyone anyway. (and why apply it on a finished mix that already sounds great?)

If you are not using TEOTE, you may sell its license via KVR, license transfers are free.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

Stay tuned for "S2" mode in the next update. It seems I've found an opportunity to make "S" mode as smooth as the classic "C" mode. This will be fixed with a yet another update, soon. "S" mode is fine, but it adds too much presence to complete mixes (to my likening). "F" is good as it is and is my new preference for acoustic drum mixes (also not a preference for mixes).

[astralprojection]

I suggest you to check TEOTE in a widely-used PluginDoctor, at FX 30-50 setting, which seems usual, and see how it affects the phase. To put it short: it's almost linear-phase despite being minimum-phase IIR. The reason: its filters are not steep.

I won't argue about usability of TEOTE, I'll only say I'm happy with its sales and user reception. Can't please everyone anyway. (and why apply it on a finished mix that already sounds great?)

If you are not using TEOTE, you may sell its license via KVR, license transfers are free.

You must have misunderstood.. I've not yet tried the plugin. My question was out of curiosity. I was not being critical at all, not sure the hostility? I was simply enquiring about how it worked. That's all. Thanks for explaining it.

[Aleksey Vaneev]

I suggest you to check TEOTE in a widely-used PluginDoctor, at FX 30-50 setting, which seems usual, and see how it affects the phase. To put it short: it's almost linear-phase despite being minimum-phase IIR. The reason: its filters are not steep.

I won't argue about usability of TEOTE, I'll only say I'm happy with its sales and user reception. Can't please everyone anyway. (and why apply it on a finished mix that already sounds great?)

If you are not using TEOTE, you may sell its license via KVR, license transfers are free.

You must have misunderstood.. I've not yet tried the plugin. My question was out of curiosity. I was not being critical at all, not sure the hostility? I was simply enquiring about how it worked. That's all. Thanks for explaining it.

I'm not hostile at all. But you'll probably need to use a common tool to understand what's meant by "minor phase issues". You can measure it, and make conclusions. My conclusion is that they are "minor", that's all.

[plexuss]

I suggest you to check TEOTE in a widely-used PluginDoctor, at FX 30-50 setting, which seems usual, and see how it affects the phase. To put it short: it's almost linear-phase despite being minimum-phase IIR. The reason: its filters are not steep.

I won't argue about usability of TEOTE, I'll only say I'm happy with its sales and user reception. Can't please everyone anyway. (and why apply it on a finished mix that already sounds great?)

If you are not using TEOTE, you may sell its license via KVR, license transfers are free.

[snip...] not sure the hostility?

Aleksey was not being hostile in his reply, at all.

Thanks for the ongoing detailed explainations Aleksey of TEOTE. Question: Now, I am just curious... why is the name of the plugin in all-caps, and what does "teote" mean anyway?

[Lesha]

zero processing latency, i would assume then its not in linear phase mode? what are those minor phase issues you mention btw? from a technical standpoint im curious. usually multiband plugins that are not in lin phase mode are great for shaping and altering phase of your input, but if phase is already where you want it, i would assume this does cause some phase shifts? some people are more in tune with this than others but for mastering applications specifically, a phase shift can be either exactly what you want or the opposite.

Default preset (30 bands)

[Unaspected]

I suggest you to check TEOTE in a widely-used PluginDoctor, at FX 30-50 setting, which seems usual, and see how it affects the phase. To put it short: it's almost linear-phase despite being minimum-phase IIR. The reason: its filters are not steep.

I won't argue about usability of TEOTE, I'll only say I'm happy with its sales and user reception. Can't please everyone anyway. (and why apply it on a finished mix that already sounds great?)

If you are not using TEOTE, you may sell its license via KVR, license transfers are free.

[snip...] not sure the hostility?

Aleksey was not being hostile in his reply, at all.

Thanks for the ongoing detailed explainations Aleksey of TEOTE. Question: Now, I am just curious... why is the name of the plugin in all-caps, and what does "teote" mean anyway?

“TEOTE” is an acronym for “That’s Easier On The Ear”.

https://www.voxengo.com/product/teote/

[plexuss]

Thanks for the ongoing detailed explainations Aleksey of TEOTE. Question: Now, I am just curious... why is the name of the plugin in all-caps, and what does "teote" mean anyway?

“TEOTE” is an acronym for “That’s Easier On The Ear”.

https://www.voxengo.com/product/teote/

"“TEOTE” is an acronym for “That’s Easier On The Ear”. "

Ah!

[J1000]

I won't argue about usability of TEOTE, I'll only say I'm happy with its sales and user reception. Can't please everyone anyway. (and why apply it on a finished mix that already sounds great?)

That's quite a diplomatic way of brushing aside what I've tried precisely to explain. And I wasn't "applying" it to finished mixes, but testing it on them as well as other types of material and test signals, to hear or measure what it does to them. Even when it relatively improved spectral balance it degraded transients and overall clarity, which I find more important.

The thing that surprised me after some time was that I couldn't find any use for it, even for slow single instruments. I have expected that it could sometimes do a better job than a simple (dynamic) EQ, but it always made sound more lifeless. I'm only sharing my experience with it, the money I've paid for it is not the issue here, nor your expertise as developer.