Best Automatic Matching EQ to Reference Track Software

[tommyzai]

What about the 3 softwares, I proposed you?

I cannot afford Pro Q3.
Can iZotope Neutron do this automatically. Great developer!
Is it fairly easy to match using Kilohearts Carve EQ? Great developer, also!

[elassi]

I want to create a good (90%) mix quickly to distribute for opinion, etc., then send out the best tracks for pro mixing/mastering. I do not want to spend my time noodling and tinkering with the nuances of mixing . . . no time and my ears can't handle too much sound (damaged). Also, I use in a classroom setting and need fast results to make a listenable rough mix for students. So, I need some software assistance.

I know where you're coming from.

Try the tools I suggested. They do exactly what you're longing for: delivering fast and good results.

Let them listen to the most engaged part of your track, select the type of music you're after (Pop, House, Jazz, ...), invoke their "smart EQ bands" and you're good to go. Btw, I'm always good with the standard "balanced master".

The fine-tuning of the precious track in question, serving the infamous 10% left to perfection, could be done another day. If at all.

[Jac459]

What about the 3 softwares, I proposed you?

I cannot afford Pro Q3.
Can iZotope Neutron do this automatically. Great developer!
Is it fairly easy to match using Kilohearts Carve EQ? Great developer, also!

Carve EQ makes it very easy. And you got kilohearts awesome quality.
It is a no brainer. It also provide a lot of default songs profils by genre and you can upload yours. After you control the level of matching.
It is based on 31 bands....

[BertKoor]

I know how to mix. In fact, [...]

Sorry, then forget everything I said.
It was directed at the regular target audience of this "Getting Started" section.

[PebbleInAStream]

Pro Q3 does it very well (and you can choose the number of band on which you reference).
I am not sure if izotope ozone does it. But it references your track against a genre and show you the differences with a very handy and useful graph.
On the cheaper side I think kilohearts does that with carve eq.

Edit: ozone has eq match which does it exactly the way you expect.

Newest version of Ozone has the "stabilizer" module which does this dynamically, sort of like Gullfoss, however it doesn't let you define your own curves as far as I know-- which, is a touch annoying if you're extra-pedantic, but functionally has not been a problem for me at all as the curves they have are fine if you're using it conservatively (which everyone knows you probably should be anyways ). I frequently throw just a touch on the mix buss to function effectively as an easy-to-dial-in dynamic EQ, but yes like people have said, it won't polish a turd (OP I know you're aware of this, just writing this in case someone else newer reads this).

[tommyzai]

Are EQ Matchers useful at getting your guitar to sound more like a target guitar tone?

[yzcoruhT]

How about this one?
https://philspeiser.com/product/the_balance/

[xerix]

EQ Matching plugins on the market:
- Izotope Match EQ 10 [very good allrounder but transients can suffer, I usually use 10-35% ]
- MFreeform EQ [very easy to use and create custom IR's, has a very good spectrum channel view also]
- TDR Nova Slick EQ M [ball park EQ match, great loudness matcher, has inbuilt monomaker]
- Pro Q4
- Carve EQ kilohearts [doesnt allow analysis of mp3 files]
- Curve EQ VOXENGO [comes stock with Cubase]
- Equivocate Newfangled
- Mastermatch IK
- The_Balance Phil Speiser
- Ayaic COS Pro, this doesnt let you match eq to a reference but has inbuilt curves in it which may be good for individual channels]
- DSM DSP V3, ok so this is a compressor but you can capture target compression curves from your audio sources and applies it through compression. very interesting plugin imo
- MSpectralDynamics
- Logic Match EQ [obviously only on logic]

So the best thing to do is eq match master bus to give you a visual representation, then GO BACK TO THE MIX and edit the eq changes there, then back to the mix bus / master bus and eq match again and then GO BACK TO THE MIX and adjust further....you keep doing this until you get to an equilibrium and only once you reach this stage, you can put an eq match on the master bus [if needed] and even then just subtle changes maybe up to 3dB. I find that putting eq match on the master bus can smear your transients and lose the punch. in the individual tracks you can go nuts though with the match EQ.
You can also use tools like tonal balance control + audiolens as tools to check the tonal balance of your mix and see if it fits your target reference track. I casually listen to spotify with an eye on audiolens so im use to the izotope curves.
its better to measure apples to apples and grapes to grapes. what i mean by this is compare drop to drop and verse to verse and breakdown to breakdown of different songs [regarding tonal balance]. also, saturation/OTT and gainstaging works wonders on this approach.
another thing worth noting is that when your match eqing a master track, lets say your track is in D# , you ideally want your target eq match curve to also be in D# key especially if you are cranking up the resonances/details of the eq bands. its not a "must" but preferrable. flick through tonal balance curves and hopefully your mix suits most curves and then you can test out on different stereo systems for minor tweaks here & there. a "rough" mix in the ballpark takes like 10mins but a detailed high end quality mix may take weeks of trial & error.