is Fabfilter Pro Q2 the best EQ?

[3ee]

Didn't read the whole thread yet..

I challenge each and everyone here (especially those who say they identify harshness or some sort of muddiness) to do some blind tests, you'll be surprised on what you perceive..

Setting up eqs to be as similar as possible should be done with a null test. Getting the freq, gain, q, shape etc. as close as possible to get the most amount of cancellation.

Then find a way so that you really don't know which is which and start comparing. I can tell what I use is someone's interested..

this video compares compressors and it's pretty similar.... funny, isn't it?

[plexuss]

It mostly comes down to phase: the phase shifts that happen with a filter applied to audio. generally speaking "transparent" usually means that the affected sound doesn't have any noticable variation other than the filters that were applied and that the filtering is done in a way which maintains the vibe of the source audio.

An "analogue" EQ usually means that the filter characteristcs are not "pefect" and will impart some amount of phase shifts. This makes the EQ "not transparent". Someone who says an EQ is "analogue" and "transparent" is using their own versions of these terms, which they can do because there are no rules.

very good explanation. Useful for people of all experience levels to comprehend.

Indeed though you could mistakenly take away from that "well linear phase has no phase shift at all - so that must be the most transparent of all?"

And in fact linear phase my solve the phase issue with EQ but then it imparts it's own issues: pre-ringing. This is demonstrated best with a fast transient sound through a linear phase EQ: there will be an oscillation before the transient occurs caused my the linear phase EQ - yes this means a linear phase EQ will create audio before the transient audio occurs. this "blurrs" the transient making it less impactful and clear. it does this across the board with all audio but a transient is the best way to demonstrate the issue. so in fact linear phase EQs are also not transparent.

Affecting audio with filters digitally is always going to impart artifacts. so when we talk about "transparent" we usually are talking about how one EQ compares to another EQ in terms of mitigtating the artifacts caused by all EQs.

This may be why hardware analogue EQs of specific high quality design and build are "better" than digital EQs because despite their own artifacts they are more "musical" than digital EQs. But thats whole other "ball of patch cables".