TBProAudio: Euphonia, optimal audio spectrum balancing plugin released

[TB-ProAudio]

TBProAudio has released Euphonia, optimal audio spectrum balancing plugin for the mastering stage.



Euphonia compares the spectral fingerprint against build-in curves (Pop/Rock/Dance/Jazz/DubStep) and calculates filter settings so that the spectrum of the audio follows the selected average spectrum curves.

Euphonia is used during the music production process. Spectral adjustments are usually done right after the final mix, but before usage of any sounding equalizer, master compressors or limiters.

Euphonia is also very effective in restoration/remastering environment. It could refresh airless recordings quite easily. Euphonia could also point out mistakes in the mix or even in the listening environment.

New in V1.5: Custom Reference Curves
Load any audio files into the DAW, capture and store as reference file. Use it then as custom reference curve

System Requirements:

- VST2/VST3/RTAS/AAX 32/64 Plugin for Windows/OSX
- 32/64Bit DAW under Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Vista and Windows 7/8
- Tested with: Cockos Reaper, Steinberg Cubase/Nuendo/Wavelab 6
- Demo version available

Please find more information here: www.tb-software.com/TBProAudio
-TBProAudio

[TB-ProAudio]

V1.1 fixes some minor issues
-TBProAudio

[Hermetech Mastering]

Amazing, looks like I'll be out of a job soon then!

[TB-ProAudio]

I dont think so
Just a tool to set a solid (frequency balancing) ground for "real" mastering.

[TB-ProAudio]

V1.2 adds RTAS plugin
-TBProAudio

[TB-ProAudio]

V1.5 Released:
Adds custom reference curves: load any audio files into the DAW, capture and store as reference file. Use it then as custom reference curve



regards
-TBProAudio

[TheKid]

Is this a way to match EQs like Fabfilter's Pro-Q2 function only with a reference file instead of a sidechain input? Or is there more "under the hood"?

Here is an example for EQ matching only with a kick drum:

[TB-ProAudio]

I do not know much about Pro-Q2, but after watching the video i can say the following:

Euphonia could do a full custom curve matching but without side chaining: capture audio, save as reference, use the reference with Euphonia on a different track, thats all.

And of course there is more:

1) Euphonia is optimized for master stage, and not for mixing.

2) The buildin curves: We tweaked the buildin curves by hand, we had thousands of well mastered songs and took the average of it. So buildin curves do not follow song a,b or c but more general rules (how to balance the spectrum of a given song, daily business of every master engineer). This is also why you achieve better matching result with hand made curves then with just sampled curves (every song is different)

3) The matching process: the matching is done in a very gentle way, Euphonia is not correcting every tonal spike in the spectrum but more the spectral "tendency" of the song.

4) The "magic": the relationship of input curve and reference curve is key. Euphonia tries to optimize the number of plus and minus gain filters. This holds the energy of the song. In parallel Euphonia tries to keep the filter settings (gain) as minimal as possible. This avoids filter "ringing" effects.

I hope this gave you some insight into Euphonia

Regards
TBProAudio

[djscorb]

This approach to equalisation is completely doomed to failure.

Pop?

It could be a ballad or a eurodance track or soft rock or boyband pap.If you try to match a ballad to a rock track the result will be awful.

The only application in which this might be useful is if you had a mastered track, lost the settings and then wanted to apply a similar treatment to the same unmastered file.

And what is a sounding equalizer?

[TB-ProAudio]

I agree if you are talking about "normal" curve matching tools. I do not agree if you talk about Euphonia.
Euphonia uses much different approch, please try yourself.

regards
TBProAudio

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[TB-ProAudio]

Thank you for taking a deeper look into it

Well, both are basically EQ matching tools, but of course with major differences.

But lets start with the basics. Spectrum matching looks like an easy process, but there are 2 things to consider: a) the reference curve and b) the detailedness of matching process.
We tried to find simple answers for both questions, just to get always reasonable results.

a) reference curves:
Euphonia was designed to process mixed audio in mastering stage with full frequency range. There are millions of reference curves out there (every song has its own curve), so which should be taken for my song?
We analysed several thousand commercial hit records and grouped them. We found out, that all spectra for a specific group (aka style) look similar and we created average reference curves (Pop, Dance etc.) So if you produce a normal Pop song, just use the Pop curve with your final mix and you will get a well balance spectrum, maybe not 100% ready, but a solid start.
We found out, that starting with one of the delivered (averaged) reference curves and then using an EQ for further sound shaping leads to much better results in a reasonable time than fiddling around with thousands curves from your own library or the internet, usually ending nowhere...
Of course Euphonia can use custom curves as well, no doubt.

b) detailedness of matching process
Many EQ matching tools on the market provide 100+ of filters or even deconvolution functions just to do the matching process as exactly as possible (more seems to be better...). But for us this is the wrong way.
The "micro" spectrum should be preserved: e.g. the guitar or vocal sound should not be touched.
So Euphonia uses a more rough graduation to do the match. And Euphonia does it automatically.

But once again: Euphonia works well with full spectrum sound material (aka mixed song). It is not good in EQ matching of individual instruments or even vocals!

Ah, one word to the number of controls: More controls do not necessarily lead to better results. We think, in case of EQ matching, it can be even contra-productive!

Conclusion: All EQ matching tools on the market can do EQ matching of mixed songs, no doubt. Euphonia can do it with less effort, and hit rate is much better!

I hope this helps.

[MogwaiBoy]

This plugin interests me too - in a pre-mastering context. Almost seems too good to be true.

Not crazy about the GUI though