A listener's caveat

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about an actual eq unit to put in my rack.

 

Hi Tullman,

Oh, a hardware digital EQ.
Haven't heard one that I would recommend.
Besides, it opens up a can of worms in terms of getting the signal in and out.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Hi Barry-

I guess my point wasn't so much whether it's possible to use it in such a way that it isn't identifiable per se.

It's more a question of the ease of use; I'm sure there are people who can do a beautiful job with some digital reverb, especially when the requirements of the job are such that digital reverb fits the bill. There's stuff from the 80s where a Prime Time is pretty much one of the instruments, in fact.

But with a plate or a chamber, it's easy to use it, and in my own personal experience it's FAR more likely to sound good with a lot less work, based on the way a bunch of signals tend to blend into it.

There are probably a bunch of experts who can get the same effect with digital, but it just seems astronomically more difficult. (And of course, there are always going to be some jobs where you get a BETTER result with it - that's true of anything).

-s

 

I recently read some very positive comments about a digital EQ from DDMF on the gearslutz mastering forum. I downloaded their demos and I have to say these are some of the nicest sounding digital EQs I've ever heard (and I've tried demos for most of the big names for PC). DDMF also has a rather nice business model in that you choose the price you wish to pay (it's basically donationware).

I'd highly recommend either their LP10 EQ or especially the IIEQ Pro, which I personally find sounds stunning with some of the smoothest sounding high frequencies I've ever heard in a digital EQ. The user interface is not quite as intuitive as I'd like, but once you get used to it, all is well and the sound is truly quite nice.

DDMF has fully functional demos as well as some freeware so by all means try them out (they have versions for both PC and Mac). If you like one of more of the EQs, by all means drop the guy a few bucks. People doing this kind of quality programming and offering such good pricing deserve encouragement! (and no I'm not affiliated with the programmer in any way. I just like the sound of his EQs).

www.ddmf.eu

 

Sorry I didn't notice your post when I wrote mine. I've just been playing with LP10 and IIEQ Pro now for a couple of weeks and am really happy with how nice they sound.

I also see a lot of good feedback about the Sonoris EQ on gearslutz as well. I'll have to check it out at some point, but for my use (and budget) as a hobbyist, I'm delighted with the DDMF stuff. I also like their Stereo imaging plugin.

 

No problem, Stefan!
Yes, I really like that DDMF stuff. You could do much worse for some subtle overall eq.
The thing with that Sonoris eq, I don't know how they do it, but that plugin succeeds in actually not sounding like an eq, but more like a tone shaper. You can get it to shape a mix in a really sweet and inobtrusive way.
And no softening of transients as far as I can hear.

 

This is very much what I like about the sound of the DDMF EQs. I get no sense of sound coloration or harshness. My main use these days is for needledropping vinyl LPs to hires digital. My cartridge/phono stage combination results in a high-frequency boost around 14k that can be somewhat harsh at times. I can tame it with cartridge loading tricks but then some warmer LPs sound far too dull. I'd rather resolve the problem with EQ. I've found that setting IIEQ Pro for a cut at 14k of about 4dB and then adjusting the slope with the Q between 0.4 and 0.6 really dials in a smooth, natural sound. I also like what it does for bass when I need to work on that end.

I see that the Sonoris EQ has a demo, but haven't had a chance to download and try it out yet. How limited is it?

 

I'm not sure, because I bought it after four days of demo-ing!
I think it's a 30-day demo, no saving possible.

 

Stefan,

correction: The demo is not time limited but has limited functionality. For instance, you can't use the low pass / high pass filters

 

That's what I was afraid of.

 

Hi Tullman,

Are you working exclusively outside of a computer?

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com