This might sound strange but whats the difference between a Filter Plugin and An Equalizer Plugin? Doesnt the EQ do the same thing and has more shaping options? When people say roll off anything under 60hz on a kick drum are they doing it with a filter or an equalizer? I just dont see what the point of standalone filters are. I know they do something or else they wouldnt make em! Whats the secret heheh
Another question but very random and off subject!
I compress my kick drum and it sounds louder but im not even getting any gain reduction yet. How is my kick drum getting louder if the compressor isnt even being triggered yet? I have to lower the threshold very low to start getting gain reduction and by that time its way to loud.
Basically you could shape the sound with an EQ. With a filter you filter out frequencies, sometimes with a resonance. So they both have their uses.
For production work it's very common in my technique to filter out all low end, below 100Hz, unless the material is drum and bass based. This is based on one pattern of style where the low end is reserved for drums and bass lines.
But I could also use EQ to find a certain frequency I would like to emphasize, for example for bass lines, instead of increasing the volume, just make the bass sound more clear. But more commonly we use EQ to remove frequencies and balance out the total mix.
As for DJ:ing, that's then another story, you could use filters to fade in/out, or use EQ to do the same, or then use EQ to provide one track's drum lines while EQ:ing out the bottom end on another track to provide the melodies. Or mix things together by taking out the bottom end from one track. And so on and so on. There are so many patterns of use.
--Kent
The principle is the same, eq and filters do the same action, but the function that separates them is the resonance shift which filters have. Basicly, you can achieve resonance tweaking with drastic eq slopes, altho filters have a certain comodity in my opinion.
Tekcap wrote:Another question but very random and off subject!
I compress my kick drum and it sounds louder but im not even getting any gain reduction yet. How is my kick drum getting louder if the compressor isnt even being triggered yet? I have to lower the threshold very low to start getting gain reduction and by that time its way to loud.
Some compressor designed to change the sound, even if the compressor doesnt work (specialy hardware emulations).
if u want to know if theres an actual difference in the sound, lower the output of the compressor so the volume will be the same as before and play with the bypass button.
eq's and filters both have their uses, but i always use filters, and find them far more useful. i swear by stand alone analogue filters, and if i could afford it would have as many as possible in my set up.
if say you want to fade a particular sound out of a mix, it sounds far more convincing and musical to use a low pass filter with a slight amount of resonance, than to eq it away.
also there isnt just EQ, there are many different types, semi- parametric, fully parametric, graphic etc. and they all behave in different ways.
for instance a semi-parametric is basically a system where the mids are manipulated fully parametrically, and the lows and highs are shelved, and shelving behaves differently to a resonant filter.
also filters can have different amounts of slope, (2-pole, 4 pole etc.) which affects the abruptness of the filtering.
but i.m getting into technical territory, you need to do some research on the web, its a very complex topic.
i personally tend to use EQ to remove specific unwanted frequencies, or to reinforce weak areas in the spectrum, whereas i use filters as musical tools.
During the period around 2004/2005, i think Robag was quite popular on the scene with frequent releases and such, but the one thing next to the creativity which separeted him from the rest was the overall frequency parameter used to feel the sound like it's there. When i listen to those records it feels like i could grab or bite the sound that's coming out of the speakers. So far it's a mystery how to achieve it, but i'm guessing it has to do with pseudo stereo imaging.
Drop the idea of becoming someone else, because you are already a masterpiece.
