CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Headphone, IEM, and Other Audio Related Discussion => Topic started by: victor25 on March 28, 2013, 10:15:11 AM
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You can use Audio Hijack Pro on the Mac, to 'capture' the audio stream. This program was meant to record any audio your Mac produces, but it can be used in another way. I use it to be able to use VST/AU plugin(s) before the audio is send to my speakers.
I use Q10 from Waves as EQ plugin, but I'm sure there are also good free EQ plugins available.
(http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5787/schermafbeelding2013032x.png)
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/
http://waves.com/content.aspx?id=91#Equalizers
http://waves.com/content.aspx?id=321
Sometimes I also like to adjust the stereo image a little as well. I use Waves Center for this task, and a little goes a long way.
http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=8885
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The shape of this eq is correct, but not the magnitude. It's flattened, I'd say 50-75%.
Where does that nice mid-side mixer come from? Also Q10? Although plugins without direct numeric input are evil though.
I might write a guide to doing that properly in Windows.
Linux is suprisingly way simpler to set up thanks to no need for silly fake devices and thus clock syncing, but lacks good plugins with graphic display - the best I found was LV2 4 band parametric, which is obviously 4 band + 2 shelves only. Also haven't managed to run audio through VST yet.
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You want it more like this http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,848.msg20932.html#msg20932 :)p13
I don't mean any disrespect by that, but that's one crazy equalization.
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I have been using AHP for quite a while now. I did experiment with various plug-ins, both 'pro' versions and the free ones.
After fussing for quite a while I settled on using the 1/3rd octave (31 band) EQ that is supplied with OSx. I was never really satisfied with the audible results of any of the others I tried.
And I also gave up on trying to 'correct' the top end (6KHz) 'problems' using EQ. The Anax mods do a decent enough job for that.
Instead I use the 31 band EQ to add a bit of low end from 100Hz down to 20Hz in a very gradual and gentle slope with a very minor hump in the 60 and 80Hz bands.
The total amount of boost at 20Hz is 4-5dB max. and it gently tapers off so that 100Hz is less than 1dB.
This provides a degree of impact and thump to the bass and all instruments that have a sharp initial (percussive) edge, like symbols, piano, guitar, and the like.
It also tends to 'soften' the top end just a bit which is easily controlled by adjusting the amount of overall boost from 80Hz to 20Hz at one time. This is a 'feature' of the plugin I use in that it allows you to select a range of frequencies and move them up or down as one. This keeps the slope intact and just changes the magnitude of the added boost.
I also use a gain plug-in to match the input to the output while listening and monitoring the peak input and output. 'Clipping' should be and is easy to avoid this way.
I also had accumulated a series of monitoring plug-in tools, most of which are free, such as phase and dynamic range monitoring. As well as spectrum analyzers and a white/pink noise generator so I could see what effect the EQ was actually having to the FR at the output of AHP.
And after all the fussing, I find the results quite gratifying.
JJ
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@victor, the EQ should be good if you like the results. As you know, I don't believe in strong application of EQ, especially based on the measurements here, which I feel do have a strong correlation to what we actually hear, but may not be exact. The point is to use your ears.
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I do like the results, but I find it very hard to compare. The HD800 without EQ is like a track with a big exciter. Everything sounds more spectacular and more stereo (wider), but it will soon give you a head-ache :-\. The sound with the EQ on is much more pleasant, but you will notice the stereo being less wide, and if you A-B you will notice that the HD800 without EQ sounds 'better' (more highs, wider etc.), and even with the little EQ'ing I applied, you hear a big change in tonality.
The reduction of the high frequencies is way more effective than the boosting of the dips. I will Anax mod them eventually, but I need some links of the stuff I need to buy. We don't have any of the stores you mention here in Europe.
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I tend to not like to boost dips because in many cases on headphone frequency response graphs, sharp dips are measurements artifacts. With speaker measurements, sharp dips are almost always peaks in disguise.
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Thanks for that purrin. I removed the boost, and it all sounds much more natural now (more like my studio monitors).