Equalizer - Neutron 3 Help Documentation

Overview

An equalizer can be used to give you control over different parts of the frequency spectrum, independently allowing you to make character or corrective alterations by applying additive EQ or subtractive EQ.

Module Interface

Neutron 3 Equalizer module controls and features are outlined in the table below.

Label	Section	Controls and Features
	Meters and Displays	Spectrum Analyzers, Composite Curve, Filter Response Curve, Meter Scales
	Module Header	Scale, Masking Meter, Soft Saturation, Learn, Reset, LFE
	Controls	Node Interactions, HUD Controls: General Band Controls, Filter Shapes, Readouts
	Advanced Panel	Dynamic Mode, Threshold, Sidechain

Meters & Displays

The following meters and displays included in the EQ are outlined in the image and table below.

Spectrum Analyzers

Displays the magnitude (amplitude, in decibels) of the input signal across the frequency spectrum in real-time. Two spectrum analyzers are displayed in the EQ module to compare the effect of processing.

• Input signal: The input signal to the EQ module is shown as a dark grey spectrum with no border.
• Output signal: The processed output spectrum is drawn in the foreground with a white border.

Composite Curve

Displays the combined filter response of all enabled bands. Represented by a thick white line drawn across the display. Adjusting EQ nodes will contribute to the overall shape of the composite curve.

Filter Response Curve

Displays the filter response of the currently selected node. Represented by a highlighted line and filled area under the band which appears when you select a node. If there are no nodes selected, the filter response curve is hidden and you will only see the composite curve.

Meter Scales

The Meter Scales are located on the left, right, and bottom of the spectrum window display. You can use these meter scales as a reference while making adjustments.

• Gain Scale (dB): displayed on the right side of the spectrum window.
• Spectrum Magnitude Scale (dB): displayed on the left side of the spectrum window.
• Spectrum Frequency Scale (Hz): displayed along the top of the spectrum window.

You can change the Frequency Scale measurements through the Scale menu, located in the Module Header or in Options under the EQ tab. Choose one of the Frequency Scale options to help you see different frequency distributions when placing your EQ nodes. The default scale is Extended Log.

The controls in the module header affect the overall resulting EQ module signal processing, but does not affect an individual band. The image and table below outline the controls in the Module Header.

Scale

Select a spectrum frequency scale option from the Scale Menu. See Meter Scales section for more information.

Soft Saturation

Enable Soft Saturation mode to excite the input signal generating subtle harmonics resulting in a fuller sound and subtle coloration by your EQ shaping.

Masking Meter

Enable to enter EQ into Masking Meter mode. Visit the Masking Meter chapter for more detailed information about the Masking Meter.

Learn

Enable Learn to quickly have EQ node placement suggestions based on intelligently identified areas of sonic importance in your audio signal such as sibilance, resonance, and rumble.

TIP: Learn Only Adjusts Enabled Bands

Learn will never remove or create an EQ band. Learn will only suggest adjustments for bands that are already present in the EQ module. Learn suggestions also do not affect Gain or Q. Once nodes are placed, you can hold the Shift key to preserve the frequency placement, and then move the gain up or down to determine if your track sounds better with that specific area of interest boosted or cut.

Reset

Returns all controls in the Equalizer module to their factory default values. If you wish to return to settings you were using before clicking the Reset button, you can use the Undo History window to revert to the settings before the reset event.

LFE

Appears when in surround sound configuration in a Neutron 3 Advanced mothership. Enabled by default to include LFE in processing. Disable the LFE button to exclude low frequencies when passing audio through the Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel with the relative latency compensation. See the LFE section for more information.

Controls

Node Interactions

You can adjust bands by adding or removing nodes.

Add Bands

You can add bands in three different ways:

• Add on the Composite Curve: Hover over the white composite curve for a + button to appear. Click on the + button to add a node at the specific frequency on the composite curve.
• Add with Keyboard Shortcut: Hit command+ return (Mac) or ctrl+ return (Windows) to add a new node to the center of the EQ spectrum.
• Add anywhere on the Spectrum: Double-click anywhere in the EQ spectrum to add a new node at the location of the mouse.

NOTE: NODES WILL ADD CONTEXTUAL FILTER SHAPE

Depending on where you add a node, the node will appear with a pre-determined filter shape. There are three default contextual filter shapes that will be used when you add a new node:

• To the far left: Flat Highpass or High Shelf
• To the far right: Flat Lowpass or Low Shelf
• In the middle: Proportional Q

The Flat High Pass and the Flat lowpass will only be added once because you will typically only use one of each in either end of the spectrum. Otherwise, the node will default to a Shelf or Proportional Q filter shape.

Remove Bands

You can remove bands in three different ways:

• Remove Single band: Select a node and click the X button in the HUD to remove it.
• Remove Multiple bands: Click and drag to select multiple nodes. Use the delete or backspace key to remove all selected nodes.
• Remove with modifier keys: Shift+click to select multiple nodes. Use the delete or backspace key to remove all selected nodes.

HUD Controls

You can access a band’s HUD by selecting the band’s node. The HUD includes:

General Band Controls

The left side of the HUD includes parameters for enabling/disabling, soloing, and removing the currently selected band.

Icon	Control	Description
	Power Button	Enables or disables processing of the currently selected band.
	Solo	Enables the selected filter to be listened to in isolation.
	Remove	Removes the band.

NOTE: Bypassed filter response curve display

When a band is disabled, the filter response curve will still be displayed in the EQ module panel. Disabled bands are displayed in grey to clearly differentiate them from enabled bands.

NOTE: Using Alt-Solo and Band Solo

Use the following methods to solo a specific band or area of the frequency spectrum:

Band Filters

Use the table below to refer to the types of filters and associated filter shapes in the Filter Shape menu.

Filter Types

The EQ module features 13 different filter shapes, each one belonging to one of the following filter type categories: Pass Filter, Peak Filter, Shelf Filter.

NOTE: Filters Dependent on Slope/Q Adjustments

Adjustment to the bandwidth (Q value) will determine the amount of boost/cut applied to frequencies around the center frequency. The slope of the filter defines the degree of applied attenuation.

Filter Shapes

Choose from the Filter Shape menu to assign the filter shape of the selected band. The filter shape dropdown menu organizes the filter shapes into the following sub-menus: Bell, Low Shelf & High Shelf, and Lowpass & Highpass.

Bell

The Bell sub-menu includes the following Peak type filters:

Shape	Description	When to Use
Proportional Q	Unique filter that varies shape in proportion to the amount of boost or cut applied. As you increase or decrease the gain, the change is proportional to bandwidth where you will see the shape of the curve tightens with more extreme values of gain.	Tight, precise corrective cuts-the bigger gain adjustment, the tighter the cut will become.
Bell	Smoothly boosts or cuts an adjustable region around a specific frequency. Looks like a bell, come on what do you want from me.	At larger gain adjustments (boost or cut), will change the overall color or texture of the sound. This will be a more noticeable change than Proportional Q.
Band shelf	Bell filter with wide, flat top.	To change the relation between the harmonics in your audio. Useful for boosting or attenuating a block of frequencies.

Low Shelf and High Shelf

The Low Shelf sub-menu and High Shelf sub-menu includes the following Shelf type filters:

Shape	Description	When to Use
Analog	Efficient shelf filter for simple boosts and cuts. Similar to standard shelf in an analog EQ.	To make noticeable boosts for making large changes in how bright or how bassy the content is.
Baxandall	Inspired by the Baxandall EQ, with the addition of freely adjustable frequency.Low shelf: Gentle low frequency shelf.High Shelf: Gentle high frequency shelf.	Transparent way of addressing extreme lows and extreme highs for a more natural, gentle sounding effect.
Vintage	Inspired by the renowned Pultec analog equalizer. Exhibits a complementary frequency dip, creating a complex slope with one node.	To fatten up low end without introducing muddiness.

Lowpass and Highpass

The Lowpass sub-menu and Highpass sub-menu includes the following Pass type filters:

Shape	Description	When to Use
Flat	Butterworth filter; optimized for maximum flatness without ripple or resonance in the passband or stopband (stability).	To transparently remove low end or high end frequency information without disturbing the character of the signal. Provides a clean, even, and natural sound.
Resonant	Filter equipped with a resonance control to emphasize the cutoff frequency with positive gain.	Boosting content at the cutoff frequency to add character and emphasize the lowest or highest part of the signal.

NOTE: Gain and Q Adjustments

• Baxandall filter shape does not allow for Q adjustment.
• Lowpass and Highpass filter shapes do not allow for Gain adjustments.

Readouts

Use the HUD Readouts to see and adjust where the node is located within the EQ. The table below describes the readouts available with each readout’s respective units.

Adjust Frequency, Gain, and Q

There are 3 ways to adjust the Frequency, Gain, and Q:

Below outlines the three types of adjustments you can apply for altering the Frequency, Gain, and Q values.

To manually enter the value for Frequency, Gain, or Q:

TIP: Keyboard Modifiers For Value Adjustments

• Hold Shift key while clicking and dragging the node to lock the movement to the horizontal axis (for frequency) and vertical axis (for gain).
• Hold Shift while using the arrow keys to make coarse value adjustments.
• Hold the command key (Mac) or ctrl key (Windows) while using the arrow keys to make fine value adjustments.

NOTE: Reset All Band Parameters

You can reset all parameters for a particular band to their default values by double clicking on the node.

NOTE: EQ Gain Scale

Use the EQ Gain scale, located on the right edge of the EQ module display to reference dB magnitude while adjusting nodes.

Advanced Panel

To access the Advanced Panel, select a node and click the Advanced Panel arrow on the right hand side of the band HUD. The Advanced Panel includes the following Advanced controls for the EQ module:

NOTE: Advanced Controls ON

If no Advanced Controls are active, the Advanced Panel arrow displays white. If you actively engage the Advanced Controls (Sidechain or Dynamic Mode), you can click the white arrow to close or minimize the Advanced Controls Panel. In this case, the the Advanced Panel arrow displays orange.

Dynamic Mode

Enable to apply dynamic variable gain to the selected node in relation to the threshold setting. Enables you to either to boost or to attenuate the signal once the signal crosses the threshold. The threshold defines the point at which attenuation or boosting can occur.

NOTE: Highpass and Lowpass Don't Support Dynamic mode

All filter types except for Highpass and Lowpass filter types support dynamic mode. When using either Highpass or Lowpass filter shapes, the Dynamics menu in the HUD will be greyed-out and not accessible.

Threshold

Sets the signal level at which dynamic gain adjustments will be triggered for the selected EQ node. You can set the Dynamic threshold in three ways:

Threshold Meters

There are two meters associated with the Threshold control:

• Input Level Meter: Displays the input signal of the selected node.
• Band Reduction/Band Addition Meter: Displays the amount of dynamic level adjustment applied by the selected band.

Dynamic Mode Direction

When you enable Dynamic mode, you can control the Dynamic Mode Direction which determines the direction of gain change (UP or DOWN) using the Up/Down controls. The Up/Down controls will appear directly above and below the associated EQ node.

UP

Select the Up arrow to increase the gain of the filter when signals exceed the Threshold level.

• When the EQ node is placed above the zero line, the filter will be set to 0 dB of gain until it is triggered. When it is triggered by incoming signals exceeding the threshold, the gain of the filter will be increased in the direction of the node
• When the EQ node is placed below the zero line, the gain of the filter will be increased toward the zero line when it is triggered by incoming signals exceeding the threshold.

DOWN

Select the Down arrow to decrease the gain of the filter when signals exceed the Threshold level.

• When the EQ node is placed above the zero line, the gain of the filter will be reduced toward the zero line when triggered.
• When the EQ node is placed below the zero line, the filter will be set to 0 dB of gain until it is triggered. When it is triggered by incoming signals exceeding the threshold, the gain of the filter will be reduced in the direction of the node.

Sidechain

Controls the amount of compression or expansion by choosing either an internal or external input signal to trigger the EQ node’s dynamic behavior. By sidechaining, you can alter or improve the relationships between the elements of the mix so that they work together.

NOTE: Default Sidechain Routing

The default Sidechain input, when you first enable the sidechain, is the band you have currently selected. For example, node 5 would default to a sidechain of Internal Band 5. This processing is equivalent to Dynamic mode with Sidechain disabled.

Enabled Sidechain

When you enable Sidechain, you have the option to sidechain with an internal band or an external band.

• INTERNAL (INT.): Choose from any band currently placed in the EQ module.
  • Using internal sidechain will help balance a signal within itself.
  • Internal Full will take the full bandwidth of the audio signal.
• EXTERNAL (EXT.): Choose from any audio from another track or bus.
  • Using external sidechain will help balance a signal with other tracks.
  • The external audio source can also be filtered through any of the bands in the EQ module by choosing any of the External bands (for example Ext. Band 1).

SIDECHAIN WITH BYPASSED NODES

Even if a node is bypassed, it can be used as a sidechain to any other node—set its frequency and Q as you would for any enabled band.

Neutron 3.9.0

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