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EQ Helper


mvk20
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There may be some brutally obvious way to do this, but my google-fu didn't get the job done. I'd like to use software to give me some guidance on ways to use the EQs built into the Helix.

 

What I'd like to do is this - I'd make a tone on the Helix for a certain song, play, and then feed a wav or mp3 of that recorded sound to be compared with a reference tone, like an isolated guitar only track that would also be fed in.

 

Then, ideally, the plugin, or even better - standalone software, would show the difference between the 2 across the frequency spectrum. You would then theoretically be able to come up with some settings for a 10 Band Graphic EQ or a Parametric EQ on the Helix that you would add to the signal chain that would make your tone closer - not exact, but just get closer to the overall feel.

 

I know that there are plugins that will kick out an EQ within a DAW that would provide an EQ Match, but there are two things about that I'd like to avoid. One would be, I'd like the tone to be able to exist on the Helix alone, and not be tied to a DAW, so it could be shared, or just be used that way. The other thing is I'd like the EQ to be able to not necessarily be an exact match, not an EQ curve with a bajillion nodes - just something that one, or maybe 2 at most, EQ blocks could do to push the tone closer to the reference.

 

A side benefit is that I think I would learn a lot about how to use EQs on my own with this kind of a workflow. If it's all automated within the DAW, I'd get a closer tone maybe, but I wouldn't really learn as much about how to do things in a more "real" setting.

 

Hope that makes sense - please excuse the lengthy post and thanks for any ideas!  

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On 12/11/2024 at 8:23 PM, mvk20 said:

I know that there are plugins that will kick out an EQ within a DAW that would provide an EQ Match, but there are two things about that I'd like to avoid. One would be, I'd like the tone to be able to exist on the Helix alone, and not be tied to a DAW, so it could be shared, or just be used that way. The other thing is I'd like the EQ to be able to not necessarily be an exact match, not an EQ curve with a bajillion nodes - just something that one, or maybe 2 at most, EQ blocks could do to push the tone closer to the reference.

 

Match EQs will usually show you their frequency curve, you could then try to recreate that curve with the Helix EQs. For more precision, you could use Helix Native and two analyzers, one for the reference track and one for your Helix track.

Alternatively, you could create an IR of that Match EQ (some even allow for IR export on their own but it's pretty easy to do manually as well) and load that instead of an EQ.

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Ah - doing it in Native is something I hadn't thought of - and probably should have. I don't have Native, but I should be able to get it for not too much since I have a Floor.

 

Would I need a DAW in addition to Native? If so, is there an inexpensive one you'd recommend? I have Cubasis for iPad, but obviously that won't work for this.

 

Also I'm assuming this Match EQ would be a plugin - is there one of those you'd recommend too?

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On 12/11/2024 at 8:41 PM, mvk20 said:

I don't have Native, but I should be able to get it for not too much since I have a Floor.

 

If you plan to do any kind of stuff in a DAW, I highly recommend doing so! You can have it for $49 right now as a registered hardware user (as long as the hardware hasn't been used for a discount before).

 

On 12/11/2024 at 8:41 PM, mvk20 said:

Would I need a DAW in addition to Native?

 

Yes.

 

On 12/11/2024 at 8:41 PM, mvk20 said:

If so, is there an inexpensive one you'd recommend? I have Cubasis for iPad, but obviously that won't work for this.

 

Reaper would be inexpensive (plus it's coming with a literally never ending trial period), but in case you're familiar with the Cubase family already, I'd possibly try to get a cheap (or even free) smaller OEM version (some people are selling these).
In case you're on a Mac, get Garageband, which is free.

 

As far as Match EQs go, Reaper has one for free in their file repository somewhere, but in general, I wouldn't recommend reaper too much for starters.

 

Some bigger DAWs have a Match EQ coming with them, but those versions are generally more expensive and sometimes tougher to get into. Personally, I'm using Logic - but as Garageband, it requires a Mac.

 

I'd possibly start with a DAW that is easy to get into (such as Cubasis) and a set of analyzers (there's some free ones such as Span from Voxengo), then do the matching yourself - which will possibly even teach you a whole lot about the HX EQs.

 

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