Wave Arts Power Suite 5 Users Manual
Wave Arts
Power Suite 5
User Manual
Last updated: May 12, 2015
Copyright © 2015, Wave Arts, Inc. All Rights Reserved
1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. Introduction .................................................................................... 5
1.1 Power Suite Overview .................................................................. 5
1.2 Installation ................................................................................. 5
1.3 Registration ............................................................................... 5
1.4 Wave Arts licensing using key codes .............................................. 6
1.5 Machine ID................................................................................. 6
1.6 PACE/iLok licensing ..................................................................... 7
1.7 Power Suite AAX ......................................................................... 8
1.8 Modifications for AAX DSP ............................................................ 8
1.9 Reduced configurations for AAX DSP .............................................. 9
1.10 Plug-in Instance Counts for AAX DSP .......................................... 10
2. Plug-in Control Operation ................................................................ 13
2.1 Knobs ....................................................................................... 13
2.2 Text Entry ................................................................................. 13
2.3 Selector button .......................................................................... 14
2.4 Sliders ...................................................................................... 15
2.5 Buttons .................................................................................... 15
2.6 Output Meters ........................................................................... 15
3. Menu Bar and Preset Manager .......................................................... 17
3.1 Bypass ..................................................................................... 17
3.2 Undo ........................................................................................ 17
3.3 Copy ........................................................................................ 17
3.4 A/B buffers ............................................................................... 17
3.5 Preset name and arrow controls ................................................... 18
3.6 Preset menu .............................................................................. 18
3.7 Factory Presets .......................................................................... 18
3.8 User Presets .............................................................................. 19
3.9 Save… ...................................................................................... 19
3.10 Import… .................................................................................. 19
3.11 Export… .................................................................................. 20
3.12 Reset… ................................................................................... 20
3.13 Tools menu ............................................................................. 20
3.14 About… ................................................................................... 20
3.15 Open User Manual… .................................................................. 21
3.16 Unlock Plug-in… ....................................................................... 21
3.17 Check for Updates… .................................................................. 21
3.18 Visit Website… ......................................................................... 22
4. TrackPlug ...................................................................................... 23
4.1 Overview .................................................................................. 23
4.2 About TrackPlug ......................................................................... 25
4.3 User Interface ........................................................................... 36
4.4 Parameters ............................................................................... 44
4.5 Parameter Descriptions ............................................................... 45
4.6 Specifications ............................................................................ 48
4.7 Presets ..................................................................................... 48
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Wave Arts PowerSuite
5. MasterVerb .................................................................................... 53
5.1 Overview .................................................................................. 53
5.2 About MasterVerb ...................................................................... 54
5.3 User Interface ........................................................................... 58
5.4 Parameters ............................................................................... 61
5.5 Parameter Descriptions ............................................................... 62
5.6 Specifications ............................................................................ 65
5.7 Presets ..................................................................................... 65
6. FinalPlug ....................................................................................... 69
6.1 Overview .................................................................................. 69
6.2 About FinalPlug .......................................................................... 70
6.3 User Interface ........................................................................... 72
6.4 Parameters ............................................................................... 74
6.5 Parameter Descriptions ............................................................... 75
6.6 Specifications ............................................................................ 77
6.7 Presets ..................................................................................... 77
7. MultiDynamics ............................................................................... 79
7.1 Overview .................................................................................. 79
7.2 About Multiband Dynamics .......................................................... 80
7.3 User Interface ........................................................................... 82
7.4 Parameters ............................................................................... 85
7.5 Parameter Descriptions ............................................................... 86
7.6 Specifications ............................................................................ 88
7.7 Presets ..................................................................................... 88
8. Panorama ...................................................................................... 91
8.1 Overview .................................................................................. 91
8.2 About 3D Audio and Acoustic Environment Modeling ....................... 92
8.3 User Interface ......................................................................... 103
8.4 Parameters ............................................................................. 105
8.5 Parameter Descriptions ............................................................. 107
8.6 Specifications .......................................................................... 113
8.7 Presets ................................................................................... 113
License Agreement ........................................................................... 115
Support .......................................................................................... 117
Index ............................................................................................. 119
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1. Introduction
1. Introduction
1.1 Power Suite Overview
Power Suite is a set of plug-ins for mixing and mastering, consisting of the
following individual plug-ins:
TrackPlug – channel strip with EQ and dynamics
MasterVerb – stereo reverb
FinalPlug – peak limiting and dither
MultiDynamics – multi-band dynamics
Panorama – spatial audio processor
1.2 Installation
Installers for Power Suite are found on the downloads page of the Wave Arts
website. There are separate installers for Mac and Windows. You can
download the full suite installer or individual plug-in installers. Mac installers
are “.dmg” files which after downloading will expand into a “.pkg” installer
file; double-click on the “.pkg” file to launch the installer. Windows installers
are “.exe” files; double-click on the “.exe” file to launch the installer. The
installers provide various options for selecting which plug-in formats to install
and whether to use Pace/iLok or Wave Arts licensing for non-AAX formats.
There are also installers for AAX DSP formats. These should only be used if
you have Pro Tools HDX hardware acceleration.
1.3 Registration
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Wave Arts Power Suite
We support two licensing methods – Wave Arts licensing and PACE/iLok.
When installing the plug-ins you must select which version of the plug-ins
you wish to use. AAX format plug-ins always use PACE/iLok licensing. When
you purchase a plug-in, you will be e-mailed a serial number (looks like WAPPP-XXXX-XXXX where PPP is a product code and X is a hex digit). Use the
serial number to unlock the plug-in as described below.
1.4 Wave Arts licensing using key codes
Prior to registration, the plug-ins operate in demonstration mode; they are
fully functional but stop operating after 30 days. To unlock the plug-in after
purchasing, go to our Product Registration page, select “Wave Arts licensing”
in the Licensing Method menu, and enter your serial number and your
computer’s Machine ID (see Machine ID below). A key code (looks like XXXXXXXX) will be displayed and also e-mailed to you. Then, open the plug-in,
select Unlock Plug-In from the Tools menu and enter your key code. You
should see a message saying your registration was successful.
If you have purchased a plug-in suite, when you unlock any one of the plugins within the suite, the entire suite will be unlocked.
1.5 Machine ID
Your Machine ID is a unique 5-digit identification number our plug-ins
generate based on properties of your computer. Our key code system uses
the Machine ID and the product serial number to generate a key code that
will unlock the plug-ins on your specific computer. The Machine ID is NOT
used for PACE licenses (you will redeem a PACE code instead).
To find your Machine ID:
Open the plug-in within a host application, click on the Tools button inside
the plug-in window and select the “About…” item:
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1. Introduction
This will show the About box displaying information about your plug-in
including the Machine ID, for example:
On Mac OS X and Windows systems, if your computer has Ethernet, the
Machine ID is based on your hardware Ethernet MAC address. Therefore you
should not have to re-register your plug-ins if you update your operating
system or reformat your hard drive.
On Windows systems, changing the network configuration can sometimes
result in your Machine ID changing. If this happens, you can get a keycode
for the new Machine ID on our Register page and the plug-in should stay
registered, even if your system alternates between Machine IDs. Contact us
if you need further assistance such as additional keycodes.
1.6 PACE/iLok licensing
All our plug-ins support PACE/iLok. Prior to activation, the plug-ins will allow
you to start a 14-day trial by creating an iLok account. To unlock the plug-in
after purchasing, go to our Product Registration page, select “PACE/iLok”,
and enter your serial number. A PACE redeem code (looks like XXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XX) will be displayed and also emailed to you.
There are two ways to redeem the code and generate a license. When
opening the plug-in a dialog window will appear and give you the option to
Activate the plug-in, you can paste the PACE redeem code there, and
proceed to create or login to an iLok account and then transfer the license to
an iLok or your machine. Otherwise, go to http://www.ilok.com, create an
iLok account, and download and install the iLok License Manager. Within the
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Wave Arts Power Suite
manager, under the Licenses menu, select “Redeem Activation Code” and
paste your redeem code. Then transfer the license to either an iLok dongle or
your machine. The plug-in will run only if it can find a license on an iLok or
the machine.
When purchasing a plug-in suite, the redeem code will generate multiple
licenses, one per plug-in in the suite, but the licenses are grouped together.
1.7 Power Suite AAX
The AAX format Power Suite plug-ins have some differences with their nonAAX counterparts. The next few sections will summarize the differences.
Also, AAX specific differences are indicated in the detailed descriptions for
each plug-in later in this manual.
Previous Power Suite plug-ins have been available in various native formats,
including Avid’s RTAS and AS native formats, but also in AU, VST, DirectX,
and MAS formats. Avid’s TDM format for operation on DSP cards was not
supported.
The AAX (Avid Audio eXtensions) format replaces RTAS, AS, and TDM, and
provides a single format for both native and DSP operation. Three of the
Power Suite plug-ins support AAX DSP format for operation on DSP
accelerated HDX hardware: TrackPlug, FinalPlug, and MultiDynamics.
MasterVerb and Panorama have not been ported to AAX DSP and remain
native only.
1.8 Modifications for AAX DSP
In order to port to AAX DSP, some modifications were made to the
underlying algorithms.
TrackPlug EQs now use new 32-bit filter architecture which performs
nearly as well at the 64-bit implementation previously used. This is
done for efficient operation on 32-bit TI DSPs used in HDX hardware.
The above mentioned 32-bit filter architecture is now used for
TrackPlug brickwall filters and MultiDynamics bandpass filters.
The TrackPlug Real-Time Analyzer is operational only in AAX native.
The “Clean” dynamics processor in TrackPlug and MultiDynamics has
been jettisoned in favor of the superior “Vintage” processor.
The Vintage dynamics processor has been slightly modified for
increased efficiency on the TI DSPs.
MultiDynamics dynamics modes are now “Peak” and “RMS” (RMS mode
has been added).
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1. Introduction
Dynamics lookahead is maximum of 1 msec, for both TrackPlug and
MultiDynamics, due to limited memory on DSP.
The limiting algorithm in FinalPlug has been rewritten for greater
efficiency on TI DSPs and has a new auto-release algorithm.
The dither algorithm in FinalPlug is now 32-bits rather than 64-bits.
We believe the above changes were necessary to provide reasonable instance
counts when running on DSP, without diminishing sound quality.
1.9 Reduced configurations for AAX DSP
Even with the above DSP optimizations, the full versions of TrackPlug,
MultiDynamics, and FinalPlug use a considerable amount of CPU (and
memory) on the HDX DSPs. This is because they were originally designed for
native operation and have a large feature set. In typical native operation,
many of these features may be disabled and will not consume any CPU. But
on HDX DSP, we must allocate enough CPU for the worst case situation of all
features enabled. For example, TrackPlug needs to allocate enough CPU to
run all 10 bands of EQ, plus both brickwall filters, with all of the Gate,
Comp1, and Comp2 dynamics enabled, all three running dual sidechain EQs,
plus the Limiter. Because most users do not use all these features, it makes
sense to provide feature reduced configurations that require less CPU (and
memory) and thus can run more instances on HDX DSP.
The various configurations of the three plug-ins are summarized in the table
below:
Plug-in Configuration Notes
TrackPlug TrackPlug Full version
TrackPlug E7GC 7-band EQ, Gate and Comp1
TrackPlug E7C 7-band EQ and Comp1
MultiDynamics MultiDynamics Full version, 6-bands
MultiDynamics 4-band 4 bands
MultiDynamics 3-band 3 bands
FinalPlug FinalPlug Full version with dither
FinalPlug Limit Just limiter, no dither
TrackPlug comes with two feature reduced configurations. TrackPlug E7C
provides 7 bands of EQ plus a single compressor (with optional sidechain
EQ). The TrackPlug E7GC configuration provides 7 bands of EQ, a
gate/expander, and a single compressor. Choosing 7 bands of EQ is
motivated by the Avid D-control and D-command interfaces that have
dedicated control layouts for 7 bands of EQ.
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Wave Arts Power Suite
MultiDynamics comes with two feature reduced configurations consisting of
3-band and 4-band variations, as compared to the full implementation of 6bands.
FinalPlug comes with a limiter only configuration. This is because the dither
section consumes considerably more CPU than the limiter but most users
want only the limiter.
When running the reduced configurations, the same graphical user interface
is shown, but certain user interface controls will be disabled if they control
features not supported in the current configuration. The factory preset list is
tailored to each specific configuration. User presets (via Wave Arts preset
manager or Pro Tools preset manager) can be shared amongst all
configurations of one plug-in, with the obvious caveat that not all features
will be enabled or editable in the reduced feature configurations. Also,
changing from one configuration to another may cause the settings to
change. For example, when changing from the full 6-band MultiDynamics to
3-band and back to 6-band, only 3 bands will be enabled even if all 6 were
originally enabled.
1.10 Plug-in Instance Counts for AAX DSP
The table below gives the maximum number of instances that will run on a
single DSP chip for each plug-in configuration, at 48 kHz, 96 kHz, and 192
kHz sampling rates, for mono and stereo formats. These instance counts are
valid as of the writing of this manual, future updates will likely increase
instance counts as the plug-ins are further optimized.
Configuration Format 48 kHz 96 kHz 192 kHz
TrackPlug mono 3 3 2
stereo 3 3 1
TrackPlug E7GC mono 6 6 3
stereo 6 5 2
TrackPlug E7C mono 8 8 4
stereo 7 6 4
MultiDynamics mono 3 2 1
stereo 3 1 0
MultiDynamics 4-band mono 4 3 1
stereo 3 2 1
MultiDynamics 3-band mono 6 3 1
stereo 4 2 1
FinalPlug mono 8 4 2
stereo 4 2 1
FinalPlug Limit mono 18 18 15
stereo 17 17 8
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1. Introduction
11
2. Plug-in Control Operation
2. Plug-in Control Operation
2.1 Knobs
Please refer to the following guide for information about the various ways
you can use knobs:
Function Mac
Increase/Decrease a parameter value
(rotate clockwise/counterclockwise)
Fine adjustment — increase/decrease
Reset knob to default value
Click on the knob +
drag up/down
Shift + click + drag
up/down
PT: Command +
click
Command + click
-or-
Double-click
Click on the knob +
Right click + drag
Shift + click + drag
Windows
drag up/down
up/down
-or-
up/down
PT: Ctrl + click
Control + click
-or-
Double-click
PT: Option + click
PT: Alt + click
2.2 Text Entry
Many value displays are editable text. A text field is editable if your mouse
cursor changes to an I-beam when moved over the text. Following is a table
that fully describes how to use the text editing features:
Function Mac
Enter text entry mode Click in the display Click in the display
Select text Click + drag
Select entire text Double-click
Delete character to left of cursor
Delete character to right of cursor
Delete
Del
Windows
Click + drag
Double-click
Backspace
Delete
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Wave Arts Power Suite
Move the cursor left/right
Extend the current selection
Exit text entry mode
Select next parameter to edit Tab
Select previous parameter to edit
Left/Right arrow
keys
Shift + click + drag
-or-
Shift + left/right
arrow keys
ESC*
-or-
Click outside value
box
-orTab
-or-
Return/Enter
Shift + Tab
Left/Right arrow
keys
Shift + click + drag
-or-
Shift + left/right
arrow keys
ESC*
-or-
Click outside value
-or-
-or-
Return/Enter
Shift + Tab
*Typing ESC causes the text to revert its original value before editing.
You'll find that many parameters, such as frequency, will recognize units
typed into the text field. The following values, when typed into a frequency
value box, are equivalent:
2k = 2 kHz = 2000 = 2000 Hz
box
Tab
Tab
2.3 Selector button
The selector button cycles through a number of fixed values. Click on the
button to go to the next value. Click on the text to display a pop-up menu of
the available values. The table below describes the functionality of the
selector button:
Function Mac
Go to next value Click on the knob
Go to previous value Shift + click on knob Shift + click on knob
Display pop-up menu of all choices
Click on text
Click on the knob
Windows
Click on text
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2. Plug-in Control Operation
2.4 Sliders
Function Mac
Increase/Decrease a parameter
value
Fine adjustment —
increase/decrease
Click on the slider
handle + drag
Shift + click + drag
up/down
up/down
Click on the slider
Right click + drag
Shift + click + drag
Windows
handle + drag
up/down
up/down
-or-
up/down
Reset slider to default value
2.5 Buttons
Lighted buttons show a toggle state. A green, orange or yellow
light indicates "on" and a black (extinguished) light indicates
"off." Click the button to toggle the state.
Buttons that do not light up are used to activate certain
commands.
2.6 Output Meters
Output meters show the peak signal power in short time
updates — in green from -96dB to -6dB, in yellow between 6dB and 0dB, and in red above 0dB. Peak hold levels are also
drawn. The meter also stores the overall peak value for each
channel, and displays these values in the peak indicator
boxes above the meter. If the detector finds a peak value
above 0dB, the text color will turn red as a warning. Click on
either indicator box to reset them back to -96dB. Right click
(PC) or Shift-click (Mac) on an indicator box to automatically
increase or decrease the output gain so that the peak will be
-0.1dB.
Command + click
-or-
Double-click
Control + click
-or-
Double-click
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3. Menu Bar and Preset Manager
3. Menu Bar and Preset Manager
All Wave Arts plug-ins in the Power Suite Bundle have the following menu bar
displayed at the top of the plug-in:
This section describes the operation of the menu bar, preset manager, and
the other functions available in the menus.
3.1 Bypass
Clicking on the bypass button bypasses the effect, that is, audio will pass
through the effect without alteration. The button is lit when the effect is
bypassed.
3.2 Undo
Clicking the Undo button causes the parameters to revert to their settings
prior to the last edit. Only one level of undo is available, so clicking the undo
button again will restore the parameters after the edit. Both A and B buffers
(described below) have their own undo buffers.
3.3 Copy
Clicking the Copy button copies the current set of effect parameters to the
unused A/B buffer. Hence, if the A buffer is currently selected, the
parameters are copied to B, and if the B buffer is selected, the parameters
are copied to A. After clicking Copy, you can continue to make changes, and
then revert to the original copied settings by clicking either the A or B
buttons to switch buffers.
3.4 A/B buffers
The A/B edit buffers allow you to compare two different sets of parameters or
presets. One of the A or B buttons is always lit; the button that is lit shows
the current buffer. Clicking either the A or B button will switch to using the
other buffer, thus changing the effect settings (assuming different settings
are stored in A and B).
Here’s how to use the A/B buffers to compare two different presets. Select a
preset from the Preset menu, then switch to the other buffer and select a
different preset. Now switch between the two buffers to alternate between
the two different presets.
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Wave Arts Power Suite
3.5 Preset name and arrow controls
The currently selected preset name is displayed in the text field in the menu
bar. Changing any parameters causes an asterisk (*) to be displayed at the
end of the name. This indicates that changes have been made to the preset.
In order to save the changes to a user preset you must select the “Save…”
item in the Preset menu, described below.
The arrow controls to the left and right of the preset name cycle through the
set of factory and user presets. Clicking the right arrow goes to the next
preset, clicking the left arrow goes to the previous preset.
3.6 Preset menu
The Preset menu contains lists of factory and user presets for easy selection,
and options for managing presets. The functions are described in the
following sections.
3.7 Factory Presets
Factory presets are selected from a rolloff menu at the top of the Preset
menu. Factory presets cannot be modified or deleted. The Default preset is
always first in the list; it defines all default parameter settings.
For AAX DSP plug-ins which have reduced configurations, the same set of
factory presets is presented for each configurat ion, even though the
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3. Menu Bar and Preset Manager
configuration may not have all the features selected by the preset. For
example, when loading a 6-band MultiDynamics preset into the 3-band
configuration, the first three bands will be set up, while the top 3 bands from
the preset are ignored. Similarly, when loading a TrackPlug preset into the
TrackPlug E7GC configuration, only the first seven EQ bands, the gate, and
Comp1 will be set up according to the preset.
3.8 User Presets
User presets are selected from a rolloff menu just below the Factory presets
in the Preset menu. When you first run a Wave Arts plug-in, there will not be
any user presets and the menu will be empty. When you save a preset using
the “Save” option the preset is added to the User menu. All instances of a
plug-in share the same set of user presets. So, after you save a preset with
one instance of a plug-in, you can go to another instance and find that the
preset can be found in its User preset menu too.
You can delete an individual user preset by holding down the SHIFT key while
selecting the preset. The entire set of user presets can be deleted using the
Reset option, described below.
User presets are stored in a text file called “<plugin> Presets.txt”, where
<plugin> is the name of the plug-in you are using. If the file is deleted, an
empty preset file will be created automatically the next time the plug-in runs.
User presets files are stored in the following directory, depending on the
operating system, where <username> is your Windows login name:
Mac OS-X:
/Library/Application Support/Wave Arts/<plugin>/
Windows 7/8:
C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Local/Wave Arts/
3.9 Save…
When you have created an effect you want to save as a preset, select the
“Save…” option. You will be asked to name the preset and the preset will be
saved in the set of User presets. If you supply the same name as an existing
user preset, the preset will be overwritten with the new preset without any
warning notice.
3.10 Import…
User presets can be written to files using the “Export” function, and read
from files using the “Import” function. Selecting the “Import…” option will
first ask if you want to replace or merge the imported presets. Replacing
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Wave Arts Power Suite
causes your current set of user presets to be deleted and replaced with the
presets read from the file, merging will add the presets read from the file to
your set of User presets. Then you will be asked to choose a preset file for
importing and the presets are read from the file.
Import can also be used to convert presets from an older version of the plugin to the current version. If the p lug-in detects presets from an older version
and it knows how to convert them to the current version it will ask you if you
want to convert the older presets to the current format.
3.11 Export…
Selecting the “Export…” option will first ask if you want to replace or merge
the exported presets. Replacing causes the presets in the file to be deleted
and replaced with the exported user presets, merging will add the user
presets to the presets in the file. Then you will be asked to choose a preset
file for exporting and the presets are written to the file.
Preset Export is also useful for making backup copies of your user presets. If
you have a large set of user presets, be sure to export them to a backup file.
3.12 Reset…
Reset is used to delete all of your user presets. Selecting “Reset…” will first
ask you if you really want to do this, and if you confirm, all the user presets
are deleted.
3.13 Tools menu
The Tools menu contains various important options, described below.
3.14 About…
The About option displays important information about your plug-in. An
example is shown below:
20
3. Menu Bar and Preset Manager
On the top line, the plug-in name and version are displayed, along with the
current plug-in format (AAX, DirectX, VST, AU, RTAS, or MAS). This is useful
if you aren’t sure which format of the plug you are running. The build date of
the plug-in is displayed on the next line. If the plug-in is using Wave Arts
licensing, the registration status is displayed on the next line. If the plug-in is
operating in demo mode, the time remaining (if any) is displayed. If the
plug-in has been successfully registered (unlocked), the key code and bundle
name is displayed. The Machine ID of the computer is displayed on the next
line. Finally, buttons are provided for opening the registration dialog and the
user manual. If the plug-in is using Pace/iLok licensing, there is no
registration status or Machine ID displayed and the Unlock button will be
disabled.
3.15 Open User Manual…
Select this option to open the user manual in a browser. If the manual isn’t
found, you will be asked to navigate to it. Once the manual is opened
successfully the plug-in remembers the location.
3.16 Unlock Plug-in…
This option is described in the Installation and Registration chapter of this
manual.
3.17 Check for Updates…
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Wave Arts Power Suite
If you are connected to the internet, selecting this option will launch a
browser and will navigate to the Wave Arts Downloads page.
3.18 Visit Website…
If you are connected to the internet, selecting this option will launch a
browser and will navigate to the Wave Arts home page.
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4. TrackPlug
4. TrackPlug
4.1 Overview
TrackPlug combines a 10-band EQ, a realtime analyzer, two compressors, a gate, a
brickwall filter, and a lookahead peak limiter in one efficient, easy-to-use, and great
sounding pro audio plug-in, ideal for tracking, mixing, and post production. Here
are some of TrackPlug's key features:
a 10-band EQ section with 11 different filter types
integrated realtime spectrum analyzer
low and high pass brickwall filters
two compressors and a gate, each with optional side-chain equalizer, variable
knees and optional lookahead delay
choose between clean or vintage, peak or RMS dynamics modes
dual EQ comparison sidechain modes for precise de-essing, de-ploding
external sidechain inputs (AU, MAS, and RTAS only)
lookahead peak limiter
EQ routing pre or post dynamics
comprehensive metering
separate presets for each section
comprehensive set of factory presets designed by industry professionals
supports up to 192 kHz sampling rate
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Wave Arts Power Suite
TrackPlug's audio routing and meter placement is shown in the diagram below:
Gate
Meter
In
Brickwall
filter
Gate
EQ
(pre)
TrackPlug audio routing diagram.
Comp1
Meter
Comp1 Comp2
Comp2
Meter
Output
Gain
EQ
(post)
Peak
Limiter
Output
Meter
Out
The input signal is processed first by the brickwall filter. This allows the user to
eliminate noise signals that are outside the frequency range of the recorded
instrument. Thumps, rumble and hum can be eliminated using a highpass brickwall,
while high frequency hiss or tones can be eliminated using a lowpass brickwall.
The signal is processed next by the gate. The gate is commonly used to attenuate
background noises when the main signal is not present. The gate can be used to
reduce amplifier noise, microphone leakage, etc.
If the EQ routing is set to "pre", the EQ runs after the gate and before the
compressors; if set to "post", it runs after the compressors. EQ is the principal tool
to shape the tonal character of the sound.
The realtime spectrum analyzer runs either just befo re or after the EQ section
depending on whether the RTA is set up to be pre or post EQ.
The two compressors run next. They can be configured in a variety of ways, from
slow auto-gain control to faster compression, to aggressive distorting compression.
The compressors can also be configured as de-essers or de-ploders by using the
side-chain EQs.
If the EQ routing is set to "post", the EQ runs after the compressors. So me
engineers prefer this configuration because they find that compression dulls the
sound, requiring some EQ after compression.
The output gain and peak limiter run last. The peak limiter can be used as a hard
compressor / loudness maximizer, by cranking up the output gain, or used simply
to prevent peaks from exceeding -0.1 dB. This latter function is important for Pro
Tools (RTAS format), because signals that exceed 0 dB are hard clipped and sound
very distorted.
TrackPlug E7GC Configuration
For AAX DSP, the E7GC configuration provides a 7-band EQ, gate, and compressor.
The audio routing is shown in the figure below.
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4. TrackPlug
Gate
Meter
In
Gate
EQ
(pre)
Comp1
Meter
Comp1
Output
EQ
(post)
Output
Meter
Gain
Out
TrackPlug E7GC audio routing diagram.
TrackPlug E7C Configuration
For AAX DSP, the E7C configuration provides a 7-band EQ and compressor. The
audio routing is shown in the figure below.
Comp1
Meter
Output
In
EQ
(pre)
Comp1
EQ
(post)
Output
Meter
Gain
Out
TrackPlug E7C audio routing diagram.
4.2 About TrackPlug
Brickwall filters
Brickwall filters are lowpass or highpass filters with very steep cutoffs, used to pass
all frequencies up to the cutoff frequency and eliminate all frequencies beyond the
cutoff. The frequency range that is passed unaltered is called the "passband", the
frequency range that is attenuated is called the "stopband". TrackPlug's brickwall
filters are implemented using 10th order elliptical filters, with at least 90 dB of
stopband attenuation and less than 0.1 dB of passband ripple.
Brickwall filters are used to eliminate unwanted frequency ranges. Typically, a
brickwall filter would be used when processing a noisy recording of an instrument
sound that does not use the entire frequency range. The brickwall filter would be
positioned at the edge of the instrument's frequency range to eliminate out-of-band
noise. So for example, when processing voice, one could use the brickwall filters to
eliminate all frequencies below 100 Hz and above 8 kHz.
The brickwall filters can also be used to zero in on a particular frequency range just
for analysis purposes. For example, one could use the brickwall filters to listen to
selected overtones in an organ, or to isolate the click of a kick drum.
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Wave Arts Power Suite
Equalization
The equalizer is used to boost certain frequencies and reduce others, thus changing
the tonality of a sound. When used in a mixing application, equalization is applied
to each track so that it sits better in the mix. Generally, you want each instrument
sound to be distinctly audible and sound natural, while maintaining a balanced mix.
A good approach is to use as little EQ as possible, and when doing so, try to reduce
frequencies rather than boost them, to give each track enough space in the mix.
When equalization is used as a sound design tool, it can be applied aggressively to
completely change the character of a sound.
It is helpful to have a general understanding of the frequency ranges in a mix:
Low Bass (20 – 60 Hz)- controls rumble, this range is best reproduced on a
subwoofer equipped system.
Bass (60 to 250 Hz)- the low end of the mix, where the fundamentals of bass and
other rhythm oriented instruments like the kick drum reside. Controls the overall
fullness/roundness of a track or mix. Reducing around the 100 to 200 Hz range can
help reduce “boominess”.
Low Midrange (250 to 2000 Hz)- many of the low harmonics of most instruments
are in this range, and some boost here between 250 and 800 Hz can improve
clarity of lower pitched instruments. Too much boost in this whole range can lend
to a telephone-like quality (boost from 500Hz to 1Khz can sound horn-like, from
1Kz to 2Kz can sound tinny), and often frequencies in this area can be reduced on
mid-range instruments like guitar, vocals and keyboards to improve a mix.
High Midrange (2000 Hz – 4000 Hz)- this range is an important speech recognition
area, and also determines projection and clarity of mid-range instruments. Too
much boost in this area can be fatiguing on the ear.
Presence (4000 Hz – 6000 Hz)- controls how close and distinct instruments and
vocals sound, too much in this range will cause harshness.
Brilliance (6000 Hz – 20 kHz)- this range is associated with clarity, “sizzle”, and
"air".
TrackPlug's equalizer provides up to 10 separate EQ bands, more than needed for
most jobs. Each band has a choice of 11 different filter types per band. Again,
we've erred on the side of providing more control rather than skimping. All of the
filter types are based on second order filters; this limits their rolloff slope to -12 dB
per octave. The filter types are described below.
Parametric EQ
The parametric EQ type is one you will use often, as it allows you to reinforce or
attenuate at a specific frequency point. The parametric EQ is defined in terms of the
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4. TrackPlug
center frequency, the height of the boost/cut in dB, and the width. The width is
measured in octaves between the half height points in the response. For example, if
the center frequency is 2 kHz, the height is 12 dB, and the width is 2 octaves, then
the width is defined at the 6 dB points in the response, which will be at 1 kHz and 4
kHz (one octave below and one octave above the center frequency, respectively).
Parametric EQ with freq = 2000 Hz, height = 12 dB, and width = 2 octaves.
Shelf filter
The shelf filter boost or cuts by a fixed amount above or below a corner frequency.
The shelf filter has parameters of corner frequency and shelf height in dB. The
figure below shows a low shelf filter with a boost of 12 dB and a corner frequency of
200 Hz. The corner frequency is defined at the half height point in the response, so
for example, in the figure below, the response is 6 dB at 200 Hz. TrackPlug
provides three variations of the shelf filter which differ in the shape of the shelf
transition: standard, resonant, and vintage. The standard shelf filter as shown in
the figure has the steepest possible transition without having any overshoot. The
"resonant" shelf filter has a variable transition slope defined by a resonance
parameter. Filter resonances are usually defined using a Q parameter, called the
"quality factor"; higher values of Q are more resonant and hence sharply tuned.
TrackPlug uses the width knob to set the resonance, in units of Q. A shelf with a
high resonance has a steep transition, but also overshoots symmetrically on each
side, as shown in the figure below. The standard shelf filter is identical to the
resonant shelf filter with a resonance (Q) of 0.707. Finally, the "vintage" shelf filter
has a particular sort of as ymmetrical overshoot which is quite gentle and pleasing
sounding. The vintage shelf is modeled after the response shapes of certain analog
equalizers.
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Wave Arts Power Suite
Low shelf with freq = 1000, height = 12 dB.
Resonant low shelf with freq = 200, height = 12 dB, Q = 2.
Vintage low shelf with freq = 200, height = 12 dB, Q = 1.414.
Notch filter
The notch filter cuts a specific frequency. It has parameters of center frequency and
width. The width of the notch is measured in octaves between the -3 dB points of
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4. TrackPlug
the filter response. TrackPlug's notch filter eliminates the center frequency
completely, this would correspond to a height of minus infinity dB. The notch is
commonly used to eliminate hum caused by power line interference. In the US,
power lines oscillate at 60 Hz, in Europe and other parts of the world power lines
oscillate at 50 Hz. Overtones of the hum are common and require an additional
notch filter to cancel each overtone. Another commonly seen interference tone is
caused by the horizontal flyback oscillation of televisions. In the US, NTSC TV sets
oscillate at 15,734 Hz. In Europe, PAL and SECAM TV sets oscillate at 15,625 Hz.
Often you will find these tones in acoustic recordings made anywhere near TV sets.
Notch filter with freq = 60, width = 0.1 octaves.
Bandpass filter
The bandpass filter is the opposite of the notch, it passes only the frequencies in a
band around the center frequency. The bandpass filter has parameters of center
frequency and width. The width of the bandpass is measured in octaves between
the -3 dB points of the filter response. The bandpass filter would typically only be
used in sound design to simulate the sound of a reduced frequency response, such
as a telephone. One could also use the brickwall filters for this. The bandpass filter
rolls off at -12 dB per octave on each side of the center frequency, much gentler
than the brickwall, which rolls off at 60 dB/octave. The bandpass filter can also be
used in analysis to isolate a particular frequency. For example, if there is a
contaminating tone in a signal, one can sweep a narrow bandpass filter to isolate
the tone, then switch to a notch filter to eliminate the tone.
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Wave Arts Power Suite
Bandpass filter with freq = 2 kHz, width = 1 octave.
Lowpass and highpass filters
TrackPlug also provides lowpass and highpass filters. These pass frequencies up to
a corner frequency, then roll off at -12 dB per octave beyond. The lowpass and
highpass filters have only one parameter: corner frequency. The corner frequency
is defined at the -3 dB point in the response. The choice to use the lowpass and
highpass filters or to use the brickwall filters depends on how steep you need to
rolloff to be.
Lowpass filter with freq = 2 kHz.
Real Time Analyzer (RTA)
TrackPlug has a built-in real time spectrum analyzer which allows you to see how
the energy in the audio signal is distributed across frequencies. The RTA is not
available when running AAX DSP format. The RTA displays the instantaneous
energy in each of 31 frequency bands ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The width of
each band is 1/3 octave which corresponds roughly to the critical bands in the
human auditory system. Spectrum analysis is incredibly useful to see at a glance
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