Instruments and Effects

Chapter 5 EQ 95
Note: Each time you match two audio signals—either by loading/learning a new
spectrum while Match is activated or by activating Match after a new spectrum has
been loaded—any existing changes to the filter curve are discarded, and Apply is set to
100%.
By default, the Apply slider is set to 100% when you learn the frequency curve of an
audio signal. In many cases, you may want to lower it slightly to avoid extreme spectral
changes to your mix. It is also recommended that you use the Smoothing slider in
order to adjust the spectral detail of the generated EQ curve.
Editing the Filter Curve
You can graphically edit the matched filter curve in the graphic display, by clicking any
point on the filter curve. Drag horizontally to shift the peak frequency for this band
(over the entire spectrum). Drag vertically to adjust the gain of this band (between –24
to +24 dB). To adjust the Q-Factor, hold down the Shift key and drag vertically. Hold
down the Option key while dragging to reset the gain to 0 dB. As you drag, the current
values appear in a small box inside the graphic display, allowing you to make precise
adjustments graphically.
Note: If you manually modify the filter curve, you can restore it to the original (or flat)
curve by Option-clicking on the background of the Analyzer display. Option-clicking
the background again restores the most recently modified curve.
The Q-factor of the filter is set by the vertical distance between the point where you
click and the curve. By clicking on the curve, the maximum Q-value of 10 (for notch-like
filters) is used. Clicking above or below the curve decreases the Q-value. The further
you click from the curve, the smaller the value (down to the minimum of 0.3).
The colors and modes of the dB scales on the left and right of the display are
automatically adapted to the active function. If the Analyzer is active, the left scale
displays the average spectrum in the signal, while the right scale serves as a reference
for the peak values of the Analyzer. Basically, the Analyzer visualizes a dynamic range of
60 dB. The displayed range can, however, be shifted between the extreme values of
+20 dB and –100 dB by dragging on the scale.
If the resulting filter curve is displayed, the left scale—and the right, if the Analyzer is
inactive—shows the dB values for the filter curve in an appropriate color. By dragging
on one of the scales, the overall gain of the filter curve is adjusted in the range from –
30 to +30 dB.