Do You Equalize?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Ron Scubadiver, Jan 30, 2017.

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  1. tend to cut rather than boost when the application suits it. maybe superstitious but I dont trust programs for EQing.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2017
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  2. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    :laugh:
     
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  3. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Houston TX
    From the man himself...
     
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  4. chodad

    chodad Hodad

    Location:
    USA
    Love to EQ. Can't keep my hands off the knobs.
     
  5. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    The need to equalize has always been proportionally correlated to how bad my equipment is.

    Once I got a setup with quality components, my need to equalize went away.
     
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  6. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    Whose knob ?:laugh:
     
  7. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Houston TX
    Knob Creek
     
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  8. chodad

    chodad Hodad

    Location:
    USA
    I love my gear.
     
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  9. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    No, I went through that "phase" of playing audio engineer with my system (I think I had a 10 band Pioneer equalizer)
    I believe if you have fairly neutral, or natural sounding components and speakers, and play well mastered cds or records,
    you should be happy with the sound you are getting. If you feel the need to crank away with an equalizer, that may be a
    sign you have something missing in your basic hardware, or setup (imo)
     
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  10. CharlieBussell

    CharlieBussell Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, Ca
    When I finally learned how to properly setup my system in a room, I tossed the EQ into the closet. When I installed some acoustic panels and bass traps, I gave the EQ away to Goodwill.
    I think an EQ is best used in Professional applications when the venue or environment does not allow for good acoustics.
     
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  11. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    I don't EQ but I do, on occasion, use my tone controls. If I find I have to use the controls on a recording I generally start hunting for a better mastering of said recording. But I think there times that doesn't exists, a la Queen II, and the controls can have a place.

    I also will turn down the treble if I've listened for too long and my ears are going dull.

    But 95% of the time I have the "direct" mode enabled. Or the controls flat.
     
  12. matteos

    matteos Stereotype

    Location:
    US
    No. The fewer tone controls and rubbish like that, the better. I don't want anything unnecessary in the signal path. It's better to buy gear with a very flat frequency response and fix room nodes with room treatments than to try and fix problems with equalization.
     
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  13. Kal Rubinson

    Kal Rubinson Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Tone controls are for personal preference and for adjusting playback of poor recordings. Graphic EQs are similar. Room correction is best done with DSP and can implement corrections at lower frequencies than is domestically practical with physical treatments. Purpose-designed rooms are an entirely difference matter.
     
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  14. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Houston TX
    I notice people keep saying "tone controls". A parametric equalizer in the digital signal path may change tone, but it may be used to create a response curve with a whole lot of flexibility. It is a DSP.
     
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  15. autodidact

    autodidact Forum Resident

    EQ giveth and EQ taketh away. My preference would be to have no extra analog or digital manipulation in the signal path, as I find just about anything will degrade intrinsic signal quality/purity. However, on cheaper gear, EQ often is necessary to avoid shrillness, too much or not enough bass. When I used better gear, I didn't have any or feel the need for any EQ. YMMV. (I think as my ears age I am more prone to crank up the high frequencies on my portable music player, but that can backfire, too, and just lead to more annoyance.)
     
  16. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    No but, given his last major TV role, I bet Edward Woodward would!
     
  17. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    EQíng speakers? Never. Fools errand. Just like people who try to fix room problems with EQ and dont understand that 1/ it does NOT work, and 2/ the extra stress you are putting on your amp by asking it to try and punch through huge bass nulls in untreated rooms. EQ as in tone controls on amps I dont like either, but thats a personal choice thing and does no harm. Trying to play acoustics/recording engineer with a cheap EQ on your speakers or amp output is just ridiculous IMO.
     
  18. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Total rubbish :rolleyes:! I'm assuming you've never used a room correction system like Dirac. The use of Dirac in my listening room has made a huge difference.
     
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  19. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Houston TX
    You haven't read the thread. I am equalizing at 2k hz and above. What's a cheap EQ? I am using a DSP on a computer. "Fools errand", that is rude.
     
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  20. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    like this one ?:laugh:

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    Yeah I use DIRAC , it is NOT like EQíng speakers, do you even know how it works? And as great as DIRAC is, it is not great used over 300hz or so. Anyway DIRAC lives on my digital front end. Im mainly concerned with analog these days. Once I properly treated my room, DIRAC didnt seem that magical at all really, however it still useful sub 300hz when needed.
     
  22. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    2khz and above? Thats even worse. Read up and what happens when you apply EQ to frequencies in that sort of range. Anyway doesnt matter a dime what I think, works for you? You enjoy it. DSP on a computer = cheap EQ my friend. Not trying to insult you. But EQ's of the type big studios and mastering engineers use dont cost up to and above 10K for no reason.
     
  23. Ron Scubadiver

    Ron Scubadiver Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Houston TX
    First it's bass, next it's above 2k. Yeah, it doesn't matter a penny what you think. You are just another guy making things up as fast as you can type so you look like an expert. You are insulting me and lots of other folks who use computer playback
     
  24. tim185

    tim185 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    haha, Mate I have been there and done most of it, including building complete rooms and systems from the ground up. But hey, your a newb it seems who wants to forge his own way and knows best, its ok I was like that once too. :)
     
  25. BejittoSSJ5

    BejittoSSJ5 Forum Resident

    I used to be the purist type with tone controls and such, and I still am mostly. But I do use the tone controls with my speakers since they are rather small, don't have very deep bass and I don't have a subwoofer. Works well enough for me.
     
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