Sonic Studio Mastering EQ Table of Contents
1.0 Sonic Studio Mastering EQ ................................................................ 3
1.1 SonicStudioMasteringEQAudioUnitPlug-in..................................................4
1.1.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.2 Operation.................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1.2.1 MasteringEQVisualizer.................................................................................................................................5
1.1.2.2 GainFader......................................................................................................................................................6
1.1.2.3 High-DefinitionMeters..................................................................................................................................6
1.1.2.4 PeakHoldSettings.........................................................................................................................................6
1.1.2.5 EqualizerBandswith17UniqueFilters.......................................................................................................6
1.1.2.6 EQGlobalOn/Off............................................................................................................................................7
1.1.2.7 DitherSelectionArea.....................................................................................................................................7
1.1.2.8 EQBandOn/Off..............................................................................................................................................7
Appendix A Sonic Studio Mastering EQ Filter Specifications and Descriptions .................... 8
Appendix B Sonic Studio Mastering EQ Dither Specifications and Descriptions ................ 17
1.0 .............................................Sonic Studio Mastering EQ
ThankyouforpurchasingSonicStudioMasteringEQ™!You’vemadeanexcellentchoiceowingtothefactthatthefiltersandalgorithmsfeaturedinthisequalizerhavebeenusedoninnumerabletracks.It’sperfectforeverytypeofmusic-AmbienttoACappella,JazztoJive,SymphonytoSpokenWord,ZydecotoZeitGeist.Youmaynotbeawareofit,butyou’veheardthisEQbefore!
SonicStudioMasteringEQisaminimal-phasefourbandfilterAudioUnit™plug-in.Eachbandoffersyourchoiceof17filtertypesortopologieswithsomebestusedforrestorationanddamagecontrolwhileotherareexcellentforchangingcolorortimbre.Itcanbeusedasamono,stereoormultichannelinstantiation.
ThisdocumentcoversSonicStudioMasteringEQ’suseinoursoundBladeproduct.However,sinceit’sanAudioUnitplug-in,itwilloperateonanyaudiosoftwarethatsupportsAudioUnitplug-ins.
The Sonic Studio Mastering EQ User Interface.
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1.1 SonicStudioMasteringEQAudioUnitPlug-in
1.1.1 Overview
InthesoundBladeenvironment,SonicStudioMasteringEQcanbeinsertedasaplug-ininthreedifferentpointswithinthesignalflowofsoundBlade:
1. AsaDeskEvent.
2. IntheEDLDesk(mixerwindow).
3. IntheMeterswindow.
LEARN: soundBlade offer the option to add“Desk Events” or plug–ins to aProjectorbus.Whenplug–insare instantiatedinaProject, theyprovidetime–based,“snapshot automation.”Also in Projects, plug–ins are constant latencyandareseamlesslycross-faded,evenwithinanindividualsegment.Thismeanssettingschangesmoothly,freeofaudiblediscontinuities,evenforplug–inswithhighlatency.Allplug–ininstantiationsarefullylatencycompensated,unlesstheplug–initselfcannotordoesnotreportlatency.SeethesoundBladeHDorSEusermanualformoreonusingplug-insasDeskEvents.
LEARN: Toinsertaplug–inintooneoftheslots intheEDLDesk,simplyclickontheslotbuttonandadropdownmenuappears,showingallvalidplug–insavailable.Then,selectthedesiredplug–infromthelist.Theplug–inwillbeinsertedintheslotandtheselectedplug–inwillopenformanipulationofitsparameters.Theseinstantiationsaremono,andunlikeotherworkstations,usingplug-insintheEDLDeskisgenerallynotrecommended.UseDeskEventsinstead.SeethesoundBladeHDorSEusermanualformoreonusingtheEDLDesk.
LEARN:TheMeterswindowisagoodplacetousetruestereoplug-ins.Whenaplug-inisinsertedintheMeterssection,thatplug-inisappliedtoallaudiothatisroutedoutthatbus.SeethesoundBladeHDorSEusermanualformoreonusingplug-insintheMeterssection.
1.1.2 InstallationandOperation
ToinstallSonicStudioMasteringEQ,double-clickonthe‘SonicMasteringEQ_Installer.pkg’andfollowtheon-screeninstructions.IfyouareasoundBladeuser,you’llalsoneedtorun‘InstallSonicStudioOptions.mpkg’locatedintheSonicOptionsfolderofyoursoundBladeappfolder,selecting‘SonicMasteringEQ’intheoptionsinstallerdialogbox.
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ToenableaSonicStudioMasteringEQplug-inasaDeskEvent, in theEDLDeskorMeterswindow,select‘SonicMasteringEQ’fromthecontextualmenuthatappears.TheSonicStudioMasteringEQwindowwillappear.
Select ‘Sonic Mastering EQ’ from the contextual menu. After selection, the Sonic Studio Mastering EQ window will appear:
1)MasteringEQVisualizer 2)GainFader
3)High-DefinitionMeters 4)PeakHoldSettings5)EqualizerBandswith17uniquefilters 6)EQGlobalOn/Off7)DitherSelectionArea 8)EQBandOn/Off
1 2 3 4
5
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8
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1.1.2.1 Mastering EQ Visualizer
Thisareadisplaysthecurrentfiltersettingsasavisualrepresentation.Eachcolor-codedfilternodecanbedraggedandadjustedfromwithinthiswindow.
1.1.2.2 Gain Fader
Adjuststheoverallgainoftheplug-in.Parametersare+12to+12dB.Optionclickto(re)settozero.
1.1.2.3 High-Definition Meters
TheMeterssectiongraphicallydisplaysreal-timeindicationsofPeak,RMSandVUvalueswithhyper-ballisticaccuracy.Atthetopofthemeterstrips,PeakandRMSvaluesaredisplayedinnumericrelationtozero;-forunderzero,+foroverzero.Boththemeterstripandthenumbersinthissectionwillturnredwhenanover-zerolevelisdetected.
WhenSonicStudioMasteringEQisusedasamonoinstantiation,onlychannelone,ortheleftchannel,willdisplaylevel.
1.1.2.4 Peak Hold Settings
Inthissection,PeakHoldpreferencescanbesettoreflectyourneeds.ThedefaultvalueisonesecondforPeakHoldand100millisecondsforMeterReleasetiming.ThissettingissavedwiththeEQ.
1.1.2.5 Equalizer Bands with 17 Unique Filters
Thebottom lefthalfof theSonicStudioMasteringEQwindowcontains themastercontrolsforeachofthefouravailablefilterbands.Thecontrolsarecontext–sensitiveandapplytotheselectedfiltersectionandchangesarereflectedintheMasteringEQVisualizersection.
Clickingonthetoprevealsalisttheavailablefiltertypes:
Filter Selection Menu.
Select your desired filter from the menu to instantiate. Extra control sections will me enabled depending on filter type.
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LEARN: SeeAppendixAbelowforcompletefilterdescriptionsandgraphicalrepresentationsoftheircapabilities.
LEARN:Valuescanbeenteredbykeyboardorbyclick+hold+mouseup/down.
1.1.2.6 EQ Global On/Off
ThisbuttontogglestheSonicMasteringEQonoroffandisusefulforcomparingthesumofallchangesmadewiththisinstanceofEQ.
1.1.2.7 Dither Selection Area
ThissectionselectswhetherditherisenabledonthisinstanceofEQ.ThechoicesareOff,DitherandNoiseShaped.
LEARN:SeeAppendixBbelowforcompleteditherdescriptions.
1.1.2.8 EQ Band On/Off
ThisbuttontogglesindividualbandsofSonicMasteringEQonoroffandisusefulforcomparingthechangeinducedinasinglebandofEQ.
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Appendix A ................... Sonic Studio Mastering EQ Filter Specifications and Descriptions
Theparametricfiltersareclassic,threeparameterversions,withResonantFrequency,gain,andQ.QorQualityFactorisdefinedastheresonantfrequency,orcenterfrequencyinthecaseofasymmetricalfilter,dividedbythebandwidth.Thebandwidthis,inturn,definedastheoneortwofrequenciesatwhichthefilterresponseis3dBupordownfromunitygain.
Expressing thewidthofafilterasaQualityFactor, rather thanbandwidth,providesamoreintuitivesenseofthefilter’ssubjective“sound,”sincethesamevalueofQwillproducedifferentbandwidthsatdifferentfrequencies.Thehigherthefrequency,thewiderthebandwidthwillbeforagivenQvalue,whichroughlycorrespondstoourauditorymechanism’sabilitytoperceiveafilter’saction.Asanexample,aparametricfilterwithaQof1hasabandwidthof100Hzwhenitscenterfrequencyissetto100Hzbut,ithasabandwidthof1000Hzwhenthecenterfrequencyissetto1000Hz.
Theorderorslopeofthefilteriscontrollable,with1stthrough4thorderor6to24dBperoctaveslope, respectively. Each of the four orders are separate menu choices.The family of curvesshownbelowincludeawideQof0.5,amediumQof2.0andanarrowQof10.
Figure 10.2: 1st order parametric with ƒR of 1000 Hz
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Figure 10.3: 2nd order parametric with ƒR of 1000 Hz
Figure 10.4: 3rd order parametric with ƒR of 1000 Hz
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Figure 10.5: 4th order parametric with ƒR of 1000 Hz
The high and low shelves are also three parameter filters, with Resonant Frequency, gain,andorder.Thefamilyofcurvesbelowinclude1stthrough4thorder.The4thorderresponseispracticallyverticalinthetransitionregion.
Figure 10.6: High shelf with ƒR of 1000 Hz
Thehighandlowpassfiltersalsohavethreeparameters.However,inthiscasestopbandripple,labeledStop,hastakentheplaceofgain.Aswiththeshelvingfilterabove,thefamilyofcurvesbelowinclude1stthrough4thorder.
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Figure 10.7: High pass with ƒR of 1000 Hz
Stopbandrippledescribestheamountofamplitudevariationorrippleinafilter’soutofbandresponse.Indirectly,itdescribestwomoreimportantparameters.Oneisoutofbandsuppressionor,howmuch“leakage”ofunwantedsignalyoureceive,andtheotherisphaseshiftandgroupdelay.
Thestopbandrippleparameterprovidesarangeof-12to-108.Atthe-12setting,only12dBoflosswilloccuroutofband,nomuchforafilterofthistype.However,becausethestopbandripple value is so low, the phase response and resultant temporal response of the filter willbeexcellent.Attheotherextremeofitsrange,stopbandripplewillbe108dBdownfromthe(unity)passbandgainbut, thephaseresponsewillsuffer, thegroupdelaywillbesevereandtheresultingtemporalsmearingmaybeunacceptable.Aswithanyfilter,carefullisteningwilldeterminethetradeoffbetweenstopbandsuppressionandsideeffects.
Figure10.8belowshowsantypical3rdorderhighpassfilter.Superimposedonthatcurveisanother3rdorderhighpasswith6dBofpassbandripple&120dBofstopbandattenuation.Noticetherippling“bouncingball”amplituderesponseintheregionabovetheresonantfrequency.Thispassbandripplewouldcreatesomepossiblyundesirableamplitudeeffectsbut,becausetheripplespechasbeenrelaxed,thephaseresponsewouldbeimproved.
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Figure 10.8: 3rd order high pass with 6 dB of passband ripple & 120 dB of attenuation
Comparetheresponseinfigure10.8withthenextfigure,whichshowsa3rdorderhighpasswith0.10dBofpassbandripple&10dBofstopbandattenuation.Thistime,thestopbandripplewouldallowsomematerialbelowtheresonantfrequencyto“leak”intothefilter’soutput.Againhowever,becausetheripplespechasbeenrelaxed,thephaseresponsewouldbeimproved.
Figure 10.9: 3rd order high pass with 0.1 dB of passband ripple & 10 dB of attenuation
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Thebandpassandbandstopfiltersarestraightforward,threeparameterforms,andthenotchfilterhasonlytwoparametersasthegainisimpliedtobe-∞.Thenexttwofiguresonceagainincludequalityfactors(Q)of0.5,2and10.
Figure 10.10: 1st order bandpass with ƒR of 1000 Hz
Figure 10.11: 3rd order bandpass with ƒR of 1000 Hz
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Figure 10.12: Notch filter with ƒR of 1000 Hz
TheRIAAfiltersprovideemphasis,forcreatingcuttingmastersforlacquer,andde–emphasisforcorrectingmaterialthatisdigitizedflatfrom331/3RPMphonographrecord.Thisapproachmeansthattheexcellent,minimalphasecharacteristicsofthisdigitalRIAAde–emphasisimplementationcanbeusedinplaceofanimpreciseandpotentiallycoloredanalogfilternetworkinaphonopreamplifier.
Figure 10.13: RIAA de–emphasis
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The“Emph”and“DeEmph”selectionarefor44.1kHzAES/EBUaudio.Thede–emphasistypeisquiteusefulwhenarchivalmaterialwasemphasizedduringrecordingbuttheEmphasisflagwasnotset.
TheNoDCtypeisaspecialformofhighpassfilterdesignedforarchivalrecordingsmadewithEIAJadapters,socalled“F1”recorders,whichwereshortlivedconsumerdigitalaudiorecordersmanufacturedbySony,Matsushitaandothers.Theyemployedverysimple,lowcostconvertersandofteninjectedalargeamountofDCoffsetintothesignaltoovercomecrossoverdistortion.ThisfilterwillremovethatDCoffset.Lastly,the“NoDC/DeEmp”typeis,again,aspecialfilterforrecordingsmadewithanEIAJadapterthatbothremovesDCoffsetandappliesde–emphasis.
Figure 10.14: DC reject plus RIAA de–emphasis, the “NoDC/DeEmp”
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Appendix B ..................Sonic Studio Mastering EQ Dither Specifications and Descriptions
Selecting a Dither Type
Ditherisanintentionallyappliedformofnoiseusedtorandomizequantizationerror,preventingaudible artifacts from being induced when calculating sample rate or bit depth changes. Nosingleditherisamagicbullet,sotwodifferentvariationsofditherareavailableinSonicStudioMasteringEQ.
SonicStudioMasteringEQDitherSettings:
Off: Disablesalldither,passingallbitsasrendered.
Dither(TriangularProbabilityDensityFunction):Shapedtriangulardithercutsthenoiselevelat lowfrequencieswhileboosting itahighfrequencies. Thisresults inthedithernoisebeinglessaudible.Thisshapingorweightingreducestheaudibilityofthenoisetoadegree.Withtriangulardither,theaddednoiselevelisconstantandslightlyhigher.Itisrecommendedforuseonalltypesofmusic.
Noise Shaped:Thisdithertypealtersthespectralshapeoftheerrorthatisintroducedbyditheringsuchthatthenoisepowerisatalowerlevelinfrequencybandsatwhichnoiseisperceivedtobemoreundesirableandatacorrespondinglyhigherlevelinbandswhereit isperceivedtobelessundesirable. Sincethisditheris‘packed’atthehigherendofthehearingspectrum,thisshapingorweightingreducestheaudibilityofthenoisetoadegree.Thisditherisrecommendedforgeneraluse.
Note: Ingeneral,triangularPDFditherispreferable.
Note That witheithertypeofdither,theaddednoiseisverysmallandeachditheroptionactsdifferentlywithdifferenttypesofprogrammaterial.Youshouldexperimentwitheachdithertypetoachievetheresultsthatyoudesire.
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Sonic Studio Mastering EQ Index
Symbols1storderbandpass131storderparametric82ndorderparametric83rdorderhighpass11,123rdorderparametric84thorderparametric8
AAudioUnit3,4
CContextualMenu4,5
DDC15De-emphasis14,15DeskEvent4Dither5,7DitherSelectionArea5,7
EEDLDesk4EQBandOn/Off5,7EQGlobalOn/Off5,7Equalizer5,6EqualizerBands5,6
FFilter17FilterCurve17
GGainFader5,6
HHigh-DefinitionMeters5,6
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Highpass11Highshelf10
MMasteringEQVisualizer5,6Meter6Meters6Meterswindow4minimal-phase3
NNoiseShaped17Notchfilter14
PParametric8,10,11,13Peak5,6PeakHold5,6PeakHoldSettings5,6plug-ins4
latency compensation 4
Quality Factor 8QualityFactor8
RRIAA14,15RMS5,6
Ssnapshotautomation4SonicEQ
Bypass 6Group menu 6parameters 7pre-processor 4Q or Quality Factor 8sections 6stopband ripple 11
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TTriangularProbabilityDensityFunction17
VVU5,6
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