Waves H-EQ User manual

WAVES
H-EQ
HYBRID EQUALIZER
USER GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................3
1.1 WELCOME.................................................................................................................3
1.2 PRODUCT OVERVIEW.................................................................................................3
1.3 CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY..................................................................................4
1.4 COMPONENTS ...........................................................................................................7
CHAPTER 2 – QUICK START GUIDE.............................................................................8
CHAPTER 3 – INTERFACE AND CONTROLS ...............................................................9
3.1 INTERFACE................................................................................................................9
3.2 CONTROLS..............................................................................................................10
CHAPTER 4 – THE WAVESYSTEM..............................................................................20
4.1 THE WAVESYSTEM TOOLBAR...................................................................................20
4.2 PRESET HANDLING..................................................................................................20
4.3 INTERFACE CONTROLS ............................................................................................23
4.4 WAVES PREFERENCES (PRO TOOLS ONLY)..............................................................25

Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1 Welcome
Thank you for choosing Waves! In order to get the most out of your Waves processor,
please take the time to read through this manual.
In conjunction, we also suggest that you become familiar with www.wavesupport.net.
There you will find an extensive Answer Base, the latest Tech Specs, detailed
Installation guides, new Software Updates, and current information on Authorization
and Registration.
By signing up at www.wavesupport.net, you will receive personalized information on
your registered products, reminders when updates are available, and information on
your authorization status.
1.2 Product Overview
Waves H-EQ is a powerful Hybrid Equalizer which features:
•Vintage and modern equalization curves inspired by the finest British and
American consoles
•Seven different filter types per band, including a newly-developed, one-of-a-kind
asymmetrical bell filter
•An intuitive keyboard graphic that lets you choose frequencies by clicking on
notes
•An exclusive MS matrix mode so you can apply different EQ to Mid and Side
content
•A flexible real-time frequency spectrum analyzer with multiple display options
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1.3 Concepts and Terminology
The H-EQ has five parametric bands plus high and low pass filters, with seven different
EQ types available for each band: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern,
UK Modern, Digital 1 and Digital 2.
Modes
•Linked/Stereo – Both left and right channels receive the same EQ processing, as
with any stereo EQ.
•Unlinked/Dual – Different EQ processing may be applied to the left and right
channels.
•MS Matrix – An MS matrix is applied which separates the stereo input
into M (Mid) and S (Sides), thus enabling you to apply different EQ to
the M and S channels. This is helpful in mastering situations where center-
panned information may require different EQ processing than side-panned
content, or when you need to correct the stereo imaging of sources such as drum
overheads.
The Analog section provides control over the level of harmonics, hum, and noise levels
added to the signal.
Analyzer
The H-EQ’s frequency analyzer presents a real-time graphical display of your input
signal, output signal or both, as well as the EQ curve currently applied to your signal.
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Asymmetrical Filter
The H-EQ includes a newly-developed, one-of-a-kind asymmetrical bell filter (Digital 1),
which we have found ideally-suited for creative equalization. It's important to note that
the Q for this filter does not change the width of the bell; rather, it controls the “tilt” of the
filter. Lower Q values are especially effective on low frequency signals like bass, kick
drum, and piano, while high Q settings work well on high frequency content such as
cymbals, strings, acoustic guitar, vocals and the like.
For example, when the Q is set all the way counter-clockwise (Q=1), the slope toward
the cutoff point is much more gentle than the slope coming down from the cutoff point,
which is much steeper, scooping out some of the low mids. This creates a very musical
bell shape that is ideal for boosting or cutting low frequencies.
.
When the Q is set all the way clockwise (Q=100), it creates a mirrored slope where the
left side of the curve rises sharply and scoops out a bit before reaching the cutoff point,
with a very gentle slope descending toward the higher frequencies.
.
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Keyboard
The Keyboard is a unique feature of the H-EQ which lets you choose frequencies by
clicking on notes. Until now, all EQs have been frequency-based, making them easier to
use for engineers who are used to manipulating frequencies, but less for musicians who
are accustomed to dealing with notes. For example, many people know that A4 = 440
Hz; putting this information to practice and building on it while mixing is considerably
more complex. This is where the power of the Keyboard comes into play; you can now
move comfortably in both musical and engineering terms.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples:
oYou are a musician, and you hear a low E1 that’s somewhat out of control
coming from the bass guitar. Simply select the LF frequency control, click on E1
on the Keyboard, and the band frequency will snap to 41 Hz = E1. Or, you can
grab the blue note (LF marker) on the Keyboard and sweep it down to E1.
oYou are an engineer, and your client (producer or musician) says that when the
sampled violins hit F6 it becomes harsh and painful. To turn down the offending
notes, select the HMF frequency, click F6 (1397 Hz) on the Keyboard, and
presto.
You can also create narrow notches that correspond to specific musical keys, and
automate them to produce interesting resonant effects. The Keyboard opens up a new
world of creative and experimental EQ possibilities.
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1.4 Components
WaveShell technology enables us to split Waves processors into smaller plug-ins, which
we call components. Having a choice of components for a particular processor gives you
the flexibility to choose the configuration best suited to your material.
H-EQ has two components:
•H-EQ Mono
•H-EQ Stereo
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Chapter 2 – Quick Start Guide
•Insert H-EQ on track.
•Select the Mode: Linked, Unlinked, or MS
•Select a Filter Type for each band. Toggle between the types and get to know
them, each has its own unique-sounding curve.
•Adjust the Frequency, Q, and Gain parameters as with any EQ.
•Turn on Analog and toggle between types to find the one that adds the color
you find most pleasing.
•Play back the song and watch the Analyzer to better understand your
frequency spectrum spread.
•Adjust the EQ accordingly.
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Chapter 3 – Interface and Controls
3.1 Interface
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3.2 Controls
Input Fader controls the signal input level.
Range: +12/ -30
oIn the H-EQ stereo component, separate left and right channel faders are
available.
oIn MS mode, the left fader controls the M (Mid) level, while the right fader controls
the S (Sides) level.
For more information on MS mode, please see the MS Mode section below.
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EQ Mode Section
Stereo/Linked
In Stereo/Linked mode, both left and right channels receive the same EQ processing, as
with any stereo EQ.
Dual/Unlinked
In Dual/Unlinked mode, different EQ processing may be applied to the left and right
channels.
oInput and output faders are unlinked to enable level control for each channel.
oThe small buttons to the left and right of the link control determine which channel
is currently affected by the EQ section. When L is selected, only the left channel
is affected and represented in the EQ graph by the orange curve; when R is
selected, only the right channel is affected and represented by the light green
curve.
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MS Mode
oThe M (Mid) channel is represented in the EQ graph by the orange curve; the
S(Sides) channel is represented by the light green curve.
oThe control beneath the Mode selector becomes a Listen control, represented by
a speaker icon. Clicking the speaker icon while M is selected, you will hear the M
information coming from both output channels as mono; when S is selected, you
will hear the S information coming from both output channels as mono.
oThe buttons to the left and right of the Listen control determine which channel is
affected by the EQ section.
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EQ Section
All bands have a color-coded On/Off switch.
HP – High pass filter
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern,
Digital 1, Digital 2
Frequency Range: 16 Hz – 21096 Hz
Q Range: 1 – 100 (Not available in UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern,
Digital 1)
LF – Low frequency
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern,
Digital 1, Digital 2
Shape Range: Shelf/Bell (selected using the toggle control)
Frequency Range: 22 Hz – 21096 Hz
Q Range (Bell): 1 – 100 (Not available in UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern)
Q Range (Shelf): 1 – 100 (Available in Digital 1 and Digital 2 only)
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LMF – Low mid frequency
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern,
Digital 1, Digital 2
Shape Range: Bell only
Frequency Range: 22 Hz – 21096 Hz
Q Range: 1 – 100 (Not available in US Modern)
MF – Mid frequency
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern,
Digital 1, Digital 2
Shape Range: Bell only
Frequency Range: 22 Hz – 21096 Hz
Q Range: 1 – 100 (Not available in US Modern)
HMF – High mid frequency
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern,
Digital 1, Digital 2
Shape Range: Bell only
Frequency Range: 22 Hz – 21096 Hz
Q Range: 1 – 100 (Not available in US Modern)
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HF – High frequency
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern,
Digital 1, Digital 2
Shape Range: Shelf/Bell (selected using the toggle control)
Frequency Range: 22 Hz – 21096 Hz
Q Range (Bell): 1 – 100 (Not available in UK Vintage 2, US Modern)
Q Range (Shelf): 1 – 100 (Available in Digital 1 and Digital 2 only)
LP – Low pass filter
Type Range: US Vintage, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern, Digital 1, Digital 2
(UK Vintage 1 not available)
Frequency Range: 21096 Hz – 16 Hz
Q Range: 1 – 100 (Not available in UK Vintage 2, US Modern, Digital 1)
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Analog Section
Analog Type toggles between analog characteristic types.
Range: Off, US Vintage, UK Vintage 1, UK Vintage 2, US Modern, UK Modern
Analog Level controls the level of the combined noise and hum: US Vintage = 60 Hz,
UK Vintage 1 & 2 = 50 Hz (Not available in Digital 1, Digital 2; Hum not available in US
Modern, UK Modern)
Range: 0% – 200%
Default: 100%
THD Level controls the level of harmonic distortion added to the signal.
Range: 0% – 1000%
Default: 100%
Keyboard lets you choose frequencies by clicking on notes.
Range: F0 – E10
For more information, please refer to Section 1.3 above, Concepts and Terminology.
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Display Section
Analyzer presents a real-time graphical display of your input signal, output signal or
both, as well as the EQ curve currently applied to your signal.
Please note:
•Turning the Analyzer off or closing the H-EQ graphic interface removes it from
your CPU load, thus enabling a greater number of H-EQ instances.
•The Analyzer displays the signal before the Analog section, so any changes
caused by the Analog section are not shown in the Analyzer.
Show turns the Analyzer on/off.
In displays the input signal, post-input fader, represented in yellow.
Out displays the output signal, post-output fader, represented in blue.
L/M turns on the display of the left side only in Stereo mode, or the M in M/S mode.
R/S turns on the display of the right side only in Stereo mode, or the S in M/S mode.
Please note: Switching off both L/M and R/S turns the Analyzer off.
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Freeze – Clicking the Freeze button stops the frequency graph. To release it and return
to real-time graphing, click the button again, or click any other Analyzer control.
Peak Hold – Clicking Peak hold stops the frequency graph at its highest peak point, the
maximum measured level.
Analyzer Scale displaysthe energy level measured by the Analyzer.
Range: 0 – 60
Please note: Complex waveforms will usually clip before the total energy on the analyzer
reaches 0 because it displays peak clipping rather than steady level reading. On
sustained material or sine waves at 0 dBFS, the Analyzer will reach 0 when the actual
signal reaches 0.
EQ Scale displays the EQ curve being applied to the signal. You can click and drag the
scale with the mouse to increase the resolution of the curve graph; use this option when
applying small amounts of EQ to your signal.
Range: +/- 30 dB linear
Range Extended: +/- 30 dB (+/- 3 dB for first 2/3 of the scale)
Band Markers allow you to manipulate the EQ bands. Each marker corresponds to a
certain band and is color coded.
The following keyboard shortcuts may be used to control Band Markers:
•Option/Alt – Hold Option (Alt) and click the marker to control Q; locks Frequency
and Gain in place.
•Control/Ctrl – Hold, click and drag the marker vertically to control Gain, lock
Frequency and Q in place; Hold, click and drag the marker horizontally to control
Frequency, lock Gain and Q in place.
•Command/Win– Hold Command and Click the marker to toggle filter type.
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Output Section
Output fader controls signal output level.
oIn the H-EQ Stereo component, separate left and right channel faders are
available.
oIn MS and Unlinked modes, the faders move separately to accommodate for
left/M and right/S channel level differences. Faders may be momentarily re-linked
using the fader link control to enable output level adjustment for both channels
simultaneously.
Phase flips the phase of the signal by 180 degrees.
oIn the H-EQ Stereo component, there are separate left and right controls to
adjust the phase on each channel independently.
Trim displays the maximum peak level of the output signal and its distance from 0 dBFS.
Clicking on the trim value button resets it to 0, and applies the differential to the input
level.
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Chapter 4 – The WaveSystem
4.1 The WaveSystem Toolbar
All Waves plugins feature the WaveSystem toolbar which takes care of most
administrative functions you will encounter while working with your Waves software. The
features of the WaveSystem toolbar are the same on practically all Waves plugins, so
familiarity with its features will be helpful whichever plugin you are using.
Toolbar Functions
Opens the plugin About box
Undo Undoes the last 32 actions
Redo Redoes the last 32 undone actions
Setup A/B Toggles between two presets, useful for comparison of parameter
settings
L/R Arrows Move to the previous or next preset
Copy A→B Copies the current settings to the second preset register
Load Recalls presets from file
Save Saves presets in the Waves file formats
? Opens the PDF manual for the plugin you are using
4.2 Preset Handling
Preset Types
Factory Presets are permanent presets in the Load menu. Factory presets cannot be
overwritten or deleted. When applicable, different component plugins may have different
factory presets.
User Presets are your favorite settings of the plugin saved as a preset in the Load
menu, under ‘User Presets’. User Presets can be overwritten and deleted.
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