Selig Tracking EQ Combinator

[selig]

Selig Tracking EQ

Hi again, time for another fun Combinator project. This time around I'm building an EQ that can follow MIDI Note Tracks. I've built similar things in Reaktor over the years and find them useful for certain tasks. The most obvious application would be so you can have a bass line cut the exact frequencies being played from the Kick/Drum track.

This is a dynamic effect, allowing you to control the depth of the effect from shallow to deep (and it will respond to  level changes as well), and control the width of the cut from very narrow to quite wide. When the bass line doesn't play there will be NO EQ applied, allowing this effect to remain 100% transparent when not in use.

The frequency of the EQ band is controlled by a note track which should be a copy of the bass track. If you are using a bass loop or real bass player, you will need to create the note track manually. If you need to transpose you can use the Combi Programmer on the Thor Device.

Hookup
Use this Combinator on your kick drum or drum bus. Take a parallel out from your bass track into the MClass Compressor inside the Combinator (you can leave out this step and set the gain manually on the MClass EQ inside the Combi). Finally, copy the note clip from the bass track to the Combinator's track and you're ready to go!

You can alternatively use the input signal as the MComp source, allowing dynamic EQ ducking triggered by the sound itself instead of an external (aka "side chain") input. This would allow you to EQ an instrument relative to the note being played, to increase or decrease a certain specific harmonic for example, or to have a HP filter track the fundamental of your bass line for more precise low end control when mixing.

Front Panel Controls
These are pretty simple: 
Depth: controls the cut from no cut at it's minimum to the maximum cut the EQ allows at it's max
Q: Controls the width of the cut.
Attack/Release: controls the attack/release time of the EQ ducking effect.

Setup
Like most effects I suggest exaggerating the parameters until you can hear too much of the effect, the gradually decrease the settings until the process is as transparent as you like. The Depth and Q will probably have the most profound effect on the sound. The attack should generally be left at the fastest, and the Release will tend to be more transparent the longer you set it.

This is a pretty simple Combi with no custom skin etc. Feel free to add/subtract and share freely!



https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/147 ... EQ.cmb.zip

[Benedict]

Cool idea

Thanks Selig

[Rice]

Oh wow, can't wait to give this a try. So this is basically "Curve" on steroids?

Dude, do you have two brains? How in the heck can you store all of this damn knowledge in one brain? (compliment of course)

Thanks Giles!

[Benedict]

Did you not realize that if you spell Selig backwards you get android?

[hydlide]

this might come in handy

[selig]

Oh wow, can't wait to give this a try. So this is basically "Curve" on steroids?

Dude, do you have two brains? How in the heck can you store all of this damn knowledge in one brain? (compliment of course)

Thanks Giles!

No, nothing like a Leveler. This is something somewhat unique that I've found handy for years now, and is a cross between a dynamic EQ and a synth filter using keyboard tracking. This is therefore called a "Tracking EQ" (by me, at least).

You can basically "play" the EQ from a step sequencer, keyboard, arpeggiator, etc. 

[Rice]

Oh wow, can't wait to give this a try. So this is basically "Curve" on steroids?

Dude, do you have two brains? How in the heck can you store all of this damn knowledge in one brain? (compliment of course)

Thanks Giles!

No, nothing like a Leveler. This is something somewhat unique that I've found handy for years now, and is a cross between a dynamic EQ and a synth filter using keyboard tracking. This is therefore called a "Tracking EQ" (by me, at least).

You can basically "play" the EQ from a step sequencer, keyboard, arpeggiator, etc. 

LOL!!! Man my bad, I meant to say "Carve" NOT "Curve"...Doh!

[JNeffLind]

Couldn't it just as easily be used to make space for vocals, etc.? Either way, looks like a cool tool and a logical way to do the job. I suppose the only thing not accounted for is sounds that have lots of harmonics or lots of distortion or whatever else that don't fit into a band as narrow as a single midi note, etc. Does that make sense?

Edit: I guess adjusting the Q would fix the problem. Or possibly does this work polyphonically? I.e. if you're making space for vocals and harmony, can you have chords in your midi?

[selig]

Couldn't it just as easily be used to make space for vocals, etc.? Either way, looks like a cool tool and a logical way to do the job. I suppose the only thing not accounted for is sounds that have lots of harmonics or lots of distortion or whatever else that don't fit into a band as narrow as a single midi note, etc. Does that make sense?

Edit: I guess adjusting the Q would fix the problem. Or possibly does this work polyphonically? I.e. if you're making space for vocals and harmony, can you have chords in your midi?

You can make the band as wide as you like, or even use a shelf instead of a parametric EQ. Remember it's just an EQ! This could work well on any instrument or vocal theoretically speaking.

A sound with lots of harmonics will occupy a much wider swath, which if you COULD duck all the harmonics would make a much more obvious effect more like ducking the whole track. If the concept is to "make room" for other instruments then you need to duck only the strongest harmonic which is typically the lowest harmonic. The second harmonic is typically 6 dB lower than the first (in a perfect saw wave), and if you typically only dip around 6 dB anyway that should cover it just fine. 

This particular effect is mono-phonic "Last Note" priority, so no chords. But for chords to make sense you'd have to use VERY narrow bands and then you'd end up with an even nastier comb filter like effect I would think. The whole concept of frequency dependent ducking probably isn't as "perfect" an effect/solution as one may think (and therefore may not work at all as expected in many situations). 

Imagine as one example trying to take down all the harmonics of a saw wave without affecting any other frequencies - after the first few octaves the harmonics are so close together you'd just be dipping EVERYTHING out or you would require extremely narrow Q's to do so (creating the comb filter effect). Above the 4th octave the harmonics are closer than semitones making it impossible to effectively cut individual harmonics without taking everything down.

There is nothing else I'm aware of that can do this "trick" with such narrow and accurate cuts and do it quick enough to make a noticeable difference.

[Reasonistas]

This is great.  Thank you, Giles.

[Shokstar]

cool stuff Giles, check out my versions of your Tracking EQ´s. 
 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7ki090tqodpn ... cTwAa?dl=0

[JNeffLind]

You can make the band as wide as you like, or even use a shelf instead of a parametric EQ. Remember it's just an EQ! This could work well on any instrument or vocal theoretically speaking.

A sound with lots of harmonics will occupy a much wider swath, which if you COULD duck all the harmonics would make a much more obvious effect more like ducking the whole track. If the concept is to "make room" for other instruments then you need to duck only the strongest harmonic which is typically the lowest harmonic. The second harmonic is typically 6 dB lower than the first (in a perfect saw wave), and if you typically only dip around 6 dB anyway that should cover it just fine. 

This particular effect is mono-phonic "Last Note" priority, so no chords. But for chords to make sense you'd have to use VERY narrow bands and then you'd end up with an even nastier comb filter like effect I would think. The whole concept of frequency dependent ducking probably isn't as "perfect" an effect/solution as one may think (and therefore may not work at all as expected in many situations). 

Imagine as one example trying to take down all the harmonics of a saw wave without affecting any other frequencies - after the first few octaves the harmonics are so close together you'd just be dipping EVERYTHING out or you would require extremely narrow Q's to do so (creating the comb filter effect). Above the 4th octave the harmonics are closer than semitones making it impossible to effectively cut individual harmonics without taking everything down.

There is nothing else I'm aware of that can do this "trick" with such narrow and accurate cuts and do it quick enough to make a noticeable difference.

Cool. Slowly this stuff is starting to make sense. Not that I feel I'm anywhere close to mastering it, but I'm at least starting to feel like I have an idea of the steps/ingredients necessary to eventually conquer the understanding. Baby steps. 

[Jordan Miller]

You can alternatively use the input signal as the MComp source, allowing dynamic EQ ducking triggered by the sound itself instead of an external (aka "side chain") input. This would allow you to EQ an instrument relative to the note being played, to increase or decrease a certain specific harmonic for example, or to have a HP filter track the fundamental of your bass line for more precise low end control when mixing.

Wow! Thanks for sharing this Giles I'm particularly interested in this application.

[selig]

cool stuff Giles, check out my versions of your Tracking EQ´s. 
 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7ki090tqodpn ... cTwAa?dl=0

Looks much cooler than mine, for sure!

For me, there are a few crucial things missing. You've not provided any dynamic control, nor attack release either. Also, you can't control the ducking amount/depth which I'd say is the #1 control I look for here (unless you go into the programmer).

At the least it would be great to have an amount control IMO.

You can add attack/release controls by modifying the mod matrix as such - I also added velocity so you can control the "depth" by adjusting all the velocities in the track. You can also have some notes duck more/less than others via velocity. Here's the two changes that provide these enhancements. All that is left to do is to assign Combi knobs - but this is STILL not going to dynamic respond to the audio as my Combinator does, FWIW.
Note the changes to the second row below:
 

Also, the third line doesn't appear to actually do anything since CV3 isn't hooked to anything, right?
By replacing Velocity with a Thor Rotary you can create the Depth Control I suggested above, and then assign a Combinator knob to control Rotary 1 and you have your depth control like so:
 

[ljekio]

Hello, Selig!
Link on a start post is dead, do you have it at another place?
Maybe there are other useful combinators (old combi for R11) for Leveler?

[moalla]

cool stuff Giles, check out my versions of your Tracking EQ´s. 
 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7ki090tqodpn ... cTwAa?dl=0

This works

[littlejam]

hello,

is there a link to the original 'eq tracking' combi from selig please

thank you very much for the Shokstar combis

i am on windows 7 64 bit / reason 10

cheers and eat well,

j

[kooshan]

I also would very much like to check the original combinator file . Any chance of reupload?

[selig]

I’m out of the studio this weekend, but I will find the original and upload again as soon as I can!!

[kooshan]

Thanks selig !
Any chance?

[Martinp21]

Any update on a new working link Selig please?

[hamsterfactor]

+1

[Ichooselife]

yeah would be nice for reason 11