Synapse GQ-7 Equalizer

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deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

I bought it almost immidiately and have found a place for it in my rack. It serves me very well as a last device, before a Limiter in a mastering chain. When my mix is colored and slightly distorted, I just boost the highs with it and it seems to soften up the sound of it.
Last edited by deepndark on 24 Apr 2018, edited 1 time in total.

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Rason
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24 Apr 2018

Do you think mc class wouldnt do the same to your mix? GQ7 is supposed to be clean, just having many options etc. Are you referring to some particular slope of GQ7?


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sublunar
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24 Apr 2018

I bet you'd get the same effect if you used...

...any EQ.

Nothing against the GQ7 but it does what is expected of it. But it costs $99. Only reason I have it is I bought the mix and mastering rig. I use it if I ever need surgical EQ, but I rarely need surgical EQ. Or really much of any EQ.

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

M-Class and Synapse EQs sound totally different when boosting highs. There are differences in some EQ's.

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Runner2x
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I bought it almost immidiately and have found a place for it in my rack. It serves me very well as a last device, before a Limiter in a mastering chain. When my mix is colored and slightly distorted, I just boost the highs with it and it seems to soften up the sound of it.
I don't believe in mastering chains. It seems you've been on a mission to find the holy grail of mastering chains but every project is going to be different. What works for one project might not work for another project. That said, I do enjoy the Synapse GQ7 on my mix export as well as some case-dependent areas in the rack.
sublunar wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I use it if I ever need surgical EQ, but I rarely need surgical EQ. Or really much of any EQ.
I wonder how that is possible and this kind of makes me feel pathetic considering how much of a fanatic I am becoming. I picked up a few Brainworx EQ's this month and I'm having a blast!

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

Runner2x wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I don't believe in mastering chains. It seems you've been on a mission to find the holy grail of mastering chains but every project is going to be different. What works for one project might not work for another project. That said, I do enjoy the Synapse GQ7 on my mix export as well as some case-dependent areas in the rack.
I like processed and polished sound and I actually did find a holy grail, for ME, that's why I sound so ACE.
EDIT: After developing it further year after year.
Last edited by deepndark on 24 Apr 2018, edited 1 time in total.

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Runner2x
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I like processed and polished sound and I actually did find a holy grail, for ME, that's why I sound so ACE.
Ok Ace well it is actually GQ-7 - not QG-7 as the thread is titled. :) I'm glad you are making progress.

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Rason
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24 Apr 2018

I dont want it to sound as argument but neither mclass nor gq7 are coloring EQs and if you perceive a difference in a sound it must be caused by the slope. If both are set to say 12db/oct cut at 8 khz it should sound exactly the same on both. So the benefit of gq7 is its versatility and focus. Ofc I could imagine scenarios when mclass wont be able to replicate the curves of gq7 due to lack of bands etc.:-)

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deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

Runner2x wrote:
24 Apr 2018
deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I like processed and polished sound and I actually did find a holy grail, for ME, that's why I sound so ACE.
Ok Ace well it is actually GQ-7 - not QG-7 as the thread is titled. :) I'm glad you are making progress.
Fixed.
But not just progress...

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

Rason wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I dont want it to sound as argument but neither mclass nor gq7 are coloring EQs and if you perceive a difference in a sound it must be caused by the slope. If both are set to say 12db/oct cut at 8 khz it should sound exactly the same on both. So the benefit of gq7 is its versatility and focus. Ofc I could imagine scenarios when mclass wont be able to replicate the curves of gq7 due to lack of bands etc.:-)

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Not sure where you got your information from, there are some EQ's that also compress, color etc. when boosting.

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Runner2x
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24 Apr 2018

Rason wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I dont want it to sound as argument but neither mclass nor gq7 are coloring EQs and if you perceive a difference in a sound it must be caused by the slope. If both are set to say 12db/oct cut at 8 khz it should sound exactly the same on both. So the benefit of gq7 is its versatility and focus. Ofc I could imagine scenarios when mclass wont be able to replicate the curves of gq7 due to lack of bands etc.:-)

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I didn't perceive the post to be an insinuation of the GQ-7 being a coloring EQ but maybe I was confused with his post. I agree with what you say though. I actually still use the MClass to dip ranges that I know are problematic. Synapse GQ-7 is good for visual aide and shaping with the functional curves.

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Rason
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
Rason wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I dont want it to sound as argument but neither mclass nor gq7 are coloring EQs and if you perceive a difference in a sound it must be caused by the slope. If both are set to say 12db/oct cut at 8 khz it should sound exactly the same on both. So the benefit of gq7 is its versatility and focus. Ofc I could imagine scenarios when mclass wont be able to replicate the curves of gq7 due to lack of bands etc.:-)

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Not sure where you got your information from, there are some EQ's that also compress, color etc. when boosting.
Yes but not in case of GQ7. This has been discussed already. But nevermind. It is great that it finds its place in yor masterchain.

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deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

Rason wrote:
24 Apr 2018
deepndark wrote:
Not sure where you got your information from, there are some EQ's that also compress, color etc. when boosting.
Yes but not in case of GQ7. This has been discussed already. But nevermind. It is great that it finds its place in yor masterchain.

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If that's the truth about GQ-7, then obviously M-Class isn't clean then. Otherwise my ears would tell they sound the same.

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selig
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
Rason wrote:
24 Apr 2018
I dont want it to sound as argument but neither mclass nor gq7 are coloring EQs and if you perceive a difference in a sound it must be caused by the slope. If both are set to say 12db/oct cut at 8 khz it should sound exactly the same on both. So the benefit of gq7 is its versatility and focus. Ofc I could imagine scenarios when mclass wont be able to replicate the curves of gq7 due to lack of bands etc.:-)

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Not sure where you got your information from, there are some EQ's that also compress, color etc. when boosting.
Yes there are EQs that color, but until VSTs and my ColoringEQ, there were none in Reason that did this (which is why I did it!).

But back to your claim the GQ7 sounds different from the MClass EQ, it's tricky to compare fairly. Here are the two EQs with the EXACT same settings according to the knobs: +6 dB, 6 kHz, Q = 2.0:

MClass = Yellow, GQ7 = Purple
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.42.11 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.42.11 PM.png (117.98 KiB) Viewed 4539 times

Of COURSE they are going to sound very different, but it should now be more clear WHY they sound different (and it has nothing to do with color).

In this case, you won't be able to exactly match the shelf EQs because they use different underlying filters. But you can easily match the parametric bands because they use the same filter types.
Here they are with the same settings (+6 dB, 3.2 kHz, Q = 2.0), which are quite close to start with:
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.51.27 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.51.27 PM.png (133.29 KiB) Viewed 4539 times
And here they are "matched" by adjusting the MClass Q to 1.5:
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.54.29 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.54.29 PM.png (118.17 KiB) Viewed 4539 times
And here they are matched by adjusting the GQ7 Q to 2.7"
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.56.28 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-24 at 2.56.28 PM.png (118.52 KiB) Viewed 4539 times
In these cases you will not hear the difference between the two because they match in both their frequency response curve and their phase response curve - there are no other variables with these EQ, so there cannot be any variation in how they sound unless you can hear the less than 1/10th of one decibel difference at the peak of the boost (which I didn't compensate for, but could have done so!).

Again, the take away is you cannot compare two EQs based on settings alone, and if the curve matches, the sound matches. Also, as with the shelf example, sometimes you cannot make the curve match, so you also cannot expect them to sound the same!

As with all EQs, it's about having the curve shapes that work for you, which is why (shameless self promotion) an EQ with more curve shape options is more likely to get you the results you seek! ;)
Selig Audio, LLC

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

One question, how do the paragraphs show you the difference of the actual sound, not the levels of the slopes.?

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selig
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
One question, how do the paragraphs show you the difference of the actual sound, not the levels of the slopes.?
There are only so many variables that define the sound. I checked the frequency response, the phase response, distortion measurements, and the impulse response (the "time" axis). They all matched perfectly.

What else would you consider important in how an EQ sounds?
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deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
What else would you consider important in how an EQ sounds?
Smooth sound propably requires lots of density in the frquency range next to eachothers?
Why do you think DSP is there for everything, except for the frequency tools?

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selig
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
What else would you consider important in how an EQ sounds?
Smooth sound propably requires lots of density in the frquency range next to eachothers?
Why do you think DSP is there for everything, except for the frequency tools?
Not sure how to answer.

When speaking of audio quality, the terms "Smoothness" and "Density" have absolutely no technical meaning.

What exactly is "smooth sound"? What does low vs high density sound like?

What do you mean about DSP and "frequency tools"?
Selig Audio, LLC

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
When speaking of audio quality, the terms "Smoothness" and "Density" have absolutely no technical meaning.
In Finland we have meanings like these.
selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
What exactly is "smooth sound"? What does low vs high density sound like?
Why don't you explain your own meanings about the Color Eq first?

selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
What do you mean about DSP and "frequency tools"?
Digital Sound Processing is a new thing for you? And you develope REs?
EQ comes to my mind. Why you always play this "I am Selig so you are wrong Game" with certain members on the forums?

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

So you claim that a curve can't be "stepped" and is always "linear"?

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selig
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
So you claim that a curve can't be "stepped" and is always "linear"?
If it's a curve, it's not stepped!
Linear is not the correct term, it implies "not a curve", but instead a straight line.

Where would the "steps" come from?

Do I need to link to the classic video that explains why there are no "steps" in digital signals?

Selig Audio, LLC

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

Can you split an audio signal to different frequency bands? Can you rise/drop the levels of each?

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selig
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24 Apr 2018

deepndark wrote:
24 Apr 2018
selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
When speaking of audio quality, the terms "Smoothness" and "Density" have absolutely no technical meaning.
In Finland we have meanings like these.
selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
What exactly is "smooth sound"? What does low vs high density sound like?
Why don't you explain your own meanings about the Color Eq first?

selig wrote:
24 Apr 2018
What do you mean about DSP and "frequency tools"?
Digital Sound Processing is a new thing for you? And you develope REs?
EQ comes to my mind. Why you always play this "I am Selig so you are wrong Game" with certain members on the forums?
Dude, I do not play games! I'm just trying to help. If you don't want my help, I'm fine with that!
Apologies if I ever gave even the slightest "you are wrong, I am right" vibe, that is SO not me.

I speak to you and all others the way all of my teachers and mentors and helpful people in my life spoke to me.
Selig Audio, LLC

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

Now there is one: www.reflexion-x.com/downloads/Dopetank_4_Band_EQ.cmb

Details: It works like a charm, we will be making a new version soon that has a lot more density between the bands....

deepndark
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24 Apr 2018

A new one, with SLOPES: www.reflexion-x.com/downloads/Dopetank_ ... SLOPES.cmb

May need some bug fixes.

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