Best Sounding Frequency Splitter available?

This forum is for discussing Rack Extensions. Devs are all welcome to show off their goods.
Post Reply
S1GNL
Posts: 83
Joined: 31 Jan 2018

10 Jan 2019

What would you recommend if you need to split bands (at least three)?

What’s the best sounding and „cleanest cutting“ RE? Or, is there an unbeatable VST out there.

Or would you use a MB compressor without gain reduction enabled for that job?

I know that they all do basically the same but algorithms, filters, dB/octave might differ...

User avatar
Loque
Moderator
Posts: 11175
Joined: 28 Dec 2015

10 Jan 2019

I am not the expert here, but i think as soon as you use MB splitting, you introduce phasing which needs to be compensated somehow. I am not aware and 100% sure that the available RE or stock solutions work.

I find Multipass from Kilohearts (VST) quite good, but it lacks a breakout.

From stock Reason you can always use the Stereo Imager's backside routings for unlimited splitting. Air Raid has a free splitter which goes only up to 10khz, but this should be enough. Yoko is so freaking ugly, that i rarly touch it and some say it sounds bad. 4Dyn is a quite good RE for splitting, but i have a feeling, that the splitting is not as clean as it should be. Splex can do splitting too, but never used it. Battle Axe can split, but never used it. GSX can split, but it is not adjustable AFAIK. Tritone can split, but not combine again.
Reason12, Win10

chaosroyale
Posts: 728
Joined: 05 Sep 2017

10 Jan 2019

Air Raid's free 3-way splitter is EXCELLENT and full-featured, amazing for free. It has send/returns on all 3 bands, panning, stereo width and level for each band, and latency-free so you can use the send-returns for band-specific processing of things like distortion *provided that effect also has no latency/phase issues (looking at you, Scream4). However; it seems to be heavier on the CPU compared to the native Stereo Imager.

I am using it on a track right now to make an old mono breakbeat pseudo-stereo by panning the hiss of the hats and the crunch of the snare slightly in opposite directions, and using subtly different reverb on each band. Works a treat.

User avatar
raveled
Competition Winner
Posts: 85
Joined: 08 Jul 2016

10 Jan 2019

Loque wrote:
10 Jan 2019
I am not the expert here, but i think as soon as you use MB splitting, you introduce phasing which needs to be compensated somehow. I am not aware and 100% sure that the available RE or stock solutions work.

I find Multipass from Kilohearts (VST) quite good, but it lacks a breakout.

From stock Reason you can always use the Stereo Imager's backside routings for unlimited splitting. Air Raid has a free splitter which goes only up to 10khz, but this should be enough. Yoko is so freaking ugly, that i rarly touch it and some say it sounds bad. 4Dyn is a quite good RE for splitting, but i have a feeling, that the splitting is not as clean as it should be. Splex can do splitting too, but never used it. Battle Axe can split, but never used it. GSX can split, but it is not adjustable AFAIK. Tritone can split, but not combine again.
If using the “perfect”-algorithm in 4Dyne, the splitting is very clean! :)

User avatar
dioxide
Posts: 1781
Joined: 15 Jul 2015

10 Jan 2019

This thread might be of interest to you.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7492956

Also there is a bug in 4Dyne when it is used at higher sample rates. I think it has never been fixed.
Unfortunately it looks like 4Dyne doesn't behave properly at different sample rates. The filter is dependent on the sample rate and halves when you switch to 96khz.

User avatar
dioxide
Posts: 1781
Joined: 15 Jul 2015

10 Jan 2019

This post is from Jan 2016:
viewtopic.php?p=239700#p239700

4Dyne was last updated in 2015, so it has never been fixed.
Released: 2015-04-01

User avatar
Loque
Moderator
Posts: 11175
Joined: 28 Dec 2015

10 Jan 2019

dioxide wrote:
10 Jan 2019
This thread might be of interest to you.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7492956

Also there is a bug in 4Dyne when it is used at higher sample rates. I think it has never been fixed.
Unfortunately it looks like 4Dyne doesn't behave properly at different sample rates. The filter is dependent on the sample rate and halves when you switch to 96khz.
Thanks for this reminder. Sad...
Reason12, Win10

EdGrip
Posts: 2343
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

11 Jan 2019

I use AirRaid's splitter when I experiment with multiband stuff.

If you want to get obsessive, you'll need to use Normen's sample delay to probe and compensate for the latency in each band's processing chain.

Often though, the aim of multiband processing is just to FSU, so don't get too worried about latency until you need to.

Or, just use kHs Multipass, which sorts it all out automatically.

EdGrip
Posts: 2343
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

11 Jan 2019

Just a thought - could we use Reason's new delay compensation to sort out multiband processing for us?

Use AirRaid's splitter to split the signal into 3, say. Then send each band to a new mix channel, and put each band's effects chain in the channel insert box. Then bus the 3 channels back together.

User avatar
Loque
Moderator
Posts: 11175
Joined: 28 Dec 2015

11 Jan 2019

EdGrip wrote:
11 Jan 2019
Just a thought - could we use Reason's new delay compensation to sort out multiband processing for us?

Use AirRaid's splitter to split the signal into 3, say. Then send each band to a new mix channel, and put each band's effects chain in the channel insert box. Then bus the 3 channels back together.
No. It works only on simple chains and not within a Combinator. It just compensates the delay from the start of a chain and the end, that means the difference from input of a Combinaotr and the output. Everything inside is not compensated.

The only way to use PDC is, to just use a splitter-output, route it to own Combinators or Mix Channels and put your FX inside them. This might work,but i did not tested it. But its worth testing it.
Reason12, Win10

EdGrip
Posts: 2343
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

11 Jan 2019

Loque wrote:
11 Jan 2019
The only way to use PDC is, to just use a splitter-output, route it to own Combinators or Mix Channels and put your FX inside them. This might work,but i did not tested it. But its worth testing it.
I think that's what I meant.

superpop
Posts: 126
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

11 Jan 2019

Noboby loves Yoko...

baloo
Posts: 15
Joined: 21 Aug 2016

12 Jan 2019

Also you can try Sabotage - 3 band multi fx crossover with mixed and band outputs

User avatar
moneykube
Posts: 3447
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

13 Jan 2019

Noboby loves Yoko... lol
https://soundcloud.com/moneykube-qube/s ... d-playlist
Proud Member Of The Awesome League Of Perpetuals

User avatar
Oquasec
Posts: 2849
Joined: 05 Mar 2017

13 Jan 2019

If you don't wanna split using spiders then use the RE like element splitter or quad electra
Producer/Programmer.
Reason, FLS and Cubase NFR user.

danc
Posts: 1017
Joined: 14 Oct 2016

14 Jan 2019

Loque wrote:
10 Jan 2019
I find Multipass from Kilohearts (VST) quite good, but it lacks a breakout.
I agree Multipass is good. In fact - I'd say it's very good, as it's been my go to frequency splitting tool... being at the heart of my drops, risers etc. As you can easily do some amazing sound mangling across the bands.

When you say Multipass doesn't have a breakout - are you referring to sending from each frequency band to external FX and then returning directly back into that frequency band? Because - yes - you can't do that.

However... you can output each band separately and process them as you wish independently....

From the manual...
While Multipass is a regular effect, it does in fact have 5 additional stereo outputs.
Usually these are left silent, but in DAWs that support it Multipass can route the
separate frequency bands to these additional AUX outputs. At the bottom of Multipass
there is a button which can be toggled between three states: MAIN, MAIN + AUX and
AUX ONLY. These three modes determine where to send the output of Multipass: To
only the main output, to both main and AUX, or to AUX only respectively. Refer to the
manual of your DAW to see how to set up multiple output routing, if possible.
Check my Soundcloud:

User avatar
Loque
Moderator
Posts: 11175
Joined: 28 Dec 2015

14 Jan 2019

danc wrote:
14 Jan 2019
Loque wrote:
10 Jan 2019
I find Multipass from Kilohearts (VST) quite good, but it lacks a breakout.
I agree Multipass is good. In fact - I'd say it's very good, as it's been my go to frequency splitting tool... being at the heart of my drops, risers etc. As you can easily do some amazing sound mangling across the bands.

When you say Multipass doesn't have a breakout - are you referring to sending from each frequency band to external FX and then returning directly back into that frequency band? Because - yes - you can't do that.

However... you can output each band separately and process them as you wish independently....

From the manual...
While Multipass is a regular effect, it does in fact have 5 additional stereo outputs.
Usually these are left silent, but in DAWs that support it Multipass can route the
separate frequency bands to these additional AUX outputs. At the bottom of Multipass
there is a button which can be toggled between three states: MAIN, MAIN + AUX and
AUX ONLY. These three modes determine where to send the output of Multipass: To
only the main output, to both main and AUX, or to AUX only respectively. Refer to the
manual of your DAW to see how to set up multiple output routing, if possible.
Yea, i meant that and i am aware of the outputs. I suggested Kilohearts a Breakout Module, to insert external fx and they said, that they may think about this and considering this in future, but at this stage they do not want external addins intervene their internal workflow. So actually i "just" can split and send it out, mix together (without phase correction) and re-split.
Reason12, Win10

User avatar
O1B
Posts: 2037
Joined: 26 Jan 2015

14 Jan 2019

I Love YOKO....

....but,. - it DOESN"T NULL...

whatever....!

Front:
METERS: Perfect. Stereo, no less.
BAND Splits: Easy Peasy/
SLOPES:
Levels: Yep. to Silence or Boost.
SOLO:
Image

Back:
Image
SEND/RETURNS:...
CV, CV, CV, CV, CV: Everything.

TINY.
and, Sonics? No issues whatsoever. The unit works very well.

IMO, the quickest, easiest, most efficient RE for band splits - and my GO-TO RE for that purpose.


If you want to MID/SIDE, SPLIT...
Image

Image

User avatar
dioxide
Posts: 1781
Joined: 15 Jul 2015

05 May 2019

O1B wrote:
14 Jan 2019
I Love YOKO....

....but,. - it DOESN"T NULL...
I didn't know this! After doing some tests, it's only Flower Audio and MClass Stereo Imager than null correctly. Flower Audio's needs Delay Compensation activated, whereas the MClass doesn't. The MClass has a less steep curve than Yoko or the Flower Audio device though.

It's a shame that Flower Audio haven't fixed their sample rate issues. It's a good device otherwise.
Last edited by dioxide on 05 May 2019, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
bitley
Posts: 1673
Joined: 03 Jul 2015
Location: sweden
Contact:

05 May 2019

superpop wrote:
11 Jan 2019
Noboby loves Yoko...

What?


I love Yoko Ono


User avatar
Marco Raaphorst
Posts: 2504
Joined: 22 Jan 2015
Location: The Hague, The Netherlands
Contact:

06 May 2019

I use MClass Stereo Imager

Post Reply
  • Information
  • Who is online

    Users browsing this forum: AndrasHaasz and 22 guests