Hi everyone! As the title suggests, I need some help and/or a tutorial for using JRiver MC 19's built-in Parametric EQ. I have never used a Parametric EQ before but I have read a lot of JRiver users like it a lot. I opened it up and it asks to add things such as filters. I do not understand any of this. How do I know what filters I need to use to get the EQ sound that I want? I have read through the Wiki, but it just points me to a thread that speaks about the Parametric EQ, but not really how to use it. There are hi-pass, low-pass filters and so many filters I have no idea what all of that is about or how to set it up to sound the way I would like it to. I am simply running JRiver to my Titinium HD to a FiiO E09K amp to Sennheiser HD650's. So I want to use the Parametric EQ to EQ my HD650 cans. Would someone be kind enough to give me a tutorial or help on how to properly use a Parametric EQ and explain what all those filters are?
Like I was saying earlier, I did a Wiki search, I searched through the threads here at the forum, I even went to other sites to learn about Parametric EQ, but those sites all use different Parametric EQ's in their explanations, showing graphs and sliders in the VST/Plug-ins and stuff, not showing adding filters manually like in JRiver.
I would appreciate any help in explaining how to use the Parametric EQ in JRiver MC 19 properly and if there is a tutorial for it for JRiver's Parametric EQ, would someone kindly post the link to it? I searched through the forums and couldn't find a good explanation on it.
Thank you for any advice/tips/tutorials on this, and sorry for being a beginner.
Thanks!
I think crisnee's suggestion is a good one, it can be hard to understand the filters in the abstract, and working with a GUI based parametric equalizer is a great way to get started.
It might also help if you could explain what kind of EQ you want to do; we could help point you in the right direction. Meanwhile, here's a brief explanation of what some of the more commonly used filters do (just be aware that many of them are actually more complicated/flexible than these descriptions would suggest). Most of the EQ you'd want to do on a pair of headphones will be one of the first two filters described below:
Adjust a Frequency allows you to boost or cut frequencies in a certain frequency band. The boost or cut will be bell-shaped; I attached a screen shot below illustrating what I mean by bell-shaped. The
frequency setting determines where the center (top) of the bell will be. The
Q setting determines how wide the bell will be (lower Q means wider bell, higher Q means narrower bell): e.g. 1.4 Q is about one octave wide when the
gain is 3dB (or -3dB); .66 Q is about two octaves wide with the same
gain (the actual range of frequencies that is meaningfully affected will change depending on the
gain setting, but this gives you a general idea). The
gain setting is how much boost or cut there will be at the top (or bottom) of the bell. The
channel setting lets you specify which channels are affected. The screen shot below shows a 6dB boost at 500Hz with a Q of 2.
A
High-Shelf allows you to boost or cut all frequencies that are higher than a certain
frequency. The boost or cut will increase as the frequency increases at different rates depending on the
Q (higher is steeper, lower is more gradual). The
gain setting is how much total boost (or cut) there will be at the top (or bottom) of the shelf. The
frequency is the exact middle of the shelf's rise or fall. The
channel setting lets you specify which channels are affected. A
Low-Shelf is the opposite of a
High-shelf, it boosts or cuts all frequencies below a certain
frequency. Here's a picture illustrating the response of two different shelving filters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shelving-eq.svg. I don't know the exact parameters they used to create those examples, but the red trace in the illustration is probably a -3dB low shelf set at 150Hz with a Q of .5.
A
High Pass Filter attenuates all frequencies below the set
frequency by a continuously increasing amount (as frequency decreases). The
slope is the steepness of that attenuation (6dB per octave, 12 dB per octave, etc.). A
Low Pass Filter is the exact opposite, it attenuates all frequencies above the set
frequency. Here's an illustration of five different butterworth low-pass filters with different slopes (6dB, 12dB, 18dB, 24dB, 30dB)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Butterworth_Filter_Orders.svg. The 6dB, 12dB, and 24dB filters in JRiver should look exactly like the illustrated ones (1,2, and 4). Correct use of low pass and high pass filters is kind of complicated, but they are typically used to create speaker crossovers, for protection of vented (ported) loudspeakers, or to interface a subwoofer with existing speakers.
Adjust Volume lets you adjust the volume (up or down) of an entire
channel by the amount set in the
Gain parameter. This is useful if you, for example, have multiple speakers of different varieties in a surround setup and you need to level match them; the Room Correction DSP module also has level matching tools.
Delay lets you delay channels so that they output later than other channels. This is useful if you have multiple speakers that are different distances from you, or if you're using an active crossover. I'd recommend against setting delay in Parametric Equalizer unless you have a measuring microphone handy. The Room Correction DSP module also has tools to help address speakers that are different distances from you, and might be easier to use (without a mic) if you just need distance adjustment.
Reverse Polarity reverses the absolute polarity of the selected
channel(s). This is useful if your speakers are wired backwards, if you're using an active crossover, or for better subwoofer integration in some room setups. The Room Correction DSP module also has an option to reverse polarity on a speaker by speaker basis. More info about what "polarity" means in this context here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_phase#Sound_reproductionLinkwitz Transform is a filter that boosts low bass performance of a speaker. It is not typically a good idea to use a Linkwitz transform with vented speakers (speakers with ports in them), and isn't necessarily a good idea with sealed speakers (depending on your speakers and the settings you choose). It's generally a more "advanced topic." Here's a very good article on what it does with illustrations:
http://sound.westhost.com/linkwitz-transform.htmLimiters prevent sounds that are louder than the
limit from playing on the selected
channels. They're essentially a method of protecting your speakers if you're concerned that they might get a damagingly loud signal sent to them. This can usually be achieved in other, simpler ways (like turning down the volume on your amp), but there are circumstances where PEQ is the best place to handle that kind of thing.
I hope that helps a bit. Let me know if you have questions about any of this, or any of the other filters. Also, I hope other folks will feel free to chime in if I missed something.
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Topic: Help/Tutorial needed for using MC 19's Parametric EQ (Read 10253 times)