Waves Linear-Phase MultiBand Software Audio Processor manual

TO FIX A MIX

Most of the time, you want to use relatively equivalent Gain and Range settings across the bands so to not change the spectral balance too much. However, it’s not a perfect world, and many mixes are not perfect either. So let’s say you have a mix that has too much kick, the right amount of bass guitar, and needs a little “cymbal control” and de-essing.

Load the BassComp/De-Esser preset.

•Adjust the bass Threshold, band 1, until you have some compression.

•Adjusting the band 1 Attack control will let through more or less of the kick itself.

•Adjusting the band 1 Gain control lets you set the overall level of the kick and bass. If the compression pulls the bass guitar down too much, you might increase the Gain until the bass is right, then adjust the Attack value to control the kick drum punch until it has a better balance.

•Faster attack times will let less kick through; slower times will let more of it be heard. In fact, with too long of a setting, you may actually increase the dynamic range between the loud kick and bass guitar, which isn’t what the example was all about.

LINMB AS A “DYNAMIC EQUALIZER”

Because of the RANGE and THRESHOLD concept explained in Chapter 5, it’s easy to think of the Waves LinMB as a dynamic equalizer which allows you to set 2 different EQ curves (low level EQ and high level EQ), then set the transition point between them. The transition is the Threshold control, which sits at the halfway point of the Range value. Of course, it is not a “morphing EQ” but it most certainly is a dynamic process that moves between two different EQ settings.

Here’s an example. Load the Low-level Enhancer factory preset from the Load menu. You can see the purple range has 2 distinctly different “curves”, the lower edge and the upper edge. The lower edge is flat, the upper edge has an obvious “loudness boost” to it. Now remember that this is set as a compressor, so when the signal is low, the upper edge of the purple band will be the EQ; when the signal is high (and compressed) the lower edge of the band will be the EQ. So for this example, with no compression (low-level sounds) there will be a loudness boost (more highs and lows); with compression, the sound will have a “flat EQ”.

- Play some audio thru the Low level Enhancer setup.

You’ll see that the audio is compressed downward toward the flat line, so that as more compression occurs, the effective EQ curve (although dynamic) is flat.

-Now reduce the input level to the LinMB, or play a quiet section of music so that there is little or no compression.

You’ll see that the audio is not compressed very much at all, so the DynamicLine “sticks” to the upper edge more. By setting the Gain control of each band, you control the low level EQ of the processor; by setting the Range control of each band, you control the high level EQ.

Waves LinMB software guide page 21 of 28