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Tech Tip Of The Day: Linear-Phase Or Regular EQ
When should I use a linear-phase EQ versus a "regular" equalizer?
Audio Basics, Recording, Mixing, Eq, Processing, Tech Tip Of The Day, Study Hall, Sweetwater
Provided by Sweetwater.
Q: I’ve been teaching myself to record by reading articles and tutorials online for a number for a number of years. I’ve learned a lot, but I have a question for you which may be trivial to some.
When it comes to EQ, I now know (I didn’t before!) that there are options.
When should I use a linear-phase EQ versus a “regular” equalizer?
A: As with all processing tools, when there’s one there will always be many options.
The hallmark of a linear-phase EQ, such as those from Waves, is the lack of coloration resulting from the EQ.
So it’s perfect for when you want to adjust the frequency balance of signal without adding unnecessary coloration from the processing.
This lack of coloration makes linear-phase EQ ideal for acoustic instruments where transparency is paramount; stereo sources, for excellent channel correlation, tracks with strong transients, and for mastering.
As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know your opinion on linear-phase vs. “regular” EQ. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
For more tech tips go to Sweetwater.com
Source: Sweetwater
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A linear-phase EQ involves a large but definite number of digital operations. Each of these operations has its share of rounding effects.
On the contrary, a recursive EQ involves a small number of operations, but the signal goes through them an almost infinite number of times, which makes the effects of rounding errors more perceptible if they are not taken care of thoroughly.
It is certainly true that a non-optimised linear EQ may sound more "transparent" than a non-optimised recursive filter, but comparing optimized algorithms, there is no clear but between them.
Like everything related to phase, the effects appear only when to correlated signals are somewhat mixed or compared.
Then, when included in a mix, it may well be that some phase relationship may lead to a best sounding result, but it will depend very much on material, the way it's been recorded and placement and effects in the mix.
Ther is no hard-rule here. One has to experiment.