Topic by BenWaB3@aol.com

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Topic: Equalizer with EP's on Pianoteq

I am a new user and like Pianoteq but seem to find one vexing problem: The EQ section doesn't seem to make any difference in the sound when using the Electro-Mechanical pack. I'll even try making radical changes in the curve just to test, but they don't affect the sound at all. And, just to answer the obvious, I do make sure the button on the upper left is toggled on. It makes no difference whether it's on or off. Is there something that I, in my naivety in using a new product, am not doing correctly? Thanks in advance

Last edited by BenWaB3@aol.com (09-10-2024 20:44)

Reply by Coises

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Re: Equalizer with EP's on Pianoteq

BenWaB3@aol.com wrote:

The EQ section doesn't seem to make any difference in the sound when using the Electro-Mechanical pack. I'll even try making radical changes in the curve just to test, but they don't affect the sound at all.

I just tested (8.3.2, Windows, using MKII Spark preset), and I can hear that the equalizer does make a difference, though it’s relatively subtle outside of extreme settings. Try playing G3 (G below middle C) repeatedly and comparing the presets Tube and Vintage. Two things might throw you:

I think the Equalizer only affects a note when it is struck — so if you hold down a note and move the equalizer, nothing will change. It affects the generation of each note independently, and the setting at the time the note on is received affects the entire duration of the note. It’s not an equalizer effect in the traditional sense, but a collection of settings that influence the sound generation algorithm.

It seems like EQ3 in the Effects section (which is an equalizer effect), can easily dominate the effect of Equalizer, so that you might not notice Equalizer much unless it is extreme.

Reply by BenWaB3@aol.com

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Re: Equalizer with EP's on Pianoteq

Thanks for the reply, Coises. Yes, it is subtle at best and sometimes not noticeable at all, even if try radically modifying the curve and toggling it on and off. So far, I don't use the equalizer in the effects section, already having the slots set up for stereo tremolo, delay (trying to emulate the classic Echoplex unit used on many Rhodes' in the 70's) and amp. I was trying to squeeze that 4th effect into the chain by using the separate EQ feature. I may have to swap out the amp for the eq and see what that gets. I'm not a huge fan of the overdriven amp settings anyway, just using that effect to put a little more warmth into the sound. I'm only a couple weeks into having the full app & a little less than a week with the Standard version so there's still a lot to learn (and achieve) and a long way to go. Thanks again!

Coises wrote:
BenWaB3@aol.com wrote:

The EQ section doesn't seem to make any difference in the sound when using the Electro-Mechanical pack. I'll even try making radical changes in the curve just to test, but they don't affect the sound at all.

I just tested (8.3.2, Windows, using MKII Spark preset), and I can hear that the equalizer does make a difference, though it’s relatively subtle outside of extreme settings. Try playing G3 (G below middle C) repeatedly and comparing the presets Tube and Vintage. Two things might throw you:

I think the Equalizer only affects a note when it is struck — so if you hold down a note and move the equalizer, nothing will change. It affects the generation of each note independently, and the setting at the time the note on is received affects the entire duration of the note. It’s not an equalizer effect in the traditional sense, but a collection of settings that influence the sound generation algorithm.

It seems like EQ3 in the Effects section (which is an equalizer effect), can easily dominate the effect of Equalizer, so that you might not notice Equalizer much unless it is extreme.

Reply by Coises

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Re: Equalizer with EP's on Pianoteq

BenWaB3@aol.com wrote:

So far, I don't use the equalizer in the effects section, already having the slots set up for stereo tremolo, delay (trying to emulate the classic Echoplex unit used on many Rhodes' in the 70's) and amp. I was trying to squeeze that 4th effect into the chain by using the separate EQ feature. I may have to swap out the amp for the eq and see what that gets.

Depending on what you want, this may be way overkill, but I’ve found this:

https://www.bluecataudio.com/Products/Product_Axiom/

to be a great tool. It can operate as a standalone or a plugin. It can host VSTs and save configurations as presets, which include all the VST settings. While the presets are presented as would make sense to a guitarist, it can perfectly well host Pianoteq in the “Input” stack and apply amp and cab simulation as well as a large number of built-in effects and host other VSTs as effects also. I have it mostly because I use VSTi guitars in some of my songs, but it definitely works to provide a lot of flexibility for setting up electric piano chains which can be run standalone or in a DAW.