I am currently enjoying the singular privilege of being on tour with the incomparable writer, singer and virtuoso guitarist, Joe Walsh. As I write this column, we are on a flight from Cincinnati to Dallas. Joe and the band have just performed two excellent sell-out shows in the home state of the James Gang, propelling us into the final week of this tour leg.
In Part 3 of these Waves plugin road reports (FRONT of HOUSE, July 2011, page 39), I described my positive experience and results achieved with the Waves H-Comp hybrid compressor. Encouraged by this awareness, I seized on the opportunity to employ two additional members of the Hybrid family of plugins, the H-Delay and the new H-EQ, in my console setup for this particular presentation. Both of these tools have now become integral to the lead vocal sound on this tour. In this column I will discuss H-EQ; I will postpone my description of H-Delay until next month.
Waves H-EQ Plugin
Joe's vocal microphone is a Heil PR35. It is a large diaphragm (1.5") dynamic microphone that exhibits significant proximity effect when one is right on top of it, but drops off rapidly as one moves away. Monitor engineer Brian Hendry and I experimented with the built-in low frequency roll-off switch, and we found the middle position (-3 dB) to be the best choice for consistent output through the working distance on the mic. There is also a significant rise in high frequency response between 3 kHz and 9 kHz that requires awareness and attention. Joe's voice is a truly unique instrument, and equalization needs to be judiciously applied to achieve optimum articulation and smoothness.
The release of the Waves H-EQ software plugin occurred just before we began rehearsal for this particular tour. I was therefore completely unfamiliar with its sound characteristics and operational parameters. H-EQ's suitability as a vocal equalizer was also a question mark. However, when I faced the fact that I was just not deriving the results I hoped to achieve from either the standard "digital" or "analog" setting in the onboard EQ section of my Avid VENUE Profile console, I decided to give the H-EQ a try. I first went to the Waves website and promptly downloaded the PDF user guide. And right on the cover page I saw what you see on the top of this page in Fig. 1.
My initial reaction was "Whoa!" There is a lot going on here – both visually and electronically. Okay, I am actually using the mono version and therefore all of the stereo functions are not in play, but this is still a bucket full of equalization possibilities – seven frequency control bands, if one includes the high pass and low pass sections, each with seven possible selectable filter types. Let's see, that's 7x6x5x… uh… factorial!
I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated by the necessity of auditioning that large number of variables, but sometimes you just have to charge right in there and feel your way through. I grabbed a spare PR35 from the mic box and headed back to my console. I was looking for something warm and flexible with approximately a half- to two-octave bandwidth that would smooth out my vocalist in the most pleasing and unobtrusive manner possible.
I started out pretty much randomly with the low mid band just to see how the unit performed on fundamentals. Setting the frequency at 220 Hz, selecting the bell characteristic and leaving the Q knob at 12 o'clock, I boosted the gain to +6 dB and listened to how each of the seven filter types modified my speaking voice. In each case, I swept the frequency control down an octave and up an octave while varying the gain +/- 6 to 9 dB. I repeated this type of test for each of the remaining four frequency bands.
UK Vintage Won
I had fully expected to end up with a random result of preferred filter types for each of the five frequency bands, but the final result was "UK Vintage 1" for optimal vocal equalization on all five bands. I also opted for tightest Q settings for each the UK Vintage 1 bell filters. My choice for the high pass filter was also "UK Vintage 1." The low pass filter selection was "US Vintage 1." These filter choices sounded most natural and effective to me for use on a vocal. The large screen shot on this page presents a view of the initial outcome of my testing with the Heil PR35.
I do look forward to exploring the other filter set options on later projects. The asymmetrical "Digital 1" filter offers especially interesting properties for "problem-solving" applications. In this particular case, the vocal sound through the H-EQ was strong, clear and natural, displaying no undesirable characteristics. The unit afforded me maximum control and delivered optimal results.
Piano Keyboard Tool
Operationally, the interface quickly loses its illusion of complexity as one begins to manipulate the Control Section and observe the visual information in the Display Section. Waves provides their familiar color-coded band marker "dots," which can be grabbed on the display and used to adjust gain and frequency choice parameters. The window resolution can be made finer by clicking and grabbing the grid lines. Two unique features make this unit even more user friendly and flexible. The piano keyboard at the bottom of the Display Section is an outstanding tool and is used in conjunction with the colors of the filter bands. As the user guide says, it's there to let the user choose frequencies by clicking on notes:
"Until now, all EQs have been frequency-based, making them easier to use for engineers who are used to manipulating frequencies, but less for musicians who are accustomed to dealing with notes. For example, many people know that A4 = 440 Hz; putting this information to practice and building on it while mixing is considerably more complex. This is where the power of the Keyboard comes into play; you can now move comfortably in both musical and engineering terms."
Analyzer Function
A second bonus element of the Display Section is the Analyzer function. (It's just below the piano keyboard). In mono mode, it provides a simultaneous real-time graphical representation of the input and output signal. In stereo mode, it can show left and right input and/or output. When the unit is operating as a stereo equalizer, H-EQ can look at, equalize and display composite input/output in linked mode, separate left and right input/output in unlinked mode and mid and side input/output in MS mode.
As the manual notes, "Show" turns the Analyzer on and off. "In" displays the input signal, post-input fader, represented in yellow. "Out" displays the output signal, post-output fader, represented in blue. "L/M" turns on the display of the left side only in Stereo mode, or the "M" in M/S mode. "R/S" turns on the display of the right side only in Stereo mode, or the "S" in M/S mode.
The last operational section is the now-familiar Waves "Analog" component. This section allows the user to dial in elements of classic real world hum and THD to emulate actual hardware devices. The default setting is 100 percent with variability from 0 to 200 percent. I liked what this section added, and I started with the default setting, but I have recently dialed the 60Hz hum back to 85 percent and the THD to 60 percent
H-EQ is a very powerful tool. It delivered exactly what I had hoped to hear when I auditioned it. I will definitely explore its capabilities and other possible applications more fully in my upcoming projects.
