FabFilter User Forum
How to use side chain dynamic EQ
I’m trying to use Pro-Q as a dynamic EQ to get my orchestral mic precisely out of the way of the film’s dialog/SFX,etc. - like a more precise trackspacer (which works great but the dips that it does to compensate are too wide/low-Q for this specific purpose - on a spectrum-wide orchestral mix it just ends up ducking the whole thing to a certain extent).
For simplicity sake, I’ll call the music track music, and the other movie.
The problem I’m running into is figuring out how to get the dynamic eq to respond to specific bands of the audio track - it just seems to use the side-chained audio unanalyzed as the gain which presses a spectrum-wide compressor down on whatever bands I have activated. For example, machine gun fire up in the highs presses down on the gain of not only the high bands I have activated, but the lows as well.
I was reading in another thread here that it might be possible by having Pro-Q on the movie track as well - so instead of an actual audio sidechain it’s pulling the analysis from the movie instance of Pro-Q, but I can’t figure out how to have the dynamic setting be based on anything but the sidechain.
Hope that makes sense, any help appreciated.
Hi Garrett,
When using external side-chain in Pro-Q 3, the side-chained band listens to the complete signal path of the side-chain. It is not filtered like the band it is applied to.
When you would like to side-chain your eq to certain frequency ranges of the side-chain signal, I suggest taking a look at Pro-MB. This has a lot more settings when it comes to side-chaining.
Cheers,
Please introduce Sidechain dynamic EQ to Pro-Q 4! Pro-MB works for this but it doesn't have as much control over the Q and slope of a band like the Pro-Q
I think this is SERIOUSLY needed for Pro-Q 3.5!
Then you could...
1 x Pro-Q on the dialogue channel, name it Voice
Add say 6 bands (high/low shelves and 4 bells inbetween)
1 x Pro-Q on the music soundtrack channel, name it Music
Add say 3 bands (high/low shelves and 1 bell)
Then LINK the dynamics of a band in the Music Pro-Q instance, to a specific band in the Voice Pro-Q instance.
And so on and so forth.
Surely it wouldn't be beyond Fabfilter's capabilities? Otherwise iZotope Neutron beat you to it...
Pro-Q 3 instances already inter-communicate... why not at the dynamic level? It is afterall a dynamic EQ!
Bah, I was hoping I could do this natively with FF's products.
I guess I'll have to purchase Trackspacer instead