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Easiest Way To Make A Sweeping EQ Effect For 1 Track?


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The effect: Raise the level of one band and sweep it back and forth across the entire range.

Drawing track automation?  Tedious and time consuming drawing & adjusting 100's of nodes.

Record automation while playing project in real time?  Not so accurate.

Currently trying to use PC EQ for this.

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Perhaps:

Use Variorum's CS Midi Modulator MFX to generate modulations as desired. 

https://viramor.com/csmidimodulator-midifx/

Convert to shapes.

Copy automation data from that track to the track you want.

Reassign envelope(s) to the EQ parameters?

If you can use a midi loopback, you can feed the output of the MIDi track into the midi port assigned to a "remote control" of an effect that can be setup that way, for instance the Z3TA FX?  

 

There are also self-modulating filters, which includes Z3TA's FX module.  IIRC Borogove Breathe Beat or Breather, and maybe it was called Murmur, could do this.  Also, ConcreteFX Vfilter? (haven't used them in a  long while). 

 

There's other ways i'm just too tired to think of ATM, maybe after I doze a while I'll remember. 

 

 

 

Edited by Amberwolf
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1 hour ago, Amberwolf said:

Use Variorum's CS Midi Modulator

I've played with it a bit but it seems to quit working after a while and doesn't retain settings as expected.  Hopefully the author will improve it.

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Have you considered using an EQ that has a modulation matrix to use an LFO? Anytime "sweeping" gets refereed to, an LFO is often the best choice since you can sync it to tempo (if desired), and change the behavior/rate/depth of the FX willy nilly (no automation required). I had to check Melda's freebies quick, but none of those EQs have the mparameters (i.e., modulation matrix) available. The comment above on Z3TA+ inserted as an FX may work as well (for the LFO). I am not sure if any free EQs come with the modulators offhand, but if you are sweeping (as in cycling) the EQ, an LFO would be the least overhead once set up.

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44 minutes ago, mettelus said:

if you are sweeping (as in cycling) the EQ,

Basically twisting the Hi EQ Freq knob back & forth.  I'm playing around with different ideas.  On this synth so far the EQ sweep gives the kind of effect I'm looking for but recording real time automation creates a million nodes making it ridiculous to edit.  Is there a way to reduce envelope nodes after the fact?

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6 hours ago, sjoens said:

Basically twisting the Hi EQ Freq knob back & forth.  I'm playing around with different ideas.  On this synth so far the EQ sweep gives the kind of effect I'm looking for but recording real time automation creates a million nodes making it ridiculous to edit.  Is there a way to reduce envelope nodes after the fact?

I'm pretty sure you can do what you are after with no automation using Breather, which is still archived here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20230926161557/http://tinygod.com/products.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20220929165707fw_/http://www.tinygod.com/files/TinyGod_Breather.zip

(See end of post for quoted "help file")

There are other interesting fx and synths there, too, but that's the one I used most often. 

 

It's been a long while since I've done this, so don't recall the exact steps, but:  Do you have Z3TA?  If so, you can insert it's FX on a track, and it has LFOs that can drive the different FX.  You can even automate the LFOs themselves if you like, but once set they'll just do it automatically, and can be set to run free or match tempos and sync with the project.    IIRC you can even set it up as a synth in an audio track fx bin and feed it controls from a midi track, so youc an feed the audio thru the *synth* filters, but there's something special you have to remember to do to make that work and I don't recall what it is. :(   I think there's a thread here about it  a year or two ago, with the missing step.  

 

Quote

Breather: Dynamic Filter Plugin
Inputs/Outputs: 2 in, 2 out
Parameters:

arameter NameDescriptionRange

Filter Mode (Mode)Type of filtering to applyBypass, 12dB/octave Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, or Notch, 24dB/octave Lowpass

Live Filters (Live)Number of independent filters used1 to 4

Synchronization Mode (Sync)Clock sourceHost or Internal

Beat Divisor (Div)Breath duration32nd Note to Double Whole Note

TempoBreath cycle tempo in internal clock mode1 to 250 beats per minute

Cycle Steps (Steps)Number of Breath steps before cycle repeats1 to 32 steps

Repeat Count (Count)Number of times Breath cycle is repeated before shifting1 to 32 repeats

Resonance (Reso)Degree of filter resonance0.0 (no resonance) to 1.0 (self-oscillation)

Minimum Frequency (Min)Minimum filter cutoff frequency20Hz to 10000Hz

Maximum Frequency (Max)Maximum filter cutoff frequency20Hz to 10000Hz

Sweep Speed (Sweep)Speed of filter sweep at each Breath step0.0 (slow) to 1.0 (fast)

General Description

Breather drives up to four independent, parallel filters in either lowpass, highpass, bandpass, or notch mode whose center frequencies shift in a cyclic pattern at the specified tempo, randomly moving between the specified minimum and maximum frequencies. After the pattern repeats for a specified number of times, a new pattern is generated.

When Sync is set to "Host", Breather synchronizes itself to the tempo of the VST host app, and if the Steps and Div controls are set properly, it will "breathe on the beat". When Sync is "Internal", Breather will "free-run" according to its Tempo control instead of syncing with the host.

The Steps and Div controls effectively set the time signature of the cycle: Div of "4th" and Steps of 3 are 3/4 time, etc. The Count control determines how many times the cycle is repeated before changing.

Each input channel is routed independently through the filters to the corresponding output channel. The filters sweep randomly between the specified minimum and maximum frequencies; with more filters enabled via the Live control, each filter sweeps through its own pattern. This may best be appreciated with the filters set to bandpass mode. Higher resonance settings will make the filter more "squeaky", to the point of self-oscillation at extreme settings.

At each step, the filter begins to sweep its cutoff frequency in a curve which starts off fast and slows as it approaches its target frequency. The Sweep control sets the overall sweep speed.

 

 

Edited by Amberwolf
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11 hours ago, sjoens said:

Basically twisting the Hi EQ Freq knob back & forth.  I'm playing around with different ideas.  On this synth so far the EQ sweep gives the kind of effect I'm looking for but recording real time automation creates a million nodes making it ridiculous to edit.  Is there a way to reduce envelope nodes after the fact?

Does the EQ sweep for that synth allow for mapping a CC to the knob.

If so then use MIDI CCs.  You have much more control over CCs via the transform tool than you do with automation nodes.

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Sorry for the confusion but I'm using ProChannel EQ for that track.  The synth Rapture Session does have some knobs but none of them give the same effect.  MIDI CC would be interesting if it could be used for that, tho.

Who knew? z3ta+ has a "preview ribbon" at the bottom (aka invisible keyboard).  O.o

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19 hours ago, sjoens said:

The effect: Raise the level of one band and sweep it back and forth across the entire range.

I haven't tried it yet but the ParityEQ from Stagecraft that I picked up for free a few weeks ago looks like it can do that. Sadly, it looks like the regular price of $75 is what they are asking now.

ParityEQ

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36 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Sorry for the confusion but I'm using ProChannel EQ for that track.  The synth Rapture Session does have some knobs but none of them give the same effect.  MIDI CC would be interesting if it could be used for that, tho.

Do you have any EQs that allow for CC control?

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7 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Not sure.  CC's only work on MIDI tracks so I would have to go thru my plugins.

That is true.  However, some audio effect plugins can have MIDI data routed to them to control parameters.

Have a look at the VST menu.  If the “MIDI in” is selectiable, then that plugins can accept MIDI data.

All Meldaproduction plugins can receive MIDI data.

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