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tarrtime « Great Channel Eq »
Published on 02/21/13 at 10:59The Waves V-EQ4 is simple to use. If you aren't familiar with how to eq different instruments, just pull up one of the included presets. Waves does a great job of including presets that are usable with minor tweaks. This equalizer is also very easy to use because their aren't too many controls to worry about. There are only a limited number of frequencies to choose, and for the most part you don't have to worry about how wide/narrow/sharp/flat to make the eq curves. I love the high pass and low pass filters to clean up whatever signal I am sending through it. This is great if I want to take out low end on guitar tracks to make space for bass guitar and kick drum. Or conversely, take out the high end on a guitar track to make room for cymbals, etc.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
The Waves V-EQ4 is part of the V-series which models Neve hardware. The Waves V-EQ3 is a similar plug-in but has different features. In practice, I prefer to use the V-EQ4 on individual channels, while using the 3 band eq on sub/bus mixes. The 4 band eq definitely has great controls and allows for more 'surgical' equalization. This is better for individual tracks. The 3 band eq is ultra smooth and adds a nice touch to program material like on the final mix bus.
All of these plug-ins in the V-series are supposed to add some 'analog' color to the signal besides just change the frequency response of the signal. To some extent, it is a little difficult to tell if Waves just modeled the analog noise, or if they included some other kinds of analog saturation with these plug-ins. Waves modeling has come a long way since these plug-ins were released. I really hope they go back and model these things again to update the V-series with more analog saturation (ala NLS, REDD).
OVERALL OPINION
The Waves V-EQ4 is modeled after the Neve 1081 console equalizer. I have never had the opportunity to use the actual hardware, but I can still appreciate the Waves model. This eq is very versatile with the options of high-pass and low-pass filters, high and low shelfs (these can also be changed to bell shaped filters), and mid-range boost and cut bell filters. The filter 'q' can be changed from narrow to broad for the mid-range controls.
Overall, what makes this equalizer useful is how smooth it sounds. It it especially useful for boosting high frequencies without sounding harsh. Low frequencies also sound smooth and round when boosting. Unlike some digital equalizers, boosting frequencies by a lot will not produce typical filter 'ringing' that is common among other eq's when you boost above 10 dB.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
The Waves V-EQ4 is part of the V-series which models Neve hardware. The Waves V-EQ3 is a similar plug-in but has different features. In practice, I prefer to use the V-EQ4 on individual channels, while using the 3 band eq on sub/bus mixes. The 4 band eq definitely has great controls and allows for more 'surgical' equalization. This is better for individual tracks. The 3 band eq is ultra smooth and adds a nice touch to program material like on the final mix bus.
All of these plug-ins in the V-series are supposed to add some 'analog' color to the signal besides just change the frequency response of the signal. To some extent, it is a little difficult to tell if Waves just modeled the analog noise, or if they included some other kinds of analog saturation with these plug-ins. Waves modeling has come a long way since these plug-ins were released. I really hope they go back and model these things again to update the V-series with more analog saturation (ala NLS, REDD).
OVERALL OPINION
The Waves V-EQ4 is modeled after the Neve 1081 console equalizer. I have never had the opportunity to use the actual hardware, but I can still appreciate the Waves model. This eq is very versatile with the options of high-pass and low-pass filters, high and low shelfs (these can also be changed to bell shaped filters), and mid-range boost and cut bell filters. The filter 'q' can be changed from narrow to broad for the mid-range controls.
Overall, what makes this equalizer useful is how smooth it sounds. It it especially useful for boosting high frequencies without sounding harsh. Low frequencies also sound smooth and round when boosting. Unlike some digital equalizers, boosting frequencies by a lot will not produce typical filter 'ringing' that is common among other eq's when you boost above 10 dB.