[nicholars]

I have got electri Q on Foobar working using the effect chainer and made an EQ.....
 
However when it is playing it seems to fluctuate the volume? For example it sounds like it is normalising it.... The song will start then when the bass starts the volume will go lower etc..... How do I disable this please? It sounds worse than the normal foobar EQ at the moment because the volume changes.... Any ideas please?

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  I have got electri Q on Foobar working using the effect chainer and made an EQ.....
 
However when it is playing it seems to fluctuate the volume? For example it sounds like it is normalising it.... The song will start then when the bass starts the volume will go lower etc..... How do I disable this please? It sounds worse than the normal foobar EQ at the moment because the volume changes.... Any ideas please?

I've been having the same problem too, without any fixes so far. I switched back to iTunes after.

 

[nicholars]

  I've been having the same problem too, without any fixes so far. I switched back to iTunes after.

 
Yes I spent hours working out how to get it working and set it up properly, read the readme etc. and did it all properly.... Then once I got it working it now sounds WORSE than the standard 31 band EQ in foobar... Great!.... If the volume would stay consistant maybe it would be better...

 

[Joe Bloggs]

   
Yes I spent hours working out how to get it working and set it up properly, read the readme etc. and did it all properly.... Then once I got it working it now sounds WORSE than the standard 31 band EQ in foobar... Great!.... If the volume would stay consistant maybe it would be better...

 
Try lowering the preamp (or add a Gain band to electri-q and lower the whole curve)

 

[nicholars]

   
Try lowering the preamp (or add a Gain band to electri-q and lower the whole curve)

 
Ah yes adding a gain band and lowering everything below 0db worked..... I assumed it would have done that automatically but obviously not then.
 
Thanks a lot for the help.... My effort learning / installing the program was not wasted

 
Other questions....
 
1) Is it better to use Analog or Digital? Analog seems to sound smoother with my HE400....
 
2) What are the best filters to use? Currently I am just using "basic - peak - orfandis" and basic "low band" etc. There are a lot of options but I don't know what is the best for sound quality or if they make much difference?
 
3) Why can't you make the damn tiny little window bigger? It would be so much easier with a larger window...
 
4) Can you make it display more accurate db steps on the sides.. for example telling me it is 10db 20db etc. is not much use it would be better in 1db steps...

 

[Joe Bloggs]

   
Ah yes adding a gain band and lowering everything below 0db worked..... I assumed it would have done that automatically but obviously not then.
 
Thanks a lot for the help.... My effort learning / installing the program was not wasted

 
Other questions....
 
1) Is it better to use Analog or Digital? Analog seems to sound smoother with my HE400....
 
2) What are the best filters to use? Currently I am just using "basic - peak - orfandis" and basic "low band" etc. There are a lot of options but I don't know what is the best for sound quality or if they make much difference?
 
3) Why can't you make the damn tiny little window bigger? It would be so much easier with a larger window...
 
4) Can you make it display more accurate db steps on the sides.. for example telling me it is 10db 20db etc. is not much use it would be better in 1db steps...

 
1. Up to you

2. I mainly choose the different options for their ability to shape the frequency response differently.  Didn't really think there would be a difference in sound apart from that...
3. You can double click on a point and a numerical editor will pop up that lets you enter precise values.
4. A trick I use is to enter "dummy" points on the graph, e.g. I want the graph to go through -10dB at 100Hz, I make an EQ point that adjusts -10dB at 100Hz, then hit "X" to bypass the point.  I make several of these "plotting" points on the graph, then use another set of "real" bands to make the curve go through these points.

 

[nicholars]

   
4. A trick I use is to enter "dummy" points on the graph, e.g. I want the graph to go through -10dB at 100Hz, I make an EQ point that adjusts -10dB at 100Hz, then hit "X" to bypass the point.  I make several of these "plotting" points on the graph, then use another set of "real" bands to make the curve go through these points.

 
Good idea thanks, why didn't I think of that
 
Also do you know how to save the gain range setting? When I close and then load again it goes back to default...

 

[nicholars]

Just wanted to say THANKS for this guide!
 
I did all the steps detailed in the original post and my HE400 now have pretty much zero sibilance! Didn't think this was possible!

 

[lizard837]

Hey,
 
I was wondering if you there were any sinewave and parametric EQs that were compatible with Mac OS and available as a plug-in for iTunes.  I'm still fairly new to the audiophile game and only have of my library has been converted to lossless.

 

[Rumrunner]

I have a question hopefully someone can answer: 
 
Does using electri - Q prevent you from having bit perfect output to the DAC?
 
Thanks

 

[narun]

So basically with this tutorial I can equalize my headphones to flat or whatever I want permanently and use it anywhere? Great and very explaining tutorial but just this one small question. Please reply ASAP. Thanks

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  So basically with this tutorial I can equalize my headphones to flat or whatever I want permanently and use it anywhere? Great and very explaining tutorial but just this one small question. Please reply ASAP. Thanks

     No. Obviously, you can only equalize on your computer. It's not like headphones have this memory that allows it to keep its equalization settings wherever you go, right? If that happened, then Summit-Fi might not exist. The equalization is done by the software on your computer (which in the tutorial is Electri-Q). The equalizer affects only the digital audio signal that is coming from the computer, before being converted to an analog signal by a DAC, which then sends it to the headphones. Since the digital audio signal is equalized, then what you hear is equalized. The headphones themselves aren't affected. If you equalize your headphones and then listen to your iPod, then you should notice a difference, right? It doesn't sound flat anymore; that's because the equalization only applies to where the equalization for Electri-Q applies.
 
     Still not impressed? Then try this: Equalize your heapdhones using Electri-Q, then listen to a song on foobar2000. Then, listen to the same song on, say, Windows Media Player or iTunes. You'll get the difference, and you'll notice that the EQ doesn't work "anywhere."

 

[Joe Bloggs]

FWIW I can export the EQ settings to an impulse response file and use it globally on my computer using Viper4Windows and on my android phone using Viper4Android

 

[thatBeatsguy]

FWIW I can export the EQ settings to an impulse response file and use it globally on my computer using Viper4Windows and on my android phone using Viper4Android

     I understand that, but seeing as making impulse response files can have a rather steep learning curve (especially getting the impulse right in that one exact spot as you wrote in your tutorial). Then again, it may be good in the long run, but as of right now, what if I'm using an iPhone and have a Mac? So far, I don't know of any Viper4Mac or Viper4iOS yet. I guess I'm really unlucky now, ain't I? But nooo, I've got a WIndows PC and Android phone with Viper on them. 
     Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any known method of "exporting" EQ settings from Electri-Q (the EQ used in the tutorial) and making them into an IRS file, unless you didn't tell us that yet. As you may already know, each EQ that exports presets have their own special file type that only it could convert into EQ settings. There isn't any "universal" EQ preset file thus far, therefore trying to "export" EQ settings into an IRS file just won't happen, unless one dares to go through the painstaking method of creating the IRS file of which I've all but given up on.
 
     Your move, good sir. 

 

[higbvuyb]

  P.P.S. I was taken aback by the sheer harshness of the unequalized headphones as compared to the equalized ones. Like, it was almost painful. This got me thinking. Does anyone think these shrill resonances might have something to do with hearing loss among less careful headphone users? I seem to recall Wikipedia saying that it tends to start out in those upper high frequencies. Any correlation? Would equalization help prevent hearing loss among those that aren't just plain reckless with their volume levels? I know I have, desperate for more dynamic range, occasionally cranked up the volume past the point where those high frequencies become unpleasant. Maybe it works the other way around, though. Maybe by making music much more pleasant to listen to, it actually increases the danger by allowing people to comfortably raise the overall volume further. I dunno. What do you guys think? I think it's kind of interesting.

 
Listening to something that's really loud at a particular frequency can eventually 'notch' your hearing at that frequency. It depends on duration and loudness. This is a lot harder to notice in daily life than 'broad' hearing loss, though, because your brain can compensate to some degree.
 
 

  P.S. I noticed in SineGen that at the very low frequencies, the volume drops off steadily to a severe degree. I can't remember the number, but I got to total silence before I got to 20 Hz. That's normal, right? Or should I try to adjust it so the bass is the same volume all the way down to as low as possible?

It's normal for the volume to drop off at low frequencies (and high frequencies) - this is the basis of the equal loudness contour. It shouldn't be totally absent at 20 Hz, but it should be pretty quiet compared to 200 Hz.
 

       I understand that, but seeing as making impulse response files can have a rather steep learning curve (especially getting the impulse right in that one exact spot as you wrote in your tutorial). Then again, it may be good in the long run, but as of right now, what if I'm using an iPhone and have a Mac? So far, I don't know of any Viper4Mac or Viper4iOS yet. I guess I'm really unlucky now, ain't I? But nooo, I've got a WIndows PC and Android phone with Viper on them. 
     Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any known method of "exporting" EQ settings from Electri-Q (the EQ used in the tutorial) and making them into an IRS file, unless you didn't tell us that yet. As you may already know, each EQ that exports presets have their own special file type that only it could convert into EQ settings. There isn't any "universal" EQ preset file thus far, therefore trying to "export" EQ settings into an IRS file just won't happen, unless one dares to go through the painstaking method of creating the IRS file of which I've all but given up on.
 
     Your move, good sir. 

Any LTI filter (this includes any Electri-Q arrangement) can be easily converted to impulse response 'format' They're sort of mathematically equivalent. Just pass a perfect impulse response i.e. Kronecker's Delta through your EQ filter, and what you get out at the end is your EQ impulse response. That's essentially what Joe does because a lot of people can't do it themselves.
 
Audacity supports VST plugins so you can use your Electri-Q presets in Audacity at your leisure.