While conventional parametric EQ brings familiarity, more recent dynamic tools temper advanced control with more time in the manual for the engineer. We explore the virtue of deploying intelligence with the added simplicity of a tilt filter within one tool.
Sculpting The Big Picture
With the emergence of a number of intelligent dynamic EQs in recent years, the new engineer could be forgiven for thinking that the big picture matters less than the details. However, many will contend that these tools (and others) should ideally be employed among mix elements that can already hold their own. Using any tool to add final finesse to tracks or a whole mix can then provide the necessary ‘icing’ to seal the deal, as opposed to providing sounds’ entire characters from scatch.
Like any mix, the process of getting sounds oftens begins in record or in choosing the right sounds at source. Following this, engineers can be surprisingly close to a great mix simply by employing the right fader levels and rides to paint the picture. Well-behaved sounds may only need a band or two of filtering to get them over the line, with high or low shelves being strong ‘desert island’ candidates for many.
What Is Intelligent EQ For?
With one or two parametric bands added to every channel along with a pair of filters, some engineers would be happy to complete the entire mix. Certainly anything more radical might raise questions about the overall suitability of a source when more fundamental tweaks are sought.
Rather than one of How To Fix, the question then becomes more one of How To Improve, and this is where intelligent tools can have a part to play. While some of these use AI or machine learning to achieve their aims, others hope to react to inputs in a way more closely related to how a real engineer would listen and compensate. In this way, it could be said that the role of intelligent equalisation is to provide an extra stage of shaping downstream of both conventional EQ and the engineer themself.
Tilting In Context
Lesser known to some is tilt EQ. This unique flavour of filtering has the effect of applying a pair of low and high shelves to effect a low boost combined with high cut, or high cut combined with low boost. This instantiates a ‘straight line’ up or downhill slope, having the effect of darkening/thickening or thinning/brightening of sources respectively, and is an excellent way to place sounds without upsetting their spectral balance. For some, it is the ultimate ‘big picture’ sculptor.
Gullfoss As An Intelligent Tilt EQ
In the video, we take advantage of Soundtheory Gullfoss’ standard edition’s simple control set to effect this combo in a single audio plugin. Using the technique to first thin-out a piano, we then add some warming weight to a vocal to lend smoothness. This is achieved by dialling in Recover, Tame, and Bias values to taste to imbue the desired overall tonal personality. Brightness is then used to introduce a tilt response in each case.
When combined with Gullfoss’ intelligent EQ, the results can work well where conventional parametric tools might fall short. Rather than attempt to pin down moving targets with static EQ, Gullfoss’ targeted dynamic shaping partners well with the big-picture sensibilities of tilt shaping.