Seconded, EQuality is my go-to EQ these days. I know plenty of guys that swear by Waves Q10, and many people are really impressed by Avid's Channel Strip that's built into Pro Tools 10/11. I can't think of anything it can't do that another EQ can...it just comes down to the amount of depth and complexity that you want to have access to on the fly.Nick Output wrote:The DMG Equallity is pretty rocking. It has analogue, digital and lin-phase settings. Its clean, has a huge amount of features and also allows you to preview the spectrum with an analyser.
I have an instantiation of it on every DX, FX, BG, FL, and MX track in my sessions, plus two on my denoising chains. I typically use them as follows (ONLY WHEN MIXING):
DX EQ: Initial filtering and notching to clean everything up before it hits my denoise chain(s).
Denoise Chain EQ 1: Further filtering and notching if I run out of bands on the DX EQ.
Denoise Chain EQ 2: This is the last plug in my chain, and it's for making the nice, deep, "film dialog" sound that we're all used to hearing.
FX EQ: Like most SFX editors in the post sound world, I work with in virtual predubs. 7 SFX tracks in each, plus 1 routed to the LFE only. The EQs on the 7 main SFX tracks are for shaping each effect to fit into the mix. The one on the LFE-only track is just a low-pass filter so that if I end up in a room without an LFE, I can still get the desired effect.
BG EQ: Really more of a notch filter for the most part, but will use them to do roll-offs or scoop out certain frequency ranges if need be.
FL EQ: Most of the time, I just let foley play as is...but that's more to do with deadlines and less to do with mix preferences. Typically these just end up being light roll-offs on the higher frequencies, but depending on what needs to be done, it allows me the ability to sculpt foley into a mix just where I need it to be.
MX EQ: Again, just to scoop out certain sections to let other sounds punch through when necessary. I never know how much of what will be required to make that happen, so EQuality allows me all the tools I'd need while still being very processor-friendly.
All told, I think I have anywhere between 100 to 200 EQs in any given session for smaller projects.
Also, like Nick said, I find myself doing AudioSuite/offline processing with some of the default EQ3 plugs, but that's mostly just for extreme low-pass filtering on designed sounds.