FabFilter Pro-Q 3 Help
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One of the most important new features in Pro-Q 3 is dynamic EQ: any of Pro-Q's bands (with Bell or Shelf shapes) can be made dynamic, at any slope, with perfect analog matching and in Linear Phase mode.
Simply put, dynamic EQ changes the gain of an EQ band dynamically, depending on the level of the input signal. This makes it possible to perform subtle and surgical edits similar to a multi-band compressor, but in a way that's often more intuitive and easier to work with.
Since Pro-Q is used by many engineers and producers worldwide as their standard workhorse EQ, we have ensured that Pro-Q 3 remains very lightweight and ultra-fast to work with, keeping the existing natural workflow and shortcuts. Dynamic EQ in Pro-Q 3 is an intuitive and elegant extension of the regular workflow: the dynamic options and controls are only exposed when you actually start using them, and won't get in the way of your normal EQ work.
The dynamic behavior of Pro-Q 3 has been carefully tuned and is highly program dependent: attack, release and knee all depend on the processed audio, the frequency range of the EQ band and the current dynamic range. This results in very natural and smooth sounding compression and expansion, useful for a wide range of dynamic EQing applications.
Any of Pro-Q's bands can be made dynamic. This can be achieved in different ways:
Internally, the dynamic EQ process will trigger on a band-limited version of the plugin's input, according to the frequency range the band works on.
The following dynamic controls are displayed for dynamic EQ bands:
The dynamic range ring sets the amount of dynamic EQing for a band, ranging from -30 to 30 dB (possibly limited by the maximum gain setting limits). Choose a positive (expansion) or negative (compression) value here enables dynamic EQing and exposes the additional dynamic controls. Note that this setting is only available for Bell and Shelving filter types. The current dynamic gain change is shown as a yellow bar inside the ring, on top of the dynamic range that is indicated in red.
Note that you can also drag the dynamic range indicator for a band in the EQ display up or down to adjust the dynamic range.
Generally when mixing or mastering, making static EQ adjustments works very well. But sometimes, using EQ dynamically can be the key to solving specific frequency issues or bringing out certain elements in a mix. For example, you can use dynamic EQ to brighten a kick drum or tame a hi-hat in your drum track, highlighting or suppressing only the transients. Or you could use a narrow dynamic bell filter to suppress sibilance in a vocal recording. Especially in combination with the per-band mid/side/stereo options, the possibilities are endless.
Pro-Q 3's workflow is perfectly designed for this: you can use it as your go-to EQ on every channel, doing the usual static EQing, but when you need to you can make any band dynamic right away.
Dynamic EQing also works in Linear Phase mode, but only for Processing Resolution settings up to High. The attack and release response will be slightly different from the normal behavior in Zero Latency and Natural Phase modes.
When using dynamic EQ in Linear Phase mode in combination with the Very High or Maximum resolution settings, you will see a warning sign next to the Processing Mode button to indicate that this is not possible. In this case, simply lower the resolution to High or lower to be able to use dynamic EQing.
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See Also
Overview
Band controls
Spectrum Grab