vinyl EQ curve over a digital setup?

[Jay Pace]

hola

I dj using final scratch. ITs great. However most soundsystems are set up for vinyl, and although you get more clarity in a digital set you also don't quite get the same bass, and the highs can sounds a little piercing given the extended frequency response digital has over vinyl.

Sooo.... am thinking would it be possible to overlay an eq curve over the output of a digital set to mimic the EQ balance of vinyl? Tame the highs a little, which can get a little piercing over rigs setup for vinyl, and add a little boost to warm up the bass.

If this is possible, what would the EQ curve look like?
Boost at 100k and a roll off from 13k?

We had a funktion one rig at our last party, and it sounded formidable but it was noticeably set up to cater for the frequency response of vinyl, and most rigs I've played on are the same.

[massplanck]

Great idea.Here ya go jay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_equalization

http://www.euronet.nl/~mgw/background/riaa/uk_riaa_background_1.html

[rhythmtech]

i usually put an eq and compressor over the master in live for that very same reason.

usually use waves API 2500 and 550a - 2 very very sweet sounding plugs that add huge warmth to digital.

[Jay Pace]

The RIAA curve is more about having corresponing phono pre-amps to correctly balance invert the vinyl signal AFAIK, it doesn't really give you the frequency response of vinyl.

Reckon it would make a big difference to the perceptions of a digital DJ set though, there's a noticeable difference playing between digital and vinyl files once you chuck 10k behind it.

Might have to do a trial and error next time I play out. Now I just need to find a way of putting an EQ master bus on traktor...

[Jay Pace]

i usually put an eq and compressor over the master in live for that very same reason.

usually use waves API 2500 and 550a - 2 very very sweet sounding plugs that add huge warmth to digital.

Hmmmm. Traktor has no VST support.

Arse.

[TechMouse]

Devil's advocate:

Why would you want to knowingly cripple your audio signal?

One of the key advantages of playing digitally is that it gives you frequency possibilities that vinyl can't even begin to attempt.

The RIAA curve is something you should look into though.

Theoretically, if you apply a cut using that curve and then boost using the inverse you should get the same effect you hear on wax.

Past that, a tiny little bit of harmonic distortion on the low end wouldn't go amiss.

[rhythmtech]

Devil's advocate:

Why would you want to knowingly cripple your audio signal?

One of the key advantages of playing digitally is that it gives you frequency possibilities that vinyl can't even begin to attempt.


thru certain systems it can be very harsh on the ears.. especially the highs.

[TechMouse]

thru certain systems it can be very harsh on the ears.. especially the highs.
Doesn't that just mean that the system is more "true"?

Good monitors can be harsh on the ears over prolonged periods.

[rhythmtech]

Doesn't that just mean that the system is more "true"?



not necceserily

vinyl has less top than digital so surely a system tuned for vinyl would come across a lot more bright with digital pumped thru it?

all i know is that digital sounds a little better with a touch taken off the top on a lot of systems

[Jay Pace]

On headphones and home setups digital sounds better.

On power amplified systems, an engineer will route lets say 2k into the high frequency drivers. The human ear perceives high frequencies as being very loud and piercing. Vinyl doesn't do much beyond 13k, so an engineer can amplify the high end accordingly and it will sound nice to the ear. When a digital file is then played, with audio extending up to 20k suddenly theres a lot more signal being routed into the high frequency drivers making it sound much louder - and disproportionately piercing.

Rigs are set up power-wise to make vinyl sound good. Digital has a bigger range, and can end up sounding a bit nasty on a system thats designed to get the best out of vinyl.

And so degrading your digital signal to the same EQ curve as vinyl is a way of getting round a system being setup for a different format that behaves differently.

At a really high end you will get engineers adjusting the EQ settings on the amps to get the best out of whatever signal is being amplified, but most places are just "plug in and go". I think some systems even auto-calibrate based on the response they're getting.

A touch more bass and losing some high end will make digital dj sets sound better I reckon, just can't figure out how to do it.

Grrr to traktors lack of VST support. Grrr.

[acidsaturation]

Doesn't that just mean that the system is more "true"?

Good monitors can be harsh on the ears over prolonged periods.

Even if that is the case I wouldn't want to listen to totally true and slightly harsh on the ears when I was out having fun...