Review in Sound On Sound March 2006

Har-Bal has received quite a bit of worldwide attention since it's release. Reviews and other media coverage will be posted here when it is found.
Post Reply
sergiobklyn
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 10:08 am

Review in Sound On Sound March 2006

Post by sergiobklyn »

There's a review of Har-Bal 2.0 in the PC Notes column of the March 2006 edition of Sound On Sound magazine. If you are a subscriber you can view it here:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/pcnotes.htm
or you can buy the magazine.
Serge
har-bal
Site Admin
Posts: 647
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm
Location: Atlanta/Australia
Contact:

Re: Review in Sound On Sound March 2006

Post by har-bal »

sergiobklyn wrote:There's a review of Har-Bal 2.0 in the PC Notes column of the March 2006 edition of Sound On Sound magazine. If you are a subscriber you can view it here:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/pcnotes.htm
or you can buy the magazine.
Serge


Review Below

Subject: New SOS Review

Windows Driver Model & Harbal Auto EQ
PC Notes
Published in SOS March 2006
Printer-friendly version Printer-friendly version Technique : PC Notes


Can Harbal's new automatic track EQ solve your equalisation problems with one click? We find out, as well as exploring the mysteries of the Windows Driver Model...

Martin Walker

Back in SOS March 2004, I reviewed the PC-only Harbal (Harmonic Balancing) application, which provides a sophisticated way to add final tweaks to the EQ of otherwise finished tracks at the pre-mastering stage, by referencing them against well-mixed tracks in various genres. Unlike the majority of 'EQ rippers' that attempt to match the frequency content of a destination track to that of a source (often resulting in huge boosts at some frequencies, to compensate for differences in instrumentation or key changes), Harbal encourages a more considered approach.

I was impressed with its utilitarian yet highly usable and informative interface, and by how it allows users to learn by experience, compare their own mixes with commercial releases and educate their ears. The dedicated Harbal forums also provide users with plenty of feedback, plus techniques from professional audio engineers.

Nevertheless, some musicians still prefer instant gratification, so Harbal's developers have donned their thinking caps and have spent some time working on a way to provide an automated solution to EQ problems. The result is Harbal 2.0, which incorporates two new features: IntuitQ and HB Air.
Top of page
One-click Mastering?

IntuitQ is essentially a one-click solution for EQ problems, yet it still avoids the trap of blindly forcing a track's frequency content to match that of some notional 'perfect response'. Instead, a single click on the 'Apply IntuitQ' button initiates a two-stage process that calculates the most appropriate modifications from the track itself, by reducing any prominent frequency bands and filling in any major holes that it finds.
PCnotes0306-1
For instant mastering EQ gratification, take a look at Harbal 2.0. Here you can see how the new one-click IntuitQ function has automatically removed a low-end hole between 80 and 150Hz and reduced a slightly prominent mid-range area (the white trace is the 'before' spectrum and the yellow one shows the results after IntuitQ has been applied).

The first stage smooths the average response to minimise masking effects (so that each instrument gets the best chance of being heard) and the second deals with any dominant peaks, to reduce harshness. You can also apply these stages individually, if you prefer, using the Average and Peak buttons situated on either side of the main IntuitQ button. The end result will be identical.

What IntuitQ won't attempt to do is change the basic sound of your mixes, nor try to completely iron out their characteristic peaks and dips, which is exactly as it should be — after all, if you've spent a long time trying to achieve a particular sound, you don't want it messed with unduly. So if your track is already well mixed and balanced, it's likely to receive only minor changes, while material that needs a bigger helping hand should get it: a boomy bass end might be reduced, a honky mid range or harsh top end improved, or frequency ranges boosted if they're too low in the mix.

This is exactly what a professional mastering engineer should do, and although no automated EQ algorithm is likely to produce perfect results every time on all types of material, I think the results are extremely good. Harbal's developers recommend trying IntuitQ first, then using the result as a basis for further artistic tweaks. But, judging from the majority of tracks I tried it on, I suspect that many people will end up relying totally on IntuitQ. It gave me impressive results on a wide range of unreleased material, mostly providing clearer and better balanced mixes, even though the changes made were often of only a few dBs.

It's also great fun (and educational) to apply IntuitQ to commercial tracks, to see how much it changes them. On most of the commercial tracks I tried it with, tweaks of no more than a couple of dBs up or down, across two or three frequency bands, were made. A few tracks were altered by up to 5dB at one or more frequencies, mostly where the peaks created by a prominent snare sound dominated the mix.

I didn't always agree that the tweaked commercial tracks sounded better, but one of Harbal's developers is a mastering engineer, so the current algorithm will, in part, be based on his personal artistic decisions. However, I think that Harbal's goal "to automatically design near-optimum equalisation filters for any given track" has been met admirably. The algorithm only really works on complete tracks at the moment (it over-compensates somewhat on individual instruments or vocals), but it's an excellent tool to help during mixing and pre-mastering.

IntuitQ largely removes the need for the reference files in different genres used in previous versions of Harbal, although these are still useful for the Match Loudness function, so you can import another track (from your proposed album, or a commercial CD), create a reference file from it and then use it to establish a 'base camp' level for your other tracks. Harbal also has a built-in limiter to help you achieve louder tracks without 'squashing' dynamics.

The other main new feature in Harbal 2.0 is HB Air. This doesn't, as its name suggests, add exotic HF equalisation or upper harmonics. Instead, it uses the well-known stereo widening technique of mixing the 'L minus R' difference signal back into the mix to enhance its stereo width and make it sound more spacious. You have to be careful not to overdo it and cause harshness. I found that five or 10 percent on the amount slider was quite sufficient for opening out the mix a little, and using the In/Out button helps you to judge the optimum setting.

Harbal 2.0 also incorporates several smaller improvements, including a 'loop all' playback function, and various new keyboard shortcuts, but for me IntuitQ is the star of the show. Overall, version 2.0 is a huge step forward, since it not only provides the means to improve the sound of your mixes, but also has a very good stab at doing this automatically. I can see IntuitQ being controversial in some mastering circles, but in my opinion the results speak for themselves. Harbal 2.0 is Ł57.75 to new users, and the update is free from www.har-bal.com, for existing users.
sergiobklyn
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 10:08 am

Post by sergiobklyn »

Congratulations.
I was reluctant to post their article in your forum.
Serge
har-bal
Site Admin
Posts: 647
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm
Location: Atlanta/Australia
Contact:

Post by har-bal »

sergiobklyn wrote:Congratulations.
I was reluctant to post their article in your forum.
Serge


The magazine told us to wait until it was published before we place it in our forum.

Earle
Post Reply