Pre-sales questions

[jess]

I was introduced to HarBAl by some kind folks in KVRaudio.

My original question was I was 'lost' in what to compress and what to EQ. Someone said I would save time by using HarBal.

I saw the web demo at http://www.har-bal.com/demo/harbaledit.html and read the Quick Start post in this forum. The product is fantastic and do not have a shocking price, but not sure whether it's applicable to what I'm doing at this stage (For mastering stage, sure).

Questions: -

1. I want to be able to detect the need for compression (gee, hard to find a tool for this and I don't think Harbal is any where near, correct) and then assist me to do compression (got WAVES plug-in for that)

2. Secondly, got Elemental Equim to deal with EQ spectrum analyse, but there are too many tracks to deal with. (I see HarBal falls in this category?)

2a. Are there any chance we can run HarBal on Cubase or must the mix be exported out and run on SoundForge/WaveLab or ?

2b. You deal with EQ on the whole, but don't deal with EQ at individual tracks?

3. I read the http://har-bal.com/mastering_process.php, but was a little confuse what role does HarBal play. Is Figure 5 what we are trying to achieve after the long chain of plug-ins?

[har-bal]

I was introduced to HarBAl by some kind folks in KVRaudio.

My original question was I was 'lost' in what to compress and what to EQ. Someone said I would save time by using HarBal.

I saw the web demo at http://www.har-bal.com/demo/harbaledit.html and read the Quick Start post in this forum. The product is fantastic and do not have a shocking price, but not sure whether it's applicable to what I'm doing at this stage (For mastering stage, sure).

Questions: -

1. I want to be able to detect the need for compression (gee, hard to find a tool for this and I don't think Harbal is any where near, correct) and then assist me to do compression (got WAVES plug-in for that)

2. Secondly, got Elemental Equim to deal with EQ spectrum analyse, but there are too many tracks to deal with. (I see HarBal falls in this category?)

2a. Are there any chance we can run HarBal on Cubase or must the mix be exported out and run on SoundForge/WaveLab or ?

2b. You deal with EQ on the whole, but don't deal with EQ at individual tracks?

3. I read the http://har-bal.com/mastering_process.php, but was a little confuse what role does HarBal play. Is Figure 5 what we are trying to achieve after the long chain of plug-ins?

Jess

The main purpose of Har-Bal is to correct the spectral content of your music before you begin any processing. Har-Bal corrects the relationship that the frequencies have with each other. If you must use a compressor after Har-Bal it will certainly not need to work hard simply because Har-Bal would of already attenuated the areas that contain rogue resonances.

Compression is very much over rated these days because in most instances in compromises the dynamic range of the music and makes it dull and boring. When compression is used sparingly it helps the track to become more cohesive. The trick is to know when and how to use these tools. You see if you are pulling down those peaks during the EQ phase then there is no reason to need to crush them with a compressor.

When a song is balanced it sounds good on all systems.

When I wrote the mastering tutorial it was meant to be a guide sothe mastering process would be a little clearer for most folks. As I specified in the tutorial, it is not necessary to use ALL these plugins.

With Har-Bal 2.0 you can actually pull in a track, balance the spectral content with the intuitQ button and just use a reference track to determine how loud you would like your track, hit the record button and you are done.

I was just telling someone earlier that I only use 3 reference files. Each respectively named -10db, -13db and -17db. I use them based on the genre of music I am mastering.

Har-Bal can also be used to balance the spectral content on individual tracks. It does a great job. Probably better than most humans because our ears become somewhat fatigued and unreliable after a few songs.

We have a great bunch of folks in here who have become experts at using Har-Bal Everyone leaves their egos at the door before entering this forum and are extremely passionate about their craft

If you mix your song in Cubase or Nuendo you wil lneed to export it out to use Har-Bal. .

We decided to concentrate on EQ because it's the one place most folks have difficulty with.

In any case we offer a 30 day money back guarantee with no questions asked. The reason we do this is because it works

Cheers

Earle

[jess]

THANKS for your prompt response. Pls view my follow-up questions inline below...

Jess

The main purpose of Har-Bal is to correct the spectral content of your music before you begin any processing. Har-Bal corrects the relationship that the frequencies have with each other. If you must use a compressor after Har-Bal it will certainly not need to work hard simply because Har-Bal would of already attenuated the areas that contain rogue resonances.

Compression is very much over rated these days because in most instances in compromises the dynamic range of the music and makes it dull and boring. When compression is used sparingly it helps the track to become more cohesive. The trick is to know when and how to use these tools. You see if you are pulling down those peaks during the EQ phase then there is no reason to need to crush them with a compressor.

When a song is balanced it sounds good on all systems.

When I wrote the mastering tutorial it was meant to be a guide sothe mastering process would be a little clearer for most folks. As I specified in the tutorial, it is not necessary to use ALL these plugins.

So, just to be clear, that's just an example what somebody would go through if they want to raise the volume during mastering (and they would have corrected the spectral content using HarBal way before), right?

With Har-Bal 2.0 you can actually pull in a track, balance the spectral content with the intuitQ button and just use a reference track to determine how loud you would like your track, hit the record button and you are done.

I was just telling someone earlier that I only use 3 reference files. Each respectively named -10db, -13db and -17db. I use them based on the genre of music I am mastering.

Hmm, seems like there's an almost magic formula here...which is good for amateur like me.

I'm doing mainly nue metal (Linkin Park, POD kinda sound). Do I use the Rock reference file or is there something else for in the demo version? (Will try the demo after this).

Har-Bal can also be used to balance the spectral content on individual tracks. It does a great job. Probably better than most humans because our ears become somewhat fatigued and unreliable after a few songs.

We have a great bunch of folks in here who have become experts at using Har-Bal Everyone leaves their egos at the door before entering this forum and are extremely passionate about their craft

If you mix your song in Cubase or Nuendo you wil lneed to export it out to use Har-Bal. .

We decided to concentrate on EQ because it's the one place most folks have difficulty with.

In any case we offer a 30 day money back guarantee with no questions asked. The reason we do this is because it works

Cheers

Earle

Lastly, you mentioned "The main purpose of Har-Bal is to correct the spectral content of your music before you begin any processing". So, you're saying after I've recorded everything, I'll export out to HarBal. And then I've got an improved EQ wav file...but then how can I go back to CUbase to do compression (not like I have to but maybe I need to).

Pls tell me that best practice here. Are we saying try not to do any individual EQ& compression on each track in a mix, but kick off with Harbal. If the sound is not quite there, then do the individual EQ & compression, then test with Harbal again?

[har-bal]

THANKS for your prompt response. Pls view my follow-up questions inline below...

Jess

The main purpose of Har-Bal is to correct the spectral content of your music before you begin any processing. Har-Bal corrects the relationship that the frequencies have with each other. If you must use a compressor after Har-Bal it will certainly not need to work hard simply because Har-Bal would of already attenuated the areas that contain rogue resonances.

Compression is very much over rated these days because in most instances in compromises the dynamic range of the music and makes it dull and boring. When compression is used sparingly it helps the track to become more cohesive. The trick is to know when and how to use these tools. You see if you are pulling down those peaks during the EQ phase then there is no reason to need to crush them with a compressor.

When a song is balanced it sounds good on all systems.

When I wrote the mastering tutorial it was meant to be a guide sothe mastering process would be a little clearer for most folks. As I specified in the tutorial, it is not necessary to use ALL these plugins.

So, just to be clear, that's just an example what somebody would go through if they want to raise the volume during mastering (and they would have corrected the spectral content using HarBal way before), right?

With Har-Bal 2.0 you can actually pull in a track, balance the spectral content with the intuitQ button and just use a reference track to determine how loud you would like your track, hit the record button and you are done.

I was just telling someone earlier that I only use 3 reference files. Each respectively named -10db, -13db and -17db. I use them based on the genre of music I am mastering.

Hmm, seems like there's an almost magic formula here...which is good for amateur like me.

I'm doing mainly nue metal (Linkin Park, POD kinda sound). Do I use the Rock reference file or is there something else for in the demo version? (Will try the demo after this).

Har-Bal can also be used to balance the spectral content on individual tracks. It does a great job. Probably better than most humans because our ears become somewhat fatigued and unreliable after a few songs.

We have a great bunch of folks in here who have become experts at using Har-Bal Everyone leaves their egos at the door before entering this forum and are extremely passionate about their craft

If you mix your song in Cubase or Nuendo you wil lneed to export it out to use Har-Bal. .

We decided to concentrate on EQ because it's the one place most folks have difficulty with.

In any case we offer a 30 day money back guarantee with no questions asked. The reason we do this is because it works

Cheers

Earle

Lastly, you mentioned "The main purpose of Har-Bal is to correct the spectral content of your music before you begin any processing". So, you're saying after I've recorded everything, I'll export out to HarBal. And then I've got an improved EQ wav file...but then how can I go back to CUbase to do compression (not like I have to but maybe I need to).

Pls tell me that best practice here. Are we saying try not to do any individual EQ& compression on each track in a mix, but kick off with Harbal. If the sound is not quite there, then do the individual EQ & compression, then test with Harbal again?

Jess

Sure you can use the rock reference, but I would not advise it. Somehow a rumor started worldwide that Har-Bal was an EQ matching program. Nothing can be further from the truth. The only reason we had references in Har-Bal in the first place was to give folks an idea of what the overall image could like like based on the genre.

That is why we added the intuitQ button so no matter what the genre is Har-Bal will balance the audio for you. It was designed to preserve the intent of the producer and not drastically alter the spectrum as some folks were doing earlier. The demo does not have the intuitQ feature for obvious reasons. As a matter of fact most folks tell us our demo sucks. I am afraid I have to agree with them Our demo does not do the program any justice. We have a company preparing some sort of video for us as we speak.

By all means if you need to use compression on your individual tracks, do so. As a matter of fact that is recommended. It makes it easier to blend the tracks during mixdown and gives you control of the dynamic range of certain elements especially vocals.
We do have a small vault where we keep reference files so folks can see what certain instruments look like. You can find it here http://har-bal.com/reference but don't tell anyone

One thing I will say when you are mixing individual instruments it is usually best to EQ them while the other instruments are playing. Even though Har-Bal works fin on individual tracks I beleive mose folks are actually correcting pre- blended samples with it.

Anyway, we will talk soon...I still have an album to finish before the evening is over.

Cheers and Happy Harballing

Earle

[jess]

Jess

Sure you can use the rock reference, but I would not advise it. Somehow a rumor started worldwide that Har-Bal was an EQ matching program. Nothing can be further from the truth. The only reason we had references in Har-Bal in the first place was to give folks an idea of what the overall image could like like based on the genre.

Hmmm, I thought I understood something, but right now I'm stepping backwards. OK, this Rock reference file approach is not recommended because there's a better magic button called intuitQ?

Please tell me more. What's the main diff with intuitQ and Harbal 1.0? I would thought the former still needs me to export out the FULL mix or single tracks? ....and import to intuitQ to do the 'magic' ? Then press record and it automatically adjust the EQ & loudness? Pls clarify.

However, what would one do after he finds that intuitQ fixes a few things...how would he get back to referencing that in his original mix in Cubase? (I'm beginning to see is a 1 directional process and no real reverse engineering?) Pls clarify your best practice.

That is why we added the intuitQ button so no matter what the genre is Har-Bal will balance the audio for you. It was designed to preserve the intent of the producer and not drastically alter the spectrum as some folks were doing earlier. The demo does not have the intuitQ feature for obvious reasons. As a matter of fact most folks tell us our demo sucks. I am afraid I have to agree with them Our demo does not do the program any justice. We have a company preparing some sort of video for us as we speak.

By all means if you need to use compression on your individual tracks, do so. As a matter of fact that is recommended. It makes it easier to blend the tracks during mixdown and gives you control of the dynamic range of certain elements especially vocals.
We do have a small vault where we keep reference files so folks can see what certain instruments look like. You can find it here http://har-bal.com/reference but don't tell anyone

Thanks for your kind advice.

Those reference files are very specific instruments. Are you saying sometimes an engineer would want a perfect result, and thus they export out their, say Snare tracks, and compare it with your reference file via HarBal and see where it goes wrong?

One thing I will say when you are mixing individual instruments it is usually best to EQ them while the other instruments are playing. Even though Har-Bal works fin on individual tracks I beleive mose folks are actually correcting pre- blended samples with it.

Anyway, we will talk soon...I still have an album to finish before the evening is over.

Cheers and Happy Harballing

Earle

Thank you again for your prompt response.

[har-bal]

Jess

Before we start writing a book here let me make a suggestion for you. If you can take some time and read through these forums you will have a very clear picture of the power and function of Har-Bal from the beginning to the present. Additionally you will be able to surmise if this is a tool you can benefit from. Har-Bal has evolved quite rapidy since it was first introduced 8-15-03.
Most of the changes made were implemented based on our customer's needs and suggestions.

There are no rules concerning Har-Bal. We have had customers accomplish things we would never have thought of. It is a tool that doesn't hinder your creativity.

Look here:
http://www.har-bal.com/ipw-web/bulletin ... 096456e8c0

I am suggesting to you that you purchase the program and experiement with it for thirty days. If you decide it is not for you we will gladly give you a refund, but I doubt you will want one.

Cheers

Earle