Har-Bal Filters Appear To Not Be Working

[Nathan Shane]

Greetings Everyone,

I'm completely stumped here. I've watched the video time and again where Earle opens a .wav file, then uses it to create/save a new filter, then opens another .wav file and uses the previously created filter to modify the just opened waveform...but on my system, this does not work at all.

Tell me where I'm going wrong here...I open David Lanz's "Leaves On The Seine" (piano only instrumental) and let Har-Bal analize it...then without making any graphical changes, I then click Filter Save As to create an .mfl file.

Next I open a wav file of me playing solo piano...then open the Lanz Piano Filter file, and NO CHANGES take place in the visuals at all, not even the slightest changes.

In Earle's video, each time he opens a filter file, the original files graphic display immediately changes, and he can toggle on the "white" visual line to let you see the difference that the filter made to the wav file. I do just like he does in the video, yet there is nothing changing at all...any ideas???

[HarBal]

Nathan,

I think you have misunderstood how it works. Har-Bal does not do automated EQ ripping for sound reasons. When you open your David Lanz track and save a filter without making any changes you are saving a blank filter. That is, one that has a flat frequency response. Then when you use that filter on your track it, of course, has not effect because it has a flat frequency response.

I believe what you are trying to do is use the David Lanz track as a reference. In which case you should open that track as a reference (File/Open reference) and then open your track normally. You should then see them overlayed. Then use the parametric EQ tool to sculpt the spectrum to match your reference. It is all covered in the manual. Click on the "Help/example tutorial" menu item and please read it. It will help you understand and should only take 20 minutes to work through but it is 20 minutes well spent.

Cheers,


Paavo.

[Nathan Shane]

Hi Paavo,

Thanks for your timely response, yes I guess I was approaching things somewhat wrongly. I had previously read comments that Har-Bal was not created to do auto-eq mapping of sound, but I was trying to think differently about this in regards to solo instrument tracks...meaning, that if I find a recording of a solo piano (or acoustic guitar, etc) that I like the overall sound and eq of, then I can use Har-Bal to view the overall frequency response and then perhaps match "identically" my solo instrument and produce the same sonic results.

I was beginning to think that perhaps in order to create a filter that some changes had to be done manually, so I took your advice and used the David Lanz song as a reference and reshaped my piano track to match it identically...but that was a lesson in sonic learning too, because the end result was not as near identical as I had thought it would be. There were eq elements that the filter seemed to match in some respects to the Lanz reference, but it was far from sounding near-identical.

I can see how truly useful Har-Bal is for sound sculpting an overall mix...but then I also see real potential for solo tracks as well...but I'm still wrapping my head around what I think Har-Bal is doing, but that's part of learning any new software, learning the ins & outs of it.

Nathan

[trina]

Hi Nathan,
You wrote;
I can see how truly useful Har-Bal is for sound sculpting an overall mix...but then I also see real potential for solo tracks as well...but I'm still wrapping my head around what I think Har-Bal is doing, but that's part of learning any new software, learning the ins & outs of it.


I too was hoping to do individual tracks in order to make my final mix in the first place but maybe I am somehow putting the cart before the horse! I bought the video and I look at the free ones but maybe I should just read the manual because I have not