Har-Bal Users Forum BBS

I bought Har-Bal about a year ago by reccomendation of a guy who was on a particular forum I was on, his user name was Zumbido. Spose nobody knows him here???
Anyhow, the way it was explaned to me was: you can bring up a problematic wave file, and also bring up a wav file of particlar EQing you really wish it could sound like and make the problematic wave look and act like the one you liked the EQing on. Am I correct in my nieve understanding of which I have next to none of?
A couple little problems to bring up right off the bat. I get nothing from the videos I have seen. No doubt once I master the software like you guys, It will make all the sense in the world.
If I don't respond to any of your responses, it's because I haven't figured out how to navigate through the website yet. Therefore, don't be offended and think "what a jerk! I try to help him out and he doesn't even get back with me!" In that case, PLEASE E-MAIL ME! I have been wanting to use this software for the longest time and don't have a clue.
Thanks!

Steve stevec1@charter.net or www.stevecoxjingles.com

We know Zumbido.

What you are referring to is spectrum matching and is a very hit and miss process. You may or may not get good outcomes using that approach.

To get the best out of your tracks you need to consider each track on its own merits, which means making adjustments specifically for that track based upon what you hear with you ears and what you see in the spectrum.

I'd suggest firstly playing with har-bal to build a mental picture of how different parts of the spectrum sound. Play a track in Har-Bal and make some live adjustments using the gain tool at different parts of the spectrum. Then take another track, listen to it without making adjustments and suggest to yourself how you would like it to sound. Now try and suggest a change (you making the decision) to the spectrum to get that sound and then play it and see how close your judgment was. Keep doing it until your judgment gets better.

Another good ear training exercise is to take a track you have issues with, listen to it (without loading it into Har-Bal) and then you suggest where in the spectrum deficiencies may lie (ie. I think it sounds peaky around 3kHz etc). Then open the track in Har-Bal to see how well your assessment of the track balance matches what Har-Bal shows you. Continue doing this until your judgment improves.

Once you have a reasonable grasp of how different parts of the spectrum influence the sound you will then be able to use Har-Bal effectively. Without trying the above you will be wasting your time.

You will find tracks which confuse and are hard to understand through listening. You'll also find problem tracks with good spectrums because not all problems are EQ related. Often tracks will have over-compression and ambiance (or lack of) issues, both of which must be solved elsewhere and not by Har-Bal.

If you want a worked example or appraisal then send us a track segment (say 1 minute or so) through http://www.yousendit.com .

Regards,


Paavo.

Steve,

Good to see you over here - finally!!!

I think what I may have said, to you about Har-Bal, is a bit of an over-generalization.

Paavo, is right (of course), it is a hit and miss process. But, when it works it is GREAT.

Recently, I used Har-Bal to match the EQ of a lead vocal recorded at my studio to a lead vocal recorded at a different facility. This was necessary to do because the 'artist' decided to make some lyric changes.

I recorded the new vocal, placed the audio file into Har-Bal along with the original file as a 'template'. Clicked and swiped - voila! - a very close match between the two files. Close enough that no one has been able to tell which is which.

I also used this 'matching' technique with a bass track. The original take was laden with mistakes and tuning problems (fretless bass). First, I placed the original bass into Melodyne, tuned it up and saved as Audio-to-MIDI. Next, I took this new MIDI file, imported it into a sequencer and recorded a fretless bass from GigaStudio. Then, using the original bass as a template placed in Har-Bal, I matched the new GigaStudio bass to the original bass EQ. Can't tell the difference - except now the bass is in tune without all the mistakes. The bass player now thinks he's the next Jaco.

When it works, it is wonderful.

How is ot over at the 'old place'?

Hey Zum,
I sure don't have a clue how or where to start or even to navigate through this website. I didn't know you responded to this thread. I thought when i started this thread, that i clicked on something that said I would be e-mailed if there was a response.
I would pay for a decent video that could get me started. I am well aware that there is one on this site, but It goes so fast and assumes that you know some of this before you start! I gotta talk to someone on the phone about this stuff....
Steve

Steve,

Contact Paavo or Earle by e-mail.

Earle is here in the U.S. and may give you phone consultation. They are both great guys and will answer anything to get you going.

Once you get Har-Bal, it is a breeze to use. I use it constantly from tweaking a bass track to a full mix and everything in between.

Zum,
Could you e-mail me? stevec1@charter.net I have a feeling I will be going on 2 years now without knowing a thing here about Har-Bal. BUT I do own it! You were my inspiration to get it, and by reading your past threads, I am convinced it IS what I need.
Thanks Bro,
Steve