Eq settings help

[mhopper]

HI.
This is my first post so I hope that I can articulate my question in a non confusing way.
I am the kind of person that likes to have things as close to as perfect as possible. So when I listen to music I always want to make it sound better. In the past I used either Windows media player or winamp. I could never get the music to sound the way I wanted it to.
The other day I stumbled across dBpower AMP, and wow my music came alive. My question is how to I go about setting the equalizer to get the best sound? I tried the presets but they end up sounding flat to me. I have been setting it manually then saving it as a preset. The problem I have is that each track I set the eq up for all the sliders end up at the top or nearly all at or near the top. I don’t think this is how it is suppose to be done? Is there a rule of thumb or some starting point someone can help me with? I have been using the gain to help normalize the volume in my presets, but is there a way to do this automatically while I am listening to my collection? I get most of my music from Rhapsody music store. I then use Tunebite to record them to ogg var 192- 256. I don’t know how good this format and setting is but ogg is the best that tunebite offers.
Any help would be great.
Thanks

[Spoon]

Re: Eq settings help

I wouldnt have the sliders near the top, that might cause clipping of the audio.

[mhopper]

Re: Eq settings help

I wouldnt have the sliders near the top, that might cause clipping of the audio.

Thanks for the reply Spoon. Other then not having them near the top is there any other rules or general guide lines ?
Thanks

[LtData]

Re: Eq settings help

Setting your EQ is something that is based in opinion and person taste. If you think the music sounds fine with the EQ flat, so be it. Some people spend a good amount of time tweaking the EQ and adjusting their speakers. Basically, if it sounds fine leave it be.

[Spoons]

Re: Eq settings help

lol, there is only one EQ rule

1. Push it to the limits without distorting

each style of music will determine the limits of the EQ you need. if the band has little bass then you won't want to push the bass EQ as it may just introduce noise. if it is a rock band then bass EQ is your friend

if you have tamborines then you will most definatly want to use the 14k EQ slider :p to bring out the best.

the cool advantage of dbpoweramp music play is the fact you can assign a different EQ setting for every song in youyr collection without ever having to touch it again. unlike other players you have to load presets for each song or style that is played every time. but with dap once you have set it, it remembers each EQ setting

[Craze]

Re: Eq settings help

Are you using the 10-Band Equalizer of the Default player skin?
There's a bit more flexibility in the 20-Band Equalizer versions featured in some skins. If you like Rock or Blues, I have an EQ-Preset for such available on the skins site. http://www.aussiecommunity.com.au/fo...hread.php?t=71

Razgo also has offered up one for Classical that is very good. http://www.aussiecommunity.com.au/fo...read.php?t=209 post #7.

These might be good starting points for A , B comparisons, flat vs presets.

[mhopper]

Re: Eq settings help

Thanks for the replies. I have asked for help with the eq adjustments because in the past when I have started doing something new, it would look to be straight forward to me. Then later on I would find out that there were some rules that I didn’t know about. I didn’t know about the clipping with the sliders near the top, not sure I understand this fully yet. I am still trying to figure out which bands are the lows, mids, and highs. I know that the bands starting at 55 on the 20 band is the bass, but I don’t know where the mids start or where the lows start. I use mostly your skins at the moment Craze. I tried your 20 band preset and just like the other presets that come with dBpowerAmp its sound is very flat and muddy. This is why I thought I was doing something wrong; I don’t know why the presets sound so bad to me.
Well I do appreciate everyone’s help. I will keep playing around with the settings.
Thanks.

[Craze]

Re: Eq settings help

Do you have the Eq powered on?
I believe that the 20-Band preset only works on a 20-Band skin.

You should be able to hear a very distinct change with my preset when you kick the Equalizer In and Out (via the power button). Especially on any live concert. The bass kicks in, the drums and percussions become more defined and vocals brought to the front with clearer enunciation. All while not dropping out any other part of the band members. Everything should be much brighter and alive sounding with this preset.
Of course as Razgo pointed out, not all files are created the same eq-wise and some may need some tweaking to your individual taste. And not all will fall into a one fits all preset category. But this one works well for most of my library.

If you want to get to know the equalizer a little better you might try my "Test All Cut" preset which bottoms all sliders to maximum cut. Then you can easily go through each slider one by one and get an idea of where things are in the musical spectrum and what each individual sliders range is from Bass to Treble.
Keep in mind that there is a second or two delay from the time you move a slider before you hear the change take effect.

The clipping that Spoon is talking about comes from boosting any slider or groups of slider to the point of introducing distortion because in effect you are boosting the sound level through the Equalizer. It's a bit of trial and error with so many files having various output levels from soft to very loud when they were mastered.

The EQ works well. Hopefully you'll hit your musical taste buds with a little experimentation.

[mhopper]

Re: Eq settings help

Craze, yes I do have the eq powered on. I have been using your Studio Pro and Black Beauty 2 skins. When I use your preset I do notice a big difference with the eq off and on. The sound just isn’t as crisp and alive sounding as I would like. I have this problem with all the presets. Maybe I’m tone deaf or something. I will download your Test all cut preset and play with that for a while. I have yet to have any distortion with the sliders near or at the top, but I never have them all at the top at the same time. I like to try and have it set so that I can hear each instrument being used as well as the main vocal and the back up vocal. It doesn’t make sense to me to have everything drowning out each other. Maybe this is my problem, maybe what I am trying to do can’t be done? I have to say this is one of the nicest forums I have been to yet. In a lot of the forums I have been to, I would have been made a fool of for asking for help setting up the equalizer.
Thanks

[Craze]

Re: Eq settings help

Lots of nice folks here. I'm betting other readers have the same questions.
Depending on the file being played, adding crispness might start in the neighborhood of the 5K slider for some music where other files may yield no increase until reaching the 9K slider. It's really a matter of how each song was eq'd and mastered, and even the time period in which the recording was made. Just keep tinkering in small increments. I think you'll be able to get it dialed in to suit your own taste with time.
A good rule of thumb as you begin might be to avoid adding too much bass as it tends to wash out the instruments in the middle which may make it difficult to get the crispness you're seeking. Think of it as a balancing act.

Best wishes.
-Craze

[mhopper]

Re: Eq settings help

Lots of nice folks here. I'm betting other readers have the same questions.
Depending on the file being played, adding crispness might start in the neighborhood of the 5K slider for some music where other files may yield no increase until reaching the 9K slider. It's really a matter of how each song was eq'd and mastered, and even the time period in which the recording was made. Just keep tinkering in small increments. I think you'll be able to get it dialed in to suit your own taste with time.
A good rule of thumb as you begin might be to avoid adding too much bass as it tends to wash out the instruments in the middle which may make it difficult to get the crispness you're seeking. Think of it as a balancing act.

Best wishes.
-Craze

Thank you Craze. This is the the kind of information I was looking for.

[Craze]

Re: Eq settings help

Spoon,

Just wanting the skinny on clipping since it's been mentioned a lot.
dMC CD Audio Input doesn't clip. What about the Auxiliary Input?
Is it possible to get into clipping if a user sets the manual recording level in excess of the Nominal mark? Thanks.

[Spoon]

Re: Eq settings help

Yes quite easily.