With this EQ Playground you get to bend your tones right in your browser. On a visual representation of a frequency plot, you can nudge up or down on four-band equalizer. To do so, drag the widget’s pins around with your mouse or trackpad, or even more precisely with your keyboard. It’s like sound drafting table that shows what each adjustment do to the audio chain in real-time.
First up is choosing which band you’d like to tweak. To do this you either press the corresponding number key (1-4) to go straight to it, or you can use the numbered tabs on the right side of the EQ. Bands 1 & 4 is what we call shelf filters, meaning they’re very broad in terms of low and high frequencies, whereas Band 2 & 3 are peaking filters targeting particular frequencys. When a band is selected, the pin will turn from white to amber, and the current gain/frequency setting will appear in ledger at bottom.
How to Use the EQ Playground
You set your band’s frequency position on the graph by dragging its pin left or right. Nudge the frequency in tiny increments with left/right arrows. Moving the pin horizontally change the frequency of that band left or right. After setting the frequency, drag the pin vertically to control the width of the boost or cut for peaking bands. Or press bracket keys: Closed narrows the contour; Open broadens it. That allows you to sweep for problem frequencies with a narrow filter and then widen it for a musical effect.
To make gain adjustments, simply move the pin up or down on the graph. To adjust gain in half-decibel increments, press the up and down arrow keys. This give you a range of -12 dB to +12 dB on the graph. You can use it to add air or cut mud without overdoing it or causing too much distortion.
As you make each adjustment, it instantly plots out the curve you’re creating and you get to see what that looks like as you go. The best way to understand what you’re hearing is to listen. Hit the big orange button at the bottom of the page and you’ll power up the audio engine and it will play one of three sources into the equalizer chain: a pink noise field, which is great for auditioning frequency response; a minor-seventh chord, which emphasizes some of the fundamental frequencys in that type of harmony; and finally, a bass harmonic ruler that shows off the low end of spectrum. Turn on each of these and change around the cuts and boosts to see and hear its effect on clarity, harmony and texture.
Adjust the desk level slider to your preferred listen-in volume. It’s always nice to have a before and after comparison of your changes. To do so, pin this EQ tracing button, which will create a snapshot of your current settings. Then you can lay down this pinned curve overlaid on top in dashes of color (here: amber) and see what change you’ve made. Or if you’d rather hear the difference, click the exchange button, which swaps the live settings with those you’ve pinned. That way you can make an audible A/B test quickly, never compromising your work.
Return the paper back to zero to reset all your gains to one while maintaining frequency positions. Or, fold out the EQ completely and listen to the dry signal. The “inspect four zones” button also allow you to run a guided listening session. It will raise each band separately to give you an idea about how much of sound comes from the low shelf, the low-mid bell, the presence bell and air shelf. Each type of filter has its own characteristic, so this is a good way to hear what they are all doing. Make a manual adjustment to the keys or pins to stop the inspection whenever you like.
To control everything on the graph, position the graph window to focus the controls (keyboard users only). Use the arrow keys to adjust the gain of each band. Select a band using the number keys, and press the space bar to turn the audio feed on or off. The P key pins the currently viewed trace, the B key bypasses the EQ and the I key initiates an inspection. Shortcuts allow you to quickly try things out without fumbling for a mouse.
Experiment with relationship between the bands. Cut the lows/mids to clear the mud, add some bite by increasing the highs. Locate a nasty ring with the narrow Q of that peaking band and then expand its range to soften the sound. This is meant to be a playground where you can safely experiment, pushing the sliders to their extremes without fear of breakage. When you’re ready, jump in and begin sculpting your own sound.
You should of tryed it out for yourself. It would of been more fun if the buttons was bigger.