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i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
hey guys i need help to get the best Eq settings for the piano sound someone who can help me or write what numbers i should set the Effect EQ on ?
- Aleksander music
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Equalization is a matter of personal tastes and also depends on the Piano sample and the speakers/headphones you use... there are no "best settings" in absolute, you need to try yourself based on what you hear (do you want more Basses, more Trebles...?)
Last edited by maxpiano on 09 Nov 2018, 11:49, edited 2 times in total.
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maxpiano - Patch Creator
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
As maxpiano said, only you can find the best values for your particular audio chain.
In my experience, besides adapting the bass and treble values to your particular situation, the midrange around 1...2 kHz plays a crucial role in getting the sound "right". My steps usually are these: Set the Mid EQ frequency at around 1.5kHz for a start, but leave the level at 0. Then adjust the bass level to your liking, but leave treble at 0. After that, adjust the level of the Mid EQ, in order to get the most natural sound for piano. It's really hard to tell where you will end up here. After that, adjust the treble.
But that's just a first approximation - you need to go back and forth, making finer adjustments to the Mid EQ frequency and all other parameters. You will get the hang of it after a while. Good luck!
In my experience, besides adapting the bass and treble values to your particular situation, the midrange around 1...2 kHz plays a crucial role in getting the sound "right". My steps usually are these: Set the Mid EQ frequency at around 1.5kHz for a start, but leave the level at 0. Then adjust the bass level to your liking, but leave treble at 0. After that, adjust the level of the Mid EQ, in order to get the most natural sound for piano. It's really hard to tell where you will end up here. After that, adjust the treble.
But that's just a first approximation - you need to go back and forth, making finer adjustments to the Mid EQ frequency and all other parameters. You will get the hang of it after a while. Good luck!
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maurus - Posts: 456
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Search this forum. There have been multiple threads that talked about approaches to using EQ on the pianos.
Mike from Central NJ, USA
Tools: Ten fingers, two feet, middle-age brain, questionable judgement and taste
Nords: Piano 5 73, Stage 2EX 76 HP, Electro 6D 73
Tools: Ten fingers, two feet, middle-age brain, questionable judgement and taste
Nords: Piano 5 73, Stage 2EX 76 HP, Electro 6D 73
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Rusty Mike - Posts: 903
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Sometimes a request for advice on EQ settings means the OP is not happy overall with the sound.
Just in case you running with a single speaker, try the Royal Grand.
Just in case you running with a single speaker, try the Royal Grand.
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harmonizer - Posts: 505
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Agreed. There are such wide variances in amplification. And EQ isn't going to fix crappy amplification. All it can do is make you cringe a little less when you hear yourself play.
I think I have gear issues ....
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cphollis - Posts: 1576
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
I use theEq on my Stage Barely on few songs, when it's obvious that the Eq was made to give a proper Color to the sound, a proper " Special effect with EQ". Rest of the time, I'm running my EQ flat!!!!
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Quai34 - Posts: 1874
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Aleksander music wrote:hey guys i need help to get the best Eq settings for the piano sound someone who can help me or write what numbers i should set the Effect EQ on ?
The "best" EQ for a natural piano sound is none. If the piano sound could universally, clearly be better with different EQ, Nord would do it, rather than expect you to do it... they're not going to intentionally ship a piano that needs untrained ears to make it sound the way it should.
You could want to adjust it for your particular room, or your particular amp, or just to your personal taste. Obviously, nobody can give you the "right numbers" for any of those things (except maybe their suggestions for a given amp, if they are using the same amp as you are). There are some tools that can make it easier (you might find it interesting to experiment with a spectrum analyzer app on your smartphone), but honestly, most players aren't doing that, and it's probably nothing you need to be dealing with at this point either. Is there a particular problem you're trying to solve? Does it not sound good to you through your amp? You could also look into a better amp. An EQ might make an amp sound better, but it's not likely to make it sound as good as a simply using a better amp to begin with.
Some other uses for EQ could be for special effects, to make it cut through in a mix of particular other instruments, or to come closer to approximating the sound of some other piano (perhaps on a given recording you're trying to emulate). Again, these are not fixed numbers anyone could give you. An EQ is not about knowing the numbers to plug in. It's about using your ears and understanding the controls so you can tune it to the sound you're personally looking for in a given situation (or, as mentioned, sometimes using it in conjunction with other tools, to correct for specific problems).
Last edited by anotherscott on 10 Nov 2018, 17:56, edited 1 time in total.
- anotherscott
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Gambold, I generally agree with you about EQ on acoustic pianos (which is what the OP asked about), except in particular situations I mentioned. But I put Rhodes in a different category. A piano sample should sound like the piano sounded in the room, there is a known target. A Rhodes recorded "direct" will not sound like any Rhodes anyone ever played... like an electric guitar, the Rhodes makes almost no sound until put through amplification. (Except Suitcase models which could be played through their own amp/speaker cabinet.) So any direct sampled Rhodes is not going to sound like a Rhodes in the room unless you also duplicate the characteristics of the rest of the signal chain, which is usually amp simulation and very possible EQ (especially if any tone controls were used on the amp). Unlike an acoustic piano, the sound we're looking for isn't necessarily actually in the raw sample.
- anotherscott
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Re: i need help for some EQ settings for piano sound
Gambold wrote:I'm not a fan of EQ. It's an admission that the player believes the sample is flawed, at least through the amplification he/she is using at the time.
Huh. You're seeing it as a correctional tool, rather than as part of what shapes the instrument (which is what it actually is).
With samples, as with any recording: You're not hearing The Instrument As It Was; you're hearing decisions the engineer made when recording it.
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analogika - Posts: 3288
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