EQ1979 - Neve 1073 strip modeling [jsfx]

[BellesOndes]

EQ1979 is a frequency accurate modeling of a Neve 1073 filter stage combined with an input gain-compensated saturation.

Major Update, new slick GUI by Fluidshell Design and redesigned preamp model
0.96 version is only available here and on Github, will be released on Reapack as soon as it gest to V1



EQ1979 models all the sonically appealing bumps and drops that shape the sound of these original console strips. Those analog filtering stages with many capacitance/inductors resonances are reproduced, including input transformer contribution.

It also includes an input saturation stage that provides smooth saturation with automatic gain compensation. The first two third of the control range add slik-soft arctan based saturation, whereas the last third adds some DC bias error just like in a real class A analog console strip. Input can be trimmed after saturation upon preference thanks to the Trim control.

- Neve-inspired GUI was designed by Steph at Fluidshell Design. Many thanks for his kind contribution to the project.
- All signal processing methods are derived from the excellent CookDSP library by Olivier Bélanger.
- Designed by cascading ~40 peq/butterworth filters to reproduce frequency response, bumps and drops of the original console strip,
- Neve-inspired GUI with big knobs and that slick Neve soft blue background.
- Input saturation based on brute "arctan" sat which is gain-compensated.
- Includes additional independant gain trimming.

Documentation : http://bellesondes.fr/wiki/doku.php?id=eq1979

Controls :
Drive: Input saturation from 0 to 100% : Mouse left Click - vertical drag
Trim : Input gain trimming from -24 to +24 dB : Mouse left click - Vertical Drag OR Mouse wheel
High : High shelf shaped filter Gain from -16 to +16dB : Mouse left Click - vertical drag
Mid : Mid Bell shaped filter Gain from -18 to +18dB : Mouse left Click - vertical drag
Mid Frequency : Mid Bell center frequency, “Off” means inactive : Mouse left click - Vertical Drag OR Mouse wheel
Low : Low shelf shaped filter Gain from -16 to +16dB : Mouse left Click - vertical drag
Low Frequency : Low shelf corner frequency, “Off” means inactive : Mouse left click - Vertical Drag OR Mouse wheel
HPF : High pass filter corner frequency, “Off” means inactive : Mouse left click - Vertical Drag OR Mouse wheel
EQ : Enables/Disables EQ : Mouse Left Click
Phi : Enables/Disables phase inversion : Mouse Left Click
On all controls, Right Mouse Click resets to default value. Notably, Drives comes back to 0%, Trim to 0dB, Filter Gains to 0dB, and Frequency settings to “Off”.
Right clicking on the lower right corner of the UI displays/hides reaper native slider controls.



Download V0.96 :
Standalone file : https://github.com/D4p0up/eq1979/releases/tag/beta096
Github : https://github.com/D4p0up/eq1979
Reapack (coming for V1)


Versions :
- Beta 0.96
* New slick GUI By Fluidshell Design !
* Improved saturation with progressive bias error
* Electrical components noise modeling added
* Frequency band controls can now be set/reset using mouse click too (mousewheel still).
* Right clicking on the lower right corner of the UI displays/hides reaper native slider controls.
- Beta 0.95
* Improved modeling of HPF and Low Shelf filter responses
* 10Hz parameter smoothing on Low, Mid and High frequency gain parameters for automation-safe operation
- Beta 0.94 - internal bugfixing stage never released
- Beta 0.93
* HPF frequency response tuned with expected bump
* Testing parameter smoothing on HPF
* Correcting minor GUI bugs on switching to +-16dB for shelfs
- Beta 0.92 :
* GUI : Added mousex lock on control change, no more control swapping when adjusting parameter
* Lowered low and high shelf EQ max gain down to 16dB as per original 1073 design
* Added EQ On/Off and Phase buttons as per original 1073 design
* minor tweaks
- Beta 0.91 - Low Shelf GUI Fix and Sat mouse speed increase by 25%
- Beta 0.9 - First release

This was developped by analysing datasheet and pulling out in a retry-on error fashion an "equivalent" frequency response. This using both plugindoctor and ear tests VS the latest UAD 1073 emulation plugin.
Filter methods are derived from Oliver Belanger's COOKDSP library - Copyright (c) - 2014 - Olivier Belanger

Here are some of the final comparison diagrams, orange/blue curves are UAD Neve 1073 native plugin L/R channel, pink is EQ1979:

Raw static with mid engaged (with typical 1073 mid bump)


Typical Neve "Air" 14dB high boost (with its mid drop)


Typical Neve Mid "front push" 14dB 1.6k boost


To Do :
- Implement parameter smoothing to avoid glitches during automation,
- Low shelf filter bumps
- BLower high pass input filter to ear accurate model

[JonLinnarson]

Very nicely done! The GUI looks great, and the EQ sounds lovely.

Is it oversampled in any way? I couldn't see any oversampling code just by skimming through the code.

[BellesOndes]

Thanks for the nice words. No there is no oversamlping for the moment. I did add steep lpf around 20khz and nothing more considering that using Reaper's built-in oversampling would do the trick. I hope this is sufficient, otherwise I'll go deeper this way.

[elcalen]

Seems pretty nice! One or two very minor UI things I noticed when I briefly tested it: if I'm dragging a knob and my mouse happens to move sideways closer to another knob, it starts adjusting that knob instead. Also the drive knob seemed to move rather slowly compared to other knobs.

[BellesOndes]

Thanks for the feedback. Mouse management does not include parameter protection which is something UI lacks of, definitely. Will be adding this.

I'll look at gain movement speed. Saturation and makeup gain are things I tend to adjust at very slow speed during mixing to hear evolution, which is why it is slow for now.

[elcalen]

Originally Posted by BellesOndes

Saturation and makeup gain are things I tend to adjust at very slow speed during mixing to hear evolution, which is why it is slow for now.

Yeah, that makes sense, and this is obviously a matter of taste. Super high settings here are probably not something you'd need very often in actual use. It just bugged me a little when testing it that I couldn't easily go from one end to the other to compare the sound.

[JonLinnarson]

Okay! That's why I asked. It's good to know if you should use 2-4x oversampling if you want to drive the plug-in hard

The only thing that sets this plug-in apart from some the best 1073 emulations that I've tried is that the saturation sounds maybe a bit cold/harsh, but the filters themselves sound absolutely perfect! This might just be the best free 1073 emulation I've heard actually. Maybe not that strange since it's so close to UAD's version

[TonE]

Thanks for sharing.

[mawi]

Interesting, why did you choose the frequencies 50 Hz, 80 Hz , 160 Hz, 300 Hz for the low band and not 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz, 220 Hz as in the original?

I compared 3 Neve 1073 plug-in emulations. They all make different curves.

[BellesOndes]

It actually mimics the original exactly, here is the setup:
- 50 Hz, 80 Hz , 160 Hz, 300 Hz is for the highpass filter (blue knob)
- 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz, 220 Hz is for the low shelf (righmost grey knob)

In the GUI picture here, rightmost grey knob is "Off", using mouse wheel turns it on and you can chose among 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz, 220 Hz

hope this clarifies.

[mawi]

Originally Posted by BellesOndes

It actually mimics the original exactly, here is the setup:
- 50 Hz, 80 Hz , 160 Hz, 300 Hz is for the highpass filter (blue knob)
- 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz, 220 Hz is for the low shelf (righmost grey knob)

In the GUI picture here, rightmost grey knob is "Off", using mouse wheel turns it on and you can chose among 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz, 220 Hz

hope this clarifies.

Not really, that's how it looks to me.



But all in one good work, thank you!