3.5

117MainStage Effects
MainStage Linear Phase EQ extended parameters
Click the disclosure triangle at the lower left to display the extended parameters.
• Analyzer Decay slider and field: Set the decay rate (indB per second) of the Analyzer
curve. This is shown as a peak decay in Peak mode or an averaged decay in RMSmode.
MainStage Linear PhaseEQ use tips
Linear PhaseEQ is typically used as a mastering tool that is inserted into master or output
channel strips. The way you use Linear PhaseEQ depends on the audio material and
your intended outcome. A useful workflow for many situations is as follows:Set Linear
PhaseEQ to a flat response (no frequencies boosted or cut), turn on the Analyzer, then
play the audio signal. Watch the graphic display to see which parts of the frequency
spectrum have frequent peaks and which parts of the spectrum stay at a low level.
Pay attention to sections where the signal distorts or clips. Use the graphic display or
parameter controls to adjust the frequency bands.
You can reduce or eliminate unwanted frequencies and you can raise quieter frequencies to
make them more pronounced. You can adjust the center frequencies of bands 2 through 7
to affect a specific frequency—either one you want to emphasize, such as the root note of
the music, or one you want to eliminate, such as hum or other noise. Use the Qparameter
or parameters so that only a narrow range of frequencies is affected.
You can adjust the decibel scale of the graphic display by vertically dragging either the left
or right edge of the dB scale when the Analyzer is not active. When the Analyzer is active,
dragging the left edge adjusts the AnalyzerdB scale, and dragging the right edge adjusts
the lineardB scale.
To increase the resolution of the EQcurve display in the area around the zero line, drag the
left side of thedB scale upward. Drag downward to decrease the resolution.
Process Mid-Side recordings with Linear Phase EQ
Mid-Side routing effectively splits a stereo signal into separate stereo and mono signals.
This allows discrete processing of each signal. See Stereo miking techniques for a
description of Mid-Side (MS) recordings.
1. In MainStage, insert a Linear Phase EQ instance for each mode in the channel strip: one
for Mid, one for Side. You can also choose to insert a third instance for a stereo signal,
if an overall EQ is useful.
2. Choose a mode from the Processing pop-up menu:
• Mid Only: You hear only the sound of identical signals in each side, such as lead
vocals, and mono signals, such as bass or guitar parts.
• Side Only: You hear only the sound of the different signals in each side, such as
reverbs or backing vocals.
3. Turn on the Analyzer if required. See MainStage Linear PhaseEQ Analyzer.