FaBFilter Pro Q is probably the device you use the most when mixing and working, so you need a top-notch add-on. With FabFilter Pro-Q 3, you get the best possible sound quality, a broad overview of features, and a clean, creative interface for easy use. It is a VST engine sound module with unusual sound mixing techniques. Dec 08, 2020 Download FabFilter Pro-Q 3. High-quality equalizer plug-in 3.17 — Dec 8, 2020 Download for macOS (14.23 MB) 64-bit plug-ins in all formats.
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- The Display is 4k and Can be Made Full-Screen
- You can Zoom In on Specific Frequencies
- Up to 24 Dynamic Bands can be Created
- EQ Matching Allows for an Inverse EQ Technique
- Bands can be Snapped to Notes Using a Piano Roll
- There are 9 Available Filter Types and a Gain-Q Setting
- 7 Different Latency Types Make it Perfect for Mastering
- Frequency Collision Indication is Available
- Each Band Can be Isolated
- Mid-Side, Stereo, and Left-Right Placements are Offered
The FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is a popular, yet rarely fully understood plugin.Whether you’re using it for mixing or mastering, there are some features that may have slipped past you.
That’s why we wanted to highlight some of the obvious and not-so-obvious aspects of the Pro-Q 3.
We’ll cover some of it’s rarely discussed features as well as discuss how they’re useful.Additionally, we’ll listen to real-time examples of some of these features, so check that out in the video embedded above.
If you’re an artist or an engineer, and you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us here:
We’ll master it for you and send you a sample to review.
1. The Display is 4k and Can be Made Full-Screen
Plugins can often be resized, but a full-screen mode isn’t common.By clicking the arrows icon in the bottom right of the plugin you can alternate between 5 window sizes.
But, if you’re looking to really focus on what you’re doing, you can make the plugin full-screen by clicking the box icon in the top right.
What’s great is that since the plugin’s resolution is 4k, it looks just as good on full screen as it does when minimized.
2. You can Zoom In on Specific Frequencies
If maximizing the window to full-screen wasn’t enough, the Pro-Q 3 lets you zoom in on the frequency spectrum.
To do this, hover your cursor over the text of a particular frequency in the main window.Once the text is highlighted white, click, and use your mouse or track-pad to zoom in.
Although this doesn’t seem crucial at first, this can be really helpful if you’re trying to create a very specific band shape, or combine multiple bands.
Like some of the things on this list, this feature is pretty easy to miss if you don’t know about it beforehand.
For more EQ plugins, check out our video of 10 free ones:
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3. Up to 24 Dynamic Bands can be Created
Many of us know that the Pro-Q 3 can make up to 24 bands – but it’s surprising to hear that each one of these bands can be made dynamic.
After you create a band right click it and select ‘make dynamic.’
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The band is now dynamic based-on an automatic threshold.You can fine-tune this threshold in the band’s window below – but if you’re in doubt, the automatic setting works pretty well.
This dynamic equalization can be used for both compression and expansion.To alternate between these 2, grab the translucent bands with the arrows, and move them either up to expand, or down to compress.
4. EQ Matching Allows for an Inverse EQ Technique
Another great feature of the Pro-Q 3 is EQ matching which allows for one of my favorite eq techniques.
It’s called an inverse eq technique and is used to separate the frequency spectrums of 2 similar instruments or groups.
Place the Pro-Q 3 on 1 of the 2 tracks you want to affect, then use the side-chain to include the other track or instrument bus.
Next, in the analyzer section at the bottom of the plugin, click on EQ Match, then change the reference to your external side chain.
Play the track and let the EQ mirror the two frequencies.After some time has past click Match, then use all 24 bands available and select Finish.
After deleting some of the more extreme bands, highlight all bands at once.Using the Gain rotary, slowly invert the gain of all bands.Use your discretion and avoid making this effect too extreme.
By matching the 2 tracks, and then inverting the bands that make them match, we make them even more distinct from one another.
5. Bands can be Snapped to Notes Using a Piano Roll
The Piano icon in the bottom left of the plugin is easy to miss – it’s small, somewhat grayed out, and is a part of the plugin you wouldn’t think to look.
By clicking on it, a piano roll comes up at the bottom of the main window.You’ll notice that any bands that have been created show up on this roll as a colored dot.
Drags these dots to snap the frequency of the band to that of a note in the scale.This is incredibly useful if you want to accent the key of an instrument’s performance or attenuate any dissonant frequencies.
6. There are 9 Available Filter Types and a Gain-Q Setting
The Pro-Q 3 offers an impressive 9 filter types, including:
Bell, Low Shelf, High-pass, High Shelf, Low-pass, Notch, Bandpass, tilt shelf, and flat tilt.With the exception of the flat tilt, each of these filter types can have their slope altered from 6dB pre octave to 96dB per octave.
Furthermore, the bell filter can be combined with a Gain-Q setting, which mimics the effect of increased gain on the Q of a band, similar to analog consoles.
7. 7 Different Latency Types Make it Perfect for Mastering
A lot of plugins offer linear phase options, but few offer as many at the Pro-Q 3.With 7 different latency options, you can craft the timbre of your track to better suit what you’re trying to accomplish.
If you’re trying to perform basic equalization or use the plugin in a live setting, zero latency is great.If you want to more closely emulate the phase relationships of an analog console, try the Natural phase option.
Or if you’d prefer to have a super clean sound without the introduction of phase cancellation, try the 5 linear phase modes.Keep in mind that these will increase your latency – but are great when you’re mastering and want as transparent of a sound as possible.
If you want more plugins for mastering, here’s a video on that topic:
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8. Frequency Collision Indication is Available
Sometimes it’s difficult to hear when frequencies are clashing – fortunately, the Pro-Q 3 lets you visual these issues using the Frequency Collision option.
When other tracks are present, you can use the side-chain feature to allow the plugin to measure their spectrums.Then, under the analyzer section, you can enable the function.
Any frequencies that are conflicting with one another will be highlighted as a red bar that varies in intensity.Keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to attenuate these areas in one track or another.
9. Each Band Can be Isolated
If you’re looking to hear just one band, the isolated feature lets you do just that.
By clicking on the headphones icon the essentially solo all frequencies that are affected by that band.If you’re not seeing this option, click the Help button on the top of the plugin, and select ‘Show EQ Parameter Display.’
This causes the needed window to appear.
10. Mid-Side, Stereo, and Left-Right Placements are Offered
Allow it’s an equalizer first and foremost, the Pro-Q 3 makes for a fantastic stereo imager.By allowing you to separate the signal into mid, side, left and right channels, you can widen or narrow your stereo image.
For example, you can use a high-shelf filer on the sideband to increase the stereo width of the high frequencies.Or maybe a high-pass band on the side-image to make your low frequencies mono.
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Furthermore, you can affect the overall stereo image by switching the output to mid-side, and then decreasing the gain of the mid-image.
Whatever the case may be, the channel image options make the Pro-Q 3 suitable for advanced stereo imaging.
Conclusion
Whether you’re mixing or mastering, equalizing, widening your stereo image, and even compressing or expanding, the Pro-Q 3 has a lot to offer.
The 4k display and various display features make the plugin one of the most versatile and intuitive equalizers available.
If the plugin has some more hidden or lesser-discussed features that we didn’t cover here, let us know in the comment section of the video!
If you’re an artist or an engineer, and you have a mix that you need mastered, send it to us here:
We’ll master it for you and send you a sample to review.
Fabfilter Pro Q 3 Manual
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FabFilter releases FabFilter Pro-Q 3 equalizer plug-in with dynamic EQ
November 29, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FabFilter is proud to announce the availability of FabFilter Pro-Q 3, a major update to the acclaimed Pro-Q equalizer plugin. Pro-Q 3 improves on its predecessor in every area, introducing dynamic EQ, surround support, per-band mid/side processing and much more, while maintaining the pristine sound quality and exceptional ease of use for which Pro-Q has always been known.
Integrated dynamic EQ
Pro-Q 3 adds the ability to switch any of its 24 bands to Dynamic EQ mode, with a simple, elegant workflow: just raise or lower the Dynamic Range ring around the Gain knob to apply smooth compression or expansion to that band. An intelligent algorithm automatically chooses program-dependent attack, release and knee settings, while the Threshold can be set automatically, according to the input signal level, or manually. And, of course, dynamic EQ bands continue to operate with perfect analog matching and support Linear Phase mode.
Surround support
Pro-Q 3 works with all major surround formats, up to Dolby Atmos 7.1.2. The plugin automatically configures itself to the multichannel format of the hosting surround track, and an intuitive selection panel enables EQ adjustment of multiple channels together.
Mid/side processing
Pro-Q has long been able to work its equalization magic on the mid or side channels in a stereo signal, as well as left and right, and with Pro-Q 3, this functionality becomes even more flexible. Each individual band can now be set to process only the Mid, Side, Left, Right or Stereo channels, so you can get truly surgical with your stereo frequency-shaping on a band-by-band basis.
New filter types
Pro-Q 3 adds to Pro-Q 2's multitude of filter types with the all-new Flat Tilt shape, applying a flat tilting correction curve to the entire audible spectrum. And for those occasions when even the super steep 96dB/octave roll-off slope isn't precise enough, the Low and High Cut filter types can now be set to Brickwall mode for the ultimate in top/bottom attenuation.
Improved spectrum analyzer and Spectrum Grab
Pro-Q 3's spectrum analyzer makes it easier than ever to find and correct problem frequencies in the mix. Activate the new collision detection to view clashes between your source signal and the spectrum of any other Pro-Q 3 instance in the session, and get an instant handle on the most important peaks in Spectrum Grab mode with frequency/note labels.
Key features:
- Professional mastering-grade EQ plugin with exceptional sound quality
- Up to 24 bands with a huge range of filter types
- Dynamic EQ option for every band
- 6-96dB/octave slopes for all filter types
- Additional Brickwall slope for the High Cut and Low Cut filters
- Per-band Stereo, Left, Right, Mid or Side mode
- Zero Latency, Natural Phase and Linear Phase processing modes
- Extremely efficient processing and low memory usage
- Surround support, including Dolby Atmos 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 formats with flexible surround channel linking
- Adapts automatically to stereo, mono and surround channel layouts
- Intelligent multiband selection and editing
- Intelligent band solo mode
- Powerful real-time spectrum analyzer
- External spectrum visualization from any other Pro-Q 3 instance in the session, including collision detection
- Spectrum Grab: grab and adjust a peak directly in the spectrum analyzer
- EQ Match for imposing the tonal characteristics of one signal on another
- Piano Display switches the frequency scale to musical note values
- Separate Mastering (3/6dB) and Mixing (12/30dB) display ranges
- Undo/redo and A/B comparison
- Beautiful, responsive, resizable GPU-accelerated graphical interface with full-screen mode
- MIDI Learn with option to control the currently active band
- Retina support on macOS and High DPI support on Windows
- Supports common Pro Tools hardware control surfaces
FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is now available for EUR 149, USD 179 or GBP 134, supporting both Windows and macOS in VST and VST 3, Audio Units, AAX and AudioSuite plug-in formats. Bundles with FabFilter Pro-Q 3 and other FabFilter plug-ins are also available at: www.fabfilter.com/shop.
Existing FabFilter customers can purchase or upgrade to FabFilter Pro-Q 3 with very attractive discounts by logging into their online user account: www.fabfilter.com/myaccount.
System requirements are either Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP and a VST 2/3 host or Pro Tools, or Mac OS X 10.8 or higher with Intel processor, and an Audio Units host, VST 2/3 host, or Pro Tools. Both 64-bit and 32-bit hosts are supported.