By TOM BOWSER
The following tips enable you to solo a single filter on the EQ 3 - 1, 4 or 7-Band EQs included with Pro Tools. Soloing an EQ filter can help you find and isolate frequencies with precision. Using the EQ in this manner is referred to as putting the EQ in "Band-Pass monitoring mode".
I'm using the HMF filter (high mid frequency) of the EQ 3 4-Band in my example below. The process I describe also works with the HPF, LF, LMF, MF and HF filters.
To solo a filter:
- Insert an EQ3 4-Band EQ on a channel/track.
- Turn the top knob (the Q control) of the HMF (high mid frequency) filter clockwise to a setting of 10.
- Begin playback of the track you want to EQ (equalize). Looping the track or section you want to EQ can work well for this process.
- Press and hold down the SHIFT + Windows key.
- Left click and hold down the mouse button on the FREQ (frequency) knob of the HMF (high mid frequency) filter. I've circled the frequency knob in red within the image below. I've drawn a red line around the HMF filter.
- Left click on then move the frequency knob. As soon as you move the frequency knob the filter becomes "soloed" enabling you to make precise EQ adjustments. It will become the only active (working) EQ filter (see image below).
- Slowly sweep to the left then to the right until you hear a frequency (if any) you want to boost (increase) or cut (decrease).
- Release the SHIFT and Windows key once you've found the frequency range you want to boost or cut.
- Increase to boost or decrease to cut/reduce the gain level of the HMF filter as needed.
TIPS:
- Instead of moving the frequency knob to "solo" the HMF filter you can left click and hold down the mouse button on the small colored ball (called a control dot) of the filter while dragging it slowly left or right to solo the filter. Dragging the control dot upward will increase the GAIN/output level of the filter and downward movement decreases the gain level.
- Experiment with the Q control to either increase or decrease the frequency range affected by the filter. The Q control is the top control of each filter.
- Pressing and holding down the SHIFT key on your keyboard.
- Left clicking on the control dot of the filter in the Frequency Graph display or its Gain knob in the plug-in window.
