Headphone correction EQ curves

gbd

New Member
Very useful:

github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq

He has compiled eq curves for most commonly available headphones. I was able to find the correction curve for the make/model I use and set that via the global eq settings on the AxeFXIII and it has improved the sound.

The data is presented as 5-band parametric, 10-band parametric, and 10-band graphic. It seems that the AxeFXIII supports only 5-band parametric or 10-band graphic on the global EQ, so I went with the 10-band graphic eq option there and it seems good. I'd recommend anyone using headphones regularly to give this a try.

Also, wish-list items: I think global eq presets would be great, or maybe a a dedicated headphone-out global eq page, and adding the 10-band parametric eq option there.
 
FYI you can take mimicing EQ correction (room adjusting EQ, headphone correction, etc.) to the next level by using the Tone Match feature. This allows you to take an EQ curve from any of these kinds of plugins and capture it in the Axe. You can then use the IR player to load it on the grid to use as you wish. One thing to note is some of the plugins might use dynamic EQ and dynamic filters to some degree which IR technology is not able to preserve.

If you want more detail, check out this thread where others helped to lead me to this solution.

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...ke-in-external-plugin-eq.166621/#post-2001544
 
Yes, the repo above also includes IR files. I'm not using it as a plugin, or anything like that, I just used the documentation per product to copy the settings over manuallly to the global eq output1 page of the AXEFX. I haven't tried the IR loader feature yet, but I think for my use case right now I would want to use global eq. I'm doing home recording and doing tracking and monitoring through headphones. My FX signal path is using output2 of the AXEFX to the DAW, then main monitor out of the DAW back through output1/headphones of the AXEFX (latency hasn't been an issue). I want the eq applied to my monitoring (global eq output1), but don't want it printed to the track I'm recording (no global eq output2), so using an IR block in the signal path wouldn't work in that scenario.
 
Last edited:
Very useful:

github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq

He has compiled eq curves for most commonly available headphones. I was able to find the correction curve for the make/model I use and set that via the global eq settings on the AxeFXIII and it has improved the sound.

The data is presented as 5-band parametric, 10-band parametric, and 10-band graphic. It seems that the AxeFXIII supports only 5-band parametric or 10-band graphic on the global EQ, so I went with the 10-band graphic eq option there and it seems good. I'd recommend anyone using headphones regularly to give this a try.

Also, wish-list items: I think global eq presets would be great, or maybe a a dedicated headphone-out global eq page, and adding the 10-band parametric eq option there.
I have the FM3, so would I just place a Graphic EQ or Parametric EQ right before my output block and follow the exact chart for my specific headphone model? Or are you changing both an EQ block before the output and global EQ settings?
 
Thank you for this. Im definitely going to try this out. I wish we had correction eq's for popular PA speakers and FRFRs too. I think this is very under explored.
The autoEQ works fantastic for headphones but as @Bruce4mayor, I always wondered if there are similar charts for powered PA speakers or ‘frfr’ like QSC and other manufacturers.
 
I have the FM3, so would I just place a Graphic EQ or Parametric EQ right before my output block and follow the exact chart for my specific headphone model? Or are you changing both an EQ block before the output and global EQ settings?
Any EQ block would be used for tone shaping however you like. The correction EQ settings go on the global EQ to make your headphones/monitoring more neutral.
 
The autoEQ works fantastic for headphones but as @Bruce4mayor, I always wondered if there are similar charts for powered PA speakers or ‘frfr’ like QSC and other manufacturers.

How do you use the autoeq? Using usb to you computer and there have the autoeq installed and then listening on headphones out of your computer etc? I’m using presonous and wonder how I can use that. Sounds great to get the ex’s. Maybe I can at least snitch the eq suggested for my headphones...hm.
 
Just be wary thats 2 IR blocks add 10% CPU usage to your presets.
I tried a speaker left and right test and the IR block keeps "Mono'ing" the stereo playback unfortunately

I have an input block > IR player 1 > Out 1
IR player 2 > Out 1

I have IR Play 1 to input mode to Left and vice versa to IR play 2
 
I tried a speaker left and right test and the IR block keeps "Mono'ing" the stereo playback unfortunately

I have an input block > IR player 1 > Out 1
IR player 2 > Out 1

I have IR Play 1 to input mode to Left and vice versa to IR play 2
Why not just run a second Cab Block, put the IR in both Cab1&2, pan them hard left and right and the Cab input in Stereo with the block at the end of the chain? This way it's all self contained.

Btw, I tried 1 of the correction EQs for my headphones and it really sounded great! Now if we could only have different types of Eq's allowed globally that we could name and save for different speakers and headphones, I would be in heaven :hearteyes:!
 
Why not just run a second Cab Block, put the IR in both Cab1&2, pan them hard left and right and the Cab input in Stereo with the block at the end of the chain? This way it's all self contained.

Btw, I tried 1 of the correction EQs for my headphones and it really sounded great! Now if we could only have different types of Eq's allowed globally that we could name and save for different speakers and headphones, I would be in heaven :hearteyes:!
True that's probably a better option , but I'm worried the cab block might color the IR with it's internal parameters i.e room level /air (I know I can just turn them down)

by which I mean, I know a cab block is essentially an IR player but there must be a reason why they each have a block of their own ?

which is why I chose two IR Players , at the end of the day I achieved what I wanted regardless
 
...I know a cab block is essentially an IR player but there must be a reason why they each have a block of their own ?
The IR Player is for those times when all you have to do is run a single IR, and you don't want to spend the extra CPU that the Cab block uses to do all that it can do.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom