The Problem with the Bitwig EQ

Hey folks, welcome back! Today, I want to talk about EQ Plus and some issues surrounding its behavior, especially when used in parallel. It’s not a big problem for me, but I know it’s been a concern for others in the community, so I want to explain it and give some suggestions for workarounds.

Key Points:

• Personal Stance on EQ Issues

  • Generally, if I don't like a device’s behavior, I just don’t use it.

  • Some people want Bitwig's EQs to work perfectly in every scenario, so I wanted to address the issue here.

• Phase Shift in EQ Plus

  • By default, EQ Plus has a slight phase shift, mostly noticeable in the top-end frequencies (around 20kHz).

  • The frequency response is still flat, so this phase shift isn’t a huge problem unless you're using EQ Plus in certain setups.

• Problems with EQ Plus in Parallel

  • When you use EQ Plus in parallel with the mix knob, it can create an unwanted notch at the top-end frequencies.

  • This only becomes a problem if you have frequencies at the top (around 20kHz) that you want to preserve.

• Parallel Processing with Same EQ Plus

  • If you use two EQ Plus devices in parallel, there’s no issue since they have the same latency.

  • But introducing another device with different latency (like a tool device or another EQ) can cause the notch problem.

• Using EQ Plus in Serial

  • If you use EQ Plus in serial (one after the other), the phase shift adds up and can create notch filters or all-pass filter effects.

  • This can be used creatively for sound design, but it’s not what EQ Plus was necessarily designed for.

• Comparison to EQ Five

  • EQ Five doesn’t have the phase shift issues that EQ Plus has.

  • However, EQ Five lacks features like the tilt control and global gain knob that EQ Plus offers, so you lose certain creative possibilities when using EQ Five.

• Bitwig’s Duality in Devices

  • Bitwig often offers devices that overlap in functionality but have different feature sets.

  • You may need to choose between devices like EQ Plus and EQ Five depending on your specific needs, but sometimes you need both, which can be a problem.

• My Approach to Using EQ Plus

  • I mostly use EQ Five because it’s more straightforward and reliable.

  • I use EQ Plus when I know I won’t use it in parallel or when I need its specific features like the tilt control.

Conclusion:

• EQ Plus isn’t a huge issue if used normally (not in parallel), but there are known problems when used in parallel or serial, especially with other devices that introduce latency.

• If you want to avoid these issues, EQ Five is a solid alternative, though it’s missing some of the advanced features of EQ Plus.

• I hope this helps you understand the problem and how to work around it, and maybe we’ll see a fix in future updates.

Let me know what you think in the comments, and if you found this video helpful!