New Music Gear Monday: Audiothing Blindfold EQ Plugin
One of the the things I always tell people who are just starting to mix is to “mix with your ears and not your eyes.” It’s way too easy to get caught up into what you think something should look like rather than what it really sounds like. Not only does this logic apply to what happens on the timeline, but it extends to all the audio processing as well. That’s why the Blindfold EQ plugin by Audiothing is so useful. It has no markings on any of the parameters so you’re forced to use your ears whether you want to or not.
Blindfold EQ is a simple four band EQ with the top and bottom band shelving and the middle two parametric. Top and bottom bands have a Frequency control and a Gain control. The mid bands add a Q control. All bands have In/Out selectors. There’s also an output section with a master level control and Analog and Soft Clip selections. The display window is resizable and there’s also a preset randomizer for some fun.
Once again, all of these controls are blind (hence the name) in that there are no markings. You can’t tell which frequency you’ve selected, and you can’t tell how much of each you’ve added or attenuated. For the mid bands, you can’t tell how wide or narrow the Q is. Does it matter? Well, does it sound good or not? That should be the only thing that counts.
I think this would be a great EQ to learn on and I’d recommend it for anyone who can’t seem to get the EQ down. Yes, there are basic principles that always work (wide Q’s for boost and narrow ones for cut, for example), but it all comes down to what your ears tell you, not your eyes.
I know there have been times where I’ve looked at a processor and stopped what I was doing because the numbers either looked right or wrong, but that should never enter into it. What your ears are telling you should be the only thing that counts.
The best thing about the Blindfold EQ plugin is that it’s totally FREE. You don’t need an iLok and you don’t need an Internet connection other than to download it. Thank you kindly Audiothing.
You can get it here by just entering your name and email address. That’s a pretty good trade.
