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User Manual
4. Applications & Techniques
© LA Audio 2004
14
4. Applications & Techniques
A graphic equaliser may be used in numerous situations, in many different ways. It is
impossible to document every implementation, but we hope that the following
examples will serve as a useful starting point.
4.1. Some Examples
a) Room equalisation
Every room, whether it be in a studio, theatre or home has a different acoustic
response, depending upon room dimensions, fixtures and fittings and any other
absorptive or reflective materials such as people, tables or mixing consoles. A graphic
equaliser may be used to "correct" the room, i.e. tailor the sound being reproduced so
that the room appears to have an even or "flat" response throughout the audio
frequency range, thus providing a correct reproduction of the original sound, improved
intelligibility, or helping to achieve loud volumes without an abrasive tonal character.
There are several ways of measuring a room's frequency response, and these are
usually all similar in technique, although differing in hardware. Using a Real-time
analyser, inconsistencies in the system’s frequency response can be detected and
corrected with the graphic EQ. Alternatively, adjustments can be made by ear in
response to trial system output, such as CD playback. It is important to remember that
the ear responds differently to the frequency spectrum at different volumes, so
adjustments made by ear should be done at or around the intended operational
volume.
While the graphic equaliser is a powerful tool, it is worth noting that speaker
positioning and balancing along with room adjustments such as using drapes will often
prove to be more effective solutions to balance issues than heavy-handed equalisation.
The graphic EQ is usually best for fine-tuning system response.
b) Sound-shaping
The graphic equaliser may be used to change an original sound to make it more
pleasing to the ear or to blend it in with other audio signals without overlap. This