8
The VITALIZER is the creative sound component in the EQ MAGIX. It works
»intelligently«, provided the appropriate parameters are preselected. This
means that it does not just raise or lower a certain frequency range but
analyses the signal and reacts to it, influencing the frequency and phase
response in a sophisticated fashion.
Independently of the potentiometer settings on the front panel, the
V
ITALIZER filter system can correlate the phase and amplitude relations of
adjacent frequency bands in such a way that the increasing amplitude of a
frequency is given a growing phase drift which, however, can never
endanger the signal's mono compatibility. The maximum phase drift is +/-
20° which equals a time difference of around 1 ms to 2.5 ms. This time
span is sufficient to trigger two hearing perceptions. Quiet frequencies
which are normally masked by louder ones are effectively demasked and
thus become audible.
The front panel also accommodates controls to define the bass sound
colour (S
OFT/TIGHT), the starting frequency of the MID-HI TUNE filter, the
P
ROCESS intensity and the addition of the harmonics.
The B
ASS control provides up to 20 dB gain, thus affecting the direction
of the phase drift by the bass sound colour selected. The fact that the phase
drift is controlled by the amplitude means that even high bass amplifica-
tion remains free from negative sound colouration in the lower mid range.
The mid-high frequency filter (M
ID-HI TUNE) works with shelving filters
which provide »linear« broadband amplification. This rules out any comb
filter effects which create sound distortions similar to those produced by
graphic equalizers.
The P
ROCESS control determines the addition of the bass sound selected
and the M
ID-HI TUNE filter to the dry signal. In addition, dominant mid
frequencies are lowered by phase shifts which means that as the P
ROCESS
value increases, they are adapted automatically to curves of equal
loudness (Fletcher-Munson curves). The P
ROCESS is, in a manner of spea-
king, an »intelligent« loudness control which can be used to set the typical
»bath-tub« curves on graphic EQ's by turning one potentiometer.
The H
ARMONICS circuitry provides a silky sounding, refreshed version of
the original signal. This proves particularly beneficial for voices and acoustic
instruments. No distortions are added to the original as there is no Exciter
involved. The filters merely amplify the harmonic tones contained in the
original.
The EQ MAGIX is constructed like a mixing desk channel. Direct recor-
dings can be made on to a recording medium (multi-track machine or hard
disk) which means that one less mixer channel is required.
The V
ITALIZER
is the creative sound
component in the EQ MAGIX.
The internal signal processing of
the V
ITALIZER
correlates the phase
with the amplitude in such a way
that masking effects in the original
signal are compensated.
The bass sound colours:
S
OFT
& T
IGHT
The M
ID
-H
I
T
UNE
filter provides
shelving filtering with a broad
bandwidth which therefore sounds
very neutral.
The P
ROCESS
control adapts the
output signal to the curves of
equal loudness, thus realizing an
intelligent loudness concept.
The H
ARMONICS
filter stage accen-
tuates even and odd harmonics.
The concept of sound processing in the EQ MAGIX