Cubase 11 Frequency 2 Audio Example 02

Audio examples to accompany the September 2021 Sound On Sound magazine article. This example illustrates the use of the external side-chain input to Frequency 2’s dynamic EQ bands. The audio example is split into two sections as follows: (1) the original mix with no EQ applied to the sustained pad sound; and (2) the same mix but, as described in the main text, with three dynamic EQ bands active on the pad track, side-chained from the bass, guitar and vocal tracks. The dynamic EQ bands ensure that the pad’s frequencies that overlap with the bass, guitar and vocal are compressed (ducked) when each of those three instruments are present. In combination, they dynamically remove elements of the pad sound below 500Hz. I’ve exaggerated the settings used here to make the difference more obvious. Similarly, the Attack and Release times on the vocal side-chain band have been set so that you can hear the effect of the dynamic EQ more clearly (the pad’s tone changes and you can hear a change in level) as the vocal comes in and out of the arrangement. By adjusting the Attack and Release times, you can create a more transparent result, if preferred.