SoniqWare PE 1

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
p. 1
Foreword
This manual and the software described are subject to a License Agreement and may only be
used accordingly. SoniqWare is not in any way obligated by its content, and changes may be
made to this manual without prior notice. VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media
Technologies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

p. 2
License Agreement
Software License
This Software is licensed, not sold, to you by SoniqWare, and can only be used under the
terms and conditions of this License Agreement. The license is non-exclusive and nontransferable.
License Grant
You may install and use the Software on up to two computers, provided you are the only user.
A license must be acquired for each individual user of the Software. You may make one copy
of the Software for backup purposes.
Restrictions
You may not decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or modify the Software or any part
thereof. You may not attempt to derive the source code or create derivative work of the
Software or any part thereof.
You may not rent, lease, lend, sublicense, distribute, transfer, network, or electronically
transmit the Software. You may not make the Software available for download.
Copyrights
SoniqWare remains the sole owner and copyright holder of the Software and of its manual.
The Software and its manual are protected by copyright laws and international treaty
provisions. Therefore, you must treat the Software and its manual like any other copyrighted
material.
Disclaimer of Warranties and Limited Liability

SONIQWARE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES. THE SOFTWARE AND ITS
MANUAL ARE PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE USE, QUALITY, PERFORMANCE AND
ACCURACY OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU.
IN NO EVENTS WILL SONIQWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF
BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS
INFORMATION, PECUNIARY LOSS, OR ANY OTHER SPECIAL INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF OR
INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE. THIS LIMITATION WILL APPLY EVEN IF
SONIQWARE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LICENSE FEE REFLECTS THIS ALLOCATION OF
RISK.
SONIQWARE IS NOT OBLIGATED TO FURNISH OR MAKE AVAILABLE TO YOU
ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, MANUAL, DOCUMENTATION,
CORRECTIONS, OR SUPPORT.
General
The Belgian law will govern the interpretation and enforceability of this Agreement.

p. 3
Table of Contents
Foreword .................................................................................................................................... 2
License Agreement .................................................................................................................... 3
Software License ................................................................................................................... 3
License Grant......................................................................................................................... 3
Restrictions ............................................................................................................................ 3
Copyrights ............................................................................................................................. 3
Disclaimer of Warranties and Limited Liability .................................................................... 3
General .................................................................................................................................. 3
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5
Purchase, Installation and Activation......................................................................................... 7
Purchase ................................................................................................................................. 7
Web Store .......................................................................................................................... 7
Important Information ....................................................................................................... 7
Security ............................................................................................................................. 7
Activation .......................................................................................................................... 7
Installation ............................................................................................................................. 8
Running the plug-in ............................................................................................................... 8
Quick Start Guide ...................................................................................................................... 9
GUI Organization .................................................................................................................. 9
Graphical Display .................................................................................................................. 9
Programs and Banks Section ............................................................................................... 10
Selection Displays ............................................................................................................... 11
Operation in Details ................................................................................................................. 13
GUI Organization ................................................................................................................ 13
Filter Types .......................................................................................................................... 14
Operation of Controls .......................................................................................................... 15
Knobs .............................................................................................................................. 15
Sliders.............................................................................................................................. 15
Selection boxes................................................................................................................ 16
Individual Controls .............................................................................................................. 16
Low-Cut and High-Cut Strips ......................................................................................... 16
General Band Strips ........................................................................................................ 17
Shape Controls ................................................................................................................ 17
Global .............................................................................................................................. 18
Display ............................................................................................................................ 19
Vu-Meters ....................................................................................................................... 19
Banks and Programs ........................................................................................................ 19
Technical Information .............................................................................................................. 20
Specifications....................................................................................................................... 20
System Requirements .......................................................................................................... 20
Technical Considerations .................................................................................................... 20
Frequency Tuning ........................................................................................................... 20
Shape Control (for Bell Filters) ....................................................................................... 21
Linear Phase Filtering ..................................................................................................... 21
A note about latency........................................................................................................ 22
De-cramping and Sample Rate ........................................................................................ 22
Analog-like equalization ................................................................................................. 23
Closing ..................................................................................................................................... 25

p. 4
Introduction
Congratulations if you acquired SoniqWare PE-1!
SoniqWare PE-1 is a professional linear phase parametric equalizer plug-in packed with highend features only found in very few other pro audio plug-ins. As you will be discovering, we
additionally developed unique features that provide accurate control over your audio
processing tasks. We hope that you will enjoy this product.
PE-1 is a 7 bands fully parametric stereo equalizer which, besides sonic quality, possesses
several unique and valuable features. First, it implements linear phase filters which totally
preserve signal details and clarity, especially during transients, by avoiding the smearing
usually caused by conventional non-linear phase filters. Of course, the filters in PE-1 can be
selected amongst the usual shapes, including bell (peaking), band-pass, notch, (resonant) lowshelf, (resonant) high-shelf, low-cut and high-cut with different attenuation slopes, for a total
of 11 filter shapes. The different bands also have unique filter shape controls allowing to tune
the shape of the amplitude response of the bell filters, from usual bells to plateaus, exhibiting
totally different sonic qualities and feel. This is performed individually for each equalizer
band and really brings unprecedented control over the frequency response and tonal shaping
of your material. Last but not least, the frequency responses are totally de-cramped, meaning
that the response is not squeezed down in the HF region as it is the case on most digital
equalizer implementations. This property actually simulates the behavior of professional
analogue audio equalizers and results in greater sonic clarity. In the same vein, several modes
are available for the Q factor dependency with filter gains, some of which mimic the feel of
analogue equipment. Another smart feature, the user has access to an auto-gain function,
where the master gain is adjusted according to the equalizer settings, in order to preserve the
same perceived volume and minimize clipping. Further participating to the usability, the
frequency response of the filters can be edited graphically using convenient handles on a large
display. Finally, the interface also allows to use host automation features, as well as to store
and retrieve programs. PE-1 handles all professional sample rates, up to 192 kHz.

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The main features of PE-1 are listed in the following table:

Features
7 bands parametric equalizer

linear phase filters
de-cramped HF response
7 filter types: bell, low-shelf, high-shelf, low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and
notch
unique filter shape control for further tonal shaping
resonant shelf filters with adjustable overshoot/undershoot
low-pass and high-pass filter slopes: 12, 24 and 48 dB/oct
filter parameters: center frequency, gain, Q
filter center frequency control range: 20 to 20000 kHz
filter gain control range: -24 to 24 dB
accurate frequency control (1 Hz increments below 100Hz)
4 modes for Q factor behavior
auto-gain function
graphical edition of response using colored handles
L/R vu-meter with hold peak and clip readouts
supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 & 192 kHz
low noise, SNR: 133dB
stereo operation
master gain
load/save programs and banks
VST automation of all parameters
silent controls
sub-pixel knob rendering

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Purchase, Installation and Activation

Purchase
Web Store
Currently, there is only one way to purchase this software: access the web store via the
http://www.soniqware.com web site.
After the purchase, you will be able to download the software installer and you will receive a
serial-number via email. This serial-number is unique. Keep it in a safe place as you may
need it for communicating with our customer support service, or if you whish to reinstall you
plug-in at a later time.
Run the installer that has been downloaded, and follow the instructions, briefly highlighted in
the Installation section of this manual.
Run the plug-in (the method will depend on the VST host software you are using). A Product
Activation dialog box will pop-up, prompting you to enter your serial-number, and click the
Activate Now button. You can also decide to activate later by clicking the Activate Later
button. In that case, when the plug-in is running, you can also select the Activate item in the
plug-in main menu (this main menu opens when you click on the logo on the top-left of the
plug-in interface). This opens up the same Product Activation dialog box.
When the serial-number has been entered and the Activate Now button has been clicked,
the plug-in will connect to the web store servers are receive an activation key that will unlock
the plug-in. This last step is fully automatic and does not require manual intervention. More
information about software activation is provided in the Activation section of this manual.
Important Information
If you need to install the plug-in on another machine, such as a laptop, you may repeat the
procedure above. Our license policy permits up to two installations provided you are the only
user. Hence, make sure to follow the activation procedure on the machines the plug-in should
be running on. If you need to run this software on more machines, you may purchase more
licenses.
If you ever need to contact customer support, you will need your serial-number. You can
always get it by clicking the About item in the plug-in main menu. This brings up the
About dialog that displays the version number of the plug-in, its current registration status
and, if available, its serial-number.
Security
The transactions with the web store are carried out via esellerate (www.esellerate.com), an
industry leading on-line store service, utilizing the most up-to-date security and encryption
mechanisms. You should hence feel comfortable during product purchase and activation.
Activation
The software is protected and all features will be available after activation only. The purchase
procedures described above already highlighted that this activation procedure is automatic.
Hence, you normally dont need to read the following paragraph. Just in case you are
interested, this is how it works. Internally, activation follows the procedure described here:
1. the installed plug-in sends an installation-key to the web store servers. This
installation-key is unique and it built based on the hardware configuration of your
machine.

p. 7
2. after receiving this installation-key, the web stores servers send an activation-key to
the plug-in.
If you need to install the plug-ins on another machine, such as a laptop, you may repeat the
procedure above. Our license policy permits up to two installations provided you are the only
user. The web store servers will keep track of these activations. That is what will allow the
plug-in to be activated on a second machine using the same serial-number. However, each
computer will have a different installation-key.
Installation
Double click on the installer executable SoniqWare-PE-1.exe. The starts the installer that
will guide you though the following screens:
1. Welcome: Click Next to continue.
2. Read Me: Displays information about purchase and activation procedures. Click
Next to continue.
3. License Agreement: Read and click Yes if you agree to the terms of the agreement.
The agreement is also provided in this user guide.
4. Choose Destination Location: Choose the plug-in destination location on your file
system. The default destination folder is:
C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\SoniqWare\PE-1\
Click Next to continue.
5. Start Installation: Click next to perform installation.
6. Installation complete: Click Finish to exit the installer.
Running the plug-in

SoniqWare PE-1 is actually used like any other VST plug-in. This will hence depends on the
VST host software you are using (consult your host software documentation). In most cases,
the plug-in will automatically be recognized by your host application. But, in some cases, you
will need to add the appropriate folder to your host applications list of plug-in folders. Again,
consult your host software documentation for instructions on how to do this, if necessary.

p. 8
Quick Start Guide

The operation of PE-1 is straightforward for most of its features. It normally does not need
many explanations as all controls have a direct impact, either through the visual feedback, and
of course sonically. However, there are a few features that may somewhat feel hidden in the
interface, and may hence require some explanations. They are provided here.
GUI Organization
Graphical Display
The graphical display gives you an accurate representation of the frequency response of the
parametric equalizer individual filters and of the resulting combined response. Some vendors
refers to this as a paragraphic approach. The display always responds in real-time, the filter
response being updated immediately when turning a knob, or dragging a display handle.
When adjusting the parameters of a particular frequency band, its response highlights using
the color code used in the interface.
But the display is also a very handy tool for editing the filter parameters, with immediate
visual and audio feedback. Left click on any of the square handles (the handle will highlight)
and drag it to adjust the center frequency and gain of the filter. Right click and move the
mouse pointer up and down to adjust the quality factor Q.
p. 9
Besides, the vertical scale can be adjusted by operating the mouse in the dB axis area (right
part) of the display. Left click and move the mouse pointer up and down to increase or
decrease the dB scale. The range can be adjusted from [-12, 12 dB] to [-48, 48 dB], the center
of the display remaining fixed to 0 dB. Right click and move the mouse pointer to go back to
the default setting (range [24, +24 dB]).
These features are summarized in the following table:

Operation
Left Click and Drag a Display square Handle
Right Click and Move a Display square Handle
Left Click and Move on the dB Axis area
Right Click and Move on the dB Axis area
Result
Adjusts F0 and Gain
Adjusts Q
Adjusts dB axis scale
Resets dB axis scale to default
Programs and Banks Section

The programs section of the GUI allows the manipulation of 3 banks of 16 individual
programs. Left click on the program name region to edit the name using the keyboard. Left
click on the up and down arrows to browse through the different programs. Click on A,
B, or C to switch bank.
Click on the Load button to open a file selection box that allows to load an individual
program (.fxp file) that will overwrite the currently selected program, or a full bank (.fxb file)
that will overwrite the whole selected bank of 16 programs. In a similar manner, the Save
button allows to save the currently selected program (in case you select a .fxp file), or the
whole bank (in case you select a .fxb file).
In PE-1, when changing the parameter values, these are immediately stored in the currently
selected program, so that nothing will be lost when changing a program from the GUI (see
p. 10
above) or from the host functions and then coming back to the previous program. Also, no
Undo function is provided. This is not an issue though as the software provides a simple
clipboard mechanism that allows the user to use a program as starting point for another one.
This is done using an internal clipboard. Click on the Copy button to store the current
program parameters in the clipboard. Change the selected program using the arrows (see
above), select a program that you can scratch. Click on Paste to paste the stored parameters
to the newly selected program. In this process all parameters, except the program name, will
be copied.

Operation
Result
Left Click on A, B or C
Select internal bank A, B or C
Left Click on Program Name region
Allows edition of program name
Left Click on Up and Down Arrows
Browse through programs
Load
Load a program or a bank
Save
Save current program or bank
Copy
Copy current program parameters to internal clipboard
Paste
Paste internal clipboard parameters to current program
Selection Displays
The GUI has several small scale interactive displays for parameters that can take a limited
number of values. This is the case for selecting filter shapes, and for selecting the behavior of
the bell filters (in the Q-type section of the GUI). The figure below shows side by side the
different filter types that can be selected either by left click or right click.
Left click on the display to switch to the next item in the selection list (when the last item is
selected, the left click cycles back to the first item). Right click on the display to open a popup menu that allows the selection of any item in the selection list.

p. 11
Operation
Result
Left Click
Switch to the next item in the

selection list (for instance filter type)
Right Click
Opens a pop-up menu that allows to

select any item in the list (for
instance an filter type)

p. 12
Operation in Details
This chapter provides more details on the different functions of the plug-in, and on the
operation of those.
GUI Organization
The PE-1 GUI is organized into six functional sections:
Top Bar: this region displays the company logo and plug-in name. Clicking on the
SoniqWare logo will open up the main menu, which contains four items, as shown in
the following figure:
o Web Site: will open the SoniqWare website in your default browser.
o User Guide: will open the SoniqWare PE-1 Users Guide using your default
pdf viewer.
o About: will open the About dialog box, which displays important
information, including your serial-number.
o Activate: will be available if the software is not yet activated. It will open the
Product Activation dialog box.
Graphical Display: the display shows the frequency response of the filter currently
being edited, as well as the final equalizer response (combining the different filters
that are currently active). It is an interactive display, that allows to edit all filter
parameters (Gain, F0, Q) by operating on the color coded square handles (there is one
handle per equalizer filter). Its dB scale can also be changed. Read again the Quick
Start Guide section for additional information about these features.
VU-Meters: on the right of the display, the vu-meters display the input and output
signal level in dBFS (dB fullscale) and have peak and clip reading (the relevant leds
are kept on for a few second).
Band Strips: the controls for equalizer filters are organized in 7 vertical independent
strips, one for each filter. Knobs allow to set the filter parameters (Gain, F0, Q) as
well as the filter shape parameter (when a bell-shaped filter is selected). Each filter
can be set on or off. When off, the selected strip is simply bypassed.
Global: on the right of the band strips, a global section gives access to global
parameters. The Q-type Selection Box allows the selection amongst 4 equalizer types
designed to simulate analog equalizer behavior. The Master Gain Sliders allow to
adjust the output gain. The Link Button force both left and right gains to be the same.
The Auto Button activates the auto-gain function, described later on.
Programs and Banks: located on the bottom right of the GUI, the programs
section allows the manipulation of 3 banks of 16 individual programs and provides
access to load/save operations, as well as an internal program clipboard for
copy/paste operations. Selection of a particular program, as well as edition of the
program name is also done in this part of the interface. Read again the Quick Start
Guide section for additional information on these features.

p. 13
Filter Types
In PE-1, 7 general filter types are provided: bell (sometimes referred to as peaking), lowshelf, high-shelf, low-cut, high-cut, band-pass and notch. Note that the band-pass filters
exhibit a real band-pass response, which is different than the bell response. Also, the notch
filters are different than bell shapes as they are shaper and cut more strongly the frequencies
close to the center frequency.
The equalizer has 7 individual bands. The first band is low-cut only and allows to select
amongst 3 low-cut slopes. The last band is high-cut only and allows to select amongst 3 highcut slopes. The five other sections allow you to select amongst all other five remaining filter
types.
The seven filter types are designed to be very versatile, as can be seen in the following table.
Filter Type
Parameters
Range/Values
Effect
Low-Cut
F0
Q
Slope
20 to 20000 Hz
0.2 to 2
12, 24 or 48 dB/octave
cutoff frequency
quality factor (to adjust overshoot)
slope (from gentle curve to more aggressive filtering)
High-Cut
F0
Q
Slope
20 to 20000 Hz
0.2 to 2
cutoff frequency
quality factor (to adjust overshoot)
slope (from gentle curve to more aggressive filtering)
Low-Shelf
F0
Q
20 to 20000 Hz
0.2 to 4
mid frequency
quality factor (to adjust slope and undershoot/overshoot)
High-Shelf
F0
Q
20 to 20000 Hz
0.2 to 4
mid frequency
quality factor (to adjust slope and undershoot/overshoot)
Bell
(also
known
as
Peaking)
F0
Gain
Q
Shape
20 to 20000 Hz
-24 to 24 dB
0.2 to 4
0 to 100%
center frequency
gain at the center frequency
quality factor (to adjust bandwidth)
exclusive bell shape control
Notch
F0
Q
20 to 20000 Hz
0.2 to 4
center frequency
Band-Pass
F0
Q
20 to 20000 Hz
0.2 to 4
center frequency
The type and range of controls offered for these filter types are very broad. Moreover, the bell
filter offers a unique shape control. It allows to fine tune the shape of the filter from a usual
bell (as found in other analogue or digital equalizers) to a more selective shape closer to a
rectangle with rounded corners. More details on this will be provided in the Technical
Information section of this manual.
Finally, we show here side by side the different filter type icons as they display on the plug-in
GUI.

p. 14
Operation of Controls
Knobs
Knobs are operated using a left click in the knob area and moving the mouse pointer up and
down. Holding the Shift key down while moving allows for greater control accuracy (the
knob will be turning more slowly). Holding the Ctrl key down before clicking and moving
will bring the control to a center position. Holding the Alt key down before clicking and
moving will change the operation mode to a circular mode, where the knob position follows
the mouse pointer while it is operated circularly around the knob. This also allows to bring the
knob directly to a particular position.
Besides, all knobs have a text readout displaying the current control value.
Operation
Result
Shift key
Greater accuracy for fine

adjustments
Ctrl key
Brings knob to center position
Alt key
Circular mode
Sliders
Sliders are operated using a left click in the slider handle area and moving the mouse pointer
up and down. Clicking below or above the slider handle will directly bring the handle to this
new position. Holding the Shift key down before clicking and moving allows for greater
control accuracy (the slider will be moving more slowly). Holding the Ctrl key down before
clicking and moving will bring the control to a center position.
Besides, all sliders have a numeric readout displaying the control current value.
Operation
Result
Shift key
Greater accuracy for fine

adjustments
Ctrl key
Brings slider to center position

p. 15
Selection boxes
Selection boxes allow to make a choice in a limited list of alternatives. Left click on the box
display area will switch to the next choice in the list, and when the last element of the list is
reached, this cycles back to the first element. Right click on the box area will open a pop-up
menu where you will be able to directly choose one of the alternatives, as shown in the figure
above for selecting the filter type for each band strip.
Operation
Left click
Right click
Result
Switch to the next choice in the list
Opens a pop-up menu
Individual Controls
Low-Cut and High-Cut Strips
PE-1 has one low-cut strip and one high cut strip. The low-cut and high-cut strips are
adjustable using the following controls:
On/Off Button/Led: turns the filter on or off.
F0 Knob: adjust the filter cutoff frequency.
Q Knob: adjust the filter quality factor. Higher settings create an overshoot in the
frequency response, meaning that the frequencies close to the knee of the curve are
boosted.
Slope Selection box: selects one of the 3 filter slopes (12, 24 or 48 dB/octave). This
allows a gentle roll-of, as well as a more aggressive cut of LF or HF components, for
instance to remove a low-frequency rumble or a high-frequency hiss.
p. 16
General Band Strips
PE-1 also has five general purpose strips. For each strip, the filter type can be selected
amongst five choices: low-shelf, high-shelf, bell, band-pass and notch. The available controls
and their effect will depend on the selected type:
On/Off Button/Led: turns the filter on or off.
Gain (for low-shelf, high-shelf and bell filters only): adjust the LF and HF gain for
low-shelf and high-shelf filters, and the gain at the center frequency for the bell
filters.
F0 Knob: adjust the filter characteristic frequency: mid frequency for low-shelf and
high-shelf filters and central frequency for bell, band-pass and notch filters.
Q Knob: adjust the filter quality factor. Higher settings reduce the bandwidth for bell,
band-pass and notch filter. Higher settings increase the slope and the
overshoot/undershoot of the low-shelf and high-shelf filters.
Filter Type Selection Box: selects one of the five filter types.
Shape Controls: read next section.
Shape Controls
As said in the previous section, PE-1 introduces a unique shape control feature. This
provides an innovative level of control on the equalizer frequency response for creative
applications other than mix-down or mastering. This allows the creation of flat frequency
responses in a given frequency range using a single strip (With a traditional design, such flat
plateaus could also be obtained, but need a combination of thee or more traditional bell filters
with properly adjusted center frequencies, gains, and bandwidths). When using a high setting
for the shape control, you will notice that the effect of the Q control will be to narrow/enlarge
the width of this plateau.

p. 17
For each of the five general strips, the shape controls become available when the filter type is
set to Bell:
On/Off Button: turns the shape control on or off. When off, the response is that of a
traditional bell-shaped digital or analog filter.
Shape Knob (for bell filters only): this exclusive feature allows to continuously alter
the shape of the bell filter response. Higher settings bring the bell closer to a rectangle
with rounded corners.
Global
The GUI also offers controls that have a global impact on the equalizer:
Q-type Selection Box: this box allows the selection amongst four equalizer types.
Digital filter generally have a constant-Q (Q is independent of the Gain). In analog
circuits, this is difficult to obtain, and the Q dependency with the Gain (Q-Gain
dependency) yields the different character of analog equalizers compared to
straightforward digital implementations. The Q factor and hence the filter bandwidth
become dependent on the amount a band is boosted or cut. In PE-1, we provide 4
different types of Q-Gain dependencies to simulate this analog behavior:
o Mode 1: this is the transparent constant-Q digital mode.
o Mode 2: in this mode, the boost behavior is the same as in Mode 1, but the
cut bandwidth becomes much narrower, giving more accuracy to cut specific
frequencies.
o Mode 3: in this mode, the boost and cut are symmetrical as in Mode 1, but
the bandwidth becomes larger (lower actual Q) with lower gain settings,
resulting in a softer, and maybe more musical effect on instruments and vocal
tracks.
o Mode 4: this mode is similar to Mode 3, but the actual Q becomes even lower
with lower gain settings, leading to an even softer/smoother adjustment, for
instance during mastering or mix-down.
Master Gain Sliders: the master output gains can be adjusted using two sliders,
associated to the left and right channels, in a range from -24 to 24 dB.
Link Button/Led: when the Link button is on, both channels master gains become
linked, so that when adjusting the gain for one channel, the setting is instantly
transferred to the other channel too.
Auto Button/Led: when the Auto button is on, a very handy auto-gain function is
activated. The master gains of both channels are then adjusted automatically
according to the equalizer settings in order to preserve a similar perceived volume
and minimize clipping. This allows the comparison of different equalizer settings on a
similar loudness basis.
p. 18
Display
The display operation has already been described in the Quick Start Guide section.
Vu-Meters
On the right of the display, you will find a pair of stereo vu-meters, one for the input signal,
and the other for the processed signal (taken after the master gain). The meters range from -48
to 0dB. They display the decibel amplitude levels in dBFS (dB full-scale). They have an
additional led to indicate clipping. Note that clipping on a single channel only (left or right)
will activate this led. The clipping led stays on for a few seconds. The peak level is also held
for a few second.
Banks and Programs
The operation of the banks and programs sections has already been described in the Quick
Start Guide.

p. 19
Technical Information
Specifications
Specifications
Values
Comments
F0 range
20 to 20000 Hz
All filters can be tuned over the whole range.
Q range
0.2 to 2
0.2 to 4
Low-cut and high-cut filters.

All other filter types.
Slopes
For low-cut and high-cut filters
Latency
682.7 ms to 743.0 ms
(depending on sample rate)
As with any linear phase filter implementation,

EQlin-1 introduces some latency. The exact
latency in signal samples is given here:
32768 samples (at 44.1 and 48.0 kHz)

Latency is never an issue is production, mixdown and mastering applications. Indeed, all
well designed plug-in hosts compensate for
latencies in order to perfectly synchronize the
different tracks and processing chains of a
project.
Supported
Sample Rates
44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 176.4 and

192.0 kHz
All current professional sample rates.
Internal
Processing
32-bits floating point
This guarantees very low distortion and very

high dynamic range.
CPU Load
(approximately)
1% (at 44.1 and 48.0 kHz)

4-5% (at 88.2 and 96.0 kHz)
9-10% (at 176.4 and 192.0 kHz)
For stereo processing / Microsoft Windows XP

/ Intel Core 2 T2000 @ 2.00 GHz / 2 GB RAM
Input-Output
Characteristic
Linear down to at least -144 dB

input level
A natural consequence of floating point

processing. This actually matters because the
host internal processing is generally done with
a precision much larger than 16 bits (usually 32
or 64 bits).
System Requirements
Microsoft Windows XP or Vista,

512 MB RAM,
VST compatible host software.
Technical Considerations
Frequency Tuning
The filter characteristic frequency (F0) control using the knobs or display handles is
dependent on the frequency because a convenient log-scale is being used. At low frequencies
(<100Hz), the accuracy is below 1 Hz, enough to satisfy surgical tunings.

p. 20
Shape Control (for Bell Filters)
The shape control section allows to fine tune the shape of the bell filters from the traditional
shape to a shape closer to a rectangle with rounded corners, as shown in the above figure.
From an audio perspective, this makes the filter sound progressively closer to a band-pass
frequency response when the shape control gets closer to 100%. Some may think that this
become less natural sounding. This may be, but eventually, it is always to your ears to choose
what is the best setting for a particular material or application, and this exclusive filter shape
control provides more latitude for exploring different sonic qualities. This may also allow to
better match the actual frequency content of some instruments, making them stand out
without compromising their frequency content.
Linear Phase Filtering

Conventional analog and digital filters shift the phases of different frequencies by different
amounts. This is a side effect of the way these filters are designed, where phase is
disregarded, and only the amplitude response is considered. The higher the value of Q, the
more these phase shifts occur, causing a smearing of the transients, and hence compromising
the sound transparency and detail. This is especially noticeable in the low frequency region,
or when using sharp responses, like for notch filters for instance. Therefore, equalizers are
often used sparingly, unless a particular effect is desired. In contrast, PE-1 uses linear phase
spectral filters that perfectly preserve the signal clarity, and at the same time have the same
amplitude response behavior of conventional filters. You will be able to boost low frequencies
without mudding the transients. You will also be able to remove noise frequencies with sharp
bells or notches without affecting the whole mix. There is no free lunch though, and more
intensive computations are involved in this process. Our implementation makes use of signal
processing routines optimized for current CPU and cache architectures. Real-time processing
of several signals is hence possible. You will indeed be able to use several instances of the
plug-in if necessary, as long as the CPU can handle them.
Here, we will provide some figures highlighting the difference between linear phase and nonlinear phase filtering. It is shown in the top-left figure below how a linear phase filter has the
capability to process an audio square wave much more accurately than a non-linear filter,
actually preserving the symmetry of the waveform. In this example, the note played is A4
(440Hz), and the bell filter settings are the following: F0=440Hz, Gain=6dB, Q=0.71. The
top-right figure then compares the impulse responses of both filtering approaches and shows
how linear phase response is indeed symmetrical.
In a second example, it is shown how a low frequency waveform is better preserved when
using a PE-1 notch filter (bottom-left figure here below). The note played is D1 (36.71Hz),
and the notch filter settings are the following: F0=50Hz, Q=4. Removing a low frequency
hum is hence possible without affecting too much the waveform of other low frequency
musical signals. The impulse responses are also given for this case, although the difference
between linear phase and non-linear phase filtering is not clearly visible at this scale.

p. 21
A note about latency

Another important technical aspect is that linear phase filtering implies some processing
latency. Depending on the sampling frequency, it will be between 682.7 ms to 743.0 ms (the
exact values of latencies in samples result from the block processing that is performed during
filtering). This may seem rather long but it is actually what it costs to allow the high-quality
linear phase filtering that has been implemented. Obtaining lower latencies is theoretically not
impossible but would have implied trading off some of the unique characteristics of our
filters. More precisely, such long latency is necessary to get accurate response when filter
bandwidths are small (large values of Q), for narrow notch filters, as well as for filters
centered in the low frequency range. You will notice that the filters are very versatile, down to
the very low frequencies of musical signals indeed, and that the parameter ranges are large
enough for any application.
Besides, latency is never an issue when using effects as insert in mixing or in mastering
applications, where all current well designed audio platforms compensate to get all project
tracks perfectly aligned at playback of mix-down.
De-cramping and Sample Rate

PE-1 supports sample rates up to 192 kHz, but very natural behavior and sound can already be
obtained with lower sample rates (at 44.1 kHz for instance). Using conventional digital
equalizers, high sample rates are necessary to achieve a frequency response that is closer to
analog equalizers for a more natural sonic rendition. Conventional filters responses are indeed
cramped in the HF region. For instance, bell filters get narrower and their response fades
down to 0dB when approaching the Nyquist frequency (half the sample rate). Processing at
higher sample rates generally solve this issue, but may introduce other side effects due to the
necessity to convert from one sample rate to another. In PE-1, the filter, and in particular their
HF responses, are designed to be independent on the sample rate, resulting in an equalization

p. 22
that is perfectly natural, even at usual sample rates of 44.1 or 48.0 kHz. The filters are said to
be de-cramped, and the sound is more open in the HF range, much like analog filters.
Best of all, in contrast to competing implementation from a few other vendors where only the
bell shapes are de-cramped, all filters types in PE-1 are de-cramped and hence have an
analog-like response.
Some examples are given in the following figures.
Analog-like equalization
There exists several other equalizer plug-ins on the market, and after all, the choice is often a
question of taste. But we think PE-1 has an outstanding set of features, and most importantly
a sonic quality that brings it in par with natural analog equalization, thanks to a close to
perfect preservation of transients (linear-phase filters), but also thanks to response curves that
p. 23
perfectly respect the frequencies close to the Nyquist frequencies (de-cramped filters). This
simulates analog behavior and maintains naturalness at high frequency settings. There is no
cheating in our implementation, and the displayed and actual frequency responses are exactly
the same.
What you see is what you'll hear!

p. 24
Closing
We hope you will enjoy our products. Feel free to contact us for support, or just to give us
feedback:
Customer technical support:
support@soniqware.com
Other matters:
contact@soniqware.com
The Web site will provide additional and up to date information and downloads:
Web Site:
http://www.soniqware.com

p. 25

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SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Disclaimer of Warranties and Limited Liability

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

The main features of PE-1 are listed in the following table:

7 bands parametric equalizer

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Purchase, Installation and Activation

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Running the plug-in

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Quick Start Guide

These features are summarized in the following table:

Programs and Banks Section

These features are summarized in the following table:

Select internal bank A, B or C

Left Click on Program Name region

Allows edition of program name

Left Click on Up and Down Arrows

Browse through programs

Load a program or a bank

Save current program or bank

Copy current program parameters to internal clipboard

Paste internal clipboard parameters to current program

These features are summarized in the following table:

Switch to the next item in the

Opens a pop-up menu that allows to

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Greater accuracy for fine

Brings knob to center position

Greater accuracy for fine

Brings slider to center position

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

General Band Strips

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Banks and Programs

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

All filters can be tuned over the whole range.

Low-cut and high-cut filters.

For low-cut and high-cut filters

As with any linear phase filter implementation,

32768 samples (at 44.1 and 48.0 kHz)

65536 samples (at 88.2 and 96.0 kHz)

131072 samples (at 176.4 and 192.0 kHz)

44.1, 48.0, 88.2, 96.0, 176.4 and

All current professional sample rates.

32-bits floating point

This guarantees very low distortion and very

1% (at 44.1 and 48.0 kHz)

For stereo processing / Microsoft Windows XP

Linear down to at least -144 dB

A natural consequence of floating point

Microsoft Windows XP or Vista,

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

Shape Control (for Bell Filters)

Linear Phase Filtering

SoniqWare PE-1 - Users Guide

A note about latency

De-cramping and Sample Rate