Har-Bal

[Kalpesh]

@Josh Mound greets us with Har-Bal representations for a while but I just had the heart to take a trial and can't find much echo here or elsewhere...

 

while it seems pure magic (clarity, dimensionality )! even minding levels and the absolute polarity inversion.

 

It automagically did marvels on the few tracks I tried, including TBVO Muddy Waters or difficult Chopin Nocturnes by Arrau that was reported as non benefitting from a remastering by his beloved looooong remastering software (that I suspect to boost low level info more than anything else anyway) by an aficionado of said soft. I actually used the same tracks while trialing said looong remastering software and it worsened rather than fixed : I'm impressed by Har- Bal.

 

Does anybody have a long term experience of one clic remastering with IntuitQ? (it would be crazy enough to one clic remaster each track, don't even mention spending hours per track...)

 

I admit I'm troubled. I see a "map" with the average and peak levels per frequency distribution of a whole track, not sure I understand how it relates to the "territory" instant per instant when it comes to globally reshape the "map" to smoother features...

 

Any input welcome and I'd be happy if others' jump in to share impressions. The software is not expensive, the trial full... 

[Kalpesh]

I think I've found the rational for globally smoothed response shape in Har-Bal's litterature : The reason for aiming for this type of shape is that it ensures you are respecting the mix and not attempting to drastically alter it, whilst reducing the masking of one instrument by another, thereby bringing out more detail in the recording. 

It's most spectacular on kick drums in my findings. But on a quatuor it was nice too...

However, as stressed elsewhere in the litterature : A point to make in this regard is that the level of smoothing to aim for will depend on the density (in terms of number of instruments) of the recording. If your recording is of a solo instrument great care needs to be taken to not destroy the character of the instrument. With more instruments timbral alteration has much less influence and is generally encouraged (mixing generally involves using EQ to allow different instruments to blend in a more pleasing way) for the sake of allowing each instrument to be heard in a competing landscape.

 

[Kalpesh]

additional findings and wrap-up:

 

published almost 20 years ago and contradicting the idea now promoted by the developer that IntuitQ is only loose and for quick and dirty :

 

Coming Soon!!

If you thought Har-Bal was controversial within the professional mastering community then be prepared for what we have in store. The next version of Har-Bal will add to the controversy surrounding Har-Bal. We have been working on reference free algorithms to
automatically design near optimum equalization filters for any given track and have had good success.

Enter the Har-Bal IntuitQ

After loading your track a single button press will design a Harbalizing filter for your track that is near perfect. If satisfied, leave the design as-is or manually tweak it to taste and then press the IntuitQ button again.

From our experiences with an early prototype on the majority of tracks little or no further tweaking will be required and the production intent in your mix will be preserved. This is possible because the process does not rely on references or curve stealing. It extracts the necessary harbalization scheme from the track itself and nothing more.

Unlike curve stealing, ?IntuitQ?? does not attempt to drastically alter the ?overall? spectrum shape of your track. It simple works on filling in the holes and dumbing down overemphasized parts in much the same way as a seasoned Har-Bal user would do it. It preserves the dynamics and ambience rather than the often stifling and damped down sound obtained from curve matching. If your track is well mixed you?ll find ?IntuitQ? does little to change it. However, the more unbalanced the mix the greater the effect of ? IntuitQ ?, as it should be.

Har-Bal continues to be one of the most controversial tools to date and this version will only add to the controversy as it goes part way to tackling the often touted impossible : Automated EQ.

The new version upgrade will be free to all registered users and will be sent out once the beta stage has been completed.
Har-Bal will be asking for hardcore beta testers shortly. We will send out the necessary files.

You will need to be a registered Har-Bal user.

Cheers

The Har-Bal Team

 

This being, turns that if I sequence a track, IntuitQ the segments, often the aggregated result resembles the commercial eQ.

While sometimes a one click IntuitQ on the whole song can do marvels, ie on Running up that Hill remaster, I won't pursue but rather adapt to the commercial masterings.

Not that audiophile efforts don't pay, even when free, such as minding absolute polarity (good when a track turned mono (the time to test) is dead center). In exemple, the Arrau recording I mentioned earlier benefit from inverting polarity and wav conversion (rather than flac or aiff). Once this is done, there's no more urgent need to remaster

Har-Bal was designed with Earle Holder and I bet it helped him make drums part shine https://www.hdqtrz.com/earle-holder-award-winning-chief-mastering-engineer/  . There's huge potential in Har-Bal to create a gorgeous kick drum/bass guitar synergy.