Topic: High pass filter in Sound Studio (Mac OS)

[tapeheadtoo]

Hi all, I have a question that's been bugging me for some time now.

I've read in multiple threads (including the recent "Reducing bass in post") that a good place to set a high pass filter is around 40-80hz, with a curve of about -12db/octave.

In Sound Studio (I'm using version 3.5.2), the parameters you can set are (1) frequency in hz, and (2) what they call "steepness" in "samples."  In the help file it says:  "The frequency control determines the cut-off frequency, or the point at which the curve hits the -6 dB level, and the "Steepness" control determines how many samples the filter uses as input, indirectly affecting how sharp the drop-off is at the cutoff frequency."

I've read this sentence about 50 times and I still don't quite get it.  But given that everyone talks about just the two parameters for hpf, I attempted to dial those in.  So...  I set the frequency to 50 and the "steepness" at 12 samples (attempting to follow the advice above).  However, the graph then looks like a straight line and there is no noticeable difference in the sound of my recording.  So apparently I am not understanding the program's parameters.   

My question:  How exactly does one set a hpf of say 50hz at -12db/octave in Sound Studio?  If anyone can tell me, they will have my eternal gratitude and rounds of +T's for a week.  

[Dede2002]

Hi all, I have a question that's been bugging me for some time now.

I've read in multiple threads (including the recent "Reducing bass in post") that a good place to set a high pass filter is around 40-80hz, with a curve of about -12db/octave.

In Sound Studio (I'm using version 3.5.2), the parameters you can set are (1) frequency in hz, and (2) what they call "steepness" in "samples."  In the help file it says:  "The frequency control determines the cut-off frequency, or the point at which the curve hits the -6 dB level, and the "Steepness" control determines how many samples the filter uses as input, indirectly affecting how sharp the drop-off is at the cutoff frequency."

I've read this sentence about 50 times and I still don't quite get it.  But given that everyone talks about just the two parameters for hpf, I attempted to dial those in.  So...  I set the frequency to 50 and the "steepness" at 12 samples (attempting to follow the advice above).  However, the graph then looks like a straight line and there is no noticeable difference in the sound of my recording.  So apparently I am not understanding the program's parameters.   

My question:  How exactly does one set a hpf of say 50hz at -12db/octave in Sound Studio?  If anyone can tell me, they will have my eternal gratitude and rounds of +T's for a week.  

Same thing here. Count with my eternal gratitude ( and +T's) too

[hummat]

I'm not in front of my mac right now (at work) but if I remember correctly, there are 2 high-pass filters in SoundStudio.  One is in the drop down and one is there but buried in another listing (au filters maybe).  The 'hidden' one, I believe, has a UI more in line with what is generally talked about in HPF setting discussions around here.

I could be WAY off on this as I moved to Logic a while back, but your plight sounds familiar.

-jay

[easy jim]

The most prominent/bolder horizontal lines in the graph from the screen shot appear to be in 6dB steps (there are ten from 0dB to -60dB), so you should be able to work the 'steepness' in 'samples' slider to get a curve that reaches 2 bars down from the 0dB line at your "cut-off frequency" to get a -12dB/octave HPF at __Hz.

[Dede2002]

Thanks easyjim and Moke
+T

[tapeheadtoo]

each of the more bold horizontal lines on the graph equal about 6dB reduction.
So to get 50hz to reduce about 6dB, this is what I did (top picture):

this setting, ^^, landed me just above the 6dB level
So I adjusted another 50 samples and this is the result (2nd picture)

Moke,

Your two curves look about the same to me.  If you adjust another 50 samples, shouldn't that land you  around the 12dB level?  Or is something about this logarithmic and I just don't see it?

[tapeheadtoo]

So in the two graphs below, the first one (50hz, 600 samples) would be approximately -6dB, while the second one (50hz, 1000 samples) would be approximately -12dB? 

I don't quite get the whole samples thing.  But if I have these two graphs right then that will be adequate for my purposes.

[tapeheadtoo]

I'm not in front of my mac right now (at work) but if I remember correctly, there are 2 high-pass filters in SoundStudio.  One is in the drop down and one is there but buried in another listing (au filters maybe).  The 'hidden' one, I believe, has a UI more in line with what is generally talked about in HPF setting discussions around here.

I could be WAY off on this as I moved to Logic a while back, but your plight sounds familiar.

-jay

You're right, under UA filters there is something called Apple: AUHipass where you can set the cutoff frequency in Hz and "resonance" in dB.  I will play around with that for a while.

[tapeheadtoo]

Thanks guys!

+T's all around...