EQ settings in Macro

Programming and Development Macros and Scripting
1

Hi.

I use Macros to create voice processing ‘recipes’ - for example, a combination of EQ and compression.

However, the problem is with the EQ. I can’t get Audacity to remember my EQ setting (I have it saved in User Presets). I have even tried ‘Edit Parameters’ but it still doesn’t remember my EQ setting.

The EQ seems to be ‘stuck’ on a previous setting.

I had this issue last year, and I heard this was an issue others were having too. However, the last update didn’t fix this (or have I done something wrong?)

Thanks so much for all your work with Audacity. I hope this can be easily solved.

James the trainer

2

Which version of Audacity? (look in “Help menu > About Audacity”).

3

Hi. Version 2.3.2, on Windows 10 Pro.

I just saw in the ? guide in the EQ effect box, that the EQ Presets features are not yet working.

Glad to know it’s recognized and in hand. Is this likely to be fixed in the next update?

Thanks so much. I am keen to create a voice over recipe that includes EQ (and give it a keyboard short cut).

Thanks for all the functionality the team is creating for us Audacity users.

James the Trainer

4

In Audacity 2.3.2, the Equalization effect is usable in Macros, but there are bugs that you have to work around.

The Equalization effect has a different way of saving settings from all other effects. See: https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/equalization.html

  • To save the EQ settings, use “Save/Manage Curves” and give the current settings a name.
  • After saving the “curve”, ensure that the Eq effect is in “Draw” mode.

To add the EQ effect in a Macro, you must set up the required EQ settings before opening the Macro dialog.
I generally do this by

  1. generating a bit of noise into an empty track,
  2. set up the EQ effect and
  3. save the curve,
  4. ensure the EQ is in Draw mode
  5. Ensure the name of the EQ curve is showing
  6. check that it works on the “dummy” noise track,
  7. delete the noise track,
  8. then open the “Macro” dialog.
  9. Add “Equalization” to the macro.
5

Yes, we are hoping to fix this and other EQ bugs for the next release - and we may be spliiting EQ into two separate effects rather than switching modes within the effect.

Peter.

6

If this is the same problem, I have a more devious way. Audacity will save Last Curve Changed. So get yourself a curve in Draw mode. Doesn’t matter how you get there. Make one super tiny change anywhere in the curve. That curve will now stick until the sun cools off.


Screen Shot 2019-06-02 at 9.28.21.png
See that one tiny dot at 1000Hz? It doesn’t actually do anything to the sound, but that’s how I got the Audiobook mastering curve to stick. It’s been there for weeks.

Koz

7

But that curve will be lost as soon as you use the Equalization effect with different settings. That’s the purpose of saving the settings with a name. Named presets exist until you delete them.

8

It’s true. Those different settings will come back, not the original.

But if you go away to a named setting, Audacity will snap back to the last changed. That was the problem I had. That’s still not a bad, quick way to make a curve sticky.

I note that point by point managing an equalization correction; and running a batch, sorry, chains, sorry, macros tend to be on opposite ends of the production process.

Koz

9

See my reply here: EQ settings in Macro - #4 by steve

10

Thank you. ‘Draw’ is the word!

It worked for me.

Cheers All.