How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

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How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by ITHertz »

Hi All,

I've been experimenting with using various noise colours as mixing references in Eventide's Equivocate and the various Tokyo Dawn EQ plug-ins.

I'm finding that pink noise is a bit bright and brown noise is a bit dark. So like Goldilocks, I'm looking for something that's just right, say, noise with a slope of -4.5dB/oct.

Just wondering how I can make (in software) a noise profile that has this slope?

Cheers,

Chris
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by BWC »

Generate white noise and filter it to your liking.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

Agreed -- filtering white noise to taste is probably the easiest solution. There are 'scientific' EQs that will allow you to adjust the slope to your preferences.

However, if pink noise seems a bit bright I think I'd be checking the monitor speakers first, as 'bright' isn't a description that comes to mind with pink noise.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by ITHertz »

BWC wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 10:43 am Generate white noise and filter it to your liking.

So what filter would I use for this - a LPF with a 4.5dB/oct. rolloff? I can only find 6/12dB/oct. filters.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by BWC »

ITHertz wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 1:20 pm So what filter would I use for this - a LPF with a 4.5dB/oct. rolloff? I can only find 6/12dB/oct. filters.


What do you have available? What DAW are you using?

Also, Hugh does have a point, I too wonder why you find pink noise too bright.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by BWC »

You mentioned EQuivocate; I haven't used it, but it looks plenty capable.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by Mixedup »

what Hugh said: Pink noise shouldn't really sound 'bright'. But of you want a darker sounding profile, just apply a tilt EQ to taste. Or maybe just both pink and brown noise generators and blend the outputs to taste...
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by Wonks »

Pink noise mixing is a guide, but pink noise is liked by the ear and you'll find most balanced tracks will have an overall frequency response that follows a pink noise profile. But use it as an initial guide to get the mix in the right ballpark, and then use your creative judgement from there.

Of course if your track is mainly bass and treble, then the exposed treble is probably going to sound quite bright in comparison.

If the pink noise mix seems overly bright to you, then maybe there is a monitoring issue. I'd ask other peoples opinions on what they think is a good mix of your track. Do one to pink noise, brown noise and one in-between and see if they have a preference, listening on their own systems.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by ITHertz »

BWC wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:06 pm
ITHertz wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 1:20 pm So what filter would I use for this - a LPF with a 4.5dB/oct. rolloff? I can only find 6/12dB/oct. filters.


What do you have available? What DAW are you using?

Also, Hugh does have a point, I too wonder why you find pink noise too bright.

I'm using Studio One Pro 5 and I have a reasonable range of plug-ins available. I have Slick EQ GE and M, TB Equalizer 4 - these all have tilt EQs however when I run them through Bertom Analyzer they all tend to flatten off in the high/low range.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by BWC »

ITHertz wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 5:04 am I'm using Studio One Pro 5 and I have a reasonable range of plug-ins available. I have Slick EQ GE and M, TB Equalizer 4 - these all have tilt EQs however when I run them through Bertom Analyzer they all tend to flatten off in the high/low range.


Around what frequencies do they "flatten off?" Any decent, full-featured filter / EQ should allow you to shape noise to taste, and what you hear, especially from a reference, is far more important than what any analyzer displays.

Also, as Wonks rightly points out, mixing to a noise reference is meant to get you quickly off and running, you'll likely still have some miles left to go, by ear, to get the specific material you're working on to where it sounds best to you.

To be clear, is it the noise itself that sounds too bright to you, or the results you get from mixing into that noise that sound too bright?
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by ITHertz »

BWC wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:27 am To be clear, is it the noise itself that sounds too bright to you, or the results you get from mixing into that noise that sound too bright?

It's not the noise that's too bright, it's what I end up with, so I'm probably not matching it closely enough.
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Re: How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

Post by BWC »

ITHertz wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:01 am It's not the noise that's too bright, it's what I end up with, so I'm probably not matching it closely enough.


OK, I see, I'd say it's that you're expecting too much from the technique. It's just to get you close, really quickly (with a little practice), so that you can spend the majority of your time on the finer details, the real fun of mixing. I like to start with a pink noise mix myself. Then, I sit back and listen, while making a list of all the things that are wrong, or could be better. Then, I address the items on the list in whatever order makes the most sense to me. Then, rinse and repeat, until the list comes up empty. BTW, the "rinse" part is taking breaks, which is a critically important step.
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