If you own any of the Waves plugin bundles, theres a good chance you have a little plugin tucked away that you are not using- the Q Clone plugin. The Q Clone can in theory resolve a very common problem: you have one or two great outboard EQ's, and a full drum kit to mic. In other words, not enough outboard preamps to go around. The Q Clone plugin will allow you to use a single outboard EQ on as many tracks as you want in realtime without having to retrack through your preamp. Yeah, it's kind of a miracle!
Step By Step Setup
I'm using Nuendo, and these steps should work for Cubase as well.
1. Make sure "Direct Monitoring" is off. Go to Devices-Device Setup. You will see a checkbox that says "Direct Monitoring"- uncheck it.
2. Run a cable from one of the outputs on your interface, to the EQ you want to use. For instance, if you have 8 outputs on your interface, put one end of a cable into output number 8 (any output will work), and the other end into the input on the outboard EQ you want to use.
3. Run a cable from the output of your EQ back into your computer. For instance, if you have 8 inputs on your interface, you'd run a cable out of the EQ and into input number 8 on your interface.
4. Add a mono track in Nuendo or Cubase.
5. Make the input and output on that mono track the same as you did for steps 2 and 3. In this case, I'd select input 8, and output 8.
6. There are actually two halves to this plugin, and the first half we will use is the "Q Capture". So find the mono Q Capture in your plugin list, and put it on the mono track you just added. It will be look like this:
The Q Capture is sending and receiving signals from your outboard EQ.
7. Turn on the "monitor" button on this track.
8. Go to a track you'd like to EQ, for example, the lead vocal track in your project. Add the mono Q Clone into the first plugin slot. It will look like this:
9. Click on the "Capture" button, and start changing the EQ on your outboard preamp. You will notice that the Q Clone EQ is changing with it!
10. When you get the EQ where you want it, click "Hold", and it will hold on to that EQ for you- even after the preamp is turned off. You can move on and EQ as many other tracks as you'd like with it now. If you ever want to go back and change a setting, just turn the outboard EQ to "flat" first, then open up the Q Clone on that channel, and click "Add". Then it will simple add to what you already had, and click "Hold" when you are finished.
I had a lot of fun with this plugin yesterday, and I hope this is a useful guide for some of you. Thanks for reading.
Jeremy
Great tutorial
Posted by: Gary Fisher | December 13, 2011 at 04:28 AM