Lathe

Lathe is a clean, precise seven-band EQ: a high-pass and low-pass at 12, 24 or 48 dB per octave, low and high shelves and three bells. It adds no colour of its own, and every move glides smoothly, so you can sweep a band to find a problem without clicks. When you want an EQ with character, use Plush or Ferrum.

The controls

High-pass, HP slope

Removes everything below the frequency (20 Hz is off). Steeper slopes cut more.

Low Freq, Low

A low shelf: lift or cut everything below the frequency.

Bell 1 / 2 / 3 Freq, gain and Q

Three bells for the lows, mids and highs. Q is the width: low Q is broad and musical, high Q is narrow, for removing a single ring.

High Freq, High

A high shelf: brightness or a softer top.

Low-pass, LP slope

Removes everything above the frequency (22 kHz is off).

Output

Level out, to match the bypassed sound.

Best for

• Every channel: clear out the low end you don't need
• Vocals: cut mud, add presence and air
• Drums: find and remove a ringing tone
• Mix bus: broad, gentle tilts

Starting points

Load Lathe, set these, then adjust by ear. In the plugin, Level match helps you judge the sound, not the loudness.

Hints and tips

• Cut narrow, boost wide: narrow boosts sound harsh; wide cuts sound hollow.
• To find a ring, boost a narrow bell a lot, sweep until it jumps out, then turn the boost into a cut.
• High-pass almost everything except kick and bass, but listen: too high takes the warmth.

Chains it works best in

Every Original works in a chain with the others and with members' hardware. These are good places to start.

• Lathe then Clasp: shape the tone, then control the level
• Wicket then Clasp then Lathe: a clean drum channel
• Lathe then Plush: fix with Lathe, then colour with Plush

Watch out for

• Boosting everything: you've turned it up, not improved it. Use Output to compare at equal level.
• 48 dB/oct high-passes on full mixes: steep slopes ring. 12 or 24 is usually better.