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2. How to edit in Carve EQ

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The key to getting the most out of Carve EQ rests in understanding how the various tools work. When you first load up the plugin apart from a faint grid the display is blank and the horizontal line represents zero gain. The default tool is Sculpt and you’ll see this has an accompanying Size parameter.

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With the largest Size setting, Sculpt delivers fantastic broad tilts and curves. You can even push the gain up or down to create flat top and bottom shapes. Remember though, Carve has a maximum cut or boost of 16dB.

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The Select tool is the only tool that lets you lasso multiple nodes, and this can be very handy to make changes to a group of bands. Try grabbing a few and editing the overall shape. You can also select multiple nodes and reset them to zero using keyboard backspace. 2

As you move the cursor over the workspace you see a couple of dotted lines indicate the extent of the Sculpt tool. Adjust the size to see how this changes. Now click and drag in the workspace to see what the Sculpt tool does.

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Next choose the Select tool. The EQ curve now changes so that there’s a visible node for every band. This provides a precise way to adjust each band accurately so you can apply straight ahead boost or cut and you’ll get a precise v-shaped curve. Try editing a few bands.

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The Pencil tool does precisely what you would expect, allowing you to draw curves. That said it is drawing a curve from fixed band filters, so can feel a bit lumpy at times. In addition to using a drawing motion, you can also simply point and click in the workspace, providing a quick way to add curves. 3

With the smallest Size setting (1) you can use the Sculpt tool to cut and boost individual bands. Spot how these line up with the vertical lines in the grid. Increase the Size setting to 3 or 4 and you’ll find you’re making broader shapes, and it’s worth noting that by clicking on and off you can add to existing shapes.

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The overall effect of the combined bands is shown by the main EQ curve, and you’ll see that you can get slight peaks on the edges of the filters. Also note that the nodes and curves change colour to match their respective channels when editing them individually which is handy.

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Getting the most out of Carve EQ requires all three tools. For example, you may want to draw in a very broad curve using the Sculpt tool, or a more specific one using the Pencil tool and then go in and adjust a specific band or two using the Select tool.