How (Not) To Test Your Plugins

Рет қаралды 105,619

Күн бұрын

In which I look at various different ways to test your plugins, and a few ways not to as well. Like using "linear analysis" to test a non linearity, or a static sine wave with no dynamics to test dynamics processors...
00:00 Intro
00:49 The Null Test
07:06 Cognitive Bias
13:05 Plugin Doctor
14:11 analysing "box tone"
16:18 testing for EQ cramping
17:58 the biggest Plugin Doctor fail. KZfaq AUDIO ENGINEERS NEED TO WATCH THIS!
20:51 how the "linear analysis" test probably works under the hood
22:35 a better way to measure the frequency response of a non linear plugin
24:34 harmonic analysis
31:13 Hammerstein
35:08 aliasing
40:30 measuring phase shift
43:36 "naturally gentler phase shift"
45:59 "why does this EQ cut make my mix louder?"
51:08 comparing limiters
53:26 comparing compressors
59:26 what is "program dependency"?
1:02:22 compressor aliasing
1:05:54 the ABX test
1:09:45 the only test that matters
Music: "Maybe" by Dan Worrall. Bandcamp link:
dan-worrall.bandcamp.com/trac...
Samplerates, The Higher The Better, Right?
• Samplerates: the highe...
Oversample Everything:
• Oversample Everything!...
ABX test software: lacinato.com/cm/software/othe...
If you like this type of content and you want to see it more often, consider signing up for Channel Membership: / @danworrall

Пікірлер: 566

@ethai1 Жыл бұрын

A one hour Dan Worrall video? Hell yes!

@matdan2 Жыл бұрын

This is real treat

@CharlesK441 Жыл бұрын

Comfy chair 💺 popcorn 🍿 headphones 🎧 READY 😊

@prx877 Жыл бұрын

Yuppp

@sanketkulkarni7854 Жыл бұрын

This is basically my 2 years of Masters degree learning in Music Technology in 1 hour.

@MrPete0282 Жыл бұрын

And there 're other annoying digital non-linearities to account for like freq delays... Music mixed by musicians, often it kinda suffers , trying to do everything yourself and have no one to learn from, unlike in a pro studio, it's much more difficult than you thought it was! Deleting comments & hacking existing ones , nice channel! Job insecurities.

@noahleach7690 Жыл бұрын

@@MrPete0282 i love when boomers just ramble, what a mess of paragraphs

@XiyuYang Жыл бұрын

@@MrPete0282 hurr durr damn the millennials because they mix their own music on a laptop! Get over it, there are people who swear by hardware and consoles and there are people who wins Grammy using only Waves.

@MrPete0282 Жыл бұрын

@@XiyuYang So one idiot calls me a boomer all of a sudden i need to let millennials do their thing with laptops and whatnot... lmao yeah very boomer much anti-millennial u triggered or waves spam bot? I'm sure i did not mention age. Sure buy waves.. buy 2 plugins get 1 Grammy for free, offer stands only if you 're under 38 years of age (or whatever the definitive threshold of generations the experts seem to disagree), forbidden for boomers who mix only in analog consoles like me. Thanks for the laughs!

@Mdjagg Жыл бұрын

School is for a piece of paper, you can do it all on here.

@Whiteseastudio Жыл бұрын

You’ve literally saved me a lot of hours about things I still wanted to study 😊🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

@TraxtasyMedia Жыл бұрын

just came up and thought of mentioning your channel :D

@martinbailey707 Жыл бұрын

Oh, it's Wytse who banned me from his channel because I said he wasn't independent anymore and that he just does adverts for his affiliate links... how's that going?

@InFiNiGhTe Жыл бұрын

@@martinbailey707 Some things are just not what you think it is.

@TraxtasyMedia Жыл бұрын

@@martinbailey707 dude, I'm not his social affiliate manager, so I can't tell, because I haven't used any of his links tho. So why do you cryout at random people about his business?

@ableton-i3d Жыл бұрын

Why does White Sea paint his nails?💅 Does he have a daughter who does it?

@inthemix Жыл бұрын

The section from 18:00 onwards is such a good way to represent the problem of folks "analysing" plugins. I'm going to be linking that section to many people!

@davidriesmeyer248 Жыл бұрын

goat

@rickythethird 2 ай бұрын

SO is plugin doctor any good?'

@mihneazoican2479 Жыл бұрын

DAN PLEASE DON’T DO THIS I HAVE WORK TO DO TODAY😭

@chadmichael_ Жыл бұрын

I laughed so hard just now at this comment because it’s so relatable. 😂😂😂

@BeatsAndMeats Жыл бұрын

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 Luckiky I’ve got a decent drive home in a bit so I. An live it up. I’ve always wondered how well my car’s auto braking system works anyways.

@ilusions4 Жыл бұрын

impulse driven

@cwahlbrink 7 ай бұрын

I lost it at this comment hahahaha

@Tomydeclerqueplus 4 ай бұрын

I watched the video after I read your comment ... agree ...

@delucatone Жыл бұрын

So very satisfying that the first sine wave test tone was in tune with the key of the song that preceeded it. Serious game.

@DanWorrall Жыл бұрын

It wasn't actually planned. But the music was in D, and the test tone defaults to A=440Hz, and yes that was satisfying :)

@raphaelkuttruf Жыл бұрын

@@DanWorrall The unconscious competence of pro engineers

@Intimatycal 4 ай бұрын

@@raphaelkuttruf good point

@trushreitsam5802 Жыл бұрын

Already switched the All-Pass-Filter in and out behind the scenes... Dan is really getting tired of too many people trying to bs themselves XD Love it! Always staying two steps ahead ;D (Careful dumb audio Joke incoming) Sounds Like Dan got his own Lookahead setting dialled to the max XD

@anteshell Жыл бұрын

You got the smile out of me with that joke. ;D

@trushreitsam5802 Жыл бұрын

@@anteshell thanks! That's all I wanted. This is a good day!

@natus49 Жыл бұрын

That was a good one

@TheMetalShed Жыл бұрын

Eagerly awaiting the Fabfilter Pro-DW, with up to 32000ms of lookahead 😂

@natigrinkrug Жыл бұрын

That's a good one, made me smile 😂

@Podcastage Жыл бұрын

Thank you for all that you do. Your channel is incredible and I really appreciate you sharing your expertise with all of us.

@David_Logr Жыл бұрын

funny seeing you here, and yes, I absolutely agree!

@gh0stransist0r Жыл бұрын

I'm in the middle of mixing and saw notification for this vid, glad I know my priority, mixing can wait.

@TValoy Жыл бұрын

I love the saw tooth recreation, Dan! A simple and elegant (yet immensely powerful) demonstration of basic audio principles.

@DanWorrall Жыл бұрын

It was surprisingly difficult to generate sine waves that didn't drift out of phase as I was talking!

@TValoy Жыл бұрын

@@DanWorrall I'm glad you pulled it off. I feel smarter after watching the demonstration of your hand made phase shift causing increased peak levels

@basroos_snafu Жыл бұрын

@@DanWorrall Very interesting. Do you know why the drifting took place? Is it because of the processing internally, perhaps enumerating the channels very fast, but still introducing some latency of a couple of samples? Did you have to align the peaks manually? Thanks for your effort, it was worth the educational bonus.

@DanWorrall Жыл бұрын

@@basroos_snafu I think just tiny inaccuracies in frequency, which would never matter except in a case like this. My solution was to generate them using Reaktor's sine bank module (I think that's what it's called) which is specifically designed for additive synthesis. Then set it to produce one partial at a time.

@basroos_snafu Жыл бұрын

@@DanWorrall Thank you for your answer, and effort again and again. Nice you came up with the solution as well. Enjoy your weekend!

@noisemodule Жыл бұрын

"magick audiophile pebbles aligned with ley lines"... the woo-woo audiophile razz in this scroll is next level. thank you always for being a voice of reason, I used to work in the 'High End' consumer audio industry and some of the shit that came out of people's mouths, from both electro-mechanical engineers and lay-person customers alike, was so eye watering-ly stupid it was actually exhilarating.

@supercompooper Жыл бұрын

I pitch shift my audio up into the Ghz range and route it through an amethyst geode for the best separation of church and state.

@gurumajuindonesia Жыл бұрын

finally a one hour video that i have been waiting from Dan Worrall! these tests are mind blowing

@blcsmith9080 Жыл бұрын

Glad to be back Dan. Hope you're good.

@TokyoSpeirs Жыл бұрын

This was one of the best DW videos so far. Pure gold from start to finish. Do not underestimate how much effort went into this video.

@JoeyFTL Жыл бұрын

What makes these videos truly be in a class of their own is that they give me the feeling that Dan has just as much fun talking about these topics as we enjoy listening

@thevi_olin Жыл бұрын

oh, this one is going on repeat for a while! thanks Dan & FabFilter team!!!

@MrTheog1989 Жыл бұрын

Love your work Dan, it's always a good day when I get to wrap my eyes and ears around another one of your videos :)

@FreddieFevens Жыл бұрын

Such a great video. I have to be somewhere in an hour but I'm glued watching this. Fantastic Dan thank you so much!

@Tom-tv4ok Жыл бұрын

The depth of information in this video is beyond amazing

@pennycool5670 Жыл бұрын

This is brilliant and helpful stuff - and even though I try to make really simple testing of plugins available on my website, it is always to encourage people to do their own testing and evaluations. His section about how nonlinear modeling will totally mess with linear analysis is such a worthwhile and easy-to-understand explanation! Tests always have their own limitations to be aware of, but they also allow you to quickly determine which plugins are masquerading as "analog" or where there are flaws. One of the few things on youtube I wish I would have created!! Thank you, Dan!

@alexeyayzin8512 Жыл бұрын

So excited. One hour+ !!

@creativecraving 3 ай бұрын

Just found your channel today, and you're really helping me learn how to analyze audio, and how to model it inside my head. Thank you!

@peruibeloko Жыл бұрын

Amazing work as always Dan! I loved that the video is essentially a one hour long prelude to the classic "if it sounds good, it is good", which in the end is truly the only rule there is

@DomSigalas Жыл бұрын

This was a delightful video. And the conclusion at the end is right on the money. Thanks Dan!

@SoCalPatriot Жыл бұрын

Made it all the way to end Dan! And I will watch it again. You’ve taught more here in 1 hr 11 mins that an entire “audio” school. Thank you!

@ApexErich 4 ай бұрын

I learned more in the last hour than I have learned in the last two years of my music mixing journey. THANKS FOR THIS!

@marcan42 Жыл бұрын

One minor correction: Using a linear phase filter is *not* a guarantee that you will not increase peak levels either. Try EQing a (gently band limited to round off the corners and avoid true peak excursion) square wave to cut off all but the fundamental with a linear phase EQ. Depending on exactly what filter you use, you can wind up with a +2dB increase in peaks. Peak level just doesn't mean anything once you introduce EQ in any form, even without phase shift. The peaks are, after all, a time domain phenomenon, and there's no telling what will happen to them when you introduce frequency-dependent processing.

@isaac10231 Жыл бұрын

Woah, MARCAN is here? 😮

@drauncj Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the validation that I never once fell down this rabbit hole, and have forever used the blind bypass switch method. I mainly watched this video because you are entertaining.

@HappyFamilySingers Жыл бұрын

The only thing I like about your vids better that the clear logic of the analysis presented, is the the bone dry wit and the dripping wet sarcasm you frost the delivery with so well. I am always in the mood to get the most out of what I have been working on by any and all means when I watch your vids. Thanks.

@critterpurush2684 10 ай бұрын

The way you explain such complex issues in such simple ways is absolutely mind-blowing. Thank you so much for helping us beginners! ❣️

@nickmarkham3743 Жыл бұрын

Great song title for his one, Dan. And hugely validating video as well. This is all stuff I've picked up slowly over the years, either from you, or from my own tests working on my own DSP. Realizing what is and is not a valid result, and how to do blind tests, as well as the all important "but do I like what I hear in context" tests.

@nickmarkham3743 Жыл бұрын

@@mal2ksc Is that a play on words or a song title of Dan's that I missed?

@minde1337 Жыл бұрын

Upcoming music producer here, this video is simply amazing! This is a life saver for people out there like me who self-teach... I was not aware of many of the issues plugins could have been doing to my mixes before this video. Thanks Dan!

@cmd_f5 Жыл бұрын

The work you put into these vids is incredible. I always learn something new. PS: Reaper's Delta solo is a real treat, I use that all the time. Cheers

@booganaga123 Жыл бұрын

This is an incredible video. As someone who, in the distant past, got a master's degree focusing on signal processing and recently has gotten into writing and mixing music it's such good info. Thanks for approaching the material from both the mathematical/scientific side and from the musical side. Amazingly high-quality content.

@jimimaze 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Dan. I'll be back to watch this again. I love the blind test. I think I will be asking audio techs to take the test in front of me often, from now on.

@LesonDeson Жыл бұрын

Insane work as always. Thank you for what you do to educate people.

@GingerLeftyGuitar Жыл бұрын

Dan returns, and it’s an hour plus video. Hell yes 🙌!!

@ardkok9483 Жыл бұрын

Every video just nails it. Such great work, dan! I learn a lot every video!

@TallAlex1 Жыл бұрын

Hour long deep dive, even allowed both ads to play without skipping! Thanks

@theswedishmusicstudio Жыл бұрын

Perhaps THE best video ever in the entire audio community! I wish everyone just watched this (including the plugin devs)!! I would love a detailed video on hearing as well, as that is something i’ve been wondering about for a long time. How the decoding works, how we should prepare for a mixing session, what biases we have, and mostly just a lot of demonstrations on how easy it is to fool the ears. So that the next time we end up in a debate with an audiophile or ”believer” engineer we can just link the video. :) amazing work Dan! Thank you!!! ❤

@GaryNorthants Жыл бұрын

Excellent work. Thank you for taking so much time to do this and I look forward to the next

@martinbailey707 Жыл бұрын

Great video as always Dan... time to roll up the sleeves and get nerdy!

@IZNT-0 Жыл бұрын

sir i am immensely thankful for your effort and kindness in sharing your knowledge with us.

@nikolasb8313 Жыл бұрын

The movie I didn't know I needed to watch tonight. Great review and I learned so much too! Thank you!

@OKFCPrez Жыл бұрын

Please keep producing great content like this, I really appreciate this.

@foketesz Жыл бұрын

This channel clears out most of the clutter. Priceless.

@Mr.Bucket-san Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this Dan. Definitely a must watch for any audio engineer, upcoming or otherwise.

@rickythethird 2 ай бұрын

SO is plugin doctor any good?

@dyenire 6 күн бұрын

@@rickythethirdyes.

@b130610 Жыл бұрын

I can't believe this video is available for free. Incredible presentation and information.

@darkenergymusic Жыл бұрын

Great video Dan! Nice guitar track as well!

@CaseyConnor Жыл бұрын

Tickled and proud to see my humble ABX software in a Dan video - thanks for the video and the link!

@reddmusiclab Жыл бұрын

Proud student of DWU! Dan Worral University. Awesome video. While this was a FF sponsored video, DDMF should’ve pitched in since you taught us how to properly use Plug-In Doctor. Many thanks Dan! Will watch again and again.

@eugeneondasound 6 ай бұрын

Insanely useful tips thank you although the bias shots at ummmm Kirchhoff obviously was hilarious 😂

@Bring_MeSunshine 7 ай бұрын

I always learn something useful and interesting watching your vids. And, when I return, I learn a bit more, probably because the first time I watch, I am out of my technical depth. Slowly, however, more of it sits in place. So I want to thank you for these vids, and this one must have taken some time to make.

@Stormsurf001 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Dan! - You cleared up so many of my previous misconceptions. Great work as always.

@sword-and-shield Жыл бұрын

ALWAYS something to learn with Dan testing.

@edgriggs3544 10 ай бұрын

A full hour (plus) of balls-to-the-wall nerding out! I'm all in! I enjoyed the science, the math and the off-the cuff humor (as always). The magic pebbles and ley lines comment was priceless. But most of all, I enjoyed the proper way to compare compressors and the only test that matters.

@Zet237yt Жыл бұрын

Notification for a new Dan Worral video pops up. 🙂 It is over an hour long. ☺ It is sponsored by FabFilter. 😀

@moatazlashine Жыл бұрын

The only trustful source of audio knowledge on youtube, I've learned a lot from you Dan. Thanks for taking the time to produce such as video

@steveshadforth Жыл бұрын

hahahaha

@XRaym Жыл бұрын

I love Bertom EQ analyzer (which is free), it is a VST and analyze the FX chains. It do have less feature but it is a good alternative. Also for null testing, I have made a JS effect to detect silence, which is cool to be sure there is absolutely no difference at all. JS: Silence Meter it is called. Thx for the video! All the harmonics analysis in PD seems indeed very cool!!

@eegoal Жыл бұрын

Plugin doctor can run inside your daw.

@XRaym Жыл бұрын

@@eegoal right, corrected !

@XRaym Жыл бұрын

@@eegoal Ok but it doesnt analyze the chain, it still works with the Load VST button. Bertom EQ analyzer works withthe FX chain in the DAW (it need two instances, one to geenrate sound before FX, and one for analysing the modified sounds post fx)

@_DRMR_ Жыл бұрын

@@eegoal It doesn't run on all operating systems, where Bertom EQ does.

@briancase6180 Жыл бұрын

Amazing! Another video I need but didn't know! Thanks for reading my mind! ☺️

@andreifilip Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot Dan! Really helped a lot! Keep them coming! Cheers (Already watching it the second time)

@helmanfrow Жыл бұрын

Dan's first feature-length film. Love it.

@isaacwinter665 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this! Lots of things to take in and try out.

@rickdomina 2 күн бұрын

Hi Dan, I don't test my plugins. You do it for me. Thank you!!!

@adwind3055 Жыл бұрын

Wow! A great video that makes quite a few things mighty clear. Thanks 🙏

@hyperactivists9390 Жыл бұрын

HOORAY and thanks for the detailed explanations i’ve missed you

@Twongo Жыл бұрын

Another fine set of considerations. Thank you for all your contributions to the legacy of excellent audio for music. Also, I never tire of dunking on audiophiles. Now that I think about it, Dave Rat rather gracefully didn't shit on them in a recent video and I was actually inspired by his approach. He said something along the lines of, "Not everyone is going for studio accuracy in their speaker or listening space. Sometimes it's cool just to own a piece of art that goes with the room." I'm not saying this to criticize your tact. I was simply reminded by my original comment and really do like that I hadn't heard it stated like that before. In my heart of hearts, I align with your sentiment perfectly. A null test would produce complete cancelation.

@patovega Жыл бұрын

Outstanding video! im gonna need to watch this a few times as i doo with all your videos.

@tarkaron8 Жыл бұрын

Dan, I'm truly thankful for your video ❤

@wsakundi Жыл бұрын

I watched a video the other day by a bafflingly popular KZfaqr that had me pulling my hair out when he loaded up Plugin Doctor. Thanks for this video. It’s helping all of us become better informed engineers and hopefully more selective in who we choose to devote our time and attention to.

@higltypig Жыл бұрын

ah I was dangerously close to going out for a run. Thankyou for the procrastination opportunity!

@rpgaleksy Жыл бұрын

Stay focused bro, listen to the video on your run or in the gym, there‘s no excuse for not doing both haha

@synthshoot1026 Жыл бұрын

3:10 two files that null perfectly can’t sound different. But two files that don’t null perfectly can sound perfectly identical. Thanks for the video. Great content. Very informative

@bastienhfrug1870 Жыл бұрын

Null test on oversampling can always be done, no matter if it is linear-phase or not. Create two tracks, with both an instance with oversampling and an instance without oversampling (4 in total). Apply the effect on oversampled instance in track one, and on non-oversampled instance on track two. Phase shift are compensated. And supernatural clean mastering mode on pro-c2 happens when compressor use some hidden hold function or an equivalent release filter with at least 4-pole lowpass structure. You can see its hold-like behaviour on transient test with long release (and boost volume for easier observation).

@bradleypower4803 Жыл бұрын

Love the plugin doctor discussion here, I don't know how to use it like I should a year later ... thanks!

@CreativeMindsAudio Жыл бұрын

Great video! long over due as well! I definitely learned a little bit more about testing thanks!

@soups1337 Жыл бұрын

Another amazing video, thanks for your knowledge!

@banterbanter Жыл бұрын

After listening to this on a loop for 3 days, I can now speak fluent Russian and have mastered nuclear fission using only stock plugins.

@TwoScoopsOfTubert Жыл бұрын

The timing of the music/voiceover/topic at 10:58 is superb

@pompeysie Жыл бұрын

Very happy to hear you are back, Dan. Where have you been?

@adithyasatheesh127 Жыл бұрын

Popular opinion: learned more in 1 hour than in my last 10 years of pondering. Only complaint? The video wasn't long enough.

@toilettunes1 Жыл бұрын

thank you ...really find these useful and i always come away with perspective

@BathtubStillBill Жыл бұрын

Class work my friend. Well done

@damianelloway Жыл бұрын

@danworrall YES! You remembered my question about Rea Eq and the All Pass filter! Altough you did mention that in order to recreate the allpass one must use timeless, and not vulcano... Oh well, ill have to buy Volcano. Great video as always!

@peterpiper0815 Жыл бұрын

perfect education and entertainment. Thank you Dan.

@mateythegreat1399 Жыл бұрын

Man! that was splendid. Thanks mate

@Bronwyn031 Жыл бұрын

Dan, I learn so much by watching any of your videos. 💖

@zouyia Жыл бұрын

Whenever a new Dan's video comes up I always learn new things but I have a real question.........WTF do you know all these!!!!!!😅I am truly gobsmacked and jealous of your deep knowledge💙

@DanWorrall Жыл бұрын

30 years of not having any other hobbies ;)

@cormacredmond12345 6 ай бұрын

Great video, great scientific demonstrations.

@DemetriceGant Жыл бұрын

This was soooo informative and helpful. Thank you so much!

@Six2Nine Жыл бұрын

Godfather of Audio! Thy Sir!

@FeJotaTakinOva Жыл бұрын

I use REW through ReaRoute sometimes to analyze certain aspects of plugins. It's one of my go-to acoustic analyzers so I actually find myself quite comfortable using it.

@ChocloManx Жыл бұрын

at 51:17 I thought my audio interface had randomly changed sample rate great video as usual, thanks for everything

@sevendoves49 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for you videos Dan! They are always so helpful :)

@Super-id7bq Жыл бұрын

Great vid Dan. I feel like every studio engineer or producer would benefit from doing some FOH or monitors engineering. Unless you're on a console with a display like an M7 or Midas (which most small venues won't) you're never gonna get bogged down by the numbers and even if you are on a console with more plugin style effects and a digital display, you're generally watching the band not the board. Really forces you to be more listening focussed and also fast (sound checks last minutes, not weeks). Anyone can basically sign up to most venues as a Cazzy (Casual Technical) which is basically a zero hour contract and you'll probably get some work after shadowing for a while. I've worked at dozens of venues and done countless tours and there's always noobs on the crew. Because it pays so poorly they're generally desperate for extra hands and if you're on the list you'll definitely end up getting a call once someone inevitably has a sick day. I wouldn't advise it as a career though lol. Not unless you want to be permanently knackered and skint.