Adjust post-EQ output gain with the Output Fader¶
The Output Fader sets a master gain applied after all EQ bands on either the TX or RX path. Use it to compensate for overall level changes introduced by your EQ curve without touching individual band gains.
Before you start¶
- The floating editor (titled "Aetherial Parametric EQ — TX" or "Aetherial Parametric EQ — RX") must be open. The Output Fader is not present in the docked applet tile.
- The matching EQ stage must be enabled. See Bypass the EQ stage from the chain if the stage is currently bypassed.
Steps¶
- Open the floating editor for the path you want to adjust. Double-click the EQ stage in the CHAIN widget on the TX or RX side.
- Locate the Output Fader on the right edge of the editor window. It is a vertical combined fader and level meter.
- Drag the fader handle up or down to set the post-EQ master gain. The valid range is -36.0 to +12.0 dB.
- To make a fine adjustment, hover over the fader and scroll the mouse wheel. Each scroll step moves the gain by 0.5 dB.
- To return the gain to the default, double-click the fader handle. This resets the value to 0 dB.
- To type a precise dB value, click the numeric readout at the bottom of the fader. The readout switches to an inline editor showing the bare number. Type the desired value (for example,
-6.2or+3.5), then press Enter or click elsewhere to commit. If you press Escape, the edit is cancelled and the previous value is restored.
What each control does¶
| Control | Default | Valid range |
|---|---|---|
| Output Fader (TX path) | 0 dB | -36.0 to +12.0 dB |
| Output Fader (RX path) | 0 dB | -36.0 to +12.0 dB |
| Smoothing | Off (1/96). Applies fractional-octave power-averaging to the analyzer trace for display — does not affect EQ math. Lower fraction = smoother (⅓ is most smoothed; 1/96 is effectively off). Shared between TX and RX editors. | Off (1/96) |
| Peak Hold | Toggle button, unchecked. When checked, the per-bin peak-hold trace in the analyzer stops decaying — every frequency's highest observed level is held until the button is toggled off. Amber background when checked. | Located in the editor header strip (floating editor only). |
| Filter family | Butterworth. Selects the HP/LP cascade mathematics. Butterworth = maximally flat passband; Chebyshev = steeper rolloff with 1 dB passband ripple; Bessel = linear phase / gentler rolloff; Elliptic = steepest transition with ripple in both bands. Applies only to HP and LP filter types; peak and shelf bands use their own fixed 2nd-order topology regardless. | Butterworth |
| Reset | Push button. Resets all bands to the default 10-band template (ClientEq::defaultBand), restores the default band count, and resets the filter family to Butterworth. Saves immediately. Tooltip: 'Reset all bands to default values'. | Located in the editor header strip (floating editor only). |
| Filter-type icon row | A row of 8 custom-painted icons (one per band slot) at the top of the editor canvas area. Each icon draws the current filter shape (peak bell, shelf ramp, HP/LP slope) in its band's palette colour. Click an icon to cycle through the filter types for that band; clicking also selects the band, highlighting its handle on the canvas and its column in the parameter row. | Located in the floating editor only. Icons dim to 35 % opacity when the band is bypassed. Implemented by ClientEqIconRow. |
| Parameter text row | A row of 8 text columns (one per band slot) below the canvas showing each band's Freq, Gain, and Q values. Values update live during canvas drags. Clicking a column selects that band. Labels are bottom-aligned within each column and the row background is transparent so it does not obscure the band-plan strip on the canvas above. | Located in the floating editor only. Implemented by ClientEqParamRow. Committed via right-click menu or Enter key. |
| Filter cutoff guide lines (TX / RX) | Dashed yellow vertical lines overlaid on the canvas at the radio's current TX low/high filter cutoff (TX tile) or RX passband edges (RX tile). Hovering near a line changes the cursor to a horizontal-resize arrow. Dragging a line in the editor moves the radio's corresponding filter cutoff in real time. | Dragging the TX cutoff guides emits cutoffsDragRequested(Tx, lo, hi), which MainWindow forwards to TransmitModel. Dragging the RX guides writes to the active SliceModel. Pass 0 for an edge to suppress that guide. |
| Output Fader value editor | Shows the current gain value in dB. Click to activate inline editing. Type a numeric value (for example, -6.2 or +3.5) and press Enter to commit. Press Escape to cancel the edit. Values outside the valid range are clamped. |
-36.0 to +12.0 dB |
The level bar behind the fader handle shows the smoothed post-EQ peak level in real time, using the same green-amber-red gradient as the Tube level meter. This is a display indicator only; it does not respond to dragging.
Reference curve overlay¶
A reference curve can be overlaid on the EQ canvas to provide a visual target when shaping your parametric EQ. The overlay is drawn as an amber, semi-transparent curve behind your EQ band curves.
Available reference presets¶
| Preset | Source |
|---|---|
| AT&T 1959 | AT&T 1959 "optimum transmission frequency response for speech" — canonical Bell Labs presence-peak target. Peak +5 dB at 2.5 kHz. |
| Heil DX | Bob Heil's published recommendation for maximum talk power in pile-ups. Sharper +6 dB peak at 2.7 kHz. |
| Astatic D-104 | Classic AM/SSB "lollipop" crystal microphone response. Extreme presence peak around 3 kHz. |
| Shure 444 | Classic broadcast-style desk mic. Broader response with gentler presence boost. |
| Heil HC-5 | Modern dynamic SSB mic target shape. Mid-presence boost peaks ~3 kHz at +5 dB. |
To select a reference curve¶
- Open the floating editor for the path you want to adjust.
- Locate the Reference curve selector in the editor header strip.
- Click the selector and choose a preset from the list. The curve appears immediately on the canvas.
- To remove the reference curve, select Off from the same selector.
The reference curve ID is persisted separately per path (ClientEqTxReferenceCurve / ClientEqRxReferenceCurve).
Tips¶
- Use the live level bar on the Output Fader to confirm that your EQ changes have not pushed the output into the red before transmitting or routing audio further.
- The TX and RX Output Faders are independent. Adjusting one path does not affect the other.
- The gain value is persisted immediately. If you close and reopen the editor, the fader returns to the last saved position.
- Right-click a parameter column in the parameter text row to edit that band's values numerically. Press Enter to commit the edit; the EQ settings are saved immediately.
Troubleshooting¶
- Output Fader is not visible — The fader is only present in the floating editor, not in the docked "Aetherial TX EQ" or "Aetherial RX EQ" applet tile. Open the floating editor by double-clicking the EQ stage in the CHAIN widget.
- Double-click does not reset the fader — Ensure you are double-clicking directly on the fader handle, not on the level bar area behind it.
- Inline value edit does not accept my input — The editor accepts decimal numbers with an optional sign prefix. If your locale uses a comma as the decimal separator, the editor will accept commas. Values outside the valid range (-36 to +12 dB) are clamped to the nearest valid value.
- Parameter text row overlaps the band-plan strip — This could indicate an older build of the software. Version 0.9.7 corrects a layout issue where the parameter column background could bleed upward over the canvas band-plan strip. Update to v0.9.7 or later to resolve it.