Does EQ shelving have a more natural, less phasey sound than high passing?

[Diplo]

I wondered which of the two are considered “cleaner”.
A high pass, or a low shelf cut (up to like -30dB)?

 

[DVDdoug]

A high-pass filter shouldn't sound "phasey". There are constant-phase filters and constant-phase EQs but it's usually not an issue.

Normally you get phase issues (comb filtering) when the phase-shifted or delayed is re-combined with the non-shifted wave... When there is no reference you don't hear it. Sort-of related... If you reverse the connections to one speaker (of a stereo pair) the soundwaves are 180 degrees out of phase... You get some "phase weirdness" and the bass cancels. But if you reverse the connections to both speakers they are back-in phase and everything sounds normal again.

And with filtering, that's not happening because you are killing (or reducing certain frequencies). To get the "best" phase cancelation, the two combined signals have to be equal in amplitude...

 

[Diplo]

A high-pass filter shouldn't sound "phasey". There are constant-phase filters and constant-phase EQs but it's usually not an issue.

Normally you get phase issues (comb filtering) when the phase-shifted or delayed is re-combined with the non-shifted wave... When there is no reference you don't hear it. Sort-of related... If you reverse the connections to one speaker (of a stereo pair) the soundwaves are 180 degrees out of phase... You get some "phase weirdness" and the bass cancels. But if you reverse the connections to both speakers they are back-in phase and everything sounds normal again.

And with filtering, that's not happening because you are killing (or reducing certain frequencies). To get the "best" phase cancelation, the two combined signals have to be equal in amplitude...

Would you say a shelf on either the highs or lows sound more natural?
My thinking is that with a shelf the frequencies are severely reduced, but are still there, so you might have something that sounds more natural.

That being said, if you want a sound to sound like it’s coming from behind a while, completely cutting out the upper frequencies might sound more natural than just reducing…

 

[Chrispy]

What's the particular application?

 

[Diplo]

What's the particular application?

Mixing

 

[Emily]

It's difficult to make a general statement about whether EQ shelving or high-pass filtering is "cleaner" or has a more natural sound, as it can depend on the specific situation and the goals of the processing.

However, in general, a low shelf cut may be less disruptive to the overall tonal balance of a sound than a high-pass filter, as it allows the frequencies below the shelf to remain relatively untouched while attenuating the higher frequencies. This can help to maintain the natural character of the sound while still addressing any issues in the upper frequencies.

High-pass filters, on the other hand, can be more effective at removing unwanted low-frequency content, but can also have a more noticeable impact on the sound's overall tonal balance and may introduce phase issues.

In short, the choice between EQ shelving and high-pass filtering may depend on the specific needs of the mix and the desired outcome.

 

[Beave]

Thanks ChatGPT, err, umm, I mean, Emily.

 

[Philbo King]

Shelf EQ filters have better phase behavior.
High or low pass filters have fairly wonky phase response. The steeper the HP/LP the weirder the phase response gets. An example: