> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.acestudio.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.acestudio.ai/project/mixing/effects/built-in-effects.md). # Built-in Effects ACE Studio ships with a small, hand-picked set of built-in audio effects — an EQ for shaping tone, a vocal-tuned EQ, and a full dynamics + space toolkit: compressor, de-esser, limiter, and reverb. They cover the everyday mixing moves for a vocal- or instrument-centric session without reaching for third-party plug-ins. For how to add, reorder, bypass, and save effects, see [Effects](/project/mixing/effects.md). For third-party VST3 / AU plug-ins, see [Third-Party Effects](/project/mixing/effects/third-party-effects.md). *** ### EQ 3 *Category: EQ — a clean three-band equalizer with an interactive spectrum.*

EQ 3 is your general-purpose tone shaper: a **low shelf**, a **mid bell** (peak), and a **high shelf**, drawn over a live spectrum analyzer so you can see what you're cutting or boosting. #### The display The top half is an interactive frequency graph with a real-time spectrum behind the EQ curve. * **Drag a band's handle** on the graph to set its frequency (left/right) and gain (up/down) at the same time. * **Scroll** over a handle to widen or narrow its **Q**. * **Double-click** a handle to reset that band. * Clicking a handle, or hovering its knobs, **focuses** that band. * The band controls below then edit the focused band. #### Band controls The bottom strip shows the focused band's three knobs:

Control	What it does
Freq	Centre/corner frequency of the band. Displayed in Hz, switching to kHz above 1000.
Q	Bandwidth. Higher Q = narrower, more surgical; lower Q = broad and gentle.
Gain	Cut or boost at that frequency.

**How to dial it** * **Low shelf** — warmth and weight. Gentle boosts add body; cuts clean up mud and rumble. * **Mid bell** — the workhorse. Sweep with a high Q and a boost to *find* a problem frequency, such as boxiness or harshness, then cut it with a moderate Q. * **High shelf** — air and brightness. A small shelf boost up top opens a vocal; a cut tames sibilance and fizz. Subtractive moves, cutting what's wrong, usually sound more natural than piling on boosts. Wide Q works well for musical tone-shaping. Narrow Q works better for fixing a specific resonance. *** ### Vocal EQ *Category: EQ — one-click vocal tone presets.*

Vocal EQ is the fast, opinionated counterpart to EQ 3. Instead of bands and knobs, it gives you four ready-made vocal curves as a 2×2 button grid.

Preset	Use it for
Choir	Warmth and fullness — blended, layered vocals.
Backing	A supporting shape that sits a backing vocal behind the lead.
Lead	Clarity and presence — pushes a lead vocal forward.
Bright	Brilliance and air — adds top-end sparkle.

Reach for Vocal EQ when you want a good vocal tone in one click. *** ### Little Compressor *Category: Dynamics — evens out level and adds punch or glue.*

A compressor turns down the loud parts so the overall level is more consistent. #### The monitor The top area shows the **input level** and the **gain reduction**, how much the compressor is currently turning the signal down. The **threshold line** is drawn across it. **Drag the line** to set the threshold against what you see and hear. #### Controls

Control	What it does
Threshold (the line)	The level above which compression kicks in. Lower it to compress more of the signal.
Ratio	How hard it compresses above the threshold. `2:1` is gentle; `4:1` is firm; `8:1+` is heavy or limiting.
Attack	How fast it clamps down after a sound crosses the threshold. Fast catches transients; slow lets them through for punch.
Release	How fast it lets go once the signal drops. Too fast can pump; too slow stays ducked.
Gain (makeup)	Brings the level back up after compression has lowered it. Match the output to the bypassed level for a fair comparison.

**How to dial it** 1. Set **Ratio** for the job — around `2:1` for gentle levelling, around `4:1` for control, higher for obvious effect. 2. Lower the **Threshold**, drag the line, until you see a few dB of gain reduction on the loudest parts. 3. Start with `3–6 dB`. 4. **Attack:** slower lets transients punch through, faster tames them. 5. For vocals, a medium attack usually keeps them present without harshness. 6. **Release:** aim for it to recover roughly in time with the music — fast enough to breathe, slow enough not to pump. 7. Bring up **Gain** so the compressed signal is as loud as the dry one. 8. Then bypass, yellow power state, to check you improved it. *** ### Little De-Esser *Category: Dynamics — tames harsh "s", "sh" and "t" sounds.*

A de-esser is a compressor that only acts on the high frequencies where sibilance lives, so it softens harsh "ess" sounds without dulling the whole vocal. #### Controls

Control	What it does
Threshold (the meter line)	How loud the sibilance has to get before it is turned down. Drag the line down to de-ess more aggressively.
Freq (crossover)	The frequency above which the de-esser listens for sibilance. Tune it to where the harshness sits — typically `5–9 kHz` for most voices.
Listen (headphone button)	Solos the sibilance the de-esser is detecting, so you can hear exactly what you are targeting while you set the crossover and threshold.

The blue meter shows the sibilance level after the crossover. The yellow meter shows how much is being reduced. **How to dial it** 1. Turn on **Listen** and sweep **Freq** until the "ess" sounds are loudest and isolated. 2. That is your target band. 3. Turn **Listen** off. 4. Drag the **Threshold** line down until the harsh "s" sounds soften. 5. Watch the yellow reduction meter. 6. Aim to tame the sibilance, not lisp the vocal. 7. Less is more — back off until it sounds natural. *** ### Little Limiter *Category: Dynamics — a ceiling that catches peaks and maximises level.*

A limiter guarantees the signal never exceeds a set ceiling, while letting you push the overall loudness up. #### Controls

Control	What it does
Gain	Drives the signal into the limiter. More gain = louder and more limiting.
Ceiling	The hard maximum output level — nothing gets past it. The ceiling line is shown on the monitor.
Attack	How fast it grabs peaks. Fast for transparent peak-catching.
Release	How fast it recovers. Too fast can distort; too slow ducks the level.

The monitor shows the output level history and how much the limiter is reducing. **How to dial it** 1. Set the **Ceiling** to where you want the maximum to land, for example `−0.3` to `−1 dB` to leave headroom for export. 2. Push **Gain** up until you hear the loudness you want and see the limiter working on the peaks. 3. Back off before it starts to sound squashed or distorted. 4. Keep **Attack** fast for clean peak control. 5. Lengthen **Release** if fast settings sound pumpy or gritty. *** ### Little Reverb *Category: Reverb — adds space and depth.*

Little Reverb places the sound in a room. It is preset-driven: pick a space, then balance how much of it you hear. #### Controls * **Preset selector** — use the **‹ ›** arrows to cycle through four spaces:

Preset	Character
Room	Small, tight, intimate.
Hall	Larger, longer, smoother — with more damping for a darker tail.
Church	Big and long, brighter tail.
Cinematic	Huge, the largest space — for dramatic, washy effects.

* **Dry/wet** *(knob)* — the mix between the dry signal and the reverb. **How to dial it** 1. Pick the **space** that fits the part — small Room for subtle depth, Hall or Cinematic for an obvious, lush tail. 2. Set **Dry/wet** to taste. 3. As an insert on a vocal, keep it low, around `10–30%`, so the vocal stays up front. 4. Higher mixes pull the sound back and wash it out. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.acestudio.ai/project/mixing/effects/built-in-effects.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.