ORBITAL equalizer

Shape sound with one point: bass foundation, density, voice, treble and soundstage width.

How to open and enable it

Settings → Build your SHIKARDOS → ORBITAL equalizer → Done. Then open EQ → ORBITAL and tap “Apply equalizer”,if the button is shown.

Play a familiar song at a comfortable volume. If the EQ letters at the top are dim, check whether unprocessed comparison is enabled.

Show all steps and the selection screen →

The ORBITAL screen

Actual ORBITAL screen in Android 1.2.2: the circle, control point and five colored sides. The Studio layout differs in newer releases. View screenshot ↗

The light point inside the circle controls the blend of settings. The five colored points on the circumference represent sides of the sound. You can move them around the circumference too.

ORBITAL: the point, colored nodes and FLOW

The control point selects the blend; the colored nodes set the positions of the sides.

Where to find it in the player

EQ → ORBITAL → circle and FLOW.

Direction selects the blend; distance from the center sets strength; colored nodes move around the circumference.

How to use it

Move the control point inside the circle: changes are gentler near the center and stronger near the edge.
Move a colored node along the circumference to reposition its side.
Watch the sides' contributions in FLOW. Values may be negative and do not have to add up to 100%.
Double-tap the circle to return the control point to the center. Check the lock if movement is blocked.

What you will hear

One point changes several linked parameters. Repositioning a colored node changes their blend.

BODY — tonal body

The low-frequency foundation of the sound.

Where to find it in the player

EQ → ORBITAL → control point and colored sides.

This is one side of the Orbit. Its namesake slider in the Studio sets the depth of its effect.

How to use it

Start with the control point at the center.
Move the point toward the chosen side and compare: a positive contribution makes the sound fuller and warmer; a negative one makes it lighter and drier.
Remember that other sides' contributions change at the same time. Stay closer to the center for fine adjustments.

What you will hear

The region around 100 Hz changes. The result depends on the combination of all sides.

DENSITY — fullness

Linked changes in the lower midrange.

Where to find it in the player

EQ → ORBITAL → control point and colored sides.

This is one side of the Orbit. Its namesake slider in the Studio sets the depth of its effect.

How to use it

Start with the control point at the center.
Move the point toward the chosen side and compare: a positive contribution makes the sound richer and denser; a negative one makes it lighter and more transparent.
Remember that other sides' contributions change at the same time. Stay closer to the center for fine adjustments.

What you will hear

The regions around 250 and 630 Hz change. The result depends on the combination of all sides.

VOICE — vocal presence

Presence and intelligibility in the midrange.

Where to find it in the player

EQ → ORBITAL → control point and colored sides.

This is one side of the Orbit. Its namesake slider in the Studio sets the depth of its effect.

How to use it

Start with the control point at the center.
Move the point toward the chosen side and compare: a positive contribution brings the sound forward and makes it more pronounced; a negative one makes it softer and calmer.
Remember that other sides' contributions change at the same time. Stay closer to the center for fine adjustments.

What you will hear

The region around 3 kHz changes. The result depends on the combination of all sides.

AIR — treble air

The character of the upper spectrum.

Where to find it in the player

EQ → ORBITAL → control point and colored sides.

This is one side of the Orbit. Its namesake slider in the Studio sets the depth of its effect.

How to use it

Start with the control point at the center.
Move the point toward the chosen side and compare: a positive contribution makes the sound brighter and more sparkling; a negative one makes it darker and softer.
Remember that other sides' contributions change at the same time. Stay closer to the center for fine adjustments.

What you will hear

The high shelf from 6 kHz changes. The result depends on the combination of all sides.

WIDTH in ORBITAL — space

The Orbit side that changes stereo width.

Where to find it in the player

EQ → ORBITAL → control point and colored sides.

This is one side of the Orbit. Its namesake slider in the Studio sets the depth of its effect.

How to use it

Start with the control point at the center.
Move the point toward the chosen side and compare: a positive contribution widens the sound; a negative one narrows it.
Remember that other sides' contributions change at the same time. Stay closer to the center for fine adjustments.

What you will hear

The difference between the left and right channels changes. The result depends on the combination of all sides.

ORBITAL: side depth in TONE and STAGE

Limits the contribution of a side calculated from the point's position.

Where to find it in the player

ORBITAL → Studio → TONE (BODY, AIR, VOICE) or STAGE (DENSITY, WIDTH).

0% removes that side's contribution; 100% applies its full calculated contribution. These are not direct gain or width percentages.

How to use it

First move the control point so the desired side has a nonzero contribution.
Reduce that side's depth and listen as its effect weakens.
Return to 100% to hear its full contribution as calculated by the Orbit.

What you will hear

You can keep the selected blend while making one component more subtle.

Inside the ORBITAL Studio

TONE — BODY, AIR and VOICE depth. STAGE — DENSITY and WIDTH depth. These limit the sides' effects and work together with the point's position.

DYNAMICS — compressor and LOUD. LEVEL — GAIN and VOLUME. CHANNELS — channel controls; HALL — reverberation. FLOW shows the sides' contributions; METER — meters.

Detailed instructions for additional controls →

Example: make a voice more expressive

Start with the control point at the center.
Move it slightly toward VOICE and listen to a familiar voice. Other sides change along with VOICE: this is a linked adjustment.
If the change is too strong, move the point closer to the center or reduce VOICE depth in the Studio.
Double-tap the circle to return the point to the center. To compare all processing, tap the EQ letters: the circle's center does not switch off separately enabled effects.

On-screen buttons: what they do

EQ — large letters: Temporarily bypass processing for comparison; tap again to restore it. Your settings are preserved.
PRESETS — saved settings: Built-in settings and those you have saved. For a headphone preset from the website: download the file and import it into PEq.
TONE — tonal character / STAGE — space: Open groups of controls. In GEq/PEq these are separate tools; in the ORBITAL Studio they set the depth of five sides. See “Additional controls” below for details.
REVERB / HALL: Room reflections: space selection, decay time and strength. How to adjust reverb.
Scales icon / BALANCE: Volume balance between the left and right channels. How to use balance.
FX: FULL / ECO / OFF: The amount of visual effects on screen. FULL — full animation; ECO — calmer and less demanding; OFF — no animation. This does not switch audio processing off.
PANEL: Shows or hides the additional slider panel, leaving more room for the graph. On a wide screen the panel is at the side; in portrait it may be below the graph. Hiding the panel does not disable its audio effects.
The “i” button: Opens an explanation of the screen or a particular control inside the player.
Circular arrow — reset: Restores sound settings to their initial values after confirmation. For a simple comparison, tap the EQ letters rather than reset.

Additional controls

Important: the direct 0–200% WIDTH control in GEq/PEq and WIDTH side depth in ORBITAL are different settings. Understanding ORBITAL depth.

Select the control name you need. Its explanation opens immediately.

GRAVITY — bass controlAdds definition and weight to the low end. →CRYSTAL — clarity and high frequenciesShapes the sound toward greater clarity and sparkle. →WIDTH — stereo widthA separate control changes the difference between the left and right channels. →XFEED — crossfeed for headphonesMixes a frequency-shaped portion of each channel into the other. →COMPRESSOR — control of loud peaksRestrains loud moments, reducing their difference from quiet ones. →LOUD — bass and treble at low volumeAdds bass and some treble according to the volume level the player can account for. →PRE — headroom against overloadLowers the input level in advance, leaving room for frequency boosts. →GAIN — additional gainAdditional gain in the standard Android audio path. →BALANCE — left/right channel balanceChanges the relative levels of the two channels. →PHASE — channel polarity checkInverts the polarity of the left or right channel. →REVERB — room reflections and spaceAdds decaying reflections to a recording, creating a sense of a room. →

Comparison and reset

Tap the large EQ letters at the top of the equalizer screen EQto temporarily bypass processing. Tap again to restore it. This is a processed/unprocessed comparison, called “CLEAN” in other views.

The control positions are preserved. Listen to the same passage at the same volume. Do not use reset if you only want to compare the sound.

The circular-arrow button resets sound settings. Read the confirmation and proceed only if you want to start again. Save complex settings beforehand.

GEq also has a separate “RESET” above its bands. Resetting bands and resetting the entire active sound section are different actions.

Explore the principle in an interactive diagram

The website diagram helps explain the principle. It does not change your app's settings or process music.

Open the ORBITAL diagram →