In the last eq article we covered Top eq's to clean up your mix! This time around we look at top eq's that add tone and colour to your mixes and beats.
Lets explore this!
Tone Projects Michaelanelo
The Tone Projects Michelangelo is a parametric equalizer plugin known by the hardware it emulates as an all-tube stereo EQ and harmonics generator designed and hand built by Chris Henderson from Hendyamps.
Admired for its raw sonic beauty and inspiring ease of use, it ranks among the most remarkable EQ’s available today. precision and versatility in audio processing. It's designed to offer a wide range of controls and features to shape the tonal balance of audio tracks.
Key features of the Michelangelo EQ typically include:
Parametric Equalization: It provides multiple bands of fully parametric EQ, allowing precise adjustments of frequency, bandwidth (Q), and gain for each band.
High-Quality Filters: The plugin often boasts high-quality filters, enabling users to make surgical adjustments to specific frequencies without introducing artifacts or distortion.
Graphical User Interface (GUI): Many users appreciate its user-friendly interface, often featuring a graph or visual representation of the frequency spectrum, making it intuitive to identify and manipulate different frequency ranges.
Frequency Spectrum Control: It offers control over various aspects of the frequency spectrum, including low-end, mid-range, and high-end frequencies, enabling users to fine-tune the audio to their liking.
Versatility: Michelangelo EQ is often lauded for its versatility, suitable for a wide range of audio applications, from subtle tonal adjustments to precise surgical EQ for mastering and mixing purposes.
Analog Emulation: Some versions or settings of the Michelangelo EQ might include analog-modeled features or settings, aiming to replicate the sonic characteristics of vintage hardware equalizers, adding warmth or color to the audio.
Overall, the Michelangelo EQ is recognized as a powerful and flexible tool for audio engineers, producers, and musicians, providing a detailed and nuanced approach to shaping the sound of audio tracks across various applications in the music production process.
In comparison to the hardware it tries to emulate it does not compare in weight or depth as expected as the hardware outputs real tube voltage power giving a smoother sense of distortion.
The advantage that the software has over the hardware is it's flexibility to tune frequency and saturation per band, ability to focus on transients or sustain, Do mid-side, extra parametric bands, dynamic eq with threshold and adjustable attack and release.
PsP New Master Q2
Here are some key features and aspects of PSP MasterQ2:
High-Quality Equalization: PSP MasterQ2 offers a set of parametric EQ bands with various filter shapes, providing precise control over frequency bands, bandwidth (Q), and gain.
Analog Modeling and Character: The plugin known for its analog-style sound and character. It aims to replicate the sonic qualities of classic analog equalizers, adding warmth and musicality to the audio.
Versatility and Flexibility: PSP MasterQ2 provides multiple EQ bands, allowing users to shape the tonal balance of audio tracks with great flexibility. Suitable for a wide range of applications, from subtle tonal adjustments to surgical EQ for mastering purposes.
Graphical User Interface (GUI): The plugin typically features a user-friendly interface, often with a graphical representation of the frequency spectrum, making it intuitive to visualize and manipulate different frequency ranges.
Advanced Features: Includes additional features such as selectable filter types, mid-side processing capabilities, customizable filter slopes, and a wide frequency range, catering to mastering engineers' needs.
PSP Audioware is known for producing high-quality plugins with a focus on analog emulation and musical sound quality.
UAD Pultec
- Get instant "Analog Magic" with the world's best emulations of vintage Pultec EQs
- Sculpt fat and punchy bass, synths, and drums with the EQP‑1A
- Experience rich midrange textures on your guitars, vocals, and keys with the MEQ‑5
- Create retro filter effects or reduce unwanted frequencies with surgical precision using the HLF‑3C
The UAD Pultec is a classic in its own right! Even inserting on any audio material with any tweaks adds depth and weight You really can't go wrong with this plugin and considering its native without the need for a dsp unit and on sale for $39 i'd say don't be stupid and go grab this thing already!
Waves Spectre
All though not a complete eq on its own, Wavesfactory Spectre is a powerful and versatile saturation/harmonic exciter and a graphical paramteric eq.
Here's an overview of its features and functionalities:
Saturation and Harmonic Exciter: Spectre known for its ability to add warmth, color, and harmonics to audio signals. It offers various saturation modes and exciter algorithms to enhance the character of sounds.
Multiple Saturation Algorithms: The plugin typically includes several saturation algorithms inspired by classic analog hardware. These algorithms aims to emulate the characteristics of vintage equipment, offering users a range of tonal options.
Adjustable Parameters: Spectre provides control over parameters such as saturation amount, drive, mix, and frequency bands. Users can fine-tune the saturation effect and target specific frequency ranges for processing.
Graphical User Interface (GUI): The interface, often user-friendly, featuring intuitive controls and a graphical representation of the audio signal. Users can visualize the changes being made to the audio spectrum.
Versatility: Suitable for various applications, including individual tracks, buses, and mastering. It can add subtle warmth to vocals or instruments, bring life to drums, or impart character to full mixes.
Low CPU Usage: Despite its powerful processing capabilities, Spectre was known for being relatively efficient in terms of CPU usage, allowing users to use it on multiple tracks within a project.
This thing is killer on the mixbus with the ability to really shape and enhance the tone of your mix using just this. The combination of saturation times opens up the world of possibilities for all types of gnarly distortion.
Sometimes a small boost is all you need!
Chandler Limited Curve Bender Mastering Eq
Legendary Circuits
The sound of this unit comes from equalizer circuits which can trace their lineage back to one of the most legendary high-end British consoles of all time, the EMI TG12345.
Subtle, yet powerful
With its gentle, carefully designed curves, silky top-end, and tight lows, it’s impossible not to improve your sound. Just set and forget.
Modern Royalty
In software form, the majestic sound quality of the Curve Bender is only built upon and expanded by the addition of Mid/Side processing.
Impeccable Lineage
The Chandler Limited® Curve Bender is based on desk circuits from the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London, used to create albums of genuinely legendary status, such as Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd, and Abbey Road by The Beatles. And as with any truly supreme successor to a noble line, it builds on the greatness of its ancestors.
The Curve Bender has more bands (four, compared to the original console’s two), more fixed filter points (a huge fifty-one, up from just nine, chosen and designed in the image of the original circuits by Chandler Limited® founder, Wade Goeke), more Q and gain options, and added low and high pass filters, making the unit a mastering powerhouse without sacrificing the exquisite analog sound-flavor which made it a leader.
- Mastering grade analog equalizer.
- Silky top-end and tight lows.
- Based on legendary British console EQ circuits used on innumerable classic records.
- Professional engineer presets from Joe Chicarelli, Tony Maserati, Howard Willing, Kevin Kadish, and Maor Appelbaum.
- Improved with more bands, more filter-points, greater gain and Q flexibility, and additional low and high pass filters.
- Added Mid/Side processing and channel linking in the plug-in.
- Subtle yet authoritative; carefully considered curves and exceptional quality mean you can boost with confidence.
- Set it and forget it – it always sounds good.
- Use on master bus, instrument groups, or even individual tracks – it’s great on vocals.
- A real crown jewel in your collection.
The curvebender packs massive punch, especially in the low end! it excels at preserving transients and has tons of character.
One thing to make note is that people may struggle with the input of how to tame this beast so lowering your input to -18db will give you the optimal performance for the sweet spot!
Conclusion
With these recommendations, a purchase of anyone of these eq's will give you a powerhouse of tone at your disposal to add a ton of personality to your music productions and mixes.
Eq creates attitude and so however that may sound to you depends on how much gain you decide to add.
Happy Eq'ing.