I need your help again...wont do it again please...Master EQ

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As the title says, yes, some might find me annoying...but if this forum did not help me i would not post.
I've had a fun road for few months to clean out my plugins folders, buy new ones and make my self
a little more productive and i already see results. My next question is, i will paste below a list of all
the pugins i own and which ones i uninstalled or retired:

Compressors:
IK: Black76, White 2A, Opto Compressor and Vintage Compressor 670
SS Virtual Bus Compressors
Eareckon Analog Series SD Compressor 87, SD and MD Gate 87
112db Blue Compressor
TB Compressor V3 and TB Buss Compressor V3
PSP MixPressor
Eventide UltraChannel

Analog Summing:
Sonimus Britson and Satson
TB Ferox and ReelBuss
PSP MixSaturator
112db Redline Preamp

EQs:
Wave API 550 A&B
IK: EQ81
PSP: RetroQ, PreQursor, ClassicQ and ConsoleQ
112db Redline EQ
Sonimus SonEQ Pro

Bundles:
Melda Production (probably the best and most versatile Bundle out there).

Uninstalled:
Nomad Factory Integral Studio Bundle completely
PlugandMix Total Bundle completely
The rest of Tone Boosters except the Comps and ReelBuss and Ferox
Eareckon Analog Series 87 EQ and Channel Strip
All of Steinbergs Plugins.

Now, Melda is not retired, it is the only Bundle/Plugins that is used almost on every single Track
on anything i do and also the only thing i use as a Bundle. Now my questions are as follows:

1. From the uninstalled plugins, did i throw some Gold in there that i did not know about?
Did i retire something that is actually useful and cool?

2. Looking at the above list of used plugins, i basically miss only a good Master EQ, at least
i think so. I am not a big fan of Linear EQs and if i need one Meldas Linear EQ can be enough.
I find IKs Master EQ 432 probably the best to my liking. I have tried few others and not impressed
with Waves. I also love the Melda Auto Dynamic EQ for Mastering too. I have 20 JamPoints on IK
and i can get the Master 432 EQ with Credits. Any advice on this? I am also waiting on SS VMR.
Since i have the EQ81 and was thinking of getting the EQ73 too, do i really need it?

3....i don't know...give me some ideas, reviews, advices please...if you don't wanna help and just
troll thats ok too, we'll have fun.

Thanks
Reality is a Condition due to Lack of Weed!

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Clarisonix, California Tone... Plug n Mix has some useful things for sure.

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Arkmabat, thanks, i agree with you, it does have few cool and very useful things. I have to rethink
and bring some stuff back. The reason i took it off is i did not wanna cluster my system and probably
use Melda almost for any kind of tool on a daily track basis. I have another system where i have
everything installed, that's where i demo, test and other things and in my actual work system i just
bring whatever works better for me.
Reality is a Condition due to Lack of Weed!

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Make an "Unused" folder and dump all the clutter there. Sell it if you never go back for it :tu: Nothing wrong with using just parts of a bundle.

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Yup, most of the stuff i can not resell anyways, its mostly NFRs but i have to rethink
the P&M Bundle, it is a lot of great stuff in that Bundle, its right after the Melda for
being useful, i don't know about Nomad Factory, even though once i was in love
with it, like 8-10 years ago or so.
Reality is a Condition due to Lack of Weed!

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If you like the vintage style equalizers but also want a huge selection of modern EQ filters, you should check out DMG Equilibrium. Yes it's expensive, but it truly is amazing value. Honestly you don't really need anything else if you buy this.

The only thing this does not emulate is the saturation that is found in vintage EQ emulations. If you want that then maybe this isn't for you. however if you want a super accurate EQ system, then honestly you can't do much better than this IMO.

It can be as simple or complex as you want it to be because of how customizable it is. Also the CPU usage on it is excellent.

Great Review that sums it up fairly well.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug13/a ... ibrium.htm

I personally want Equilibrium, compassion along with Ozone and Alloy because it will give me everything i could possibly need for mixing.
Last edited by V0RT3X on Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
:borg:

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"i basically miss only a good Master EQ"
Have you considered DMG Equilibrium? Up there in price, but I personally haven't felt the need to purchase another eq for a very long while. You could build a preset with the topology of the IK Master EQ with no problem.

EQuilibrium does not do any dynamic channel modeling though, so the VMR is still enticing.

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Neuropath wrote:
"i basically miss only a good Master EQ"
You could build a preset with the topology of the IK Master EQ with no problem.
So how you can do that?
EQuilibrium has only two topology modes; Parallel and Serial.
Completely clean Eq.


MasterEQ432
"On top of the fully parametric and totally independent bands with almost no interaction (something that was not available until this circuit topology invention)"

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/trmastereq432/

Master EQ is modeled from the real Sontec 432 hardware unit uniqe by design.
“golden reference”, the absolute standard in mastering equalizers.
Last edited by xtrax on Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Holy Fawk, i never demoed Equilibrium before! I still love IKs 432 but this one is Holy Fawk, the price too!
Reality is a Condition due to Lack of Weed!

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Hi Basari,

I'm somewhat in the same boat as you. I own IK 432 (just recently picked up) and I love it. You can hear the real Sontec 432 vs. the IK version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOu4jTDdLyw

Considering that it's a plugin, it does a remarkable job even though the real thing obviously is a bit better. If there's a good chance that you'll pick this up, I think it's worth buying IK credits now since they are 50% off for the Summer Strummer sale.

It would help to know if you are looking for a mastering eq for "that magic" or boosts or something more surgical. For more surgical, I am really digging the AOM Tranquilizer in oversampled mode. I don't own it yet but after a lot of research, I am going to pick this up. It just sounds cleaner than any other eq I tried and I think will be perfectly great on the master bus.

For boosts, imo there is NOTHING like the cdsoundmaster NiceEQ based on the Millennia NSEQ-2. Boosting 10k sounds so much better than anything else I have tried (even better than the IK 432) as it uses Nebula's sampling technology in a vst format. It captures all the rich harmonics but is very clean in solid state mode. The result is added depth and "air" without any obvious coloration. For more coloration, you can use the tube version but you get both eqs for $60. It's kind of a one trick pony though because you basically only get one band per instance for boosting or cutting but it sounds so much better than anything else for boosting for me that I use it anyways.

Still really like the IK 432 because it has a nice character but the boosts don't sound as good as the NiceEQ and it's not as surgical or clean as the AOM eq I plan on getting.

You'll probably also get 10,000 votes for DMG's Equilibrium but that never quite caught my fancy. You should know that there is a mode on it that is supposed to model a Sontec and has the same curve as the 432 but with just 6db of cut/boost versus the being able to boost/cut up to 12db on the IK version.

Also, I think the Brainworx Digital V2 is a really nice clean eq that would be great on the master bus and is currently on sale at jrrshop. It has a lot of controls so it's made for those that know what they are doing and can take advantage of m/s processing.

Regarding the IK Neve's it's tough to say. The 1081 has more parameters but has a slightly different sound. You might also consider a 1084 that sounds closer to the 1073. Cdsoundmaster also has a 1084 that he sells for $80. Just beware that there will be a lot of latency and cpu. Also, you can only use one band at a time and there are separate plugins for peak eq, shelf eq, filters, pre/out etc...They are all included for $80 but they are made separate plugins because of the enormous cpu and latency. Such is the nature of Nebula acqua-powered vst plugins. But the sound is much truer since they are using accurate sampling technology.

I think a lot of it is going to come down to taste but for me it's Nice EQ for boosts, AOM Tranquilizer for surgical cuts, and IK 432 for when I want something different and with a touch of character (it's a "sweet" sounding eq literally - soften and sweet high end).

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Have you tried TDR VOS SLICK EQ already? If you like the free version you can always upgrade to Slick EQ GE. Awesome EQ and even Dave Pensado likes it.
Underground Music Production: Sound Design, Machine Funk, High Tech Soul

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Give a try to SKnote Pultec if u are up to tube design its great eq it feels very close to the hw it emulates..

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BasariStudios wrote:Arkmabat, thanks, i agree with you, it does have few cool and very useful things. I have to rethink
and bring some stuff back. The reason i took it off is i did not wanna cluster my system and probably
use Melda almost for any kind of tool on a daily track basis. I have another system where i have
everything installed, that's where i demo, test and other things and in my actual work system i just
bring whatever works better for me.
Actually, if you're aim is productivity and you already have useful tools, I personally wouldn't touch the Plug N Mix bundle.

If I were just starting out and I intended to work solely from the Plug N Mix bundle, then sure I'd use it, but otherwise it really is a cluster-fu*k of options.

The same can be said about the Nomad Factory Integrity bundle. Yes there are gems in the collections, but if productivity is your goal, it's amazing how much more can be done with a limited (flexible) set of tools.

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Thanks all,

Vort3x and Neuropath, i demoed the Equilibrium, it kinda blew me away, this thing is awesome,
complex and good sounding. The price is a little high which i can cope with if i wait a little longer.
Now my question is, it has all this models in it but also i am very good at mixing and i have all
these other EQs which will color enough, i would not really need anything surgical. Considering
that, would i really need this or would 432 do good enough? It will be used only on clean mixes
from scratch and nothing for restoration or something like that when you need to do surgery.

AC222, i agree with you on the 432, i already wrote about Equilibrium and surgical needs above.
I also demoed the AOM and i also like that a lot, lol, its a confusion...it is not very expensive, in
around the same ballpark like the 432 except the Credit purchase. Brainworx i never tried and should i?
It will probably add more to the confusion. I used the Nebula Free and i like it, the only reason i don't
like it is the fact of using one band per instance. I was also considering buying Nebula 3 at one
time but i already have lots of plugins. The AOM EQ also when boosting adds a lot of Volume
which is not the case with 432 or even Slick EQ.

Halma, yes, i use it for quite a while and it actually beats some of the plugins i paid for or got NFR.
Its really an awesome EQ. I will probably end up going to GE no matter what, its cheap anyways.

Lacandon, i am considering a small Bundle from sKnote anyways which will include Roundtone,
StripBus, few Compressors and few EQs too.

I am still leaning towards Master EQ432, considering the price/sound ratio and also the ease
of use but i did not make up my mind yet.

Is there a way i can avoid all this and just use what i already have? Something like Melda?
The API 550, 112db which is incredible and pretty surgical but colorful, even PSP and SonEQ Pro.

Thanks
Last edited by BasariStudios on Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reality is a Condition due to Lack of Weed!

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elxsound wrote:it's amazing how much more can be done with a limited (flexible) set of tools.
That has never been said better, since i cut down on the plugins i am more creative.
I mean even the 3 Bundles, Melda, Nomad and PM and thats it, you are screwed.
The reason i like PM is that there is some stuff thats kinda nowhere also and also its
simplicity and straight forwardness.
Reality is a Condition due to Lack of Weed!

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