What is your go to EQ?

[zeep]

Thanks a lot for your replies. Sorry i could have been a bit clearer on specs. Like i said, i'm using Live (7. Furthermore i'm on pc and my pricerange is fair until it meets 'new car', then it begins to hurt.

IIEQ Pro is getting a lot of praise so this is going to be the first one i try!

BootEQ, of course

lol. I tried most your excellent plugins so indeed i will get this one too.

..besides DP is for Mac only.. from older posts it appears the OP (unless things have changed recently) is using a windows box..

The OP didn't phrase his request very carefully. The title is 'what is your goto EQ', in the beginning post he doesn't mention his platform and hopes we can give him suggestions.

I answered the thread title since the first post didn't make any logical sense to me.

Sorry again. I wasn't thinking clearly, i really only had EQ on my mind and i was still working on a track. VitaminD is correct, i'm using windows.

I tested a lot of EQ's and found Precision EQ to be very easy to use. It has no "colouring" in sound but they offer the "Vintage EQ" as well, for more "warmth" and "character"

Will demo these, thanks!

Do you have any idea of the type of sound you're after?
A thing about EQs is that filter design is very tricky, but in the end the differences between different filter types can be very small. In the end, if you can use different EQs to get the same frequency curves, they will in most cases sound the same. A well-known designer said recently that it doesn't matter only what kind of a sound you'll get, but how you'll get it, meaning that a good EQ may point you to the right direction. An exception are linear phase vs. minimum phase EQs and saturation, filter band interaction and other kinds of analog modelling. Some professionals who have used analog EQs say that they hear no difference between plug-ins. So, I just want to say that a price tag doesn't make sound quality and a photo of an analog piece of gear in the interface doesn't make the sound any more analog. Also be aware that a good sounding EQ may just be one that uses a wide Q and doesn't tell you that (so you could actually achieve the same with a normal EQ).

Posihfopit and IIEQ are nice, LP10 is said to be good for linear phase. If you have money you can get PSP Neon.

You are really making a lot of sense. To be honest, i don't exactly know which equalizer specifications will suit me best.

When i use Live's EQ8 many times i can't shape the sound into what i want. On several occasions i worked with an SSL / Duende EQ and there i could shape the sounds to my liking, only i found that it took too long to get there. (Moving the mouse pointer from knob to knob takes longer than i.e. Ozone's EQ where you use your mousebutton to move a point and mousewheel to set bandwidth, apart from that i don't really like how it sounds).

I don't want to come across as lazy to turn more than one knob but i'm just after the increase in workflow when an EQ functions quick.

Logic's default channel strip EQ.

I know, love most Logic's plugins.

May I also suggest my infamous free noname EQ:

Simple, but powerful...

Will check it out also! Thanks Christian.

- The best allrounder for me is the Duende SSL, sounds great for almost everything, reacts and feels like the EQ on a good hardware desk
- If all I need is to globally change basic character a bit, Pultec / Pro is hard to beat, sounds so smooth and natural it's scary
- For surgical operations (mostly cutting) it's Cambridge, the C4 EQ is also very good
- The UAD Neve EQs are fantastic, too - they'd get more use here if the GUI wouldn't have those concentric knobs, so I often tend to use the generic GUI
- a bit esoteric but might be just the ticket when all else fails is Voxengo Overtone EQ
- and finally an often overlooked ugly duckling, the free Classic EQ
susiwong

Yes, the SSL does sound great but doesn't 'work' for me at the moment. I tried voxengo's overtone before, maye i'll try it again. Guess i'll have to look into the Cambridge, i don't think i've ever heard it. The free Classic doesn't sound good enough. Thanks!

[DrApostropheX]

IIEQ Pro... best $10 I ever spent (though I feel terribly guilty donating so little).

[aMUSEd]

_amazing_ eq.

Surely that has got to be a rebadged Sonnox??

It has been with DP for some time though, maybe masterworks was in cahoots with sony??

Looks like it was introduced in DP 4.5 (in 2005) - that is after Sony (Sonnox) had bought theirs out.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb05/a ... ?print=yes

Funny the SOS article states:

Looks familiar? The new Masterworks EQ MAS plug-in bears an uncanny resemblance to the Sony 0 and sounds great too.

It's more than just a resemblance - it's virtually identical - just a different colour and the eq bands are upside down

[Cyrosis]

apEQ, from http://www.apulsoft.ch/ , the PC vst version. Not particularly colored, simply a nice clean EQ, with a fantastic work flow and a couple quite unique features.

[bduffy]

apEQ is a good one, for sure!

I'd like to add: if my computer were more tolerant of Synthmaker stuff, this would be one of best go-to's:



http://www.kvraudio.com/get/3048.html

Sounds amazing, cheap as hell, and an ideal choice for those who want a "colored" EQ. I'm surprised it's not more popular than it is; could be the synthmaker thing...

[Dean Aka Nekro]

_amazing_ eq.

Surely that has got to be a rebadged Sonnox??

It has been with DP for some time though, maybe masterworks was in cahoots with sony??

Looks like it was introduced in DP 4.5 (in 2005) - that is after Sony (Sonnox) had bought theirs out.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb05/a ... ?print=yes

Funny the SOS article states:

Looks familiar? The new Masterworks EQ MAS plug-in bears an uncanny resemblance to the Sony 0 and sounds great too.

It's more than just a resemblance - it's virtually identical - just a different colour and the eq bands are upside down

Not important and off topic but it looks alot easier on the eye than the oxford plug-in: Well done MOTU. Shame i am a PC user but a good excuse to get a MAC on the other hand as DP has all the sort of features i like/need and i could try that bloody Logic thingy and see how i get on with it. Doubt i need them as i use Pro Tools,Live,Renoise & Reason but if i had to justify a MAC buy then those two applications are great reason's! plus all the apps i use on PC are MAC compatable (Justification Part Three!), However i would lose some great VST/VSTi plug-ins and many other apps/tools/utilies if i straight up swithched: which justifies having both (Oh yeah and there is bootcamp too but i will leave that out of the equation so i can keep the PC)

[bailees7irish]

1973

[Reflected]

_amazing_ eq.

Surely that has got to be a rebadged Sonnox??

I was about to say the same, but I then I thought..."it's too obvious"

anyway those are my favs (these days):
apEQ
UAD Cambridge
Waves REQ 6
ImageLine Parametric EQ 2
EQUO

[s4w2th]

edit-previously I had mentioned Fulltec as a transparent EQ, susiwong kicked my ass into submision. So I removed it in the interest of not missinforming the general public


Here's my take.

1. Most people don't know that eq's technical distort the signal,read into that muddy and color.

2. EQs are perhaps the mostly often used efx and therefore the main goto eq should be the most utilitarian.

Bearing those two points in mind you want an eq which muddies the least and colors the least. Which means stay away form any eq that mentions coloring or vintage this and that. With this in mind, when it comes to eq's you get what you pay for.

My choice's are among the these; Focusrite Saffire EQ, Or the Sonnox. Why? Because they have put gobs of research and development into their algorythms and it shows through transparency. Something that the EQ's which come with a host can't hope to compete with.

Make sure that these's higher end eq will actualy work with Live before you chunk out the dough.

All those other EQ's are very good for creative uses and definitely worth checking out.

[mandt]

apEQ, from http://www.apulsoft.ch/, the PC vst version. Not particularly colored, simply a nice clean EQ, with a fantastic work flow and a couple quite unique features.

http://www.apulsoft.ch/

Got rid of the comma in the link for ya, Cy.

[spinedoc]

For real cheap IIEQ pro.
For reasonable..APe EQ. Really great GUI and sound.
I have sonnex, but don;t use it much as apeeq is so user friendly.
For special character stuff...nebula, without a doubt.

DOn't get to hung up on EQ. FInd one that you can really wrap your head around and use it til you know it very well. ANy decent EQ will do. What is more important is learning how it fits stuff in a mix, and most any midrange EQ will do just fine!

[sounddesigner]

http://www.nugenaudio.com/seq.php

http://www.sonic-core.net/en/products/brainworx.html

[Cyrosis]

apEQ, from http://www.apulsoft.ch/, the PC vst version. Not particularly colored, simply a nice clean EQ, with a fantastic work flow and a couple quite unique features.

http://www.apulsoft.ch/

Got rid of the comma in the link for ya, Cy.

Darn my need for punctuation.

I'll edit the post.

[musikmachine]

Here's my take.

1. Most people don't know that eq's technical distort the signal,read into that muddy and color.

2. EQs are perhaps the mostly often used efx and therefore the main goto eq should be the most utilitarian.

Bearing those two points in mind you want an eq which muddies the least and colors the least. Which means stay away form any eq that mentions coloring or vintage this and that. With this in mind, when it comes to eq's you get what you pay for.

My choice's are among the these; URS FULL TECH, Focusrite Saffire EQ, Or the Sonnox. Why? Because they have put gobs of research and development into their algorythms and it shows through transparency. Something that the EQ's which come with a host can't hope to compete with.

Make sure that these's higher end eq will actualy work with Live before you chunk out the dough.

All those other EQ's are very good for creative uses and definitely worth checking out.

All this time i've had the saffire eq and i haven't tried it! Completely forgot about those plugs, thanks for reminding me.

[hibidy]

_amazing_ eq.

I realize this is getting way to much play considering you cannot use it nativly out side DP, but this is one thing I really miss about DP, that Q is really good.

You can use it as an insert I believe IF you have a MK3 motu soundcard.