Top10 Equalizer Plugins for Mix and Mastering

[@okay1904]

Sorry it took a me a while to get back to you - yes that lady can sing. I enjoyed listening to this. There is an english expression, that says something like "you have a spring in your step". There is something very positive about this video, and you sound like you are in a happy place, in your progress. Do take care of yourself, and all the best, with all your aspirations. You have given a lot to many of us, the most honest advice and insights, on plugins and hardware, on the internet, for free, and you deserve every success and joy. I wish you at least 1 million followers on Utube. There is such a passion about your love for audio engineering, its not just a job, for you it is an immersion, a vocation, and may it bring you fulfillment(including enough revenue to meet and exceed all your needs). I think I will stop watching other audio engineering channels on Utube - Why? Your channel is the best value for my time, I get actual actionable content, and not just subtle minor plugin tweaks that are difficult to hear like on other channels like Pensado... Yes I have said it - you rock, really rock as one of the best audio engineering tutors ever. You teach things that I'm sure they do not learn in Audio engineering schools! Well done. Above all you do not flaunt your reputation or the great mixes you have done...humble.

[@MrKalimag]

Man that SSL EQ trick is just brilliant, thanks David!

[@MikeLuke]

Great one, David. I love how you always explain the „WHY“, not only the „HOW“, it gives nice context. Waves SSL & Izotope’s Neutron 2 are my workhorse EQ‘s. The SIE-Q on the 2bus for a little smile curve effect with a touch of drive often gives that final touch.

[@izvarzone]

Plugin alliance have some of my most favorite EQ's.

[@jjones7837]

14:30 SSL Bass Low End Trick. Your welcome. Thanks brotha.

[@ebososa]

Wow! The message from Okay nearly brought a tear to my eye and it wasn't even addressed to me LOL. I agree and appreciate that iv'e finally run across an engineer who creates content in a way that is easy to comprehend and absorb. I'm going to use that SSL trick on my kicks from now on. I REALLY like the subtle sound of that Audified eq. Your choice for #1 doesn't surprise my in the slightest because i have the TDR Nova (EQ/Compressor) and i LOVE LOVE LOVE it on vocals. Question: What EQ would you recommend to bring out that rich, warmth of a rhodes. (Reference Track: Children of Zeus song title Vibrations). It opens up my chest and clears congestion when i listen to it.

[@jayeff8096]

First of all, I'd also love a recommendation like this, or maybe even a video with advice on processing rhodes. Second of all perfect example, that entire Children of Zeus album is impeccably mixed.

[@mishalzeera]

Thank you for this, and all your other videos. I really enjoy them. I have many of the usual analogue modelled EQ's and like them all for different things. One thing that has always eluded me was a good basic Swiss Army Knife kind of parametric. You would think there would be loads of options. Fabfilter always seemed a bit overkill for my purpose, cost wise. Searching around, I found the Toneboosters EQ4, which is like 40EU. Its super good. Their limiter and tape emu are also really good.

[@nicholasparis5281]

I really agree about the Pultechs.. the Waves really sounded more phatter & old school like you might expect, whereas the tube tech seems to enhance the clarity, and WOW that Summit Audio EQ on the VOX really did bump the clarity of that stellar lead VOX into my clear understanding it... without, sounds good, but with it... everything that you want to know is there just comes forward and raises it's hands up so nicely! Funny, the EQ4-100 it really is transparent and colored at the same time (I think you called it "open".. really funny how it's color is... well open lol) ReaLLLY GREAT work on producing and mixing that track, David.. Kudos again my man!

[@nightdew4934]

Has anyone compared the free Pultec PTEq-X vst from Ignite amps with these? I think it sounds great for adding treble to both guitars and the masterbus, but wondering how it stacks up to the costlier versions. Also, thanks for the video David, great as always.

[@vinkarume6205]

All facts no bs!! This new series is very good. I can't wait for the next one...thanks man!

[@AboveEmAllProduction]

holy crap that SSL EQ trick i had no idea, amazing :O

[@catonlsd3]

FF ProQ is great and I also use it as my go-to but I think there's something even better by a tiny margin in terms of sound quality alone... DMG Audio Equilibrium

[@kelainefes]

DMG equilibrium, when in FIR mode, full window and 262k FFT size has no match. Only after using it I realised all other EQs ruin transients.

[@cesmcmyth]

That EDM tune used for the softube is dope!

[@mixbustv]

Made it in like 5 min before the vid 😄, thank you!

[@Mansardian]

Hi David, the Sie-Q (pronounced Cee-Q) is an emulation of the Siemens Sitral W295b. It is famous for its silky highs. I once owned four of them, and was coding a plugin because they sounded so great, then suddenly Soundtoys came up with this one and I gave up. :-D

[@mixbustv]

it's a great one, Soundtoys on sale now

[@dawgheart12]

Glad I got fabfilter pro, love the video!

[@davidsynge7030]

I love the sie-q for top end or for picking out a band for adding hi-mid frequency aggression on electric guitars. The 550a 400 band is my mud remover go to. One I also love is the REDD for top end, something about the curve and the way it interacts with the gain and drive is very pleasing. I use it a bit like a tilt eq.

[@davidsynge7030]

Oh, and tdr nova I couldn't live without. Fabfilter too ram heavy for my setup.

[@OrangutanTradeSalesmen]

Agreed. I've been using everything from Tokyo Dawn and klanghelm. The slick eq mastering is great for widening only the top end. That and limiter 6 for a quick master are all you need.

[@_acixxx]

Best mixing videos on KZbin. Keep it up!

[@matbell1514]

Great vid David. Fabfilter has a 40% discount offer on at the moment....Have you tried slates air eq? Thats shit hot too!

[@elonthebass6870]

I was hoping you'd mention Waves REQ(Renaissance Equalizer). It has a sweet sound and but also punch on percussive material. The interface is dreadful, but the sound is first rate.

[@MrDiegod82]

LOVE TUBE TECH... IN GENERAL SOFTUBE DOES ALL THEIR EMU MUCH CLEANER THAN THE OUTBOARS... I LISTENED THIS SPECIFIC SKILL MATCHING THE PASSIVE EQ TOO... SOFTUBE EMU I LE FOR ITS CLEANER SKILLS. THAT S A REAL GOOD VIDEO TO COMPARE THEM AND LISTENING TO THE DIFFERENCES. MOST PPLS DON T MATCH TO LISTEN DIFFERENCES IN SOUND SOMETIMES, SO I THINK IS A GOOD WAY FOR TESTING DO THOSE TYPE OF MATCHING. WELL DONE BRO. I LIKE A LOT YOUR YT CHANNEL

[@thimovijfschaft3271]

Ignite Amps also has a Pultec clone and it's free

[@stupidusername38]

yup, and its just been updated

[@JaredSchumaier]

Thimo Vijfschaft any good?

[@amdenis]

Great recommendations. You have a very cool delivery, and easy to follow.

[@vikramjitbanerjeetuki]

The SieQ from Soundtoys is the bomb,it's always on my 2 buss and I would recommend the Positive Grid suite of Tube and passive plugins it does what the Waves Abbey Road is doing in this video and more,and the New Fangled Audio Equivocate is a fantastic mastering eq with a bunch of great presets to get started.just my 2 cents🙂

[@OTea]

This guy! 👊🏾

[@capartenlive3026]

Very pleasant and strat to the point , tips , what else !! Thanks ! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@OlavSFlaa]

I always use Voxengo CurveEQ for detailed and transparent eq'ing when mastering. It's so nice to just define a curve by inserting points and not have to think of each point as separate filters.

[@OlavSFlaa]

@@mixbustv That's true. However, from a workflow aspect I think the GUI is very good. Also, what most people don't know is that you can customize the colors (and some other GUI parameters) to the finest detail and save your own color presets. There are 63 parts of the GUI where you can choose your own color. So actually there is not very much left to dislike. Voxengo plugins also have routing possibilities and other very useful features not found in many plugins. I prefer a dark grey/brown and minimalistic GUI, but the plugins look almost like christmas trees on their webpage so I can understand why many people stay away from them. I also have the Waves Grand Masters collection, but I never use it. Many of their plugins seem to have the same GUI and features as they had when I used them 15-20 years ago and are really outdated. But they are very good at getting famous producers to tell how great their plugins are.

[@Bring_MeSunshine]

Nice stuff, David. Always like your explanations and insight. Never knew that Pultec trick, but it makes me want to go and play around with one now. Cheers

[@marioboni8503]

Thank u david Allways a pleasure watch ur videos😃 Thanks for the explanation

[@1997Pipicaca]

Surprised you didn’t mentioned the Clariphonic DSP mkII. I guess you selected the Chop Shop as the tilt eq for this video, but I tend to prefer the Clariphonic for its versatility. AND it’s parallel! Just haven’t seen a plugin that can do a better job than what this one can specifically do. If you haven’t heard of it (which I really doubt), you should really check it out! good for 2BUS, vocals, drums and much more Awesome video btw, thanks a lot!:)

[@kelainefes]

Yup true the Clariphonic is great on the groups and master busses. Not just great actually, one of the best, like it has to be top 3.

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

Nothing does what the Clariphonic does, it's by far the best sweetener!

[@AgressiveFrench]

sonible smart eq 2 and si Q with slight adjustment and drive at 100% in a bus, it's magic.

[@Frankyduxtv]

Learning all the time, used some new eq's on my new mix its awesome!

[@ulfb5467]

Amazing tutorials 👍 It’s a goldmine 🙏

[@deanmasi6684]

Nice vid! I love that SieQ. It's like a secret weapon. It's its own thing! Love it!

[@Splendiddddd]

Hi David, you really should check out the acousticaaudio plugins, if you did not already. They are really sweet. Thanks for the video!

[@mixbustv]

We might do something together with them in the near future

[@jmac2050]

Wave's Pultec sound like they running a parallel low end boost under the hood or something.. useful tho

[@hodshonf]

Burnley 73 - SONIMUS! great video - always enjoyable. and Tokyo Dawn - Variety of Sound (32bit) - smokin' free plugin set.

[@williamwilkinson2959]

really helpful to get your insights txs 👍

[@CornSw]

Nice one again David, as always :)

[@fabiann6851]

Great video as always...why No Acustica Audio or Nebula emulation in the list?? They are getting so much better in cpu consumption now!

[@Breakbeat90s]

9:55 haha dat smile

[@AboveEmAllProduction]

perfect, thanks ! most on your list ive never tried, illl go hunt for some trial versions =) pro-q has been my go to for like, i dunno 10 years. and the puigtec from waves ive used a long time too.

[@txfaulk795]

Pro Q3, but so many great one's also.

[@vextract4662]

Thanks again David always good reviews and advice. Is your dad a tv repair man?😁

[@SirEggbertfartalot]

Cheers David, informative video ;0)

[@reactormovie1529]

Great comparision ✌✌👑

[@musicoamante]

Nice Video! Good job as always. Is there really a video about "why more EQs if having the Fabfilter"? Anybody's got the link? Thanks!

[@jhstudio749]

Not sure I agree with some of these. Top 10 lists are highly subjective. You left out BX_Digital V3 and Maag EQ4 to name just a couple.

[@jonowirion]

@@mixbustv ethics? Why....Care to elaborate? :)

[@jhstudio749]

@@mixbustv ... I thought this was a 10 best video. I guess subjective was an understatement if you're calculating with a bias based on "ethics". I don't like Waves "ethics" but I still love the API EQs.

[@DavidPixleythemuzzlZ]

People are so sensitive about their eqs lol.

[@pratimaverma8716]

Softube's passive eq and Slate Digital's arsenals are missed out !

[@zachary963]

Hey David, I’ve got a question. Why do so many people slam Waves products (people like Paul Third and plenty, plenty of commenter) when I see so many people like you, Warren Huart, Alan Meyerson, etc using Waves so often?

[@mixbustv]

I guess is the difference between people who mix and master for a living vs youtubers

[@sebbityseb]

Hiya David, what do you think of Crave EQ?! It sounds so good to my ears and v.2 is nuts. Kevin is an awesome indy developer too. I would love to know your thoughts on Crave's "Transparent Mode" :)

[@mixbustv]

I only recently discovered it, I meant to look into it, didn't yet tho

[@sebbityseb]

Awesome. I am about to deep dive into it to build a soundscape collage out of the many hours of field recordings I made on a month-long road trip across the Deep South. The directional EQ function should be indispensable I think.

[@underpressureman]

Dude, what's with API's and blowing Op-Amps? My brother's going on his 3rd or 4th Op-Amp on his 2500 Buss Comp! He says he sends it to API, get's a new one, then it works for about 8 months - a year, and then boom!

[@underpressureman]

@@mixbustv Haaa right, I see! I wasn't sure how notorious the problem was lol. Well, is good to know!!!

[@tinodadon]

Hey David , great video. Had a question, I'm new getting into the hardware emulations, what are some good material to use pultec style eqs, neve 1073 eq, and api eqs? Like what is the known uses or characteristics of each? Mainly looking for a eq to spice up pads, synths and pianos because pro q3 is very clean. Thanks!

[@tinodadon]

@@mixbustv this was a extraordinary help! Thank you man you been helping me alot lately really appreciate the knowledge you give

[@sgfdancecompany]

Dont miss the great Sonimus Burney 1073 and UAD Manley Passive Massive, Pultec (this one sound better thant the WAVES)!!!!

[@SoundbombSoldier]

So the Oxford is not in business anymore?

[@edwardbrands3271]

great video

[@mimikoss]

have you ever tried Mautodynamiceq from melda production ?? if yes what is your opinion about this EQ

[@mixbustv]

haven't

[@irecki1]

Fab Q3 never works for me, TDR all the way! Summit pultec also nice. I’m surprised nothing from Brainworx. I.wonder when “somobody” will ask you Dave to design plugins. I’m sure you’ll nailed

[@SirEggbertfartalot]

@@mixbustv Just a thought ;0) If you haven't thought about it already, why not approach TDR ? They may be Smaller than the big guns in the plugin world, but you know they only do HIGH Quality.

[@irecki1]

I know they won't be BS but 100% kind of UFC power. I'll buy all package right away. I wish you can do some work-design with TDR, then we'll talk about the power

[@rockostiffredi4276]

You might be right about Fab Q3. Sounds a bit artificial/ synthetic to me especially at high sample rates, and stupidly bought it just for the slope function. Realise now I probably should have bought TDR Slick Mastering EQ instead. Oh well, live and learn.

[@jjones7837]

When you realize one of your best plugins is the "free" demo you never use.

[@akira20ish]

I will take waves and neutron 2 advanced over these anyday

[@DavidPixleythemuzzlZ]

Did you ever consider air Windows?

[@kelvynification]

Nuce

[@Macaroni108]

You did an EQ shootout and you didn't include DMG Equilibrium?

[@aviatedviewssound4798]

the waves api are seniles that's why i don't like them no mojo like an api but the schleps 73 and puigtec are crazy close to hardware i think they start making good emulation 2012-2013 the ones before that were trash but the problem with them is they never update they're old plugins.

[@rockkley9159]

Could you use a music tracks / real instruments for demonstrations instead of this empty loop cheap sounds? It sounds horrible and the plugins not fixing it

[@rockkley9159]

@@mixbustv sorry to hear that, didn't know it is a moneymaking channel

[@rockkley9159]

@@mixbustv I think that the main part of any good mix is a good song. We have a wonderful sounding songs recorded on a magnet tapes with a technicaly requested equalization by the enquipment which been used and no other magic beans, now we have tons of polished shit.

[@kromanoidx]

Where is EQuilibrium? 😢

[@518freakshow4]

pssst...thats TD R slick eq, Not TDL

[@PatApoo]

psst... TDL Toyko Dawn Labs is the plugin division of TDR Tokyo Dawn Records

[@518freakshow4]

​@@PatApoo ahhhhhhh haaaaa! But the TDR VOS Slick EQ is still named TDR VOS Slick EQ.

[@richardaling5278]

Okay, first of all i'm a musician, a drummer and i tend to play bass and electric guitar. Then i'm a soundengineer with a nice homestudio with allinstruments in it... When i watch this video about e.q.'s i don't get the fake-instruments you are playing and tell us that they are drums... Because they are pretty sure fake imitation creations. Why don't you ask your drummer to play live;) I used to to have a rental company for real music but it was the time those cheapass dj's took oer the market and (fake imaginairy creature in the skies), I HATE DJ'S!! And all there bleeps/beats and wannabe-music. So if you're playing a kick it needs to be that round wooden drum from a drumkit, capiche?