Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Only Software EQ You'll Ever Need: DMG Audio EQuality EQ

So I am most certainly a fan and avid user of the Sonnox Oxford EQ plug-in.  Maybe I got sucked in by the hype... who knows, all I know is that I just discovered the God EQ.  I was doing some stumbling over at the GearSlutz Forum (The place I learn basically everything) when I noticed more than a few engineers were hyping a plug-in I'd never heard of as if it were Higgs Boson.  They were specifically saying that it made their Sonnox Oxford EQ sound like garbage.

I admit at first I thought... nooo, what??? That's my baby... no... it can't suck.  Needless to say I had to download the demo of this EQuality EQ from DMG Audio they were all speaking so highly of.  That way I could A/B it and the Oxford side by side to settle this battle.  I loaded up two identical tracks one with Oxford & the other with EQuality.  Before I even made any adjusts what so ever with both eq's flat, just having EQuality on and in the signal path made it's track sound better. (nice, even slight low end bump mainly, right around 70-130hz)  This might bother some, but if you're working with bass driven material this little bit of initial character will do wonders to your music.  I was immediately intrigued so I started tweaking each and it wasn't even a contest.  EQuality is far superior and much clearer the the Oxford EQ and a lot of other EQ's I've ever used for that matter. It maintains a level of clarity that I've never heard, and Sonnox can't match, while still adding a tad bit of it's own character to your material.  There is a feature that allows you the ability to switch digital processing options.  Basically meaning this EQ can be as a precise and clear mastering tool and also act as a sonically rich warm character driven analog EQ.   The GUI is understated, pleasant and quite functional when you're in the mix with it.  Some large multi-band EQ's can look quite daunting and almost scary when they're first opened.

EQuality doesn't scare you, instead she greets you with her warmth and supple bosom.  I can't show you how much better it is, you'll have to see for yourself.  Download a demo copy of EQuality from DMG Audio's website and put it up against your favorite EQ.  See how things turn out, you just might have a new special lady in the plug-in menu.  I haven't had the time to fully investigate this beast but I will, you can count on that. I think I'll even do a EQ Tutorial/EQuality Tutorial video to go with a more detailed review.  There is a host of features that will come in quite handy whether your mixing, recording, or mastering so I think this would be a useful video tutorial for the production/engineering world.  I'll get to know this EQ and get back to all of you with a full review and rundown of EQuality.  A full license of EQuality Retails for: $149.00 and is available at DMG Audio's Website.

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