M-Equalizer

Product Description

This library is available in 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96khz sample rates (you get all 4 sample rates when purchasing).

This product was based mostly on one incredible, tube-based, hardware mastering EQ, and was a joint effort between myself and Matthew Gray. The main programs here are the eleven mastering EQ ‘presets’ that Matt frequently uses at his studio. You can’t adjust the EQ bands in these programs, but this allowed us to sample them dynamically, producing 100% self-contained, complete representations of what was sampled. You don’t get that with most Nebula EQ programs, and usually have to pair the EQ program(s) with a preamp style capture for the dynamics/harmonics. Not so, here. While you can’t adjust the bands, you can transition from the sampled curve towards a no-EQ/flat setting, allowing you to make the EQ more subtle.

Next are the eight EQ programs aimed at use in mixing situations. Most of these allow you to adjust the gain on a single band sampled from the EQ, but one can transition between two different sampled EQ curves (smile/frown). Then there are 3 mojo programs which allow you to adjust a ‘mojo’ control sampled from the hardware, which increases harmonics and alters the frequency response. The previously mentioned EQ programs also have the ‘mojo’ control but it doesn’t affect the freq response for them. Lastly, there are 3 bonus preamp programs.

To add to the potential here, there are different options for the EQ and mojo programs. There are clean EQ versions without dynamics or harmonics, so try those if you want the cleanest possible sound. There are also ‘alt’ version of the mixing EQs, which combine a set of harmonics from an entirely different sampled setup with these programs, so check those for a subtly different option. Lastly, the effect that happens to the frequency response when you increase ‘mojo’ in the main mojo programs has been removed from the ‘flat’ mojo programs. This allows you to get the increased harmonics without any change to the frequency response.

There are a lot of tools and options here, with a focus on mastering, but plenty for use in any mixing situation as well. It will take some time to familiarize yourself with what’s on offer here but I believe it will be rewarding if you do.

Check out this audio demo by Matt, with downloaded wav files showing a before and after. Here’s his description:

“This was an instrumental and acappella stem master which has 4 instances of M Equalizer on it. One on the instrumental stem (HiZ Alternate setting). Two on the vocal stem (‘N’ bonus pre) and Mid Full band with Alt harmonics and the last one over the stereo master output (mastering preset 8). I’ve tried to exaggerate it a bit while keeping it tasteful but also more obvious. I’ve also edited the song so it’s a verse, first chorus and outro.”

BEFORE:

AFTER:

(Thanks to Earl St Clair for letting us use their song ‘Boss’. You can check out their iTunes here.)

For more details on the actual hardware and the release itself, check out Matt’s description in the manual here.

Max also created a promo video for this release, you can look at that here:

I think Max has created my favorite skin yet for this one. It allows you to switch between all of the available programs quickly and easily, so check out his patreon, which helps him continue doing all the great graphical work he’s been doing with Nebula!