Azure 2

Name: Azure 2
Price: 191.9 USD
Author: Acustica Audio

by Acustica Audio · EQ · Passive tube mastering EQ

Not rated yet

Azure 2 is an Acustica Audio mastering EQ sampled from a custom passive tube EQ with make-up stages and transformers, designed for Zino Mikorey's mastering studio.

It has four bands, stereo and mid-side modes, for €169 (about $192).

Best for: Mastering, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: mastering, mid/side, tube, transformer, low latency, full mix, bus processing, harsh, mix bus, mixing, static, zero-latency.

What it does

Azure 2 models a custom passive mastering EQ with tube make-up stages and fine transformers, built for Zino Mikorey's studio. The developer says it makes everything sound more "like a record".

Four bands: Low 27–470 Hz, Low Mid 0.1–1.8 kHz, High Mid 0.56–10 kHz and High 1.5–27 kHz, each with 16 stepped frequencies.
Gain and shape: ±7 dB per band, with a shelf or one of four bell widths (Q 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 or 1.5).
Filters: low-pass at 24, 20 or 17 kHz and high-pass at 25, 33 or 50 Hz, each also switchable off.
Stereo and M/S: left/right or mid-side operation, with a link control for the two channels.
Preamp: reproduces the unit's frequency response, phase shift and harmonic distortion; input trim of ±6 dB and output of ±14 dB.
Normal and HD versions: HD is closer to the hardware and meant for mastering; zero-latency variants are also included.

KVR (listing named Azure) shows version 2.3.5. There is a free, fully working 4-week trial.

Source: Acustica Audio product page

When to use it

Azure 2 is a colour mastering EQ for broad, musical moves, not a surgical tool. Compared with the Pultec Passive EQ Collection, it gives four full bands with a choice of shelf or bell plus mid-side mode, so it can cover a whole mastering EQ pass by itself. Compared with the Manley Massive Passive EQ, it has a smaller ±7 dB range and stepped frequencies, which keep moves gentle. Compared with Pro-Q 4, it is far less flexible, slower to tweak and much heavier on CPU, but it adds tube and transformer character that a clean EQ does not.

Best for: broad tone shaping on masters and stems, with M/S moves on the sides or centre.
Genres: any.
Look elsewhere if: you need surgical cuts, fast knob response or low CPU; Pro-Q 4 or TDR Nova suit that.
Tip: save the HD version for the final mastering stage; reviewers found it too heavy for big mixing sessions on modest machines.

What producers say

Reviewers of the original Azure loved the sound and flagged CPU load and slow controls as the costs.

Computer Music (MusicRadar) called it "one of the classiest mastering EQ plugins" it had heard, praising the ease of use and M/S mode; it disliked the snapping knobs and slow knob response, and found the HQ versions unusable on a 2016 MacBook Pro.
DJBooth rated it 9.5 out of 10, saying it is "pretty much impossible to make this unit sound harsh"; CPU use was the main drawback, so it advised trying the demo first.

Where to buy

Acustica Audio: $191.90 (€169 converted to USD (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026); price as listed on KVR)

Tutorials and reviews

[VST REVIEW] AZURE by Acustica Audio

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