SYMPHEQ

Name: SYMPHEQ
Price: 74.25 USD
Author: Heritage Audio

by Heritage Audio · EQ · Baxandall mix-bus EQ

Not rated yet

SYMPHEQ models Heritage Audio's SYMPH EQ, a rack Baxandall equalizer for stereo mix bus work.

It works in stereo, mid/side or mono with gentle parallel curves and low phase deviation, and costs $99.

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

Keywords: bus processing, mix bus, mastering, mid/side, gentle, full mix, parallel processing, wide, hardware emulation, smooth, aggressive, drums, mixing, mono, skeuomorphic, static, vocals.

What it does

SYMPHEQ is the plugin version of Heritage Audio's 19-inch rack SYMPH EQ, which the developer calls "a definitive update" of the Baxandall tone-control design from about 70 years ago. It is a broad, gentle tone-shaping EQ for the mix bus and mastering, with mid/side processing that Heritage describes as "done right".

Two Baxandall bands: a high and a low band that boost or cut with wide, gentle curves, so even large moves sound natural.
Frequency and filters: HI FREQ and LO FREQ controls set where each band acts, alongside cut filters for trimming the extremes.
Stereo, mid/side or mono: process the whole stereo signal, the centre and sides separately, or a mono source.
Parallel design: the bands are summed in parallel, which Heritage says gives very low phase deviation and negligible artifacts.
Hardware layout: the interface copies the front panel of the SYMPH EQ hardware.
Presets: a set of included presets showing mastering, bus and source uses.

Owners of the SYMPH EQ or i73 PRO hardware get it free, and it has a 14-day demo. A PDF manual is available.

Source: Heritage Audio product page

When to use it

SYMPHEQ is the pick for broad, smooth tonal balance on a mix or master, especially when you want to treat the centre and sides separately. Compared with the Pultec Passive EQ Collection and the Manley Massive Passive EQ, it offers fewer bands and less colour, but its gentle Baxandall curves are simpler to set for wide tilt and shelf moves. Compared with Pro-Q 4, it cannot do narrow or surgical cuts, and it lacks Pro-Q 4's analyser and dynamic bands. It costs more than TDR VOS SlickEQ, which also has a free version, but it is a close match to one specific piece of hardware.

Best for: gentle tonal balance on the mix bus and in mastering, mid/side widening, and broad tone shaping on vocals or drum buses.
Genres: any.
Look elsewhere if: you need surgical bands or dynamic EQ (Pro-Q 4), or want a mix knob and output trim in the plugin itself.

What producers say

The one review read found it a faithful, smooth-sounding copy of the hardware at a fraction of its cost, with a few plugin conveniences missing.

mixing.co.kr said it "performs the same tasks well at a fraction of the hardware's cost", praising its natural curves even at aggressive settings and its mid/side mastering use.
Criticisms: no mix or output knobs, button states that are hard to read on a computer screen, and no improvements over the hardware's interface; the reviewer felt it works partly as a demo of the hardware.

mixing.co.kr review

Where to buy

Plugin Boutique: $74.25 (regular $99)
Heritage Audio: $99

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

BAX EQ by Dangerous Music · Baxandall mastering EQ · $125
Dangerous Music BAX EQ by Acustica Audio · Baxandall mastering EQ · $176
Blue Tubes Equalizer BX2S by Nomad Factory · Baxandall bass/treble tone EQ · $9
Dangerous BAX EQ Collection by Universal Audio · Baxandall mastering EQ · $125
Backs EQ by NoiseAsh · Baxandall shelving EQ with tube preamp · $39.90
MAXBAX by Analog Obsession · Passive Baxandall EQ · Free
BXQ by Analog Obsession · Baxandall EQ · Free
MASBAX by Analog Obsession · 3-band M/S mastering EQ · Free
TL BaxEQ by ToneLib · Free Baxandall EQ · Free
RS-W2395C by Fuse Audio Labs · Baxandall EQ with mid band (free) · Free

All EQs