NEED 31102 Console EQ

Name: NEED 31102 Console EQ
Price: 59.9 USD
Author: NoiseAsh

by NoiseAsh · EQ · Classic console preamp and EQ

Not rated yet

NEED 31102 Console EQ is a circuit model of a classic British console mic preamp and EQ, with the original three bands plus an added mid band.

The preamp offers 10-80 dB of gain with analog saturation, and it was listed at $59.90 on sale (regular $150).

Best for: Vocals, Drums, Bass, Guitars, Keys & Synths, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: classic, analog-sounding, bass, drums, vocals, electric guitar, mid/side, musical, oversampling, vintage, warm, beginner-friendly, British console, bus processing, circuit-modelled, CPU-light, full mix, heavy, mix bus, mixing, resizable UI, static, subtle.

What it does

NEED 31102 Console EQ is NoiseAsh's model of a famous classic console mic preamp and EQ module, which the developer calls an "extremely accurate circuit reproduction". The focus is the module's musical EQ and its vintage analog saturation.

Preamp: the original mic preamp with 10–80 dB of gain and a drive control, for anything from subtle warmth to heavy saturation.
Four-band EQ: the original three bands plus an extra mid band.
Analog behaviour: models the interaction between the filters and the module's harmonic distortion.
Channel matrix: mid/side, stereo, mono-sum and left/right processing.
Engine: anti-aliasing with oversampling, low CPU use and a resizable interface.

The demo is fully functional with no time limit but mutes the output briefly every 30 seconds.

Source: NoiseAsh product page

When to use it

NEED 31102 Console EQ is the pick when the preamp drive matters as much as the EQ. Compared with bx_console SSL 4000 E and SSL Native Channel Strip 2, it focuses on preamp saturation and broad musical bands, with no compressor or gate. Next to NoiseAsh's own NEED 84, it drops the Q switching and switchable high band but adds a full mid/side, stereo, mono-sum and left/right matrix. It is far less precise than Pro-Q 4, so it suits colour rather than corrective work.

Best for: drums, bass, guitars and vocals that need classic console weight and saturation.
Genres: rock, pop, soul and any style that wants vintage warmth.
Look elsewhere if: you need dynamics in the same plugin or surgical EQ; use a channel strip such as SSL Native Channel Strip 2, or Pro-Q 4.
Tip: a VI-Control user suggests using it across many tracks, where the effect adds up, rather than judging it on one track.

What producers say

Forum users rate its saturation highly, with CPU load across many instances the main caution.

VI-Control thread ("Best Neve emulation I've ever heard") saw the starter call it exactly that; another user tested it with sine waves and found it doing "all kinds of delicious things" to the signal.
Aliasing test: a VI-Control user (2021) found the 31102 could be driven to 80 dB at 96 kHz without audible aliasing.
Criticisms: stacking it on many tracks caused "significant CPU overload" for one user, and others doubted how many fans had used the real hardware.

Where to buy

NoiseAsh: $59.90 (regular $150)

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

EQ 73 by IK Multimedia · British console EQ · $99.99
NEED 533 EQ by NoiseAsh · Vintage 5-band console EQ · $59.90
API 550 by Waves · Console EQ · $29.99
VEQ-4K Pink by Antelope Audio · British 4K console EQ · $149
VEQ-55B by Antelope Audio · Vintage 4-band console EQ · $99
MERICA by Analog Obsession · American console EQ · Free
NEED 81 Console EQ by NoiseAsh · British Class-AB console preamp and EQ · $59.90
VEQ-55A by Antelope Audio · Vintage 3-band console EQ · $99
8k by Canvas Audio · Console saturation EQ · $29
Legacy EQ by Harrison · Parametric console EQ · $19

All EQs