RP-EQ

Name: RP-EQ
Price: 74.27 USD
Author: Rob Papen

by Rob Papen · EQ · Mid/side EQ with saturation

Not rated yet

RP-EQ is an equalizer with a mid/side mode, a mono/stereo split filter and an Air section for the master channel.

It also has an XY pad for creative changes and built-in saturation, for $79.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering, Vocals, Keys & Synths. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: mid/side, creative, enhancement, mixing, vocals, airy, built-in analyzer, bus processing, mix bus, wide, full mix, subtle, A/B compare, exciter, mastering, modern, static, steep learning curve, thick, warm.

What it does

RP-EQ is Rob Papen's equalizer with creative extras aimed at modern EDM and dance mixing: mid/side, a mono/stereo split filter, an Air band, saturation and an XY pad with LFOs.

Parametric EQ: parametric bands that can work in stereo or in mid/side, with high- and low-pass filters at 12 or 24 dB per octave.
Mono/stereo split filter: divides the signal at a chosen frequency so low and high ranges get their own stereo treatment and their own EQ bands.
Air section: a wide exciter-style band set very high (about 30–40 kHz) for an open top end on masters and vocals.
Saturation: adds warmth and low-end thickness, placed before or after the EQ.
XY pad and LFOs: programmable LFOs and an automatable XY pad move EQ settings over time for filter sweeps and creative effects.
Analyzer: a spectrogram showing input and output, left/right, mid/side and phase correlation.
Recall and presets: A/B recall of two settings, and preset banks including XY effects and the creative Oddiction set.

A demo is available. A Rack Extension version is sold separately.

Source: Rob Papen product page

When to use it

RP-EQ suits producers who want one EQ for tone shaping, stereo work and moving effects. It is less surgical than Pro-Q 4 and has no dynamic bands like TDR Nova, but its mono/stereo split filter, Air band, saturation and XY/LFO effects go beyond what either offers out of the box. Compared with the Mäag EQ4 it offers a similar high Air lift plus M/S and creative modulation, though not that unit's simple hardware-style layout. Against the free TDR VOS SlickEQ it has far more features, at the cost of a busier interface.

Best for: bus and master tone shaping, mid/side and width work, adding air, and EQ-based sweeps and effects.
Genres: EDM, dance and electronic music especially; the plain EQ suits any style.
Look elsewhere if: you need surgical or dynamic EQ (Pro-Q 4 or TDR Nova) or want a simple, quick interface (TDR VOS SlickEQ).
Tip: apply the Air band subtly on lead vocals, and turn the spectrogram off if CPU is tight (Sound On Sound).

What producers say

Reviewers liked the sound and the creative tools, with the busy interface the main complaint.

Sound On Sound called it "a great EQ" with "particularly effective" Air and a powerful split filter, but said the filters lack clear visual feedback and the default preset gets in the way of subtle mixing.
MusicRadar / Computer Music (Jono Buchanan, 2015) found it works well for both traditional and creative EQ, but the interface is busy and takes time to learn.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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