Sound Radix Surfer EQ2
Sound Radix Surfer EQ2
$199
This is a highly individual EQ, the
main reason being that it will follow
the pitch of a monophonic musical
source and adjust each band to
remain ‘in tune’ with it. There are
sophisticated controls to keep this
tracking accurate and they work well
with a minimum of octave leaps. The
EQ itself is 5-band with switchable
curves for each band including a very
interesting Harmonic Filter which
turns a single band into a four mode
tracking filter. Each band can Surf
(track) the pitch individually so you
can do a bit of low mid removal and
just have the high-end ‘Surfing’. It
really does give a different kind of
presence to a lead line or a voice and,
as you are not fixed to just the octave
harmonics of the incoming note (you
can offset each filter to the pitch),
when used with extreme settings you
can force some fantastically strange
sounding harmonics out of a melody.
It’s a good sounding EQ too, and that
Harmonic Filter is great. Very creative.
www.soundradix.com
VERDICT 9.0
Kush Hammer DSP $149
Another emulation, this time of an
excellent modern valve EQ, the
Hammer is a twin channel 3-band
device with low and high-shelf, a bell
midrange and switchable low and
high-pass filters. Each band has
switched frequencies which all seem
to be in exactly the right places.
When using it on a stereo source the
channels can be ganged or left
independent so it’s a true dual
channel EQ. The low-end is warm and
round while the highs can be subtle
and smooth but can also add a real
bite to a dull sound without harshness
or any nasty artifacts. But it is the
midrange which is most impressive as
it is powerful and warm without ever
being offensive. It’s quite remarkable
EQ Plug-Ins
EQ plug-ins are one of the most important parts of the
modern production tool kit. Stuart Bruce takes a look
at a selection of the latest sound shapers
Soundtoys Sie-Q $129
Like the Lindell TE-100 this is directly inspired
by another German EQ, this time the Siemens
w295b. Unlike the TE-100 this is simple stuff. LF
shelf, switchable midrange (0.7 to 5.6kHz) and
a shelving HF. The last control is the Drive which
basically gives you more character and eventually
distortion. I know these EQs from years ago. The
originals have a certain something in the high-end,
a kind of magical sheen and translucence, rarely
found and all the more special because of it. The
lows and mids also have a special depth to them
and can be powerful without getting too harsh,
even with extreme settings. The joy of this is
that the Sie-Q has it too. As modelling progresses
it gets better and better and this, like the TE-100,
is a fine example of it. It’s like the best ‘tone’
control you ever heard breathing life into a
dull sound and further enhancing a great one.
http://www.soundtoys.com
VERDICT 9.5
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FMU314.rev_roundup.indd 94 16/12/2016 12:56