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Softube : Weiss EQ-1 $549. (Really Worth it) ?

Is it expensive? Yes. Is the price largely just a reflection of the hardware which at the time was a unique piece of gear (before plugins were decent)? Yes. Would I pay that much if I like it (haven't tried it)? Yes.

The main EQ I use nowadays is Equilibrium. I used to be happy with ProQ3 but after comparing with Equilibrium, I was very disappointed with ProQ3. Would most people hear the difference? No. Is it going to help grow my business? Probably not but I want to have the best tools possible.

If Equilibrium was twice the price I would still buy it. I make a living staring at that thing all day so in the long run it's not that expensive and I'm happy to pay the developers a premium to keep doing what they're doing (a little different with the Weiss where you're paying a fee for essentially replacing the hardware units).

While I don't own the Weiss EQ, I own their deesser and it's fantastic. That's the plugin which stands out the most and gets the most use from mastering engineers. From what I've heard from friends, the other plugins are good but don't stand out much.
 
Henu said:
Equilibrium is really good. It's quite heavy and definitely not for the weak-hearted for what it comes to the UI and workflow, but it does give some seriously good results.
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I did the demo and found, after using ProQ3 for a few years, that Equilibrium was unpleasant to use - and I'd rather have tools I like using and can use quickly than the opposite. But, then, I'm no M.E.

All of the non-ProQ3 EQs are a decided step backward in interface design. If something was as easy to use (or better) AND sounded noticeably better to me, I'd consider switching. So far, I've not found a substitution - not Equilibrium, Crave, nor Kirchoff.

That said, I use Slick EQ M on my mixbus, ProQ3 on my tracks and busses.

I plan to demo the Weiss EQ just to find out what I hear, vs Slick EQ M. It's possible I may not have the gear and room to hear a difference. Or at least not a difference worth a few hundred dollars.
 
I would like to mention the SSL X-EQ2 which I have been using lately, got it at a very attractive low Sale price, and love the quality of this EQ. Very musical, especially for the mid, and high frequencies, easy and fast to use, and has some cool Q-Curve features. Low-CPU usage as well. I wouldn't mind using it on the Master Bus.

Anyone using this EQ from SSL ?
 
Henu said:
Equilibrium is a pain in the ass to use.
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There are friendlier ones, yes. I always felt though that Equilibrium is not unlike a musical instrument: you have to practice with it and learn how to play it. Once you have all the possible mouse interactions in your fingers and are familiar with what the controller keys do, Equilibrium becomes quite friendly to use as well, I find. Given its complexity, never quite as friendly as a standard stock EQ of course, but, let's say, a few notches more friendly than it may appear at first.

Also important: you have to set it up the way you feel most comfortable with it. Which you’ll only know after a few weeks or even months of working with it and slowly finding out what sort of set-up suits you best. The options and possibilities may at first boggle the mind. (And once you find your preferred set-up, save those settings as the default ones of course, to avoid having to go through the rather tedious procedure all over again.)

But yeah, certainly not a piece of software that can be used intuitively to its fullest potential after only a few sessions with it. Takes time. Like most DMG Audio plugins.
That said, if I were allowed to keep only one software EQ, Equilibrium would definitely be it.

__
 
Joël Dollié said:
See if they had the Weiss EQ, every track would have sounded like a million dollars (I mean 550 to be exact)
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I am not sure what a million dollar track sounds like, but i think eq tools of what ever developer are meant to give you the sound you want or at least help you to do what you could not do with the tools you have,

its not about getting the greatest sound, its about getting your personal sound that's in your head or imagination in to your workstation or recording,

If you see a tool that can do this and are able to get a hold of it then IMO get it, at the end of the day its how far you want to go with your project, or how important your project is to you,

if you work for people they more or less don't care about your tools, so its really up to you what you use and how far you want to go,
 
muziksculp said:
The Softube WEISS EQ1 is on sale today Sept. 21st, until Sept. 23rd . It's (54% OFF) !

So, I finally decided to purchase it at $249. (Reg. $549). I got a discount code by email today.
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Congratulations! Looks like a fine EQ, for certain.

Would love to hear your thoughts after you've had some real time with it, and any comparisons you'd be willing to make (subjective is OK!).

Also, I'm assuming the latency is large, being meant to use during mixing / mastering - is this accurate?
 
vitocorleone123 said:
Congratulations! Looks like a fine EQ, for certain.

Would love to hear your thoughts after you've had some real time with it, and any comparisons you'd be willing to make (subjective is OK!).

Also, I'm assuming the latency is large, being meant to use during mixing / mastering - is this accurate?
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Thanks.

I will post some feedback about it after using it for a while.
 
It's relative. I paid nearly 1,000 USD for Logic Platinum during the Emagic days and that was without the EXS24, Space Designer, Loops, Soft Synths etc.. The emulation of the Lexicon 480L by Relab was about 500 USD , a fraction of the hardware back in the day. The Weiss plugins by Softube are excellent and are also a fraction of the hardware and virtually sound identical.

So it's really your own judgement call - is it worth it to you? part of your business that will pay for itself ? or a hobby and something you still want (not necessarily you need) and money is not a consideration?

I have purchased some amazing sounding plugins that list for 500-1,000 USD but got them on sale for 30 USD - they still sound incredible regardless of cost and perhaps If I felt I really "needed" those tools I would still purchase them even if they were not on sale. I've certainly paid a lot of money for libraries, mic preamps , monitors, converters etc.. in pursuit of better tools and better audio quality (my own personal skills not withstanding :) and have seldom regretted my purchases because they have inspired me to try and do better work and have helped me produce better results.

Could I do without a lot of them? for sure. I've spent a lot of time and energy honing my skills with much less expensive tools from when I started doing this in 1991 and funds were very scarce. I still don't consider these more expensive tools a luxury... I just find them a logical next step to step up my game.

While the lines between pro and "prosumer" are increasingly blurred and some great sounding tools can be had for much much less than 10 or 20 years ago, for myself as someone who makes a living composing music for various mediums, I welcome the advantages and inspiration these "more expensive" tools can provide... and feel that in some cases (not all) the extra expense is worth it.

FWIW: I don't own the Weiss EQ-1 but do have the Softube Weiss Compressor/Limiter and it is superb - gets used a ton over here.
 
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Interesting Tread
I work with mix and mastering, Own UAD Manley Passive, The Sontec, Knif, and Maselec Acustica Audio plugins, and of course the not mention Massenburg EQ and TDR Nova Ge (60$) to name my go-to.
. All of them serve in whatever scenario the song asks. For example to my ears, the Uad MP is my choice for mid and hi mid-range, the Sontec for the low end, and so on. This means that before I go for a new one, I really stress the time to hear in use and master upside down what I have in my hands first
The purchase happens in a 6 years arc. no in a few months.
So my point is: really expend your money following your needs, how your work grows, and not the marketing behind the brands.

Pd: a fan of softube stuff when I mix by the way
 
Trash Panda said:
What if you're trying to make guacamole in a coal mine? 🤯
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I’m still going to use avocado,if we are talking paté yes canary can be quite tasty & might be preferable but please let’s stay on topic.
 
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