Once again, subtlety is the key here and it’s difficult to hear much distortion even when playing with the ‘calibration’ control, though there certainly is a character that stock parametric EQs lack.Īnother handy feature is the automatic volume leveling to ensure that the audio coming out of the plugin is the same volume as what goes in, avoiding careless mixing mistakes where the louder signal is perceived as being better. Saturation shaping can be found in the ‘output stage’ section, offering 4 different models (‘silky’, ‘mellow’, ‘deep’ and ‘funky’). If you’re really struggling to hear it, first check that the ‘EQ Sat’ button is pushed in – it’s off by default and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s merely a label.
Subtle touches of saturation are applied designed for gentle harmonic enhancement rather than extreme heat.
The four models (American, British, German and Soviet) change how the EQ plugin controls respond rather than the actual sound itself, and the manual includes helpful charts for those that want to nerd-out over the specifics. The first plugin to be tested is the very fine and professional looking TDR VOS SlickEQ, a free EQ that boasts a range of tone-shaping possibilities with a variety of EQ and saturation models.
