Edit: I'll be updating this one as well!
I tested out the six EQ's next. This was a little harder to narrow down which was best. They all had something good to offer.
EQ's (all with the same settings)
URS A Series (API clone)- Slightly harsh sounding, not boomy at all, really clean with the acoustic picking. Very defined lows, though it does tend to get muddy in some areas. Cleaned the track up nicely. Livened up the sound, really natural sounding.
URS Fulltech (Pultech clone)-Lots of clear low end. Smooth high-mids. Very full sounding, though it tends to get boomy in some spots. Just big sounding. Would probably be nice on bass or voice overs. Initially this was my favorite, but after a lot of repeat listens, it's not the ideal EQ for an already boomy acoustic track. If it was an acoustic-only song, I'd probably turn to this.
URS N Series (Neve clone)- Not as many lows, but very balanced. Has a slight honk to it. Adds lots of character to the guitar. It's a bit brighter than the other EQ's. Everything seems to be handled very equally, very clean. Slightly thin sounding. Really shines when the guitar plays notes in the higher register, very clear.
Waves API550B- First impression was it's kind of nasally. Generates lots of overtones, which in this scenario is really unwanted. Pretty meaty low end, brings out the acoustic characteristics. Cleans the track up okay, but is a little harsh sounding. This came as kind of a disappointment. This was really my go-to EQ for almost everything. It's not that it sounds bad, it's just not as good as the others I had been neglecting.
Waves API550A- Wow! Bright, REALLY balanced, good defined bottom end. Has a sort of naturally compressed sound. Small honk to it, but handles mids otherwise nicely. Retains the dark sound without sounding dull. Very nice overall balance without one band being too overpowering. This was a real surprise. The difference between this and the 550B is the 550B is a 4 band EQ, while the 550A is a 3 band. I've almost exclusively avoided this EQ just because I liked having the 4th band with the 550B and could be a bit more surgical on tracks that needed it. In this scenario, the 550A is the clear winner to me.
Waves VEQ4 (a Neve clone?)- Disgusting. Harsh. Fatiguing. Muddy, unbalanced, undefined lows. I wouldn't use this if you paid me. I can't believe it's a sought after plug-in, part of Waves Vintage series. It seems any band it touches just falls apart like a Chinese moped.
Acoustic Results
The clear winner was the Waves API550A, with probably the URS A Series in a close second. By the way, it's worth mentioning that the URS A Series is a 4-band EQ. Not sure why it did so much better than the Waves Version. Oh well!
I tested out the six EQ's next. This was a little harder to narrow down which was best. They all had something good to offer.
EQ's (all with the same settings)
URS A Series (API clone)- Slightly harsh sounding, not boomy at all, really clean with the acoustic picking. Very defined lows, though it does tend to get muddy in some areas. Cleaned the track up nicely. Livened up the sound, really natural sounding.
URS Fulltech (Pultech clone)-Lots of clear low end. Smooth high-mids. Very full sounding, though it tends to get boomy in some spots. Just big sounding. Would probably be nice on bass or voice overs. Initially this was my favorite, but after a lot of repeat listens, it's not the ideal EQ for an already boomy acoustic track. If it was an acoustic-only song, I'd probably turn to this.
URS N Series (Neve clone)- Not as many lows, but very balanced. Has a slight honk to it. Adds lots of character to the guitar. It's a bit brighter than the other EQ's. Everything seems to be handled very equally, very clean. Slightly thin sounding. Really shines when the guitar plays notes in the higher register, very clear.
Waves API550B- First impression was it's kind of nasally. Generates lots of overtones, which in this scenario is really unwanted. Pretty meaty low end, brings out the acoustic characteristics. Cleans the track up okay, but is a little harsh sounding. This came as kind of a disappointment. This was really my go-to EQ for almost everything. It's not that it sounds bad, it's just not as good as the others I had been neglecting.
Waves API550A- Wow! Bright, REALLY balanced, good defined bottom end. Has a sort of naturally compressed sound. Small honk to it, but handles mids otherwise nicely. Retains the dark sound without sounding dull. Very nice overall balance without one band being too overpowering. This was a real surprise. The difference between this and the 550B is the 550B is a 4 band EQ, while the 550A is a 3 band. I've almost exclusively avoided this EQ just because I liked having the 4th band with the 550B and could be a bit more surgical on tracks that needed it. In this scenario, the 550A is the clear winner to me.
Waves VEQ4 (a Neve clone?)- Disgusting. Harsh. Fatiguing. Muddy, unbalanced, undefined lows. I wouldn't use this if you paid me. I can't believe it's a sought after plug-in, part of Waves Vintage series. It seems any band it touches just falls apart like a Chinese moped.
Acoustic Results
The clear winner was the Waves API550A, with probably the URS A Series in a close second. By the way, it's worth mentioning that the URS A Series is a 4-band EQ. Not sure why it did so much better than the Waves Version. Oh well!
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