Anyone use URS API or Neve plgins?

paradeatw · Post by **paradeatw** » Tue May 02, 2006 7:53 pm

Still on my hunt for my goto EQ... I have been using Masterworks since i got DP and I havent been interested in getting the Cambridge and kinda prefer to stay away from waves... any suggestions for a track eq and a mix eq?

chrispick · Post by **chrispick** » Tue May 02, 2006 8:58 pm

UAD-1 Pultec and Pultec Pro not suiting you? They're my go-to colorizin' EQs.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Tue May 02, 2006 10:10 pm

The URS Classic Console EQs are simply the tops. They are VERY musical, colorful, efficient and run great in DP. A little pricey,but worth every penny!

waterstrum · Post by **waterstrum** » Wed May 03, 2006 12:02 am

Yeah, I love 'em too!
Sweet sounding.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Wed May 03, 2006 12:53 pm

I wasn't successful in downloading/installing/using URS demos, and they have such a wide product range that I wouldn't know where to start. Other people have recommended the Neve EQ's from URS.

So far the only EQ that I've liked is what comes with Ozone, but I haven't had time to learn it yet so am just using the presets so far. It is warm and transparent (yeah, I know that technically those are mutually exclusive as "warm" means "coloured", but what I mean is that there is clarity in the result vs. the low-mid muddiness or mid-high brittleness that results from most digital EQ's). Even so, I wouldn't expect ozone's EQ to be of general purpose vs. just an enhancement of its finalising/mastering functions.

I've been quite happy with MasterWorks EQ, and now that I'm using Ozone I find that it takes the edge off of the "digital" character of the high frequencies. I liked TrackPlug for its specialty notch filters and still haven't succeeded in reproducing those elsewhere, but overall found WaveArts to be a bit clinical and harsh and best suited for spectral compression tasks (via the excellent MultiDynamics plug-in) vs. EQ (though the reverb is also quite usable and crisp/clear/airy).

back to URS, their product range seems in flux at the moment, with many new filter types and some confusion over product bundling (their website was inconsistent when I checked it a few weeks back). Perhaps someone who's been watching URS for awhile has some advice on how to go about looking through their product line and evaluating it?

lampostudio · Post by **lampostudio** » Wed May 03, 2006 1:19 pm

I just purchased the entire URS line EQ's and Comp's, wow they are fantastic...
A really nice $$$$ feature is the rent to own program,,,no interest how can you beat that?
I had a little trouble loading them in but there tech support was great in resolving the problem at my end, seems I didn't delete all the demos before loading the purchased eq's, opps!
Anyway I highly recommend these EQ's and Comp's they are te best. You won't be disapointed.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:00 pm

lampostudio wrote:I highly recommend these EQ's and Comp's they are te best. You won't be disapointed.

I concur. The only other native EQ plug out there that competes is Hydratone, which sounds sweeter than the URS EQs, but has a really high CPU overhead, so its usage is limited.

paradeatw · Post by **paradeatw** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:19 pm

wow... thanks a lot guys... im totally ready to take the plunge... it has been killin me...lol... i didnt wanna download the demo cause i hate extra junk on my computer (although i downloaded the tbk filter)... sounds great then... maybe i can narrow in on some of your suggestions...

i was looking into either the A or N series for now, any suggestions? i have heard the A sounds great on drums and is a bit more power vs the smoothness of the N which people have taken a liken to on vocals... is this all rubbish or to some extent true? i do not think at the moment i can spend the 450 on the bundle, although the rent to own feature is DEF COOL...

paradeatw · Post by **paradeatw** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:20 pm

chrispick wrote:UAD-1 Pultec and Pultec Pro not suiting you? They're my go-to colorizin' EQs.

ehhh... i dunno... i dont have the Pro and im kinda taxin my UAD with the precison limiter, fairchild and 1176 and LA2... jeez... time for a second card soon...lol...

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:27 pm

If you can only get one, get the API. Much more flexible and a bigger sound. I use it on vocals all the time. The Neve sounds good too and is very smooth, but only has a hi and low shelf and one mid sweepable EQ.

paradeatw · Post by **paradeatw** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:41 pm

Splinter wrote:If you can only get one, get the API. Much more flexible and a bigger sound. I use it on vocals all the time. The Neve sounds good too and is very smooth, but only has a hi and low shelf and one mid sweepable EQ.

Thanks

I have lots of questions as of recent cause im upgrading some new software and gear... i appreciate your help... next thing im looking at is a sweet audio card to replace my m-audio firewire audiophile with something a bit more pro and ready to take on some outboard gear for inserts and handle nice mic pres in a few months... any suggestions? hahaha

Rush909 · Post by **Rush909** » Wed May 03, 2006 5:49 pm

Splinter wrote:If you can only get one, get the API. Much more flexible and a bigger sound. I use it on vocals all the time. The Neve sounds good too and is very smooth, but only has a hi and low shelf and one mid sweepable EQ.

Splinter... you should qualify for the FREE (Read no MONEY) full parametric version of their NEVE EQ... I downloaded it a month back and now I have all the fexability that the original URS Neve eq did not have...

sweeet!

r.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Wed May 03, 2006 6:55 pm

Rush909 wrote:Splinter... you should qualify for the FREE (Read no MONEY) full parametric version of their NEVE EQ... I downloaded it a month back and now I have all the fexability that the original URS Neve eq did not have...

sweeet!

Rush:

I totally forgot about that. I even downloaded it, but haven't used it. MUCH more flexible thatn the original, but from my little bit of tweaking, not as sweet as the original.

Kubi · Post by **Kubi** » Wed May 03, 2006 8:18 pm

Another vote for both the A & the N. They see about the same amount of use here, the A being bigger. more brawny, and the N being sweeter, more hazy. Excellent EQ plug-ins when you need some coloration.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Thu May 04, 2006 3:39 pm

I visited their website again last night and still failed to see how to get a demo version without registering with them and then going through an iLok hassle. After my nightmare with the Waves demos, no way am I going to risk trashing my iLok and accidentally disabling MSI and MX4 just for some demos.

I also notice that their EQ's do not seem to supply "near-vertical" notch filters or brick wall filters. At the moment, that is all that I am personally interested in as it informs whether I must buy WaveArts TrackPlug or not (which otherwise I would be unlikely to use, as I find MasterWorks EQ to be less harsh sounding).

I can see some use for these boutique EQ's further down the road once I have all of the basics covered, just to add colour and flavour now and then, but I do not see them as everyday workhorses and problem solvers as I do the Ozone and WaveArts stuff.