Our last look into Logic’s stock collection of effects saw the Compressor broken down into its many functions. Today I wish to show you the depth of Logic Pro X’s Vintage EQ Collection, and why you should hold off on buying a new EQ plugin.

If you have tried Logic Pro in the past, you would be forgiven for still thinking that it doesn’t offer a lot in the way of analogue “colour” or character, not past Logic’s Compressor at least. 

To get around this you would have needed vintage hardware or expensive plugins to solve the digital “sterility” of recording within the programme. With the introduction of Logic’s Vintage EQ Collection, this is no longer the case!

Logic Pro X’s 10.4 update (introduced in January 2018) was substantial, and with its inclusion of the Vintage EQ Collection it saw three accurately modelled analogue EQs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s added to the programme.

• READ MORE: What are reverse fades and when to use them?
• READ MORE: Wave Destroyer is my new go-to VST for making drums hot!

In classic Logic style, as well as closely mirroring the sounds and functionality of the originals, the EQs boast features and flexibility not entirely possible on the originals in the analogue domain.

Despite this, in the two years since their introduction I’ve found that these plugins have slipped completely under the radar for many Logic users.

This is understandable since stock plugins are easy to dismiss; third-party manufacturers have trained us to believe that their products are some of the best on offer and that DAW developers simply cannot compete.

Or, if a user has already bought into a plugin eco-system, they may not feel the need to check for updates or use yet another emulation.

So what makes these EQs so special? Let’s take a look.

Vintage Console EQ

Anybody familiar with this console will recognise this layout as that of the Neve 1073 channel strip EQ. 

Designed in 1970 by Rupert Neve, this channel strip is a favourite of many engineers on just about any instrument you throw it at. 

This is largely due to the character of its transformer that is often described as “big, fat, and coloured”. 

This EQ features the same controls as the original: a switchable high pass filter, a switchable low shelving filter and mids bell filter, and a fixed shelving filter at 12 kHz.

Where this differs from the original however, is the ability to set the controls to frequencies between the original stepped EQ points, allowing significantly greater control over sonic balance.

Like the original, it also features a drive control which allows you to control just how much of the unique saturation this unit offers is applied. Try it on bass, drum shells, and vocals to add size and life!

Vintage Graphic EQ

The tell-tale knob and colours tells us this plugin is based on the API 560 Graphic EQ.

Introduced in 1969, this EQ has a lot of headroom thanks to the combination of their proprietary components and transformers which results in what API states as better low frequency reproduction and tighter imaging, which gives you that legendary API “punch in your gut” sound.

Where this plugin differs from the original is the “Tune” feature. This allows the user to globally adjust the frequency centre-points of the EQ’s sliders. It also features a drive knob not found on the original. 

Tip: When set to +12 the top filter’s centre-point is doubled to 32 kHz which allows for some really nice subtle boosting of that ever-elusive “expensive airiness”! 

This classic and unique sound makes it an especially appropriate choice for drums and guitars and voice. Not outrightly transparent, it’s best to think of this EQ as putting forward only the best bits of a sound.

Vintage Tube EQ

Last but not least, this emulation is based on a legendary pairing of not one but two EQ units, which can also both be bypassed independently within the plugin.

The top unit is based on the “PulTec” EQP-1A which has filters for the Lows and Highs, while the bottom unit is based on the MEQ-5 which allows for filtering of the Midrange. 

Originally, the EQP-1 was a bespoke design by Eugene Shenk of Pulse Techniques (PulTec, aay!) for a Capitol Records mastering studio, and it was then introduced to the wider studio industry in 1953 as the EQP-1A, following the addition of a tube amplifier section.

Later another tube-amp EQ, the MEQ-5, was introduced and both units became the ideal combination and now tend to live on most mixers’ Master Bus. 

Unless you have thousands and thousands in spare change the original units and even reproductions are virtually inaccessible, so having the sounds and characteristics available to you in as many instances as your CPU allows is a fair tradeoff. 

Not just for the master bus, this pairing is well suited to submixes like a Drum, Cymbals, or Bass bus, with its ability to add excellent beefy lows or super silky highs and mids.

Think of it as adding broad, yet final and subtle strokes of paint to a canvas, the kind that make the sweetest difference.

Tip: If you increase the low boost and cut by similar amounts, the result is not a cancellation as you might think, but a more controlled and focused low end owing to the fact that both filters are of different orders. This is the famous Pultec trick for adding and controlling some serious low end on your tracks!

Output Section

You may have noticed that each EQ has a different setting under the Drive knob and are so named to associate their sound with each particular emulation: Smooth for Neve, Punchy for API, Silky for Pultec. 

Thanks to the magic of plugins, we can actually swap these around in each of the EQs, or even disable them altogether.

Add that to the already increased flexibility of the plugins, we now have the opportunity to process our source material in truly unique ways.

At the end of the Output section we have a gain knob to adjust for any difference in level (handy for A/Bing any processing), as well as the option to switch between Linear or Natural Phase. 

Natural Phase mode allows the signal processing to replicate the phase/time shift to the sound that the original units would impart.

These phase shifts are actually usually desirable and those familiar with the units are used to hearing these shifts as part of the units’ sound! 

For those that argue that these shifts are detrimental however, Linear Phase mode compensates for these phase/time shifts.

However it’s generally recommended to limit use of Linear Phase processing to your sub groups and Mix bus, for minimal global processing and minimal to no “pre-ringing”, which can be even more obviously detrimental in some cases, especially across many individual tracks. 

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully you can now see that Logic does in fact have some great tone shaping options that will help you to bring your tracks that extra bit closer to “alive” and away from what can sometimes be a somewhat sterile experience, it’s a bit of a shame I haven’t heard more people raving about them. 

I suggest you start experimenting with these across your projects, familiarise yourself with them and see what they can do for your music.

The Vintage EQ Collection provides tonnes of variety, flexibility, and it’s absolutely free with Logic Pro X, and who doesn’t love free?

This article was written by Seàn Frost of Frozen Sounds Audio

Shout out to Feedspot
We are very pleased to announce that Audio Ordeal has been recognised as one of the top music production blogs/websites online. Anuj Agarwal, founder of Feedspot, got in touch with me to congratulate us and requested I give our readers a heads up about all the other greats sites on the list. Knowledge will make you a better producer, and every site listed is packed with tips, so definitely get subscribed to them all! You can find the full list here.

– Tom Jarvis, Editor

The post Here’s what you didn’t know about Logic’s vintage EQ collection appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

If you own a copy of Logic Pro X, you may be familiar with the stock Compressor plugin, but did you know that its various modes are actually emulations of popular hardware compressors? 

Novice or intermediate enthusiasts would be forgiven for thinking that this “stock” tool does not hold its own against more premium and dedicated emulations from third-party plugin companies like Waves or Slate Digital. This, in reality, is false.

A sort of Swiss-Army plugin, the Compressor features a variety of options, compressions types, and extended controls such that it could be argued it actually has an edge over its competitors. 

While these modes are not strictly one-to-one copies, they are certainly inspired by the originals, and when used similarly, yield comparable results. Let’s have a look and identify the different modes of this plugin.

• READ MORE: What’s the difference between Ableton’s Compressor and Glue Compressor
• READ MORE: What are reverse fades and when to use them?

Modes & Emulations

Platinum Digital

This is Logic’s own compressor model. Apple describes it as “a clean-sounding compression type with a fast transient response”. 

Very fast in fact, given the plugin’s ability to provide an attack time of 0 ms! 

This mode is suitable for just about any application you may need a compressor for, and will not alter the character of your source material if transparent compression is your goal.

Studio VCA

This is an emulation of Focusrite’s popular Red 3 Compressor, and the actual unit is a favourite of top mixer Chris Lord-Alge on the mix bus. 

The main giveaway is the metallic red appearance and the knobs which match those found in Focusrite’s Red series hardware. 

This mode is great for bus compression as well as handling bass instruments or other low-frequency instruments like drums. 

While the original hardwire is fully discrete and therefore offers very little colouration, this version offers slightly more pronounced harmonic overtones which can be varied in character by switching through the distortion modes available in the output section.

Studio FET

An emulation of one of the most popular solid-state compressors ever, the Universal Audio 1176 Rev E “Blackface”. 

Famous for introducing ultra-fast attack times to studios it also functions well as a line amplifier when no compression is applied, adding some presence and brightness due to its unique circuitry and components making this very much a character tool. 

The original excels at levelling and adding character to drums, bass & guitar, and rock vocals, and this version does a great job of doing the same.

Classic VCA

Based on the dbx 160, this mode offers the fewest controls out of all the modes: Threshold, Ratio, and Makeup. 

One of the most used compressors of the 70s and 80s. It offers very fast and clean compression to all out beefy, punchy, and aggressive sounds. Especially popular on drums for its ability to bring out their “thump”, “crack” or “snap”, it has been a mainstay for producers like Eddie Kramer throughout his time at Electric Lady Studios and the rest of his career.

Vintage VCA

Inspired by what is probably the most popular bus compressor to date, and with a  multitude of plugin versions in existence, this mode emulates the SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor. 

Again, the knobs and grey appearance (spotted the theme yet?) all point to this. 

Capable of both slow and fast attack and release times, the original is famous for its “gluey” characteristics. 

This plugin is great at handling multiple groups of sounds, such as a full mix or individual instrument sub groups. 

I enjoy this particular emulation on male rock vocals as I find the upper-mid/treble harmonic enhancement to be a little more pronounced than other third-party versions.

Vintage FET

Another 1176 emulation. This time based on 1176 Rev H “Silverface”. 

Offering essentially the same functions and features as the “Blackface”, this version however has a slightly more noticeable effect on the mid range of instruments like drums which can add some perceived “edge” or transient enhancement. 

That said, a crunchy sound in the mid-range is developed in both modes if cranked enough. 

It’s best to think of these two versions more as different flavours of the same tool. 

Another thing that sets these modes apart is that the Blackface has a fixed Knee setting whereas the Silverface has a variable Knee control.

Vintage Opto

Modelled on the Teletronix LA-2A tube compressor, this mode is too good to overlook!

Based on the function of optical compression versus VCA or FET, this offers a unique sound compared to the rest of the modes. 

Controlled by two simple controls (Gain and Gain Reduction) the original unit features fast attack times and programme dependent, multi-stage release times, making it an excellent choice for recording or mixing vocals, bass guitar, and even drum shells. 

The Vintage Opto mode expands upon these features through the Logic Compressor’s additional range of controls, such as a possible ratio up to 30:1, adjustable Attack times and adjustable Release times. 

The original unit featured a Compress/Limit switch and a similar effect can be achieved by adjusting the Knee control of the Vintage Opto Mode.

Output Section and More

This section of the Compressor is what I think makes this tool really something special. 

Featuring a Threshold Limiter, three Distortion modes, an ever useful Mix knob, and a Sidechain Control section, this compressor is able to perform in ways that the original units or other third-party plugins just cannot. 

Want a more aggressive sound on your snare drum? Play with the Distortion settings between Soft, Hard, and Clip to bring out a more pronounced sound. 

Want the cranked 1176 vocal sound without aggravating the sibilance? Send the signal to a bus, side-chain that bus back to the plugin, and adjust the Filter settings to focus on the “esses”. 

Are you slamming the compressor, loving it, but it’s just a bit much? Dial back the Mix knob to retain some vitality as well as keeping the sound controlled.

Hopefully you can now see the versatility of this absolute unit of a plugin. While using some of the more premium plugins can be very nice and in some cases nothing else will do, learning this tool inside and out will help you to control your mixes in ways you maybe hadn’t considered and that the third party plugins just can’t compete with. 

That stock plugin suddenly doesn’t seem so stock and boring now, does it?

The post Logic Pro’s Compressor – Save your money and try this tool first! appeared first on Audio Ordeal.