Soundtoys Sie-Q

Soundtoys is one of those rare plug-in manufacturers that understand the power of vintage gear. For a number of reasons, great hardware just has a wonderful way of enhancing tone that is difficult to achieve with plug-ins. One of the best things about this particular company is their obsession with particular pieces of hardware, especially some of the more obscure devices that many younger engineers have never even heard of. The Sie-Q is such a plug-in, and is based upon the obscure German manufacturer Siemens-Sitral and their W295b EQ.

This particular EQ was not something that the average studio would possess, but once Soundtoys discovered and fell in love with it, they felt compelled to recreate it. The cool thing about it was that although its low and high EQ bands had fixed frequencies, they were so carefully chosen that they were almost always a great enhancement to a signal. The other frequency band, the midrange, has a few more frequency range options (six in this plug-in form). While at first it might seem like an EQ plug-in with fixed frequency ranges and gain structures would be less useful than a more typical EQ, closer inspection and use reveals the opposite in many situations.

Let’s start with the high end. This is arguably the best thing about this EQ. Many times, boosting the high-end of a signal with a digital EQ would result in an ugly, even harsh tone. The Sie-Q doesn’t fall into that trap; this is where the carefully chosen EQ curves become a blessing rather than a hindrance. Each stage of the high-end gain is also carefully mapped in order to best optimize it for general use. (If you want to know exactly what the EQ curves and gain settings look like on a graph, the manual has detailed drawings.) As such, it pretty much flawlessly adds great detail and openness to the high end. If you’ve ever been underwhelmed by a drum bus’s overall lack of high end, this plug-in is a great way to remedy that problem. We found it useful on any signal that has a less-than pleasing high end, which is a common issue if you’re using cheaper gear, but we actually found it enhances high-end tube and ribbon microphones impressively as well since those microphones, while amazing in their own right, don’t always capture high-end in perfect clarity.

The low-end boost has a similarly impressive performance. It also has a fixed frequency curve and gain stages, but those are again very useful in many situations. We found it added some great extra impact to bass and kick drums, without overpowering them too much. Similarly, it’s good when you have just a bit too much low end as well. Considering that the midrange has a bit more flexibility, this plug-in can help enhance or de-emphasize that range a little bit more precisely. Still, the frequency settings (of which there are six between 0.7 and 5.6 kHz) are expertly placed for consistently impressive results. If you’re looking for general tone enhancement over extremely precise frequency adjustments, this plug-in consistently delivers.

The final feature that this plug-in contains is the Drive knob, which adds some extra gain and saturation to the signal. This was one of the impetuses behind its creation, as Soundtoys’ founders loved the way that pushing the EQ added excellent coloration to the track. This is one area where Soundtoys has always stood tall, and this plug-in continues that trend. The saturation is still very subtle, but is notable in that even when the EQ settings are at 0, it still enhances the high end in a nice way that is atypical of other plug-ins that add analog-style saturation. We’ve discussed each particular frequency control, but the best results obviously come from a combination of all these settings. Overall, if you want an EQ that consistently enhances color and adds openness to a signal, the Sie-Q is a great choice.

Main Features and controls:

• Plug-in recreation of the Siemens W295b pre-amp, notable for its ability to impart nice high end EQ without distorting
• Captures the smooth fixed frequency response of the original hardware, allowing for quick enhancement without hassle
• Add light, airy high end to any track; gives any individual track or full mix a nice, manageable open high end, with boost or cut up to 15db
• Enhance bass and add space; boost or cut up to 15 db of low end
• Mid-Range has both frequency and dB controls; choose from six frequency settings between 0.7 and 5.6khz, and add or boost up to 15db of midrange
• Add Soundtoys’ trademark saturation with the Drive knob, which emulates the coloration of the original pre-amp being pushed to the point of saturation

Specs
Current Version: 5.2.0
Plug-in Formats (both 32 and 64-bit):
• AAX Native, AAX AudioSuite, VST, and Audio Units (AU)
Supported Sample Rates:
• Minimum: 44.1 kHz, Maximum: 192 kHz

System Requirements:
• Operating systems: Mac OS X 10.8 or later; Windows 7 or later
• An internet connection is required at the time of activation.
Supported Hosts:
• Pro Tools (10.3.5 or later), Live, Cubase, Nuendo, Sonar, Logic, Digital Performer
• Click here to view our full list of compatible host applications.
Other Requirements:
• Free iLok.com account.