Analog Obsession has introduced Rare, a freeware emulation of a vintage tube program equalizer in VST and AU plugin formats for digital audio workstations on PC and Mac.
The description on the product page states that Rare is a component-level digital emulation of an analog tube program equalizer. Analog Obsession claims that the plugin simulates the behavior of the original analog circuitry and all of its components to recreate the hardware EQ unit in digital format. As a result, Rare should be able to sound very similar to the actual analog hardware that it intends to replicate.
See also: Download Free BASSTARD Pultec-Style Equalizer VST/AU Plugin!Rare is a dual-band program equalizer. Both bands feature a switch for choosing the target frequency range and a pair of knobs for boosting or attenuating the processed audio signal. This allows the user to utilize the well-known Pultec EQ low-end trick which consists of attenuating and boosting the low-end signal to add character and remove any muddiness. The plugin also features a bandwidth Q knob, a bypass switch, and an output volume control to help with gain staging inside the DAW. The control layout should be familiar to anyone who’s used a Pultec emulation plugin before.
Analog Obsession is offering Rare as a completely free download from their website, no registration required. The software is compatible with all VST and AU plugin hosts on PC and Mac. The developer has also released Yala, which is a freeware emulation of an analog tube amplifier.
Have you tested Analog Obsession’s Rare in one of your mixes? Are you happy with how it sounds? Do you think it sounds close to the analog hardware it tries to emulate? Let us know in the comments section below.
Rare is available for free download via Analog Obsession (13.5 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin formats for Windows & MacOS).
26 Comments
Adam
onThey also have some more plugins to offer like: besure-n87 – neumann 87 emulation , lcf – low and high cut’s filter ,rollamp – vox 30 combo amp emulation , fetsh – fet style compressor , filteq – pulteq style channel eq and guitar line – few emulations of classic amps and stomp boxes. LCF – is still on every channel in my mixes :)
GoodieMOBB
onThey having a few goodies on their sit for free. Thank you, Tomislav
Gavin
onIt’s going to be interesting comparing this to the Waves emulation
SB
onI just compared it to the PuigTec. With identical settings, I actually think I prefer the Analog Obsession version (!). Their Filteq eq is also very, very good.
Ranty
on@Gavin
Whats so interesting about the Waves plugs, as those are always the same 3 (hi end) algorithms with a new GUI?
Those actually never reaaly change, except their prices from 59 to 49 to 29 to 3 for 1. Sorry for the rant (-:
Mansardian
onCould you specify what you mean? The shapes of different EQs cannot be achieved with the same algorithm.
I admit that the saturation really do sound similar. IF you hear it at all. (I’m talking bout you, HLS channel and Scheps73!!!)
RantyRANT
onCLA Mixhub? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqboICl6hiQ (-;
Ali Humadi
onAll snakeoil with different frontend gifs, kind of agree to this. As there is some truth to it, yet if it works, it works.
Hannes
onI’m not that much happy with it. Seems there’s nothing like any parameter smoothing so that it produces an audible amount of crackling sounds. At least for me.
Willy
onNormally a buffer problem not the plugin. Maybe check your latency settings and also sample rate e.g. 48 or 44.1or a in general bad setup OS for running realtime audio, which you can check with DPC Latency – Checker.
Hannes
onThanks for the hint. But I have some other plugins running. I usually mix at 1024 spl buffer size, and since I code from time to time I guess for example clicks on changing parameters like volume result from sudden “voltage”, or better: waveform changes. Buffer underruns are the same but would not only occur on parameter changes.
Willy
onWell then really do the DPC Latency check, if something is spiking in your system since Latency settings shouldnt cause the prob then wi th 1024. Not sure bout the coding but it doesnt click or crakle on my setup.
Hannes
onI didn’t want to make a big thing there. It looks very nice indeed. I have some passive eq emulations I use most of the time. I really appreciate you folks offering free stuff for the people (and I really liked the free preamp you used to offer apart from the cpu usage).
Mansardian
onCould you specify what you mean? The shapes of different EQs cannot be achieved with the same algorithm.
I admit that the saturation really do sound similar. IF you hear it at all.
snakeoil
onAll just snakeoil with slightly different amoit of oil & water.
haist
onI actually like that in Waves plugins. Water and oil form this nice, bubbly, slightly hazy emulsion, really good on reverbs. But sometimes the snake produces too much hiss.
Willie
onWait for x-mas or blackfriday & get 3 for 1 for 29$ or whole budle for 49$ ….instant buy (:
BOT
onAPI EQ Code 0100010111000100101001111000010010000100110010101
Neve EQ CODE 00010010100001001010001001001001000100100100010
SSL EQ Code 0010000001110101010000100101010101010011001001010
The sad truth about plugins!
Hannes
onWhat should that be? A finite impulse response in binary?
BeepBOT
onBleep Blop I’m a Bot &
This thread is closed!
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felipe
onCan someone use mac on AU or VST?
Dakota
onsure glad that I can’t figure out how to download these, anywhere on the website
Dakota
onan update to my previous comment, the download buttons actually exist now so woop!
dave
onso does anyone like Rare? Analog Obsession doesn’t always get the love. Anybody used this?
Michal
onI didn’t like it based on CPU usage and the fact it introduced frequency cramping near Nyquist. On my system it was a difference between 2.2 % Ignite Amps PTEq-X vs 3.5 % Rare, where PTEq-X emulates three different units. Also I checked it with Tube option switched ON and it’s the most demanding component.
Knock Rio
onI use RARE quite often on my deep basslines. I don’t have to push it much. It just fits in the mix nicely.