Sonimus SonEQ 2 | An HONEST Review

April 30, 2021April 30, 2021 Producer Sphere sonimus soneq 2, sonimus soneq2 review

In 2021, creating music entirely within the digital world is incredibly common. Most mixing tools such as EQ and compression are based on modern digital algorithms, which naturally leads many producers to seek out vintage, out-of-the-box mixing techniques.

As a result, there are countless analog-modelled, near-transparent plugins and other audio programs out there, all trying to emulate the fleeting tone and character of vintage analog hardware.

Sonimus have just introduced their brand new, modular, analog-modelled equalizer plugin SonEQ 2, which they say “provides the best audio quality possible while retaining the analog vibe”.

So what makes this EQ plugin stand out from other similar products out there?

The Engine

SonEQ 2 has a gorgeous, sleek layout and an incredibly intuitive, modular-based design. The interface is a breath of fresh air, with a clear focus on no-nonsense, streamlined functionality.

The plugin allows you to move and re-arrange various EQ modules; low, low-mid, hi-mid, high and a preamp module. This innovative, “build an EQ” concept lets you choose between the 5 modules and add up to 16 instances within the on-board EQ rack.

This immediately offers a ton of creative possibilities. Coupled with the analog tone of the plugin, this added flexibility really gives SonEQ 2 an edge, as changing the order of these module can present subtle tonal nuances that wouldn’t be achievable with a more rigid design.

SonEQ 2 has 5 available modules:

Low: The low-end module contains a frequency selector (20Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz, 100Hz) and low boost and cut options. Interestingly, since the boost and cut controls are not perfectly aligned, they can create unique, pleasant EQ curves when used in conjunction.

Low-Mid: This module is a bell filter curve ranging from 45Hz to 4000Hz. It also features a “Hi Q” setting, that can be used to identify and reduce any pesky resonances.

High-Mid: This module consists of a larger bandwidth and a smoother shaped bell filter than Low-Mid, and ranges from 400Hz to 9000Hz. It also features a “Mid Q” button for more dynamic, punchy mid-to-high EQ treatment.

High: The high module allows you to choose between 6kHz, 8kHz, 12kHz or 15kHz. This module in particular sounds sensational.

Preamp: This final module features a low-pass and a high-pass knob. There is also a drive knob, which is perfect for adding some vintage saturation to the low-end frequencies. It also has a “WOOW” switch to make the mix more spacious and enhance the stereo width.

All this results in a powerful, highly creative EQ plugin which makes it incredibly easy to build original, analog-modelled EQ treatments. But more importantly, how does this thing actually sound?

The Sound

To put it simply, the sound quality of SonEQ 2 is sublime.

It is immediately clear that a lot of care and detail has gone into the analog-modeled EQ curves, as this plugin will give beautiful, lush EQ character to almost any sound. In Sonimus’ words, SonEQ 2 “takes inspiration from a variety of equalizers famous for their ability to apply a soft and silky sheen to the audio material.”

I found particularly good results with electric guitar and vocals – using the High-Mid and High modules to add clarity and presence to the sounds, while still retaining that vintage feel. Really impressive.

Plus, the low-end module is deep, rich and perfect for kick or bass EQ treatment, as well as adding body to various instrumental sounds.

SonEQ 2 also has an oversampling feature, allowing you to choose between 2x to 16x for improved sound quality. Generally speaking, the plugin is zero latency, although high oversampling can cause slight latency.

SonEQ 2 is a huge improvement on the original SonEQ, with brighter, more transparent EQ curves, as well as the plethora of additional features. Sonimus have packaged a massive amount of creative versatility into a lightweight, intuitive engine. And on top of that, it sounds absolutely fantastic too.

The plugin is currently priced at $129 ($69 for crossgrade from SonEQ Pro).

Supported platforms: AU, VST 2.4, VST 3, AAX. All platforms support both 32 and 64-bit operations.

Supported Operating systems: Mac OSX 10.7 or newer, Windows 7 64 bit or newer.

For more information, check out this product on Sonimus.com