Injecting analogue flavoured mojo into your productions is no longer the preserve of those lucky enough to own the real boxes. We show you how to get it in a few moves.
Ask ten engineers what the “analogue sound” is, and you’ll get ten different answers. The reality is that any production’s aesthetic is actually a function of many different layers that make up the final sound. While this does mean there is no single magic bullet box or plugin, it also means that each of these layers can be replicated and built up using comparably affordable plugins.
Some analogue designs have become totally ubiquitous in the plugin world, and part of the trick in using them to replicate an analogue signal path is knowing what you’re trying to achieve. Tube designs might be more appropriate for a dusty 50’s feel, whereas you might want the fast, wide bandwidth of a modern analogue chain for Classical, Hip Hop, or anything else that demands fidelity and character.
These are not rules, and it’s always good to experiment and use whatever sounds best. Whatever you go with, combinations of thin layers will sound better than one instance doing all the heavy lifting. You can read more about using saturation here.
MIA Laboratories Musiqual SUPER Bundle
The Musiqual tools from MIA Laboratories offer a choice of three pared-back channel strips, and three fixed-band one knob EQs for simple analogue flavoured colouration on your tracks. The SUPER Bundle brings these together to give you the entire palette allowing a subtle layered approach, or obvious enhancement or distress as needed.
Musiqual Red, Green And Blue Channels
Comprising of tube, transistor, and Class A topology respectively, each unit has the same features and layout featuring single Band EQ with carefully selected and tuned frequency bands, a Harmonic Distortion component and a one-knob compressor, recreating the sound of the much appraised analog gear.
Super FAT, Super THIN And Super MUSCLE
Each of the three Musiqual EQs gives you a fixed spectral ‘personality’ that can be boosted in a super-simple one-knob UI. SUPER FAT covers the low end and is recommended for club mixes and genres such as Techno, Dub, Reggae and RnB. Covering the middle is SUPER MUSCLE, which MIA Laboratories recommend for use where the presence needs a lift. SUPER THIN is the high end tool that lets you dial in some extra silkiness on dull sounds. MIA Laboratories provide an extra Volume control to rein in the level on big boosts.
Affordable Analogue?
In the right hands, having a selection of different analogue flavours to choose from, and building up subtle layers of them can achieve some pretty convincing results. Whether free or paid for, there are lots of tools out there that will do the same job, and deciding on the ones to use is purely a matter of taste. Having all of them in one place at an affordable price is useful, and the MIA Musiqual SUPER Bundle will tick those boxes for sure.