Softube & Empirical Labs: FrEQs and Geeks

Sometimes, the nerds get to hang with the cool kids and find out that they’re kindred spirits. Check out what the epic Softube + Empirical Labs collaboration has wrought.

Superior, innovative, enduring, fun. The ethos of Empirical Labs, at its most economical, could stand in for ours. Both Softube and ELI take pride in the high standard of quality and craftsmanship in their work. Both companies tell the status quo to kick rocks. Our philosophies are so similar it’s a wonder we didn’t get into bed together sooner. What can we say? We like a long courtship.

Now, after fifteen years of beers, gear talk, and karaoke with one of the most influential, charismatic audio processing designers in the world of pro audio, Mr. Dave Derr, we’re making it official. Don’t worry. It was well worth the wait.

Come see the results of this match made in sonic heaven. Read on to learn more about the Softube + Empirical Labs suite of products


Mike-E Comp

Mike-E is compression and saturation based on the famous ELI Distressor with a punchy preamp riding shotgun. Precisely modeled in collaboration with Dave Derr himself, our native software version tethers unabashed analog flavor to an uncomplicated, modern interface. Individually or as a module in Amp Room, Mike-E makes it fun to push it past the extremes without brittleness. Do anything from giving credibility to vocals in a mix with soft-knee compression and warm saturation to smashing drum room mics with the famous NUKE mode. Whatever you use it for, you can be certain that Mike-E will deliver superb sound quality and brazen aggressiveness.


Empirical Labs Lil FrEQ rocks a warm yet extremely punchy retro sound uncommon to equalizing. A unique and varied combination of features--classic EQ sound in a modern parameter set, eight processing sections with independent bypass, punchiness galore, and de-essing with a soft knee high-frequency limiter—make it hard to think of a more potent analog EQ. It's why mixing pros and top tier recording engineers crush on Lil FrEQ so hard. There’s no need for other plug-ins when your EQ is this proficient. And our native software version—precision-modeled in close collaboration with Dave Derr—gives you all that dynamism plus remarkable sound quality. Lil FrEQ may be an oddball, but that's her superpower.

https://www.softube.com/softube-and-empirical-labs

 

Last edited: Feb 23, 2021

Super strange when Empirical has arousor and bigfreQ.

 

The price of these plugins make me sick... They are form another world or wtf? softube and their prices... I will never ever buy this plugins!

 

sister site request coming in 3....2....

 

MS-DOS please!!!

 

Yeah, I didn't include the price because I could only see it in swedish crowns with no way to change. I agree that are way to expensive for what they are!

I just looked up the price for BigFreq and it is $149 while LilFreq is $250 on discount?! Without discount it is $313!

MIKE-E is the same price ($250 with discount, $313 without) and Arousor is $199. I don't understand Softubes pricing scheme at all. If they would half the prices on all of their plug-ins I might be willing to buy some of them but I would probably still rather spend my money on plug-ins from other developers that I actually think deserves it.

 

Last edited: Feb 23, 2021

ONLY 199 EU's !

 

WITH discount!

 

Overpriced and overrated luxuries. Thanks to R2R for letting us know without wasting our money.

 

Just saw this... I am very interested in how these compare to the UAD Fatso Sr/Jr/Compressor...

 

Last edited: Feb 23, 2021

so basically all their products exist because they couldn't emulate the real thing, funny. it kinda felt that way to be honest

 

"our native software version tethers unabashed analog flavor to an uncomplicated, modern interface"
Meanwhile you need to click multiple times on a button to vary preamp gain, there's no 6:1 ratio (hallmark of the Distressor), and no variable attack/release controls (the Distressor is known for being able to shape the envelope precisely with those knobs).

Would probably sound good, but big fucking fail on that interface.

Oh, and using the Mixbus douche to advertise it is just the icing on the cake.

 

Big FrEQ is very very very different from Lil FrEQ. Big FrEQ just like McDSP Filterbank or something. Lil FrEQ is a real hardware name!!!
And..If we have a Pultec and we still want a Tube-Tech PE-1C.

 

I tried some softube plugs from "big wave" . Last test, over hyped outdated code, goodbye softube, you were boss until you weren't.

 

Apparently it is just marketing, designs, colors and whatnot. I suggest any of you that haven't compared the Zener mode on the DMG Track Comp with the Softube Zener Limiter to try do that in your free time.

I appreciate the TrackComp even more now.

 

"Mixbus Douche "

 

wow.

 

Im sure it will land next door soon ...as they "this company" have been invaded Never in the history of Softube existance has my email been in constant spam mode with all their new deals on plugins

 

It's not modeled after the Distressor, it's modeled after the EL9 MIKE-E mic-pre. I do agree with you about the interface though! I like skewmorphic GUI's to an extent but you should be able to just click on the LED of whatever gain/ratio/release you want to choose and not have to click on gain arrows 10 times to choose. I don't understand developers who chooses not to utilise the advantage digital UI's have over analog ones. Pulsar's newly released 1178 plug-in is a great example of doing it the right way!

EDIT: You can click the leds on MIKE-E and LilFreq, I was just being ignorant!

 

Last edited: Feb 24, 2021