Massenburg DesignWorks^® MDWEQ5 Parametric Equalizer

EQ

Cleanest Eq to work with , but would want dedicated high and low pass filter . This thing is just great on anything

Greatest EQ for the top end

The silkiness of MDW is unbelievable. Just by sweeping through the frequency range and comparing with others you will perceive how clean it is :)

Great EQ

I wish I knew more about why this sounds so good other than the obvious thing that the original hardware was designed by the creator of parametric EQs. A fantastic and unique EQ. It just sounds very different and can achieve some really subtle changes in EQ that I was struggling to hear properly in other EQs.

Just great!

UX is great, sound is great it just works great. I put it nearly on everything and it works - often better as the mostly praised and popular EQs.

Most transparent EQ i've used

Believe the hype, it's absolute silk up top, total transparency across the spectrum. Still a relevant plugin in 2020

Best parametric EQ!

World best class!
Clean and clear. This thing is amazing, it sounds wonderful.

My Vocal EQ

I've been using the Massenburg EQ since I started mixing. It helps me shape the sound of vocals quickly and accurately. I love the ability to surgically hunt for frequencies that rub me the wrong way and reduce their impact in the mix.

The god of all eq’s

So quiet, and yet so aggresive. It’s simply the best eq available

Perfect Surgical EQ.

Is there a more perfect surgical EQ?
I think it's the only equalizer that can be used transparently.

The design is simple and intuitive to use.
It is easy to use and the performance is very satisfactory.

If you do not have a surgical equalizer, the first one you would like to recommend.

Thanks George Massenburg.
Thanks UAD.

S. Bacic

Filter types are too small. I can't read. Please redesign the plugins so we older can use them normally. I can use plugins from other companies normally, the only UAD plugins I have to switch to a generic editor because they are often horribly unreadable.
Sounds nice.

素晴らしい

トランジェントを失わない稀有なEQだと思います。

Top EQ

I used to use pro-q and considered it the best parametric equalizer, but MDWEQ5 changed my mind about this. Now I use only MDWEQ5 and recommend it to everyone.

Very good and clean Plug-In !

My Top Mastering EQ With a Nice Surprise!

When I was in audio Engineering school at Berklee, my teacher mentioned this EQ (hardware version) as one of the best! The Massenburg is one of the most transparent equalizers out there. So I tried this one out first before buying it. After mastering a couple of songs with it I quickly found that my teacher was right! The EQ curves are very surgical in nature at the same time very simple to use. One thing that I must warn you about is that it is very powerful and should be used with some caution, I am not kidding! I wonder how this worked on vocals and found it very effective at smoothing out some rough spots, which was a nice surprise! It really is best as a subtractive EQ designed to remove unwanted or competing harmonic abnormalities. Great EQ!!!

Perfect!

Just use it will be calibrated

Pros and cons

The workflow is, well, terrible compared with ProQ3 or Equilibrium and most modern EQ's. But for removing unwanted frequencies, its probably the best in the world. Why isn't there ten bands? My tip is UAD should be braver in the process of converting other manufacturers stuff to UAD products. Add more bands, add functionality, add m/s, highness and side chain options. As now they have a quite lazy approach.

SO CLEAN

probably the cleanest EQ i've ever used even in 2019! sounds amazing...

My go to eq

Like most I have a multitude of eqs. After finding myself stacking eqs on my busses, the one that was on every channel was the MDWEQ. Now it is the ONLY eq I use on my busses. And why not? I can cut and boost and things just sound better without a bunch of coloration ( I get plenty of color from my API and Neve cone mic pres). Also it doesn't use much CPU so you can use a lot of them. I love the character of my API, Neve, Harrison, etc EQs. And surely I will still use them as well as the Massive Passive and Curve Bender for some applications, but the MDWEQ is taken over most duties form mixing. Drum, bass, guitar, vocals, synth, effect channels, percussion.... All of them get the MDWEQ. You should get it too!

UAD vs. Hardware

PROFESSIONAL STUDIO QUALITY SMILEY FACE

Favourite EQ Plugin

The sound is excellent. However, that GUI looks horrible.