Analog Obsession MasterTone is a free analog-style equalizer plugin featuring a transformer-balanced Baxandall EQ design. It offers simple low- and high-frequency tone shaping, along with an input gain control that can drive the output transformer for additional saturation and coloration.
In this video, I’m taking a quick look at MasterTone, exploring its EQ controls and demonstrating how it sounds using one of my own songs.
What Is Analog Obsession MasterTone?
MasterTone is a two-band equalizer designed for broad, musical tonal adjustments. Instead of giving you a large collection of filters and complicated controls, it focuses on two frequency bands and a transformer-based input stage.
The Baxandall EQ design is known for its smooth, broad tonal shaping, making it useful for adjusting the overall character of a track.
Low-Frequency EQ
The low-frequency section provides up to 16 dB of boost or cut, with an adjustable frequency range from 50 Hz to 400 Hz.
You can use this section to add weight and body to instruments, bring out some additional low-end presence, or reduce unwanted buildup in the lower frequencies.
High-Frequency EQ
The high-frequency section also provides up to 16 dB of boost or cut, covering a range from 3 kHz to 10 kHz.
This gives you control over the upper frequencies, allowing you to add presence and clarity or soften an overly bright sound.
The broad Baxandall-style response makes these controls useful for general tonal shaping rather than surgical frequency correction.
Transformer Saturation And Input Gain
One of the more interesting features of MasterTone is its input gain control.
Increasing the input gain allows you to drive the output transformer harder, introducing additional saturation and coloration into the sound.
This gives you another way to shape the character of your audio beyond simply boosting or cutting frequencies.
You can experiment with different input gain settings to find the amount of coloration that works for your material.
Quick Demonstration
In the video, I run through a quick demonstration of MasterTone using one of my original songs.
It’s a simple way to hear the plugin in an actual music production context rather than just looking at its controls.
Final Thoughts
Analog Obsession MasterTone takes a straightforward approach to equalization. You get two broad EQ bands, a transformer-based design, and an input gain control for adding saturation and coloration.
It’s not intended to replace a fully featured parametric equalizer, but it offers a different approach to tonal shaping with a relatively simple interface.
If you’re looking for a free EQ plugin to experiment with in your music production setup, MasterTone is worth checking out.
Download: Analog Obsession MasterTone
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