When you’re able to try as many plug-ins as I am, then you rarely say “wow” out loud the first few minutes with a new plug-in. The first time I tried bx_hybrid I didn’t say “wow”, but I did think to myself “damn, I need an ICON”.

Brainworx makes EQs. From what I understand the algorithm in bx_hybrid is brand new, which means that the digital EQs differ from one another. Furthermore the analog EQs are also a whole other animal (or so I’ve been told). I can’t decide on if I like the looks of Brainworx plug-ins or not, but I think they do a good job functionality-wise. While they might look messy at first glance, they make sense when you start tweaking them. An odd thing to say - and I hope I don’t get sued for this - is that the curves on it are really nice!

Mono version…

The first use for me was on a drum bus. Some rather gritty recorded, but still not distorted drums, to be precise. I quickly got the hang of the controls because I watched the demo video on Brainworx website the day before. A while later I put it on the toughest test possible, a shootout against some of my favorite EQs. It did fairly well. For me it really shined on solo piano (think classical) where I had a tough time to pick a winner between it and Flux Epure which I usually consider king for clean sounds.

After a few months worth of experience with bx_hybrid I would say that it’s not my favorite EQ, but it’s by no means bad sounding. Instead bx_hybrid strengths lies in all its features (see video above for this) which clearly aims towards mastering and the like. It’s actually a unique EQ in my book as far as plug-ins go, so finding a EQ with similar features might prove hard or even impossible.

Conclusion

Brainworx bx_hybrid is a advanced EQ with lots of features that makes it stand out. Among the more interesting features are individual side processing, widening, mono making and auto listen (which you can get slightly addicted to). The curve-bending joysticks is also an innovative move. It’s a good sounding EQ, not one of my favorites, but on the other hand you could do a helluva lot worse.

Brainworx

My apologies for the mess with the Youtube videos. First there was no sound, then no picture, then something else. Hopefully everything is OK now!