REVIEW: Brainworx bx_digital V2

Brainworx has released a new version of their stereo mastering EQ. I’ve been using it for some time now, and here’s what I think about it.

The basics

It’s most important to note that I said “stereo EQ”, as it won’t work on mono tracks at all. This might seem curious at first but keep in mind that bx_digital was intended as a mastering EQ and thus for processing a stereo file. Just recently a mono version was released, however, for those wanting to do more mix specific things with the ‘Brainworx sound’. I haven’t tried it but I assume it sounds the same.

This leads us to another thing one needs to understand about bx_digital V2 – both sides (as in left and right) are processed individually. So again, in a mastering situation, even if you wanted to use one for each side of the track, there’s no need for a mono version. If you don’t want to work on each side individually you can always link the controls, which makes tweaking one thing on one side apply the same change to the other side. Simple.

Fancy metering. Click image for full size.

Brainworx calls the bx_digital V2 an 11-band EQ, but it’s hard to tell where one band starts and the other ends with de-essers, presence shifters and what-not’s. More on that later. It also has a lot of fancy meters (that can be hidden if you don’t want them).

Diggin’ in

bx_digital V2 is a spaceship and it’s hard to tell where one should start describing the features, therefore I’ll simply start with the ones I like the most.

If you’re aware of Brainworx plug-ins you probably know about their M/S obsession and stereo widening capabilities. bx_digital V2 of course also has one of those, but here’s what makes it kick ass: mono-maker. This is just one knob where you set a frequency. Anything below that frequency is turned into mono. My workflow for using it is to widen until the fancy meters at the bottom or my ears start complaining. I then turn it back a little, start the mono-making, and often find that I can then widen a little more. I’m personally mono-making up to around 80 Hz but I’m sure many will go well above 100 Hz.

The auto-listen feature is another nice feature, found on the earlier version as well. Basically, when changing the frequency it will automatically behave as it’s set to a very narrow Q value. This way it’s really easy to hunt for problem areas.

The not-so-common EQ controls, called “bx_2″ in the plug-in GUI.

The bass and presence shift are basically just a slightly complicated EQ curve. The presence shift will boost one area of the top while simultaneously lower another area. The bass shift of course works in the same way but for lower frequencies.

The de-esser is just one knob and is something I haven’t had much use for personally yet, but I don’t mix very sibilant right now. In case you wonder why the heck one would want to use a de-esser on the master or the main outs I’ll let you know that I actually know a few top engineers that does this a lot. De-essers aren’t just for vocals. They usually aren’t for my main outs either though.

Stiff competition

As you probably know, I’m not a mastering engineer, so my personal use of bx_digital V2 has been on the main outs. It’s actually a mainstay there for the time being, sitting comfortably in my current template occupying the EQ spot that at different times have housed my favorite EQ’s, mainly Flux Epure.

Is it that great? Well, it’s not that simple, in fact I haven’t really used the EQ section in a final mix yet! It’s there mainly because of the mono-maker and the stereo widener. I’ll occasionally use the high-pass filter as well at very low frequencies (anything below 20 Hz has nothing to do in my music) and have no complaints about it whatsoever. I have also used the presence and bass shifts a few times. I just make very small changes (around 1dB). It’s like a shortcut to changing the overall character very slightly on a mix.

So it’s not like I consider it a supreme EQ compared to everything else out there, it’s just that it has some features that I think are unique. I just don’t EQ the main outs very often anymore, and when I do, it’s basic filtering and the bx_digital V2 works as good as anything else for that.

The EQ section, or bx_1.

Conclusion

Brainworx is one of the few companies that are trying to bring some sort of innovation to the audio world, and this is what I like about them. The more or less unique features such as mono-maker, the shifts, auto-listen – and not least the possibility to have them all in one plug-in – are great. There’s nothing wrong with the EQ itself, it just doesn’t stand out above the rest, so the times I launch bx_digital V2 is when I want to take advantage of its unique features.