Hi,

Thinking to buy a Pultec plugin suite but I can't decide which one to choose among the many offered by Waves, UA, Softube, Noiseash....

Before I give them a try, (if possible) I would like to ask your opinion based on experience..

I can get a nice deal on Noiseash bundle but I'm a bit on the fence

Please help me to choose the best one...

Mike

Versions from UAD and Noiseash are the best of the best for me. Moreover, sometimes version from Noiseash fits better

IK Multimedia EQP-1A but I've never used the real thing.

I've tried many. I was hooked on the RuleTec for a bit but ultimately found the UAD substantially superior. Subjective to some degree but I'm sticking to this. It just kinda hums a bit more full, feels more rich and musical.

Isn't UA Pultec 25 or more old code?

Not sure but my ears don't work in code. ??‍♂️?

Very happy here with the Black Rooster one. It always sounds smooth and round. A bit too colored for the mix bus. Didn't like the NoiseAsh one, nor the Waves. I haven't tried the UAD. The Softube one didn't impress me also.

I rather like the one by Red Rock Sound, plus they are on another level with the internal routing. The OvertoneDSP pultec is an oldy-but-goody that I use quite a bit too.

UAD or aIso the IindeII PEX-500.

I tried almost every Pultec vst out there, and i saw someone was good on lower freq, while other on higher, so i decided to recreate the best curves from both world into one.
If you own MAutoDynamicEQ i made a very good Pultec preset, you can download it for free here https://ko-fi.com/s/ddc9082e05

I like Noiseash, except their plugins inevitably crash Studio One Pro (Win11), so I had to delete them all and give up on them.

Overtone is good as well. I have IK and NoiseAsh and was subscribing UAD for a while. All of them are just fine.

Don't trust typical silly GearSlutz posts claiming that a particular plugin is significantly superior to others, even though they do not sound the same. Inserting Pultec on the kick track is completely different from inserting it on the master bus, and if you're inserting it on the master bus, clean Pultec curve of Equilibrium could be far better. Praising a specific plugin while ignoring that fact is nothing but ignorance.

I use the IKM and Waves PuigTec. I don't know if they are the "best". But thats what I like to use. They work great for me.

There was a great write up on pultec's on sweetwater in case it helps.


https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/pu...sound-samples/

They're all the same.

Is PTEq-X a Pultec style eq? It's pretty great. And free.

I'd be curious to understand the basis for this claim. There is a huge difference between the price tag of the IKM and Softube Pultecs.

That is not my experience.

The BlackRooster has a wonderful bass boost but in my humble opinion the high boost is a little brittle.

The NoiseAsh sounds great for both top and bottom boost and is very warm sounding.

The UA is more focused sounding and preserves transients the most. You need to turn the knobs a little further to match the size and fatness of the NoiseAsh.

I think all three are great but I rate them...
1. UA
2. NoiseAsh (close 2nd)
3. BlackRooster (maybe the best bass)

I care very much about Pultec style plugins and use them a lot in every mix.

I just remembered I have OverTone DSP PTC-2A. It sounds amazing imho. Definitely worth a look.

Apogee in my opinion is the best

I like the UAD and Apogee best.

I like the PSP NobleQ.

Apogee, PSP NobleQex and the Overloud EQP are all great... for slightly different reasons.

Apogee - Most correct emu IMO
PSP NobleQex - I love the extra middle bell filter and the adjustable low-shelf dip frequency shift... The latter can really tighten up the kick drum (by adjusting the filter freq downward).
Overloud EQP - Because it sounds good, and are very cpu effective

...

I agree that PSP NobleQ and Black Rooster VEQ1P (and VEQ5) are great. I use Black Rooster more often, for whatever reason – I just find it's so easy and fast to get a sound I'm happy with. But I like them both. Never tried the UA or Waves versions, I confess.

Yeah thanks for mentioning this one. That was me. I find it very good, very useful.

Thank you, Mr. T

Thanks Steve, have you tried the Apogee Pultecs?

Disappointing that the Apogee doesn't have a VST-3 format available.

I went with the UAD version for Mastering.

If I was Mixing, I'd probably also add the Waves Puigtec. More character with it.

Quickly trying the Waves and UAD versions would easily discredit this

Apogee definitively has a Vst3 version...