FabFilter Pro vs deriva tape machine

FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is a transparent, high-quality equalizer plug-in for mixing and mastering purposes, with up to 24 bands and a gorgeous interface for easy and precise editing. With its unique Natural Phase mode, it matches both the magnitude and phase response of analog EQ'ing perfectly. Innovative features like Spectrum Grab and EQ Match together with its intelligent interactive EQ display make Pro-Q 2 an absolute joy to use. The Pro-Q 2 app filters the microphone input and plays it back in real-time. To use Pro-Q 2 as a plug-in, you need an AUv3-compatible host app like Auria, AUM or Cubasis. Pro-Q 2 will appear in the list of Audio Unit extensions for effect plug-ins in the host app. Key features: - Highest possible sound quality - Gorgeous Retina interface with large interactive EQ display, multi-band selection and editing for maximum ease of use and efficiency - Up to 24 EQ bands - Operates in zero latency mode, linear phase mode with adjustable latency or the unique Natural Phase mode - Filter shapes: Bell, Notch, High/Low Shelf, High/Low Cut, Band Pass, Tilt Shelf - Universal filter slope support for all filter types, up to 96 dB/oct - Spectrum Grab: just grab and adjust a peak in the real-time spectrum analyzer right away! - EQ Match feature to automatically match the spectrum of another track - Optional Gain-Q interaction - Each band can operate on the stereo signals or on the left or right channels independently for per-channel EQ-ing - Built-in spectrum analyzer with Pre-EQ, Post-EQ and SC modes, adjustable range, speed, resolution, tilt and freeze - Auto Gain and Gain Scale - Mid/side mode where you can EQ the mid and side signals separately - Optional piano roll display to quantize EQ frequencies to musical notes - Different display ranges: 3 dB and 6 dB ranges for mastering, 12 dB and 30 dB for mixing - Intelligent solo mode makes it easy to find problem frequencies and hear the effect of a band - Phase Invert option to change polarity - Large output level meter with peak level readout - Undo/redo and A/B comparison "FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is sure to be the first plug-in we add to almost every channel on every mix we do for the next few years. Absolutely brilliant! Verdict: 10/10!" — MusicTech Magazine "FabFilter Pro-Q 2 is practically impossible to fault, being absolutely stunning in terms of usability, functionality and sound. Verdict: 10/10!" — Computer Music Magazine

deriva is a tape machine plugin that is meant to give a polished and warm silky sound on your mix or master bus. built on published research papers¹ and my own experience recording with analog tape in studio, the sound is true to how real tape actually sounds. although the engine under the hood is advanced and complex, the controls are meant to be simple and easy, so you can set and forget and focus on your music. a fun feature is that you can pull the tape while the audio is running, causing the pitch to go up or down. the controls are pretty much self-explanatory: input and drive control how hard the signal and saturation will be. also sounds great on drums! bias simulates everything from a badly aligned machine to a brand new and serviced one, together with wear. a common misconception is that there is a lot of wow and flutter on tape machines. most professional tape machines do not have much flutter and wow, but in deriva you can push the machine a bit if you like - now with separate controls. tape speed affects the sound of the tape, where the lowest is dark and the highest is studio clean. if you want to bring back some of the high frequencies lost in tape speed, you may use the tone knob next to it. if you're bored with the UI you also have the possibility to change the colors and invert them. ON THE IPAD deriva is an Audio Unit (AUv3) and works with Logic Pro, GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Loopy Pro, Drambo and the rest. the standalone version either works as a live effect for your instrument, but also as a tape machine player: load in your own song and listen to it "on tape". you may also record live, or export the whole song with your current settings. Requires iPadOS 15 or later. also available for Mac, Windows and Linux at eikremaudio.com. ¹ Jatin Chowdhury, "Real-Time Physical Modelling for Analog Tape Machines", Proc. DAFx-19, Birmingham, 2019 (CC-BY 3.0). Otto Mikkonen, Alec Wright, Eloi Moliner and Vesa Välimäki, "Neural Modeling of Magnetic Tape Recorders", Proc. DAFx-23, Copenhagen, 2023. deriva is an independent implementation written from the published papers.