insert this in your master channel before recording to tape and you can't go wrong..for the price
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BBESMPLUGIN

the BBE sonic maximizer is a software plugin (i will look at it for sure). What if i want to stick to outboard hardware ?

they make outboard gear version just a little more expensive

Please. BBE is NOT EVEN CLOSE to a great EQ like the Massive Passive. You get what you pay for. There is no prosumer alternative. There is the Langevin miniature version, which doesn't have stepped pots, etc.

i mentioned for the price..im not comparing apples and oranges just anothere approach then expensive gear. that mini is still a 1500+ dollar piece of equipment..not cheap

I'm with Sheet on this one.

The BBE box isn't even really an EQ, it certainly isn't anywhere close to the MP, I don't even care about price! (Even if the MP were only $300 and the BBE were the same, yikes...The BBE is a piece of sh*t. I really don't know anyone who uses it for recording unless they don't know how to capture the sound right to begin with.)

I know you say you want to stay out of the box, but the bad news is - a good EQ is hard to develop and requires a LOT of good hardware. An external EQ costing less than $1000 per channel is likely to be a compromise.

However, the EQs available in the UAD bundles are amazing. The Pultec Pro is one of my favorite and, IMO, most musical EQs available. The mastering EQ is dead on accurate and very smooth.

For a thousand bucks, you would get about 12-16 very nice channels of EQ (depending upon your CPU) or a couple SERIOUSLY awesome bus equalizers (not to mention some very nice compression as well!)

Cheers -

J.

I think Cucco addressed the core matter very well, Thanks!
I spent the last 10 min's to view the BBE website, and realized the sound maximizer is not an equalizer, it seems more or less something like an enhancer.

I heard of the URS Eq bundle. what about it?

You aren't going to find any software that resembles the sound of the Massive Passive.

The URS stuff is all about color in a broad way. Those are patterned after Neves, APIs, etc. You wouldn't use those for mastering. I assume that you are talking about mastering based on the topic, so I would look at Massenberg, Sony, Waves, etc. None of these are cheap.

well look i just posted on my site a little sound test of a Manley massive passive Eq Mastered Verison and a Home Mastering version. Now i did this just to show you that yes the manley sounds very good but i paid 1500 bucks and a trip to new york to get it if you want to just spend all that on your music great thats the way to go. but if your on a budget its not too far off where you want to be.
check it out for your self i even have video to prove i was there. thanks guys
http://proaudiomatrix.com/manley-massive-passive-eqs-to-finish-the-project/

I don't beleave there are only two options

I don't believe there are only two options,
but I only hear you guys talking about the Manley massive passive Eq, and the BBE sonic maximizer.
I guess Cucco did mention the UAD bundles.

I use all 64 bit soft ware for the recording as I mix on the monitor(PC)
(sonar-6 64bit PE, sound forge 8, wave bundle, t-racks, sonitus fx, and on and on) heres some links
Link removed :-?
Link removed
Link removed

EQ, reverb, compressors, tape analog processors on each track till its right.
smooth them all out
then put mastering soft ware (eq, more verb, compression/limiting, positioning or stereo width) in the main bus to enhance the mix.
I export the 24 bit wave to the desk top and grab it with t-rack24 to check the stereo enhancement and final Eq and level.

Now I am definitely no pro, not even close, and I like to play, but its not hard to sound better then some of the stuff i hear on the shelf, and (some) of mine does; with out a Over priced tube EQ :roll:
IMHO :D

use t-racks http://www.t-racks.com/

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/Main.html?prod_TB.php

but for some free Eq and FX to play with go here

http://antress.myweb.hinet.net/

so...Thanks to all suggestions, in the end i realize that, if i want to have a decent and really controllable EQ, i must be ready to spend some money, say, from 1000 Euro upwards. The UAD is a good suggestion, as it includes the virtual edition of all most famous UA compressors too.
in the meanwhile, i'll keep going on using my Mackie 32-8 channel strips... the serve well if you know how to squeeze them!