SurferEQ2 does this by using each of its seven bands to, quite literally, “surf” the sound waves, using an advanced algorithm to track the changes in pitch. In practice, this preserves the original tone of the sound source, helps remove clashing or resonant frequencies, and generally makes the mixing engineer’s life a whole lot easier. Such precision would never be achievable with a standard equalizer, except when automating the curve manually. It tracks the fundamental frequency of your monophonic sound source, be it an instrument or a vocal, and dynamically realigns the EQ curve accordingly. And although this is undoubtedly more than sufficient in most situations, there have been many times in the past I have wished for an EQ that could continually adjust itself to whatever is happening in the source material.Īnd this is what SurferEQ 2 does, in essence. But for the most part, it would live in your mix unchanged, doing what EQ’s do best – filtering the frequency content of the processed audio. You would set one up on a channel and forget about it unless some additional tweaks are needed while mixing. Mixing engineers commonly regard equalizers as static mixing tools. In this review, I’ll go through some of the essential features of SurferEQ 2 and explain its usefulness in a few real-life examples. The real significance of SurferEQ 2 is that it manages to improve on the classic EQ concept and incorporate itself as an integral part of your mixing workflow without you even thinking about it.
It is rare to find a genuinely innovative studio tool on today’s market, especially when it comes to essential utilities like compressors, equalizers, limiters, and the likes.
SurferEQ 2 by Sound Radix is a dramatic and radical rethink of what an equalizer should be.