Price History
Product Overview
Heritage Audio's MOTORCITY EQualizer plugin reproduces one of modern music's most consequential mixing tools - the passive equalizer that defined Michael Brauer's signature approach to professional mixing. Rather than attempting trendy "vintage emulation," this plugin models the actual analog circuitry of the original hardware units, capturing the gentle slope interactions and natural phase characteristics that made these EQs so distinctly musical.
The seven fixed frequency bands - 50 Hz, 130 Hz, 320 Hz, 800 Hz, 2 kHz, 5 kHz, and 12.5 kHz - represent decades of refinement in what frequencies matter most. This approach differs fundamentally from parametric EQs, which offer false choice through unlimited frequency selection. The MOTORCITY forces intentional mixing decisions, its stepped gain increments promoting consistency across sessions and reliable A/B comparisons. Its defining strength lies not in surgical precision but in cohesion - the plugin imparts a subtle warmth and dimensional depth that simultaneously glues individual tracks and enhances bus processing.
The MOTORCITY suits engineers seeking musicality over transparency, particularly those working with vocals, drums, and mixed buses where analog character proves invaluable. While modern linear-phase EQs excel at technical correction, this plugin excels at transformation, drawing from the same sonic philosophy that shaped Motown's most enduring recordings.
Its standing among similar tools is straightforward: it occupies unique ground between the boutique hardware market and generic plugin emulations, offering studio-grade results without requiring vintage hardware acquisition or maintenance concerns.