Analog Obsession’s Rare Bundle vintage EQ plugins are available for FREE download.
Analog Obsession is undoubtedly one of the most trusted names in audio freeware. The ever-popular developer made all Analog Obsession plugins available for free a few years ago and released a few notable freebies in 2023, including UREQ and KolinMB.
KolinMB is the multi-band version of Analog Obsessions Collins 26U Vari MU Tube Compressor/Peak Limiter emulation.
While you can download all Analog Obsession plugins for free, I should better describe them as donationware since you can support the developer on Patreon if you’re able.
The busy developer has also made some plugin bundles available for download, and the latest is the Rare Bundle.
If you aren’t familiar with Rare yet, it’s a classic EQ emulation of the vintage Pultec EQ.
Like the iconic Pultec hardware, Rare provides two frequency bands with separate Boost and Attenuation controls. The ability to boost and attenuate the same band simultaneously, although not originally advised by the manufacturers, is what makes the Pultec EQ so special.
Unlike the original hardware unit, Rare offers a pre-EQ gain stage that you can use to apply some saturation before the EQ circuit.
Analog Obsession has released a few versions of Rare, including a special BPB Edition you can see in the video above.
The Rare Bundle includes Rare and Rare SE.
Rare SE came along after the initial release, and in 2022, the developer virtually rebuilt it from scratch.
Rare SE offers everything the original plugin does, with the addition of L/R and M/S processing.
This version of the plugin provides linkable Left/Mid and Right/Side sections. Out of curiosity, I quickly checked the going rate for a matched pair of Pultec EQ units, and it’s not far from £10,000 in many cases. I’ve decided to stick with plugins for now.
Rare SE allows you to solo the Left/Mid or Right/Side section by clicking the corresponding label.
Both versions of Rare included in the bundle offer 4X oversampling, triggered by clicking the Analog Obsession logo.
There are quite a few Pultec EQ emulations available, but if you’re looking for a free option, Analog Obsession is a pretty safe bet.
I want to thank everyone for your thoughtful and diverse answers in our Milestone Madness giveaway; that’s just what I wanted. If you haven’t entered yet, there’s still plenty of time.
The Rare Bundle is available in AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS (10.11 – 13.X) and Windows (10-11).
Download: Rare Bundle (FREE)
More:
2 Comments
Piss McDrink
onHas Analog obsession figured out how to give his plugins version numbers? Otherwise, for new folk it would be wise to know: IF YOU USE ANALOG OBSESSION IN YOUR MIXES, KEEP THE INSTALLER HANDY. He wont tell you it’s Version X.X and the DAW save file wont reference a new instance of the plugin. Your options are to never update or keep diligent backups. Analog Obsession sounds good, but I’d recommend against ever relying on those plugs
JW de Jong
onWow, I think you’ve got more options. Be a little thankful? Keep a record of the version you installed yourself? Maybe its in your name but you sound bitter over something. Dont want to be rude but your comment made me a bit … Try to be more positive please.