Rust

Rust Motor EQ is a VST/VST3/AAX/AU Acqua plugin that faithfully replicates the sound of an ultra-rare, all-analog, passive, 7-band fixed EQ that is often considered to be the “Holy Grail” of classic EQs. Used in countless number-one hits, this EQ is legendary in pro audio circles, and remains is one of the rarest pieces of gear ever built. To top it all off, we’ve introduced a few additional features that even the original unit didn’t have!

Rust: Get Instant Motown Vibes on Your Tracks

The Rust Motor EQ can be your secret sauce both for individual tracks and master bus processing, giving your mixes the same warm, rich sound typical of the legendary analog passive equalizers used by Motown’s sound engineers. Our plugin offers you the same great sound as the hardware, plus a series of controls that offer aded versatility, including an M/S/L-R switch, preamp and EQ activation switches, a size adjustments menu, and an oversampling option for the preamp section.

A Blast from the Past

In addition to creating hits for the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, the Jackson 5 and many more, the Motown record label was ultimately responsible for creating the timeless Soul and R’n’B sound that we known and love.

The beating heart of the equipment they used was the very same Equalizer that we sampled for our new Acqua plugin. Built in the 1960s by Motown’s engineers, it contributed significantly to ushering in this legendary era of music. It’s a custom, passive 7-band graphic equalizer with frequencies fixed at 50Hz, 130Hz, 320Hz, 800Hz, 2kHz, 5kHz and 12.5kHz, capable of delivering a full tone and the punchy, warm sound.

The Rust plugin recreates the same specs that made the original gear so special; in particular, it offers the exact same proportional Q. This means that there is no adjustable Q control, so small boosts or cuts have a very broad Q, and greater cuts or boosts have a narrower one. You can adjust the gain of each fixed frequency (from -8dB to +8dB) according to your needs.

As in the original unit, in Rust you will find an interesting peculiarity: the interdependence between bands. The gain of any band is influenced by the two nearest bands: whenever both of them are set at their maximum value, then the gain of the central band is slightly reduced. This interaction of adjacent bands makes our plugin unique, and the closest thing you’ll ever find to vintage Motown hardware.