I just picked up a Behringer Ultrafex. Pure 90s rack hardware, complete with that unmistakable vintage faceplate aesthetic.

If you’re not familiar with the Ultrafex series from back in the day, it’s a dedicated two-channel psychoacoustic processor. It isn’t just a standard high-end EQ boost; it uses phase-shift manipulation and dynamic high-frequency synthesis to excite the top end without making the mix harsh, paired with a low-end enhancer designed to add weight and sub-punch without turning the lower-mids into complete mud.

Is it subtle? If you dial it in wrong, absolutely not—you can push it into outright phase smear in about two seconds. But when you balance the process control and solo out the natural harmonics, it adds a specific analog sheen and low-end authority that software plugins still struggle to replicate convincingly.

It’s heading straight into the outboard rack, and I will set it up a an external plugin that I can use straight from Cubase. I love how Cubase can do that!