Signal Processing & 500 Series
Capturing a clean audio signal is just the beginning of a great-sounding recording. Sweetwater's analog EQs, character compressors, and 500 Series modules add tone shaping, dimension, and polish for truly professional results.
48-month financing* on select brand purchases.
Featured in Signal Processing & 500 Series
Top Signal Processing & 500 Series Brands
- A Designs
- AEA
- AJA
- API
- Apogee
- Appsys
- ART
- Arturia
- Audient
- Avalon
- Avid
- BAE
- Behringer
- Benchmark
- Bettermaker
- Black Box
- Black Lion Audio
- Blackmagic Design
- Boss
- Bricasti Design
- Burl Audio
- Chameleon Labs
- Chandler Limited
- Cranborne Audio
- Daking
- Dangerous Music
- dbx
- DiGiGrid
- Digital Audio Denmark
- DirectOut
- Dr. Z
- Drawmer
- DW Fearn
- Echo Fix
- Elektron
- elysia
- Empirical Labs
- Erica Synths
- Eventide
- Fairchild
- Ferrofish
- Focusrite
- Fredenstein
- Freqport
- Gamechanger Audio
- GML
- Golden Age Project
- Grace Design
- H2 Audio
- Harrison Audio
- Hazelrigg Industries
- Headrush
- Heritage Audio
- Hosa
- Klark Teknik
- Lexicon
- Lindell Audio
- Little Labs
- Lynx
- Maag Audio
- Manley
- McDSP
- Merging Technologies
- Meris
- Millennia
- Mutec
- NEAT
- Neutrik
- Neve
- On-Stage
- Phoenix Audio
- PreSonus
- Prism Sound
- Pultec
- Purple Audio
- Radial
- RDL
- Retro Instruments
- RME
- Roland
- Rolls
- Rupert Neve Designs
- Shadow Hills Industries
- Solid State Logic
- SPL
- Symetrix
- T-Rex
- TASCAM
- TC-Helicon
- TC Electronic
- TK Audio
- Triton Audio
- Tube-Tech
- Universal Audio
- Walrus Audio
- Warm Audio
- Wave Distribution
- WesAudio
- Yamaha
- Zoom
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Audio Processors and Signal Processing Gear Trusted by the Pros
Whether you’re fine-tuning your mastering chain or sculpting the perfect live monitor mix, Sweetwater has the audio processors to shape your sound. Here, you’ll find a lineup of outboard gear from trusted effects makers and pro audio leaders like SSL, API, Heritage Audio, and more, all handpicked by our gear experts.
The Secret Gear Behind Great Records
What’s standing between you and career-defining mixes and masters? It could be your signal chain. Many producers spend years chasing the sounds of their favorite albums, often unaware that much of the magic came from analog consoles and generous helpings of outboard signal processing.
From EQ to Compression: Hardware That Delivers
These signal processors form the backbone of a well-equipped studio or stage rig:
Compressors and gates: Optical units flatter vocals and bass, FET units bring punch to drums and electric guitars, and VCA designs deliver precise control on the mix bus. Expanders and gates help keep unwanted noise out of your tracks.
Parametric and graphic equalizers: Choose from warm, harmonically rich British-style console EQs, transparent mastering processors for precise adjustments, or graphic EQs for tuning loudspeakers and controlling feedback.
Delay, reverb, and multi-effects: Add everything from tape-style echo and digital delays to natural or otherworldly reverb, ’70s-style phasing and flanging, overdrive, and pitch- and frequency-shifting effects.
Aural exciters: Add energy to dull or lifeless sounds using harmonic synthesis, phase modulation, and dynamic EQ.
Want those first few functions in one box instead? Our preamps and channel strips give you a complete front end in a single unit.
Build Your Rack One Slot at a Time with 500 Series
A 500 Series module is a lunchbox-style audio processor that draws power and audio routing from a shared chassis, so you can mix and match modules between brands and expand as your budget allows. Start with one preamp or compressor and build from there. Everything you need is waiting in our 500 Series chassis and modules selection.
Wanna Make Your Mixes Shine? Don’t Neglect Your Clocking and Conversion
Nearly all contemporary studios deal with digital audio in some form. A/D/DA converters digitize analog signals for use in your DAW and convert them back to analog for monitoring and routing to outboard gear. Clock sources help keep signal processors, audio interfaces, and converters running in sync, reducing the smear and jitter artifacts that can otherwise degrade a mix.
Find All Your Audio Processors at Sweetwater
Hardware and software each have their place. Many engineers run virtual processors for the bulk of a mix, then reach for a hardware audio processor on the vocal chain, mix bus, or mastering chain, where analog character earns its keep. Whichever music processor you settle on, nearly everything we sell ships free with a two-year warranty and free tech support. Map out your rig with our signal processing buying guide, or give Sweetwater a call and a Sales Engineer will help you build your chain.
Signal Processing & 500 Series Categories
