You know how you get set in your ways with certain EQ's, well that had caused me to overlook the Passive EQ that came with Komplete Ultimate. I was already impressed with their Enhanced EQ for adding whoomph to the low end, but I'd only ever given Passive EQ a cursory glance and didn't suppose that there was anything that special about it.
Boy was I wrong. This thing is amazeballs! One of the nicest EQ's I've used so far. Boosting with it is an absolute pleasure, it just adds an irresistible sweetness and warmth while still sounding natural no matter how far you go. And the mid-side mode is magical - I have a vocal that I've been remixing which is all on one stereo track, lead vocal with backing vocals panned hard left and right. It's been a nightmare trying to get it to fit into the mix without the backing vocals getting buried. I'd tried the mid-side EQ in Ozone but for some reason just couldn't get the sound I wanted. Two minutes with Passive EQ and that vocal track is sounding as nice as if I'd processed lead & backing separately, and it fits perfectly in the mix without and harshness despite the major top end boost I'd made on the sides.
Next I have to try to get to grips with the Vari Comp, which I hear is also very sweet sounding. Softube really does rock.