Lemur Audio SIMON [WiN]

• Product: SIMON
• Developer: Lemur Audio
• Version: 1.4.32
• Format: VST3
• Requirements: Windows 10 or later
• Source: lemuraudio.com/plugins/simon

SIMON by LemurAudio is a mastering equalizer plugin (VST3 for Windows; VST3/AU for macOS Intel and Apple Silicon) pairing dual high/low shelves and three stepped parametric bands per channel with a central INPUT TRIM-driven, OP-AMP-modeled saturation stage. LINK and Mid/Side switching handle stereo control, AGC holds output level steady as you EQ, and three Quality modes move between zero-latency tracking and maximum-fidelity bounces. It pairs a stepped, recall-exact mastering EQ with analog-style saturation, giving you precise control and musical color on the final two-bus pass.

Key Takeaway

Activates when a final two-bus pass needs hardware-style recall precision plus a touch of harmonic density in one plugin. INPUT TRIM sets EQ drive and saturation intensity together; AGC keeps output level from drifting as you work. Every control moves in fixed steps rather than continuous sweeps. Producers wanting continuously variable frequency or Q reach for a different EQ.

Three Bands Locked to a Stepped Grid

Each channel carries three fully parametric bands — LOW, MID, and HIGH — with independent GAIN, a stepped Q, and a mastering-grade frequency grid on both channels. A single boost on the MID band can sit broad and musical for tone-shaping or tight and surgical for pulling out one problem frequency, depending on where the stepped Q lands. Recalling a setting later returns the exact same frequency, Q, and gain values every time.

The frequency and Q controls move in fixed steps rather than a continuous sweep; there’s no in-between value to dial beyond the grid points offered. Mastering engineers documenting a setting for a client revision, or matching a reference chain across a full album, get identical recalls from that same grid. Engineers needing an odd, off-grid frequency to notch a specific resonance reach for a continuously variable parametric EQ instead.

A Broad High Shelf, A Switchable Low

The high shelf adds a broad lift for air and top-end weight, and the low shelf switches between 50 Hz and 100 Hz for warmth and bottom-end control. Both shelves sit outside the three parametric bands, so a broad tonal move and a surgical fix can run on the same channel without competing for the same control. That combination covers the two classic gentle mastering moves engineers reach for before anything more targeted.

The low shelf’s corner frequency is a two-way switch, not a sweepable control across the spectrum; the high shelf’s corner isn’t adjustable at all in the stated control set. Engineers making the two standard broad top/bottom moves on a master get there in one click each. Engineers needing a shelf corner at a custom, non-50/100 Hz frequency route that move through the parametric LOW band or a different EQ.

One Trim Drives EQ and Saturation

A central INPUT TRIM feeds the analog-style saturation stage; pushing it harder adds more harmonic colour and density, shown live on the SAT indicator. AGC keeps the output level matched automatically as bands are adjusted, so boosting or cutting inside the EQ doesn’t quietly drive the saturator any harder. Tone changes independently of loudness, so an A/B comparison stays about color, not level.

INPUT TRIM sets EQ drive and saturation intensity together, as one value; there’s no separate control for saturation amount independent of how hard the signal is driven. Engineers wanting a fast, single-gesture push into harmonic density on a master bus get that in one knob. Engineers wanting saturation dialed in at a fixed amount while leaving drive untouched need a plugin that separates those two parameters.

Three Matrix Modes Set Channel Mismatch

The OP-AMP model runs in three L/R matrix modes: EQUAL, where both channels share the same harmonic structure; MODERN, where each channel carries a subtly different structure; and VINTAGE, where each channel differs distinctly. Selecting a mode changes how closely the left and right channels’ saturation character match each other, not the EQ curve itself. That channel-matching behavior sits underneath whatever LINK and M/S settings are active.

The three modes are fixed steps — EQUAL, MODERN, VINTAGE — not a continuously dialed amount of channel mismatch. Engineers wanting a transparent, matched stereo image reach for EQUAL; engineers chasing more hardware-like channel imbalance move to MODERN or VINTAGE. Engineers wanting a mismatch amount between two of those three fixed points have no intermediate setting to land on.

LINK Ties Channels, M/S Splits Them

LINK ties the left and right channel controls together, so a single move on one channel mirrors on the other for fast, symmetrical stereo work. M/S switches the entire processing chain from Left/Right to Mid/Side, letting the centre and the stereo sides take separate EQ and saturation settings. Both controls sit above the per-channel band and shelf settings, changing how those settings map onto the stereo field rather than what they do.

M/S is a mode switch between Left/Right and Mid/Side; it isn’t a blendable amount between the two processing modes. Engineers doing a fast, symmetrical pass across a whole mix reach for LINK. Engineers wanting a partial width move — some Mid/Side character blended under a mostly L/R pass — need to automate a switch or run two instances instead.

Three Modes Trade Latency for Fidelity

ZL runs at zero added latency for tracking through the plugin in real time, HQ covers everyday mixing work, and ULTRA pushes for maximum fidelity on a final bounce. Moving between the three changes how the EQ and saturation stages process the signal internally, not just a cosmetic setting. Choosing ZL while tracking keeps a vocalist’s monitoring path free of added delay.

The three modes are fixed tiers tied to a workflow stage; there’s no continuously adjustable oversampling amount between HQ and ULTRA to fine-tune. Engineers tracking live pick ZL, then switch to ULTRA only for the final render. Engineers wanting a fidelity setting between HQ and ULTRA’s fixed points have no in-between option to select.

Precision Comes From Steps, Not Sweeps

LOW, MID, and HIGH lock to a stepped frequency-and-Q grid, the low shelf only chooses between 50 Hz and 100 Hz, and the OP-AMP matrix offers exactly three fixed channel-mismatch settings instead of a continuously dialed amount.

FAQs