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Apollo
Black Box Analog Design HG-2
4.5 (8)

Black Box Analog Design HG-2

The ultimate harmonic enhancer for your mix.

  • Tube Sound Trusted by Pros. Top engineers rely on the HG-2 hardware every day — now it runs in realtime on Apollo
  • Pentode and Triode Blend. Dial in perfect harmonics for your tracks
  • Parallel Saturation. Saturate just the lows, highs, or full bandwidth
  • Naturally Louder Mixes. Tame transients and push the perceived level of your mixes higher
  • Extended Controls. Go beyond the original hardware with Density, Air, Calibration, Gain staging, and Mix controls

Runs on macOS or Windows. Requires an Apollo audio interface or UAD Accelerator. View full system requirements.

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The Finishing Touch Your Mixes Have Been Waiting For

The Black Box Analog Design HG-2™ has a reputation in pro studios for making mixes sound rich, full, and finished. Developed by Brainworx, the UAD plug-in brings the same boutique tube sound to Apollo — whether you're tracking vocals in realtime, mixing a drum bus, or putting the final touches on a mix.

Blend Two Tube Stages to Find Your Sound

At the heart of HG-2 are separate Pentode and Triode controls. The Pentode stage generates smooth, even-order harmonics. The Triode stage moves into grittier third-order harmonics, akin to an overdriven tape machine. Blend them together and you’ll find tube character that's entirely your own.

Target the Frequencies That Need It Most

HG-2's parallel saturation circuit runs independently of the main tube path, so you can add color exactly where you want it. You can use the Saturation Frequency switch to direct that color to the low end for extra weight, the top end for shimmer and sheen, or across the full spectrum for broadband enhancement.

Make Your Mixes Sound Louder

Used gently, the HG-2 saturates peaks rather than hard-clipping them, so you can raise the perceived level of your mix. Drive the tubes harder with the Density control, then use the Mix knob to blend the processed signal against the dry input to preserve transients and punch.

Boutique Saturation. Built for Apollo.

The HG-2 is a boutique tube processor built for saturation, mastering, and mix bus work. The UAD plug-in version goes deeper, giving you plug-in-only features like Gain staging, Calibration voicing, and an adjustable Air control for opening up top-end.

Reviews

4.5
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
Based on 8 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 6
Total 4 star reviews: 1
Total 3 star reviews: 0
Total 2 star reviews: 1
Total 1 star reviews: 0
88%would recommend this product
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8 reviews
  • HH
    HãndSômę H.
    Verified Buyer
    I do not recommend this product
    Rated 2 out of 5 stars
    Yesterday
    🫨

    could be better a alot

    better

    Was this helpful?
  • TV
    Trey V.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    5 days ago
    Sounds great, the Effect can be Subtle or Extreme

    So far I've loved what this plugin does. It can add a subtle bite or total grit and anything in between. It's a quick fix to give a sound a little touch of edge to make it stand out. Simple interface, nothing to complain about. It does the job.

    Was this helpful?
  • BS
    Brian S.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    1 week ago
    Glad to have this plugin for UAD/Apollo

    Having this plugin for my UAD/Apollo and in native version is awesome!

    Thanks so music for this offering!

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  • GB
    Gary B.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    1 week ago
    Black Box Analog Design HG-2

    dope

    Was this helpful?
  • CJ
    Carlos J.
    Verified Buyer
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    2 weeks ago
    Versatile

    One can use it very much on any source, glad I got it

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you’ll need an Apollo audio interface, UAD-2 Satellite, or UAD-2 PCIe card to run these plug-ins, using the onboard DSP. The plug-ins run on the hardware itself, without adding strain to your computer’s CPU. In an Apollo, onboard DSP processing allows you to run realtime UAD plug-ins with near-zero latency, and even record that processing directly to your DAW.
Yes, you can start a fully functional 14-day demo from any plug-in bundled with the UAD software. Simply click “Start Demo”, and start using it in your DAW.
UAD-2 licenses follow the hardware, it does not matter which computer they are connected to. You can have up to six UAD-2 devices registered to a system in your Universal Audio account, which share those licenses. See UAD-2 Plug-In Licensing Explained for full details. Authorization of UAD-2 hardware is managed by the UAD Meter & Control Panel Application.
Check our Knowledge Base for additional questions

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