Character eq?

[pimo]

Do you use one? I think it would be beneficial to me to get and eq without visual feedback, maybe even a band eq. Any recommendations or thoughts?

[Dattington]

I have the Slate mix rack and really like the FG-N EQ. It's obviously not as surgical as Pro-Q2 or anything but I love the sound it gives; even a 0.1/0.2db change in eq can make a big difference.

[Lost to the Void]

If you are in the box a character eq is a bit of a snake oil situation.
You can add all the harmonic distortion and colouration you want, pick and choose AND control it by using various different plugs for saturation etc
So if you are in the box I kinda don't see the point of getting a character EQ vst as in hardware land the character isnoften an uncontrollable quirk of the circuitry that sometimes can be used advantageously (sometimes not).
However if you want a great EQ (easily one of the best in software), then try this.
It can be super transparent or emulate the character of a number of classic EQs. You can even mix different bands from EQs in one unit. Low shelf from a Pulltech, mid band from an API etc
It really is the only EQ you need itb.
http://dmgaudio.com/equilibrium

Hardware wise, the world is your oyster, there is so much great 500 series gear out there. My outboard EQ is for mastering so it's all about suoer transparent rather than character, but there is plenty out there.

Do I use character EQ's itb? I reach for good 1073 (there are many) emulations if I want to boost the air band without getting harshness.
Sometimes I'll reach for a Maag EQ4 to push out the kick.

But really I think you are better using itb advantages to... their advantage.

If you want to add character to a channel, work out the type of character you want to add and then choose the best solution. Saturation, microphase shifters, tube circuit emulation, crosstalk emulation etc and then clean it up with clean EQ

[borg]

https://www.kvraudio.com/product/luftikus-by-lkjb

a maag eq4 clone, free... never tried the real one, nor the Pluginalliance 'real' emu, but some say this free one is just as good, or at least the 'real' plugin is not better enough to justify the price. I like it a lot.

[The_G]

The advantage of a pultec emulation is the old cut-and-boost trick, which can be very useful with low-mid stuff like baselines. But sometimes the coloration feels a bit artificial and unnecessary, so for me it's a useful tool and I'm glad I have one but I don't use it that often.

This is a good one: http://www.tube-tech.com/pe-1c-program- ... er-20.html

[pimo]

If you are in the box a character eq is a bit of a snake oil situation.
You can add all the harmonic distortion and colouration you want, pick and choose AND control it by using various different plugs for saturation etc
So if you are in the box I kinda don't see the point of getting a character EQ vst as in hardware land the character isnoften an uncontrollable quirk of the circuitry that sometimes can be used advantageously (sometimes not).
However if you want a great EQ (easily one of the best in software), then try this.
It can be super transparent or emulate the character of a number of classic EQs. You can even mix different bands from EQs in one unit. Low shelf from a Pulltech, mid band from an API etc
It really is the only EQ you need itb.
http://dmgaudio.com/equilibrium

Hardware wise, the world is your oyster, there is so much great 500 series gear out there. My outboard EQ is for mastering so it's all about suoer transparent rather than character, but there is plenty out there.

Do I use character EQ's itb? I reach for good 1073 (there are many) emulations if I want to boost the air band without getting harshness.
Sometimes I'll reach for a Maag EQ4 to push out the kick.

But really I think you are better using itb advantages to... their advantage.

If you want to add character to a channel, work out the type of character you want to add and then choose the best solution. Saturation, microphase shifters, tube circuit emulation, crosstalk emulation etc and then clean it up with clean EQ

Thanks for clearing this out for me! That Maag EQ4 looks interesting, especially the free version, will try it out. I guess i first and foremost felt the need to use some eq with fixed points, and no visual feedback, to force myself to use my ears, and to not overdo eq.

Do you, or anyone else, have any idea why there seems to be such a big market for plugins emulating analog eqs?

[pimo]

The advantage of a pultec emulation is the old cut-and-boost trick, which can be very useful with low-mid stuff like baselines. But sometimes the coloration feels a bit artificial and unnecessary, so for me it's a useful tool and I'm glad I have one but I don't use it that often.

This is a good one: http://www.tube-tech.com/pe-1c-program- ... er-20.html

When you are mentioning this i have to ask, maybe a stupid question, but cant you create the same eq curve as the pultec cut and boost trick, with something like pro-q2 itb?

[kirkwoodwest]

If you are in the box a character eq is a bit of a snake oil situation.

Totally agree. I've tried lots of different EQ and actually found myself getting back to abletons EQ-8. Its fast, easy and integrated. Does all the same type of stuff that I need it for.

A couple things with the other EQ emulations, there is preset curves/frequencies to help you get to the sound faster. I found it helpful to make good starter eq presets that help me dial in certain sounds more or less.
Another thing I learned from emulations/character EQs is not to use such extreme settings. The Q is generally wider than I would have thought and I don't really need crank up/down the levels to 11 to be effective.

[Lost to the Void]

Do you, or anyone else, have any idea why there seems to be such a big market for plugins emulating analog eqs?

Marketing.
Anal logs is such a buzzword.
There are some things worth duplicating from the analog Eq realm of course.

I own one of the "best" hardware (mastering) EQ`s you can buy. A Weiss EQ1. It`s digital......

Anal Logs are not always the best solution, but people get hooked on the buzzword, doubly so in Techno land.

[Lost to the Void]

If you are in the box a character eq is a bit of a snake oil situation.

Totally agree. I've tried lots of different EQ and actually found myself getting back to abletons EQ-8. Its fast, easy and integrated. Does all the same type of stuff that I need it for.

A couple things with the other EQ emulations, there is preset curves/frequencies to help you get to the sound faster. I found it helpful to make good starter eq presets that help me dial in certain sounds more or less.
Another thing I learned from emulations/character EQs is not to use such extreme settings. The Q is generally wider than I would have thought and I don't really need crank up/down the levels to 11 to be effective.

Preset/indented/stepped EQ`s (in a production context) are more appropriate for dealing with conventional music, band music in particular, because a lot of the EQ frequency presets are in tune with standard instrument tunings. For example 60hz (a common low end detent on hardware EQ`s)will cover the fundamental of your average (correctly) standard tuned 20-22 inch kick drum.
Mid range and mid upper indents cover average vocal ranges etc

With techno our kick drums can be any fucking tuning we want, as with everything else, we deal with different harmonics, different sized leads, everything is different tune to tune (unless you are a Bumload copypaster).

[Mattias]

VoS BootEQ MKII

[Lost to the Void]

VoS BootEQ MKII

Yeah that is a great one, I used to use it a lot, the preamp stage with bootsy`s stateful saturation is great. And the low enhance too.
Bastard needs to release 64bit versions.

[Mattias]

Yeah he needs to fix both 64bit versions of his stuff and make some new ones.

[Lost to the Void]

If he did 64bit versions I wouldn`t mind paying for the whole suite

[kirkwoodwest]

If he did 64bit versions I wouldn`t mind paying for the whole suite

isn't this supposed to be the evolution of those plugins? http://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-vos-slickeq/

[Lost to the Void]

Not really

[msl]

Well I like the Maag it sounds good, esp the air band, and the selected frequencies are well chosen imo. Just picked up the Lindell PEX-500 was on special offer, sounds really nice also.


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