DEQ2496: worth it?

[Motorbreath]

Hey there,

Searching for posts on this unit from Behringer yields some favorable comments. I've talked to a couple of local guys that have used and like it too. The biggest downside that keeps surfacing is that it is made by Behringer. I've got other Behringer gear and am pleased with it, so that doesn't bother me too much.

I want to use it for RTA and probably for maximizing and tweaking the EQ of final mixes for myself and maybe other locals. I'm not releasing my material on a major label (or any label at this point!). I know ultimately it's the ears that decide, but I'm thinking a unit like this can't hurt.

Or can it?

It's hard to justify spending the $$$ on the Waves stuff right now, though I am tempted to load the demo. And yes, I agree with the 99% of folks out there that say mastering is best left to the pros. The stuff I have had released on a label was definitely sent out to a pro. I just want something to help my mixes for limited/local release sound better.

I think I can get Behringer DEQ2496 for about $250 tomrorow. Any comments, encouragement, constructive criticism, or gift certificates are welcome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Cloneboy Studio]

Wouldn't you rather spend money, even if it is more, on something good?

Are you really that rich that you can afford to buy stuff you will end up wanting to replace in a year?

[PapillonIrl]

No. Not for mastering. I've found it handy for tuning P.A. systems with a ECM800, but this is not a mastering tool.

[kylen]

I have a DEQ2496 set up in parallel with my nearfield monitor path - inother words it sees the same stuff that is going to the DAC-1 but is not in the signal path.

I use the DEQ2496 during mixing and mastering in my amatuer studio when I want to see a 1/6 octave spectrum, use its' modeled VU averaging meter when appropriate, use it's rms/peak metering to get the waveform crest and 'overs' info when I adjust loundess, assist in giving me visual feedback while tuning my room. So I use it for external metering outside of the DAW.

I run it in parallel to keep my monitoring path simple and 'clean'. I claim that the DEQ2496 added a small little something even when in bypass mode. Others claim that isn't the case.

As far as the stereo width, EQs, and vast dynamics processing goes I haven't used it much. It seemed to be of at least average quality and some folks say they think there is bang for the buck. I would most definetly use it in a PA or Monitoring rack while recording. I'd have to look at it again to determine if I'd use it during mastering - like in front of a CD burner or something. Since I do all that stuff in the DAW I don't use DEQ2496 for that...just metering which I use a lot.

[Massive Master]

Believe it or not, I actually had one of these things at my place about a year ago - A gift from a band (okay, a confused group of musicians). So, I racked it up. [P.S. EDIT] Found a photo of it in my old DAT rack HERE [/EDIT]

On a few recordings, I actually used the thing just to see what it had under the hood.

Crazy about it? No. But I'll tell you, there are worse things you can do to a mix than to use that box. For what it was, and what it's worth, I was actually pretty impressed. In a "realistic" sense, anyway.

I certainly wouldn't base a system on it, and I could probably find a better way to shoot $250.

But still, if you're looking for a "Finalizer Jr." type box... You can always return it if you don't like it, right?

[Motorbreath]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I keep reading that the unit is great with live sound, but that's not the intended purpose.

No, I'm not so rich that $250 doesn't mean something. It's just a whole let less than the cost of Waves.

Finalizer Jr....that would be a good way to state what I am looking for. I'm not sure what their return terms are, but maybe that will settle whether I pick it up or not.

Massive: how did you use it in those recordings?

[Motorbreath]

Massive: nice website! Cool PDF too!

[Cloneboy Studio]

Personally "mastering" software stinks. I can do a better job by hand and I'm no mastering engineer.

I dunno... if you don't have the money/ambition to go to a mastering engineer... maybe this is a quick, cheap fix.

I wouldn't do it myself though.

[Massive Master]

Thanks, MB.

I wish I could remember the specifics - I had just started working with my current apprentice, and he asked "what the hell is that thing for?" or something similar.

I had a recording I had to tweak of a high school orchestra or something I was working on and threw it through the thing just to see what it could do.

It was fairly decent - The converters were pretty nice also (AKM's if I'm not mistaken) if you didn't try to cook them. There was a nice stereo-spread function on it... The dynamic EQ section was nifty for taming overtones...

The biotch was the interface... Lots of scrolling and holding nine buttons down while standing on one foot to adjust the level on the input...

That all being said, I don't recall ever running it through a "purity" run... So, I can't tell you off hand what the "color" of the unit is like. I would have to "assume" that it might not be up to "serious audiophile work." But for home & demo stuff, it certainly does pack a lot of function.