affordable parametric eq

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fire.is.real

New member
can anyone recommend a decent parametric eq for a mobile studio on a budget? under $200 if possible?

i know you guys hate behringer, but what sparked this is that i saw a behringer ultra-q for like $80 on ebay. worth it?

i have a behringer autocom, and although the "auto" mode sucks, it is definitely usable. would you think the ultra-q is usable or crap? at this point all i'm using is my semi-parametric eq on my mixer, so having full control of any type is a step up for me...

fire.is.real

Walking Man Sound
 
The only ones I've ever looked in to were the Symetrix (seemed nice to me, not sure of price) and the Speck ASC, which is about $500 and is considered wonderful by most. Avoid graphics.
Are plug-ins out of the question?
 
thanks for the response....

yes, software plugins are out of the question... i am looking for a piece of outboard gear.

$400 is a bit high - i'm not looking for the nicest eq out there, i just want something that will give me more flexability than the eq on my mixer.

fire.is.real

Walking Man Sound
 
The Tascam PE-40, v.'85,

is a 4-channel parametric EQ/rackmount unit. It works on -10db line level and has RCA jacks. This is an awesome vintage unit, especially as a match to a R/R 4-track, but would be a great general outboard parametric EQ,... when you can find one.

Although it's out of production, the PE-40 can sometimes be picked up used on Ebay, typically for under $200. It's not a very common item to see, but occasionally a PE-40 floats out there.

I've seen PE-40's that have been sold from as little as $66 [a real sleeper-deal], average $125 [fair], and up to about $200 [worth it].

I'm gonna score a PE-40, myself, someday. I'll have to wait for the "sleeper deal", 'cause I'm short on 'scratch' for the studio budget.

/DA
 
Buncha reasons... variable bandwidth/variable Q, easier to tweak, easier to play with, overall much better format.... graphic EQ's suck. Thats just my opinion though, but many agree with me. You can find problem freqs 10 times as fast with a parametric, and you can add and subtract by sweeping past areas to find the sweet spot really easily and then notchig in the right "size" of the cut/boost. Very slow to do with a graphic.
 
I'd recommend a Rane PE-15. 5 band parametric that can shelve the high and low bands if you want it to. I got mine used at a Music-Go-Round for $80. Well worth it in my opinion. I haven't heard very many other people mention it, but it works fine for my purposes.
 
Graphic EQs do not give you enough precise control to be of any use in a studio environment. Having fixed frequencies with fixed bandwidth (or Q) automatically limits its usefulness.

Someone mentioned Speck and Symetrix - very good options.

You say you want something cheap -- why bother to buy an outboard EQ that is only going to be as mediocre as what you already have now (onboard a mixer).

If you're going to shell out money for an outboard, you may as well get your money's worth and buy something worthwhile!

YMMV...

Bruce
 
bruce,


i do agree with your philosophy of "dont get one till you can afford a decent one" - thats what i'm trying to get at: is there a decent param. eq for under $200? and if so, which is it?

that's all i'm asking

thanks

fire.is.real

Walking Man Sound
 
Some time ago, I saw an Aphex 107 used for about $250. This is a four band mono, or two band stereo, parametric tube EQ. I haven't heard it myself, but it's functions seem very flexible - much more so than any budget mixer. I also dug out some good reviews of the unit at www.sospubs.co.uk and www.intermusic.com.

I'd like to emphasize that I haven't tried the thing myself, so for all I know it may suck immensely.

Cheers
/Henrik
 
fire.is.real said:
is there a decent param. eq for under $200? and if so, which is it?
Click to expand...
Exactly my point... there isn't...

At that price point, whatever you get is going to be no better than what you already have on your mixer..... so why waste the money??? Either save more to buy a unti that's going to give you a sonic advantage, or spend the $200 on something else.

Bruce
 
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