Analog EQ

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bdemenil

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I'm looking for a good analog EQ - hoping it will sound less harsh than the plugins I'm currently using. I'm looking at the following 2 units which I found used:
MEYER EQ CP-10
BSS EQ FCS960

I know these are typically used for live sound and for balancing monitors. Will they also sound good on a mix? Any opinions?
 
The CP10 is a nice unit... Never used one in the studio - Don't know the specs, but I'd assume it's quiet enough.

Isn't the 960 a graphic? :eek:
 
is graphic nescessarily bad? The freq and Qs are fixed, but there are many controls - should be able the create whatever EQ curve no?
 
graphic eq's are generally not prefered in the studio because they are not as flexable as a parametric. the freq. curve of a graphic is not going to be what it's faders say it is. you're going to get alot of phasing with a graphic eq, among other artifacts.

now, there are certain graphic EQs that just have a desirable sound.

a parametric would be more useful in everyday situations, IMHO
 
Like people above have already said, parametric EQ is a lot more desirable in the studio than graphic EQ's. Graphic EQ's don't have as "natural" of a sound. Even in live sound they are often "overused". That being said, the BSS 960 is certainly one of the nicer EQ's available as far as graphics go. I have several in my live racks and they are very "invisible" as far as a FOH graphic EQ goes. XTA also makes a great sounding graphic EQ that tends to not be heard as much.

As far as parametric EQ's go, there are plenty of them out there. They just aren't talked about as much as certain other items in these forums. API makes an incredible EQ, as well as Daking, Amek, Neve, Helios, Seck, and even Midas has a really cool 2 channel unit with a full XL4 EQ on it. There are plenty of options out there if you just start looking:)
 
I have a vintage Vermona EQ, from East Germany (70s) it's a graphic though, haven't used it yet but I've heard it's got character.
 
The literature for PA EQs talks up their transparency. Literature for studio EQs seems to focus allot more the 'niceness' of the sound. My question is does a good PA EQ also serve well in the studio?
 
well, the answer is already given, but i can say it again in real simple words;

when i use a graphic eq, its to get rid of the feedback in my onstage monitors, when i do a live PA,
even if i got a nice sounding unit i don't use it in the studio, i got a few fully parametric eq's and eventhough they got less buttons/faders they are alot easier to tweak sounds...
try to get a good bassdrumsound with a graphic and with a parametric,
i know by heart how to quickly tweak the parametric, within a few seconds i got the sound i want, try to do that with 31 faders....
PLUS like someone said, graphic eq's can 'provide' phasing problems

to really answer your question, can graphics be used in the studio?
of course, but its like using a boat to drive to work ;) its got a steering wheel just like a car but its gonna be damn hard to park that thing! :o
 
Yes, but I'm wondering about parametrics too. The meyer cp-10 is parametric, but is mostly talked about as an EQ for PA - or possibly for monitor EQ balancing. So enough said on the issue of graphic vs paramtric. I'm asking about studio vs PA.
 
millenia media. I finally had to buy one after freelancing at a studio that had one.
 
bdemenil said:
Yes, but I'm wondering about parametrics too. The meyer cp-10 is parametric, but is mostly talked about as an EQ for PA - or possibly for monitor EQ balancing. So enough said on the issue of graphic vs paramtric. I'm asking about studio vs PA.
Click to expand...

When it comes to the Meyer CP-10, you've picked the exception to the rule. The CP-10 is a parametric that is designed to be a room eq. Meyer is a live sound company, and their products are geared for that market.

In very general terms, graphic eq for PA, parametric eq for studio. So in a way studio versus PA is going to be about parametric versus graphic on some level.

Some people use graphic eq's in their studios as monitor eq's, in other words right before their monitors to adjust for frequency problems in their rooms. But as far as for mixing in a studio, that's where parametrics are mostly used.
 
Meyer does make some incredible sounding studio monitors as well though;)
 
There's no question their gear is great. I did a gig a while back where all of the onstage monitoring was Meyer, and it sounded fantastic. That particular venue had incredible gear, right down to the DI's. My DI was an ADL 300-G, for example. It was one of the best sounding live gig I've ever been on.
 
Both units sound great - especialy the meyer. I haven't had much experience with analog eq - so I don't have anything to compare them too - but I'd say they sound better than any of the UAD plugins.
 
Look for a dbx 242 on ebay. They go on ebay all the time for like $100-150 and they sound really really good. Also for a little more, the Speck ASC is a great-sounding parametric eq and the eq's on the Toft preamps are excellent as well.
 
All the reviews I've seen of the Speck say it's great. Is it realy that good?

ps - millennia media looks great but it's out of my price range for now.
 
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