what would be your favorite (one channel) fully parametric eq?

[earworm]

ok, here's the deal,
i got a symetrix s201 fully parametric eq, a nice little unit,
i plug it after one of my dbx 163 compressors and that signal goes into my pc,
since i got two 163's i'd like to get me another EQ to hook up behind this unit, and i prefer to get me something else so i can have different sounds, and can compare the quality between symetrix and something else...

what would you buy...its for recording kick or snare,
pricerange...ehm, between $0.00 and $400 (second hand)

thanks in advance

 

[SonicAlbert]

For $400 you might end up getting a couple channels just by default, since there are a lot of two channel eq's. In that price range you could get yourself a DBX 242 (single channel) or an Orban 622b (two channel). I've even seen Klark Teknik DN410's go for $400 on eBay, although they usually go in the $500-600 range.

 

[A Reel Person]

The Tascam PE-40

4-channel/4-band fully parametric EQ, rackmount.
Appx. ~$100-$125/used, on most days.

 

[earworm]

oh yes, klark technic, allmost forgot about that brand!
thanks for reminding me

..now, i need more refreshment of the memory

if u use a large Q (3.3 for example), then you edit a pretty wide range in your eq, right? you touch alot more frequencies than just the center frequency..

and if u use a small Q, then its more like notch filtering,
or is it the other way round?

 

[SonicAlbert]

You have it right the first time. The higher number spreads the eq curve across a wider pitch range.

Make sure when you do searches for Klark Teknik that you spell it with the "k's" and no "h". You'll get a lot more hits that way.

 

[sdelsolray]

Speck with the tranny option. A bit more. Worth it.

 

[Warhead]

Speck with the tranny option. A bit more. Worth it.

Yup.

And on the used side the dbx242 is a good find.

War

 

[A Reel Person]

Here's a close detail view of the Tascam PE-40

...............

 

[earworm]

thanks for the pics, great,
too bad its an unbalanced unit with RCA ins and outs....

and read this:

""The PE40's Q is variable from 1.1 to 5 which, in subjective terms, means that it goes from a broad, subtle curve to a sharp, almost resonant characteristic""
""lower Qs sound more natural -- unless you want to apply cut at a specific frequency, in which case higher Qs are fine.""

oh and here its totally explained:
""In electrical engineering terms, a filter that has a wide bandwidth is said to have a low 'Q', whereas a filter with a narrow bandwidth has a high Q. In other words, the higher the Q, the more selective the filter. A wah-wah pedal is simply a sweep filter with a very high Q. As a rule, lower Qs sound more natural when boosting whereas higher Qs are useful when you're cutting.""

thats the opposite of what i thought it was, here it seems like a Q of 1 is something that affects a wide range of frequencies, and the Q=5 is a notch filter type of eq ?

 

[ozraves]

Speck with the tranny option is the "cool" answer but I've used it and I think the simulated inductor circuit on these is the cool thing and not the tranny option. I say get the Speck with or without the tranny option as you get the simulated inductor circuit on the low and high frequencies either way.

DBX 242 can suck if you get a bum unit as I did. I just thank the honest, ethical guy who sent me back my money after buying a bum unit off of eBay.

Speck Model ASC review

 

[earworm]

the spec electronics does look real cool,
there's an asc on ebay for $400...gonna keep that unit in mind

 

[sucram]

thats the opposite of what i thought it was, here it seems like a Q of 1 is something that affects a wide range of frequencies, and the Q=5 is a notch filter type of eq ?

this is correct. "Q" is inversely proportional to "bandwidth", though they describe the same thing, the width of the affected frequencies. typically, bandwidth is in octaves, which is probably the most natural way to conceptualize what frequencies you're tinkering with. a Q of 1.5 is equal to a one octave range.

this link may clear things up better than i can:
http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/4944E23A057D188D862565F4005D82B3

good luck shopping,
marcus

 

[earworm]

yeah, all the parametric eqs i got have "bandwidth" writtin on them,
thats easier to work with than Q, well, for beginners

i'm overexited about my 'new' dbx163's on kick and snare, going trough symetrix eq's, fattest sound i ever achieved on drums...whoha,
so much crazier than my sweepable eq's on my studiomaster and any compressor i tested ...i like it fat

ps, thanks for that link! a great article,
learning about eq-ing with humor, nice