Leaving UAD Pultec for Kush Clariphonic or Mini Massive for mixbuss EQ? Alternatives?

[jrod9900]

Haha, just what GS needs; another debate!

As if the 80+ pages of plugins vs hardware isn't enough. Lol

JROD

[jrod9900]

Originally Posted by u b k

True, but to be fair, it's a dual mono unit, not a stereo unit. Any time anything has two channels with independent controls that are plain old rotary pots, there will be a small to not-so-small variation between the the two sides, all because of pot tolerances.

Pots were never that awesome, nowadays they can be downright horrible in their deviation from spec. Most pots I look at state a +/-20% tolerance, which means it's possible (unlikely, but possible) that any two controls on a unit can be off by 40% at the same degree of rotation.

This is why it's essential for *anyone* using dual mono units on stereo material, and who wants accuracy on the two channels, to use tones to align them. Use your ears to get you in the ballpark, then use tones to bring it home, and always split the difference. IOW, if ch1 low eq is +3dB and ch2 low eq is +4dB, set them both to 3.5dB so your aggregate boost is the same.

Or, do what I do: set it by ear, and call it a day. Because if it sounds right, what do I care if it's identical?


Gregory Scott - ubk

Thanks Gregory. Do you know if you could add stepped knobs? Keeping everything else the same, would it theoretically change the tone?

Thanks,

JROD

[u b k]

Originally Posted by jrod9900

Thanks Gregory. Do you know if you could add stepped knobs? Keeping everything else the same, would it theoretically change the tone?

Add stepped controls to a Hammer? If you mean actual stepped switches, as in 'rotary switches that select discrete resistors', my memory says 'no way'. I haven't looked inside a Hammer in about 2 years but iirc the eq circuits are on a faceplate-mounted pcb, with the pots being soldered to jumpers that connect to the same. There's no room for stepped switches in there.

You could definitely replace the standard pots with detented pots, so at least you'd have exact recallability, but detented pots are no more or less precise than standard pots so they don't address issues of precision or channel matching.


Gregory Scott - ubk

[jrod9900]

Sorry, I meant dentented pots for recallability and matching.

Thanks,

JROD

[u b k]

Originally Posted by WunderBro Flo

However the lowmid-cut in the flat position.....debateable

No debate there! Keep in mind, though, that because of the aforementioned pot variations, in all likelihood the 'zero' or 12 o'clock position on the gain pot does not actually set that band to flat, and if you simply set all pots to zero there will be small boosts and cuts on each band.

If you really want to hear the tone of the unit at its flattest, you have to use tones to zero out the gain knobs. My memory is that the Hammer's filters are super-wide, so even 1/4dB ripples will have a major impact on perceived tone.

I'm not sayin' they didn't design it with a curve, I have no idea what the design intent was. I do remember that my (surprised) impression was that it was an extremely neutral and uncolored unit, which flew in the face of everything I'd ever read about its 'tone' and 'mojo'. I also remember liking the mid bands the best, probably because I'm a big fan of pushing mids.


Gregory Scott - ubk

[u b k]

Originally Posted by jrod9900

Sorry, I meant dentented pots for recallability and matching.

Recallability, yes; matching, no!


Gregory Scott - ubk

[jrod9900]

Hmmm...

WWGSD?

JROD

[WunderBro Flo]

Originally Posted by u b k

No debate there! Keep in mind, though, that because of the aforementioned pot variations, in all likelihood the 'zero' or 12 o'clock position on the gain pot does not actually set that band to flat, and if you simply set all pots to zero there will be small boosts and cuts on each band.

If you really want to hear the tone of the unit at its flattest, you have to use tones to zero out the gain knobs. My memory is that the Hammer's filters are super-wide, so even 1/4dB ripples will have a major impact on perceived tone.

I'm not sayin' they didn't design it with a curve, I have no idea what the design intent was. I do remember that my (surprised) impression was that it was an extremely neutral and uncolored unit, which flew in the face of everything I'd ever read about its 'tone' and 'mojo'. I also remember liking the mid bands the best, probably because I'm a big fan of pushing mids.


Gregory Scott - ubk

Yes, I had an analyzer running and to get a flatter response one really has to apply some serious eq moves but anyways, it's not a unit to not alter the frequency response...I had a similar impression, it does sound extremely clear to begin with (that's what low mid cuts do...) and it does not do what most people would consider "warmth"...people have wrong ideas about tube sound anyways imho. I really liked the hammer and I would have kept it but I do not have enough money to have all the toys...it was just not essential enough to me. I also liked the midband (haha, autocorrect made "mudbank" out of that) a lot, people don't realize how important it is to find the right spot in the midrange for each source that brings out it's character and gives it it's defined spot in the context of the other instruments...

[jrod9900]

What do you mean by "mudbank"?

JROD

[WunderBro Flo]

Originally Posted by jrod9900

What do you mean by "mudbank"?

JROD

I edited my post...that was a pretty funny autocorrect mistake, my iphone made "midband" into "mudbank". Nice name for a "warmth" plugin though....

[jrod9900]

Haha, yeah, I was trying to figure out if I missed something. Mudbank is a great idea for a plugin. What do you think Mr. UBK? Any ideas?

Lol

JROD

[gsbe]

I've also been looking for a stereo hardware EQ with a controls very similar to the UAD Pultec Pro. I really like the plugin's sound and want to find something that can do at least as much as it can. I love the curves and frequency settings available on the UAD plugin. Something that I do often in recordings from the concert hall I work in is cut a bit at 300 while boosting at 100, options that aren't available on many of the Pultec-style EQs on the market.

The number of bands along with the frequency choices on the UAD Pultec Pro have been great so far for my workflow. What hardware EQ would you suggest that offers similar control to the Pultec Pro?

• 2 bands of full boost/cut (lows and highs with freq slope control)
• 1 band of wideband cut
• 2 bands of boost in lo-mids and hi-mids

The last bullet, 2 bands of boost in lo-mids and hi-mids, isn't even as important to me. I'm looking for at least the first two bullet points as features and the wideband must include both 300 and 500 Hertz. Thanks for posting to this thread.