STC-8 and Ibis?

[Synthnerd]

What do you think of this combo? Already got the STC-8, thinking of the Ibis as the primary EQ. Electronic dance music mostly.. Too many green knobs?

[Alécio Costa]

I am doing the opposite of yours. Have the Ibis EQ and I am eager to pick the STC8.

Great EQ..No complaints.

[MASSIVE Master]

The "Crane Chain" (HEDD, Ibis, STC-8M, HEDD - Monitored with the Avocet) is without question, the most used combo here.

Could sell most of the rest tomorrow and feel fine about it (though I wouldn't want to).

[jayfrigo]

I like the comp much more than the EQ. I didn't dislike it mind you; it just didn't float my boat. Ergonomics were a bit odd and the sound was pretty good, but the color knobs weren't very useful, and after a week, I was still underwhelmed. Oh well, can't love everything. It seems to have a following, so don't listen to me. I just figured I'd offer another opinion. Crane's a quality company, it's a well-built piece, and it's just a personal taste thing.

[Alécio Costa]

Just imagine if everyone liked Beer ..

I hate it!

[finetuner]

Originally Posted by Alécio Costa

Just imagine if everyone liked Beer ..

I happen to favor the same beverage as Jay ...

Very happy with the STC, tried the Ibis and brought it back.
Nothing wrong with the sound, actually i thought it was so clean i just didn't see it's added value over my already clean digital (Weiss) eq.
Didn't like the knobs / lay out either.

Having said that, as a primary eq - like you mentioned - it might be an excellent choice.

[Darius van H]

Love the EQ, thinking about buying another one.

I found the comp less useful and sold it.

[finetuner]

^ Alécio was right

[alcopop]

I have them both , and they are my go to pieces when mixes are already colored nicely but still need some transparent processing . Ibis for me sounds great boosting in the highs and the lows . As someone above mentioned , out of all the processors in the chain they would be the last to go .

[dhiltonlittle]

ibis, stc8, and hedd over here. love it!

[ed littman]

I Have the Crane chain too (nice one John)
However I feel the hi mid band a bit harsh. love the low & high bands.
But now i have the buzz as my main eq & the ibis is usually routed in m/s if i use it.
A Cool technique using the ibis To beef up paned crunch guitars Is to pump the color setting high on a mid band of choice in the side channel when in m/s & then boost the frequency .5db or to taste...as usual don't go to far with this. it may do the trick if the track need a bit more balls.

Ed

[Darius van H]

@Ed

Ed, where does the Buzz win out over the Ibis?

Main differences, sound-wise?

[engmix]

Not to derail over here, but seeing a ton of STC-8 users.

I wound up getting a couple of trakkers due to the need of flexible, mostly for mixing, and mastering comp's. I feel i can get the uber clean thing with them, especially with sidechain, and then some elegant color as well. Am I missing out on not having an STC-8 in comparison? I have a manley vari-mu for the glue when i need that vibe, but i wonder what i'm missing. By the way, when ever i run a mix though the trakkers, it's like the sky opens up. The clarity and mojo when dialed in is killer. Makeup gain sounds heavenly to my ears. I would have to sell the trakkers to get an STC-8....bad idea?

[dave-G]

@ engmix:

I've never tried the stereo pair of Trakkers thing, but man ... The STC-8 really is something special, outstanding for subtly increasing the density of things with just a twitch of GR... and I do agree on the beauty of the make-up gain.

In NYC, I'd think you'd have some options for renting an STC-8, if not demoing one from a dealer. Might make for an interesting comparison.

-dave

[engmix]

Thanks Dave - i just wonder if the stc-8 would be redundant. But, with such a glowing rave, i may have to pick one up for run through.

[jayfrigo]

Originally Posted by ed littman

I Have the Crane chain too (nice one John)
However I feel the hi mid band a bit harsh. love the low & high bands.
But now i have the buzz as my main eq & the ibis is usually routed in m/s if i use it.
A Cool technique using the ibis To beef up paned crunch guitars Is to pump the color setting high on a mid band of choice in the side channel when in m/s & then boost the frequency .5db or to taste...as usual don't go to far with this. it may do the trick if the track need a bit more balls.

Ed

Cool. It's great to see more of this specific application stuff in threads.

[ed littman]

Originally Posted by Darius van H

@Ed

Ed, where does the Buzz win out over the Ibis?

Main differences, sound-wise?

Hi Darius,

Your question made me really want to look into this so I chose some frequency areas & bands that may be of interest. I tried to match each eq in a given range & bandwidth.
There are similatrities in the sound of the low end even though there are different frequecies. for example the ibis & the buzz respecivly have....

33hz-------------30 hrz
41.2hz-----------45hz
52hz---------------
65.4 -------------60hz
82.4 -------------75hz
104hz -----------90hz
131hz -----------120
165hz -----------145hz
I find the buzz has a more dynamic effect... jumps out a bit more. However the ibis really shines at 104hz to bring out the kick drum, the buzz just doesn't do the same thing @90hz, however The buzz @ 145 can amazingly bring out the bass guitar as almost riding a fader.

Both eq's have 440hz & the ibis is a bit tighter

The ibis has 1.109k the buzz has 1k
The buzz is smoother & does something to a lead vocal that's special.. while the ibis is a bit harder in tone.

For hi mids the ibis has 2.35k the buzz @2.6k
the buzz is much smoother. even when boosted a few db's more than the ibis the detail is amazing. the ibis was thin & harsh in comparison

For the highs the ibis has 9.9k & the buzz has 10k
Once again the buzz is much smoother & dynamic. It brings out more of the instrument in the at range. the ibis is a bit thin/harsh in comparison.

All in all the two compliment each other due to the ibis responding differently & uniquely in a number of what I consider useful frequency ranges,along with the assignable per band color source. As a main everyday eq the buzz wins. In addition, for me, ergonomics are important. I have had the non mastering ibis for years & did not want to make a move to another non ergonomic layout like the Millenia. lastly... Do you know how many times i had to refer to the ibis frequency chart to ID those frequencies? jeese

Hope this helps,
Ed

[Darius van H]

Ed, thanks for the review.

Sounds interesting, I think i'm going to check out the Buzz, along with the SPL PQ.

[Peakly]

Originally Posted by engmix

Not to derail over here, but seeing a ton of STC-8 users.

Is it the current hot sound? If you look back a few years, there were lots of raves for the Manley MP.

Mychal

[engmix]

Originally Posted by Peakly

Is it the current hot sound? If you look back a few years, there were lots of raves for the Manley MP. Mychal

i see where you are going with this, and perhaps to some degree this could be the case. but with that said, if the stc-8 is anything like the trakkers, i could see why they are so popular. i a/b the trakkers against my ssl g comp to see how close i could get to it. not only did i get the snap and envelope of the g series, the make up gain on the trakkers took the g series vibe to a whole other level. i might be selling my g soon.

[Peakly]

Originally Posted by engmix

if the stc-8 is anything like the trakkers, i could see why they are so popular.

Cool. I'm curious about it. I like my GML eq because I know I can live with that sound and that piece of gear for a long time. I'm starting to wonder if the STC-8 might be similar - a comp that would work really well and sound really good in a way that would make me want to keep it and use it for a long time.

Mychal