Pultec style EQ... I don't get it.

[David Castell]

The Pultec is not a surgical tool but anything that needs more low end will benefit from the Pultec. Try running a mix through it and set the LOW FREQUENCY CPS to 30hz and set the BANDWIDTH to 7. Turn the ATTEN up to 10 and you'll hear the bottom drop out but then start dialing up the BOOST. Massive, wonderful low end without the mud. A great tool for adding some oomph!
The Pultec also has a unique signature even when it's set to flat. I always have it on my stereo buss just for flavor.
Chris "Stone" Garrett of Thievery Corporation said in a Universal Audio interview, " ...we're consistently using the Pultec® Pro EQ Plug-In across the board on all of our output channels. We actually use the Pultec Pro on every output channel, all the time. A lot of times we'll just put it on, and if the EQ needs to be tweaked, we'll tweak it a little bit, but a lot of times we'll just put it on because it makes everything sound better."

[raal]

we have real Pultecs. when we A/B'd with the puigtec EQP1A, the bottom freqs. were sorely lacking. the Waves Neve emulation however was very close to real 1084s in the appropraite freqs. and CLA Blackie was also very close to our F rev 1176, but i didn't much care for the Puigtec.

[Kabby]

The UAD Pultec has a nicer sound than the puigtec, but having said that I use the puigtec when I run out of dsp on the UAD card. I'm still saving my shekels for a hardware unit.

[Seb RIOU]

Cut and boost at the same time, lows and highs ... oomph and air.
Great mid boosts for guitars and vocals, mid highs cuts for harsh chinese mics...
UAD Pultec ads 1dB volume just being inserted, watch out.

[DarbyOhara]

Originally Posted by Kabby

The UAD Pultec has a nicer sound than the puigtec, but having said that I use the puigtec when I run out of dsp on the UAD card. I'm still saving my shekels for a hardware unit.

lol. Shekels... I haven't heard that term for money for quite some time. Another we use to use is Capoosta (pronounced Cah-Poosta)... lol.

And I agree. I use the Pultec on just about everything that came in analog (vocals, acoustics, etc.) and the Bass Guitar. Just brings the track to life. Not something that is really noticiable when other instruments are mix'd, but I can clearly hear the difference on some good reference headphones, like the AKG 702 (my favorite).

That said... I am weaning myself away from the UAD plugins and finding many software ones just as good (many free). With the i5 and i7, who needs a DSP card for low track counts which is most of my stuff.

[meedily]

Originally Posted by raal

we have real Pultecs. when we A/B'd with the puigtec EQP1A, the bottom freqs. were sorely lacking. the Waves Neve emulation however was very close to real 1084s in the appropraite freqs. and CLA Blackie was also very close to our F rev 1176, but i didn't much care for the Puigtec.

Have you tried PSPaudioware's Pultec EQ? It sounds pretty damn good for only $80.

[raal]

Originally Posted by meedily

Have you tried PSPaudioware's Pultec EQ? It sounds pretty damn good for only $80.

have not sir. we have hardwarePultecs here, so no real need for the emus. with Waves Mercury/WUP those came free, that's why we A/B'd them - as i said before, we were not floored by Puigtec but have no qualms about using 'Blackie' right along our real 1176s.

[drumrec.com]

I had the real thing (Pultec EQP-1A) in a few years. Felt that it did not live up to the hype. So I sold it for a small fortune and bought a bunch of preamps instead, API, Neve, etc. .. Do not regret that I sold it!

KR
Hansson

[raal]

Originally Posted by drumrec.com

I had the real thing (Pultec EQP-1A) in a few years. Felt that it did not live up to the hype. So I sold it for a small fortune and bought a bunch of preamps instead, API, Neve, etc. .. Do not regret that I sold it!

KR
Hansson

FWIW i've heard Pultecs that definitely don't live up to expectations because of poor maintenance (caps, tubes, etc.), but i've never heard anyone say a Pultec in good shape doesn't live up to the 'hype'.

to each his own i guess.

[digital 1010]

Originally Posted by David Castell

Try running a mix through it and set the LOW FREQUENCY CPS to 30hz and set the BANDWIDTH to 7. Turn the ATTEN up to 10 and you'll hear the bottom drop out but then start dialing up the BOOST. Massive, wonderful low end without the mud. A great tool for adding some oomph!
"

I may only have the PSP plugin but this is an utter revelation!!!

Thank you very much

Ben

[Espiridion]

Originally Posted by raal

have not sir. we have hardwarePultecs here, so no real need for the emus. with Waves Mercury/WUP those came free, that's why we A/B'd them - as i said before, we were not floored by Puigtec but have no qualms about using 'Blackie' right along our real 1176s.

If you ever want, I can bring over my Mac Mini over to your studio.
I have the NobleQ (PSP), Pulse Tec (Nomad Factory), PEQ 1A (IK), and PTC 2A (Demo mode, OverTone DSP).

Just an excuse to drop by and say hi.
Un abrazo,
Eddie (tu armoniquero)

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by SpencerWalters

I've used the puigtec EQs and I have the UAD Pultec EQ. Can somebody explain to me what these are good for and why they're considered so magnificent? It's not bad, but for me it didn't live up to the hype. I would rather use the waves api or ssl. What do you guys use a pultec for?

- Spencer

Maybe its just not the sound/tone, shaping your going for. Those SSL EQ's are fine, sure, but for me, I really don't ever go for "that" sound, so the SSL "thing" is lost on me,

I much prefer the tube/eq emulations, and much prefer the real hardware to the emulations. Worth saving up for, IMHO. Though I do use these cartoons quite a bit, and have not been "unsatisfied" by them, when I can make them work_well.

peace

[Joe Porto]

What's great about the Pultec style, or really any passive EQ is that you can be VERY aggressive with them without them sounding phased and unnatural. You can get some pretty complex EQ curves once you understand the relationship of the low boost and cut.

[raal]

Originally Posted by Espiridion

If you ever want, I can bring over my Mac Mini over to your studio.
I have the NobleQ (PSP), Pulse Tec (Nomad Factory), PEQ 1A (IK), and PTC 2A (Demo mode, OverTone DSP).

Just an excuse to drop by and say hi.
Un abrazo,
Eddie (tu armoniquero)

hey! you need no excuses bro! abrazo fuerte.

[Beatworld]

Originally Posted by digital 1010

I may only have the PSP plugin but this is an utter revelation!!!
Ben

Problem is that the Bandwidth setting on the PSP NobleQ only applies to the peaking filter, not the low shelf where 30hz is.

That said, I like the NobelQ.

[djanthonyw]

Try the free SonEQ.

[Scott003]

Originally Posted by Joe Porto

What's great about the Pultec style, or really any passive EQ is that you can be VERY aggressive with them without them sounding phased and unnatural. You can get some pretty complex EQ curves once you understand the relationship of the low boost and cut.

+1. Very powerful, boost for days and it still sounds natural. High boost for vocals, mid boost for electric guitar, resonant low bump, great sounds

[microwave]

I love a touch of 10k UAD Pultec with a broad bandwidth to brighten up a mix, it sounds completely natural and makes it sparkle without harshness. Keep in mind that the UAD Pultec boosts the signal by about 1.5 db, which can be deceiving when you A/B with the dry signal. For boosting the lows I prefer the Trident, but I'm looking forward to trying the Pultec setting that David described in this thread.

[Disco Cubist]

Umm...

Can I say - just plug one in and you won't be wondering.

They are amazing and improve any source.

Simple really.

Not sure about the plug-ins though, don't use them as I've a pair of hardware units here in the racks

[Scott003]

Yea, plugs sound like plugs. But the real deal... I've only used the manley pultec, but damn does it do nice thing, put it after an la3a and drive it a bit.. Mmmm

[Melvin III]

Acoustic Gtr
Vox
Synth

[Dave.R]

Originally Posted by David Castell

Try running a mix through it and set the LOW FREQUENCY CPS to 30hz and set the BANDWIDTH to 7. Turn the ATTEN up to 10 and you'll hear the bottom drop out but then start dialing up the BOOST. Massive, wonderful low end without the mud. A great tool for adding some oomph!

with those settings you should be careful of the resonant dip you'll get around 100Hz (btw, bandwidth setting doesn't affect low boost/atten)

am i wrong?

[Scott003]

Originally Posted by Dave.R

with those settings you should be careful of the resonant dip you'll get around 100Hz (btw, bandwidth setting doesn't affect low boost/atten)

am i wrong?

you are not, 's the idea. the bandwidth doesn't affect the low band, but the boost/ atten still works

[Dave.R]

Originally Posted by Scott003

you are not, 's the idea. the bandwidth doesn't affect the low band, but the boost/ atten still works

i didn't say the boost/atten didn't work, i was correcting the suggestion to "set the BANDWIDTH to 7" as if it affected the low band

what i am asking is, with those settings is there not a resonant dip around 100Hz?

i think so and one should be careful of having the atten way up to 10 cuz the dip is then much steeper

[Scott003]

Originally Posted by Dave.R

i didn't say the boost/atten didn't work, i was correcting the suggestion to "set the BANDWIDTH to 7" as if it affected the low band

what i am asking is, with those settings is there not a resonant dip around 100Hz?

i think so and one should be careful of having the atten way up to 10 cuz the dip is then much steeper

yep, there will be. i agree, a little extreme

[dlsmusic]

Another great option is the OverTone DSP PTC-2A! Very sweet and smooth and on sale right now for 15 Euros! You have to check it out!

[Tatsu]

Originally Posted by David Castell

The Pultec is not a surgical tool but anything that needs more low end will benefit from the Pultec. Try running a mix through it and set the LOW FREQUENCY CPS to 30hz and set the BANDWIDTH to 7. Turn the ATTEN up to 10 and you'll hear the bottom drop out but then start dialing up the BOOST. Massive, wonderful low end without the mud. A great tool for adding some oomph!
The Pultec also has a unique signature even when it's set to flat. I always have it on my stereo buss just for flavor.
Chris "Stone" Garrett of Thievery Corporation said in a Universal Audio interview, " ...we're consistently using the Pultec® Pro EQ Plug-In across the board on all of our output channels. We actually use the Pultec Pro on every output channel, all the time. A lot of times we'll just put it on, and if the EQ needs to be tweaked, we'll tweak it a little bit, but a lot of times we'll just put it on because it makes everything sound better."

Thanks for the Tips, but the BANDWIDTH affects High Frequency, doesn't it?

[Scott003]

correct. apparently not a "real" bandwidth control, or so I've read. something about passive eq needing different values of inductors for true q adjustment