08/04/2021
[CULTURE TIME]
Sometimes, you just need something that makes it sound better. The Pultec EQ has launched a thousand hits with its combination of simplicity and sophistication.
It all started in 1951 with the EQP-1, which was the first passive program equalizer on the market. This was a game changer in recording studios, as you now had the ability to manipulate the sound even farther than before, bring it closer to the front of the mix and make it feel as if you’re in the room with the performer.
In the early days, each Pultec piece was hand-built to order by Ollie and Gene in their warehouse in Teaneck, New Jersey. To this day, it would be hard to find a piece of gear that is built to the quality of a Pultec, which is why many of them are still in working condition.
Many companies have tried to replicate the sound and build quality of the original Pultec design, and while some of them sound really good, there’s nothing quite like the sound of a vintage EQP-1.
The low-frequency section of the EQP-1A is a shelving EQ, providing four selectable frequency bands at 20, 30, 60 and 100Hz. These frequencies can be boosted to a maximum of 13.5dB and attenuated (cut) by 17.5dB.
The Pultec high-frequency section features a boost-peaking EQ and offers seven centre frequencies – at 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12 and 16 kHz – which can be boosted by up to 18 dB, while a Bandwidth control alters the Q of the equalization curve from sharp to broad. The high frequencies can also be cut at 5, 10 and 20 kHz. This is a shelf-cut with up to 16 dB of attenuation.
Replica : Tube-tech PE 1C, IGS Audio Rubber Bands, Tegeler EQP1, Manley Enhanced Pultec Eq, Warm Audio EQP-WA, Klark Teknik EQP-KT
Emulation (plugins) : Waves PuigTec (my fav), Softube Tube-Tech PE 1C, Universal Audio UAD-2 Pultec EQP-1A, IK Multimedia T-RackS EQP-1A
Source : Vintage King, Abbeyroadinstitute, Wikipedia, Sweetwater, happymag