Empress ParaEQ MKII released!

[Wretched Banana]

@smeet For the record, the Broughton LPFs all go down to 330Hz, but yes, at that point it becomes more like an effect. Very useful with genres where you'd want dubby stuff or when you'd default your passive tone knob to zero. LPFs at 12dB/oct never sound like mud even at extreme settings.

That being said, with something like the ParaEQ you have a full parametric EQ together with a shelving EQ, so I'm sure you can achieve the same thing at a much finer granularity. LPF is a very big hammer, you can leave it alone to do some damage at more normal treble frequencies.

 

[sunbeast]

LPF cutoff should be much lower. I use ~680 with my Alembic SF-2 and I know others go even lower.

You could use a wide Q on the parametric High and/or Mid bands to basically chop out anything much above 680hz too (or a combo of all three EQ options at once). Not a tone I could utilize, but should be doable. Lots of tools happening on this pedal to get where you want, though the Broughton Resonant Filter EQ is definitely more closely affiliated with the SF-2 if you are actually looking for a pedal in a similar ballpark

 

[johnk_10]

i just couldn't resist it any longer and just ordered an Empress ParaEQ MKII.

 

[Kilgore777]

The Deluxe just arrived today.
After a brief brain lapse (300mv requirement), I was not disappointed - it's everything I expected!
It's just a great / powerful combination in a really nice footprint.
My one wish is that it had a +/- level control instead of Boost.

PS: Thanks @Mike_Empress

I concur.... just got mine as well (deluxe version). I used it for a home recording and was very happy with the results. A great amount of control with this pedal and yes, the footprint is awesome - it fits perfectly in my little case. Having sweepable control over the "Qs" and the shelving filters is a big advantage over the previous version. Remarkable pedal!

 

[Kilgore777]

i just couldn't resist it any longer and just ordered an Empress ParaEQ MKII.

You won't regret it!

 

[johnk_10]

after playing around with it a bit, and while i dig it, i found that the high and low filters have a very wide band slope (12db per octave) so it's not like the fdeck or broughton HPF filters at all. i thought that it could replace my fdeck for surgically removing subs but that's not the case with this one.

 

[crguti]

^ it is written in the manual.

 

[Tweea]

after playing around with it a bit, and while i dig it, i found that the high and low filters have a very wide band slope (12db per octave) so it's not like the fdeck or broughton HPF filters at all. i thought that it could replace my fdeck for surgically removing subs but that's not the case with this one.

The fdeck and Broughton HPF filters also have a 12 dB per Octave band slope. Not sure I understand the comment.

 

[SteveC]

So I hooked it all up. I put the eq before my compressor. Into the REDDI. All I can say is wow. This is only via headphones, but the difference between with and without the Para EQ is so obvious. It feels even more like an amp now than before. I thought the Hi and Low filters would be the key, and Tue are awesome, but the tiny shelving knobs…that’s what got me to almost a “cab simulation” kind of sound and feel. I could feel it in my headphones even. I can’t wait to use it at a gig with a real system. Wish I didn’t have to wait a month.

 

[johnk_10]

The fdeck and Broughton HPF filters also have a 12 dB per Octave band slope. Not sure I understand the comment.

well, something' s different because when i set the HPF to 10hz and cut it, on the Fdeck you can't tell it's even on, whereas on the ParaEq you definitely can hear that the there's a lot of low end loss.

 

[smeet]

well, something' s different because when i set the HPF to 10hz and cut it, on the Fdeck you can't tell it's even on, whereas on the ParaEq you definitely can hear that the there's a lot of low end loss.

Maybe there’s a problem with your unit. I can’t hear any difference with the HPF set down low. I mean, 10hz is really low…

 

[eeyorebass]

well, something' s different because when i set the HPF to 10hz and cut it, on the Fdeck you can't tell it's even on, whereas on the ParaEq you definitely can hear that the there's a lot of low end loss.

I'm confused. What do you mean by set to 10hz and cut it? The HPF doesn't have a separate gain knob. It's -12db/oct below the set frequency, just like the Fdecks (except series III which is a little different due to the series filters). If you're also cutting the low shelf or cranking down the low band, that would remove more low end.

 

[johnk_10]

I'm confused. What do you mean by set to 10hz and cut it? The HPF doesn't have a separate gain knob. It's -12db/oct below the set frequency, just like the Fdecks (except series III which is a little different due to the series filters). If you're also cutting the low shelf or cranking down the low band, that would remove more low end.

ok, for some reason i thought the HPF and low shelf were tied together.

 

[Michael Vee]

ok, for some reason i thought the HPF and low shelf were tied together.

From the manual:

"The high-pass filter attenuates frequencies below the cut-off frequency set by the knob, which ranges from 10Hz to 330Hz, by 12dB/octave.

The low-pass filter attenuates frequencies above the cut-off frequency set by the knob, which ranges from 1.5kHz to 22kHz, by 12dB/octave.

Low-Shelf Filter: Very gentle slope that boosts or attenuates frequencies below 200Hz by -15dB to +15 dB, depending on the knob position.

High-Shelf Filter: Very gentle slope that boosts or attenuates frequencies above 1kHz by -15dB to +15 dB, depending on the knob position."

 

[smeet]

Yeah, the HPF/shelf can be confusing. I found it a bit weird that all the filters are always in the circuit, but I guess the unit is too small to allow switches for toggling each section. Anyway, it sounds great to me.

 

[smeet]

Actually the combo of HPF and low shelf can be really cool. Set the HPF reasonably high and boost the low shelf, and you can get fat but no rumble.

 

[sunbeast]

The fdeck and Broughton HPF filters also have a 12 dB per Octave band slope. Not sure I understand the comment.

The FDeck v3 has a fixed 12db filter at 30hz (or thereabouts) plus a moveable 12db filter, so you effectively get a 24dB filter at 30hz

 

[SteveC]

I just turn the knobs until it sounds good.

 

[BN5HardCaseGuy]

I am really enjoying the ParaEq Mk II Deluxe with the Empress bass compressor. Adding the eq after the compressor is eye/ear opening. The clarity/definition I am able to achieve with the Deluxe post compression is a thing of beauty. I was never able to get where I am tonally with just my bass amp and/or my onboard bass preamp. The Deluxe opens up (or closes) all the doors you will ever need or want. This is the first equalizer pedal I have ever used, and I am glad I decided to get this one.

I recently won the Empress pedal giveaway and I had to have another ParaEq MKII Deluxe, it arrived today. I have never won anything ever, so this was a fantastic Holiday treat for me!

Yes, it is awesome to have two of these on my board. I have one set for my F Bass BN5 (right) and the other for my Fodera YYS5 (left). My two basses are very different beasts and having two separate pedals to tame them is a luxury.

I cannot thank Empress Effects enough for this free pedal!

 

[SteveC]

I went EQ before compressor and really like the results. I did have it comp and then eq but I think I like this way better.

Empress would have hum dinger of a pedal if they combined these 2 into one.
Empress Para EQ Bass Compressor Deluxe.