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Parametric EQ pedals

asbjornhjerrild

asbjornhjerrild

Jun 6, 2020
19
5
23
Aarhus, Denmark
#1
Looking for a parametric EQ pedal for my board. I've considered the Empress, the Microtubes B7K and the Aguilar Tonehammer. What are your guys experiences with these pedals and EQ pedals in general? Are there any good EQ pedals I'm missing? The market is rather limited, and I'm struggling to find much information online, so I thought I'd try my luck here. I'm still early in the process of making my board but I'm looking to pair with the MXR Bass Octaver, the MXR Compressor and some sort of overdrive like the Alpha Omicron maybe. Thanks in advance.
 
#3
The Broughton Audio Parametric EQ has also quite good but difficult to get ahold of because it’s currently out of production. However, if you come across a used one it’s well worth buying.

A parametric EQ is a bit of a specialized EQ. What do you want to accomplish by getting one? Or any EQ for that matter? Knowing that would help us make better recommendations. :)
 
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#5
I like EQ pedals (and EQ's in general) that have both Lo Mid and Hi Mid controls. Didn't ever think of going full parametric but it's an interesting option actually. Anyways, one thing I never like is the whole "LO, MID, HI" thing.
So for me - either go minimal like a Barber Linden EQ, super simple let mids be or have the whole Lo, Lo Mid, High Mid, Hi. I use a Tech 21 BDDI for EQ and I'm basically annoyed with it most of the time... Seems to take more than it gives
 
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#6
It depends on whether you require two bands of (semi)parametric mids. In case you do, there are not many pedals on the market: Tech 21 Qstrip and Broughton Messenger come to my mind.

If you don't, there are many pedals to choose from, ie:
  • Empress paraEQ
  • MXR M81
  • EWS Tri-logic
  • EWS BMC
  • Broughton RFE
to name just few...
 
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#8
asbjornhjerrild said:
What would you recommend? Two mids controls or just the one?
Click to expand...

IMO, it's better to have the ability to adjust both high mids and low mids.

That being said, I have always been able to survive with just one band of (semi)parametric mids.

It also depends on whether you need a full-featured preamp (Qstrip, Messenger, M81) or just an additional control over mids (EWS BMC)...

My priority would be Broughton Messenger or RFE...

https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/messenger
https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/resonant-filter-equalizer

Unfortunatelly, both are currently sold out.

Good luck!
 
#13
I've owned the B7K and have had a Tone Hammer for years. The B7k is a really good preamp, but it doesn't quite qualify as truly parametric, if that's a primary feature you're looking for. Plus, it very much has the Darkglass Sound. And it's more of a preamp than just an EQ if it matters. Similarly, the Tone Hammer is also more of a preamp with a baked in Aguilar sound, but it does have an actual parametric mid.

I parted ways with the B7K (and the Vintage Ultra, and the Alpha Omega Ultra) because the EQ sections were clean, but they're almost TOO clean... they lack a warmth that I missed with the Tone Hammer. My theory is that it's because the Darkglass pedals have low control points of 80Hz or 100Hz depending on the model, and the Tone Hammer's low control is centered at 40Hz. A little more warmth and oomph in the low end. But, the Darkglass stuff is very much geared for a specific genre, and Doug is very good at designing pedals that really work for what they're designed for. They just weren't quite what I wanted.

I've never tried the Empress, but it does look quite nice.

+1 to the Qstrip. I've had one on my board for about a year and a half (ish), and love it. Two parametric mid channels that overlap a bit (and also with the low and high controls), so it's pretty flexible. Lately I've been experimenting with settings lifted from Jayme Lewis' demo video of the Trickfish Minnow and have been quite pleased.

The Tone Hammer is simply too good to get rid of and occasionally swaps in for the Qstrip. It's pretty killer with just a smidge of the AGS dialed in and high control toned down for a thicker more vintagey sound. Currently though, it's the preamp I'll use for an alternate board build with pedals from the toy closet when I get around to it.

I'll put another +1 for the Source Audio EQ2 that @LSMFT6 mentioned. No personal experience, but Source Audio is top tier gear IMO.

If you really want to go down the preamp rabbit hole, check out the Great Preamp/DI thread. LOTS of great preamp/EQ discussion over there.

5sg.
 
#15
I've tried a variety, and IME the Empress ParaEQ is incredible in terms of quality and balancing deep control and ease of use (their documentation for settings for different needs is v good).

For anyone asking about EQ pedals, I always want to ask back "What are you needing it for?" Parametric EQ is super flexible and perfect for dialing out specific problem notes in weird acoustic room. But it's overkill if you only want tone changes and minor adjustments, in which case a much less complex graphic EQ pedal works just fine.
 
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#16
asbjornhjerrild said:
Looking for a parametric EQ pedal for my board. I've considered the Empress, the Microtubes B7K and the Aguilar Tonehammer. What are your guys experiences with these pedals and EQ pedals in general? Are there any good EQ pedals I'm missing? The market is rather limited, and I'm struggling to find much information online, so I thought I'd try my luck here. I'm still early in the process of making my board but I'm looking to pair with the MXR Bass Octaver, the MXR Compressor and some sort of overdrive like the Alpha Omicron maybe. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

The WMD Utility is a 3-band fully-parametric EQ, extremely flexible with ranges of 31-1.6k, 100-4.8k and 300-16k Hz, each with fully-adjustable Q instead of the Empress's three-position selector, and the pedal takes between 9-24V, with more gain available at higher operating voltages (I think it's 12dB boost/cut at 9, 15dB at 18V and 17dB at 24V but don't quote me on that).

They retail for about $200, which is about $50 cheaper than the Empress, so definitely worth a look if you're in that price territory. You can buy one at WMD's site ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]) and they also sell on Reverb, Amazon and a few other online retailers.
 
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#17
Ethereal Thorn said:
The mooer radar is awesome I opted for the torpedo over it as it has a di built in.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know. If this pedal had a DI and a parallel uneffected output it would be a killer unit. But for the OP's purpose, the parametric eq is very functional and powerfull. And if you ad to it the abillity to load IR impulses or simply use the cab sims that it already has then you get a lot of options for the money.
And if you connect a stereo jack into the output you get a balanced out signal that can be sent to the FOH or any interface for recording.
 
#18
The TurboTore is my goto.

onkart.jpg
 
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