Maag EQ4, UBK Clariphonic, Square State model one b, Hammer and EM-EQ2
| June 27th, 2012 | 10 Comments | « Previous | Episode 40 | Next » |
THE MONSTERS OF SHEEN
Several months back I presented my first “Shoot Out Salon”, an event I created to get engineers together to do hands on testing of specific gear. I called this first one “The Monsters of Sheen” and we tested several hardware EQs known for their ability to add beautiful sheen, or brilliant high end, to tracks and mixes. We included the Clariphonic from UBK/Kush Audio, the Hammer and the EM-EQ2 from A Designs, the EQ4 from Maag Audio and the Square State Model One B.
This event was not intended to turn into a video but I got so many requests for details about the evening that I made this video, (which, admittedly, could be a lot better). I have also put together a collection of 44.1/24 audio samples of the EQs that you can download here
To watch on your iPhone or iPad download the m4v version here.
Background music this episode by Satovan
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June 27th, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Oops, looks like the link to the audio downloads is goofy! I’m guessing it should be this…
http://ronansrecordingshow.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/Sheen-wars-clips.zip
…yes?
Great show Ronan, thanks as always for sharing your wisdom with us. Even if I can’t afford some of the equipment you review, it’s still useful to wrap my ears around the art of what is possible. And of course wonder “How can I pull that off on a budget?”
June 27th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to do these shoot-outs. Single product reviews are great, but comparing these eq’s or preamps like you have done in the past make it easier for buying decisions especially for home studio guys like myself. A “pro” studio can demo multiple units at a time when i can only buy 1 and not have the choice to compare. Its good to hear that all these eq’s are good but if you only could have 1 eq for all purposes, tracking maybe, mixing, (mastering?) what would you pick and why? I am looking to buy my 1st hardware eq and would like your opinion even knowing that 1 eq might not be enough for all jobs. Thanks again for all the work that goes behind this. Rich from NY
June 27th, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Just finished listening to the A Designs Eq2 and Hammer audio files. They both sound good but listen to the acoustic gtrs before the vocals start. The Eq2 is smooth but the Hammer you can hear the rake of the pick and clarity,brighter but not shrill sounding, also it sounds more 3d than the Eq2 to me. The snare jumps out more also. They both are good. Just my opinion but very cool to listen to.
June 27th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Thanks for the review. It’s always interesting when you professional folks weigh in on a gear comparison. Looking forward to one on compressors. Thank you for taking the time to arrange this EQ shootout.
June 27th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
Thanks Ronan, that was interesting.
June 28th, 2012 at 12:29 am
If I remember correctly it was the Hammer that had the single most breathtaking 16K I’d ever heard. Jaw dropping.
Below that I remember liking the eq2 more.
but they were all interesting and if you didn’t have all the others sitting around you’d probably be very happy any one of them.
You should have more of these [hint, hint].
Jeff
June 29th, 2012 at 4:27 am
Hi Ronan,
So agree about the Hammer. I know this is a video about air and sheen, but when I tried it out at the BBQ, I noticed that cutting @500Hz was cutting quite a bit in the 250Hz range too, so one could tell the Q is quite wide, but at the same time it was so natural sounding, and even though I was only cutting, it was still adding some sort of character to it. This was my first hands on experience with a high end analog EQ… things will never be the same… I also tried out the em-peq (the em-eq2 wasn’t plugged in), boosting the highs. 10k, 12K, 16K… all awesome, all over.
July 29th, 2012 at 2:08 am
Hi Ronan,
Thanks again for another great show. And thanks for turning me on to the Clariphonic. I finally broke down and ordered one! Can’t wait to play with it on my own mixes.
September 21st, 2012 at 5:59 pm
I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for.
You have ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a
nice day. Bye
April 28th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
I just got the plug-in version of the Maag. I have not had the opportunity to hear the hardware version in person. This is one very cool plug-in. Quite possibly my best sounding EQ. No artifacts, no phase shift. (that I can hear anyway) It has the ability to gently thin out the big low end on my Martin without gutting the sound, adds nice sparkle and presence to vocals, and I absolutely love what it can do for drum tracks, particularly snare drum.