Pultec (Pulse Techniques) EQs are replicated often, but there’s nothing like their original sound, one that has dominated the professional recording scene for 60 years. Known for producing the first passive program EQ in professional audio, very few brands have been able to emulate Pultec’s wide and warm EQ punch. From silky highs to powerful lows, Pultec continues to serve as the mixing and mastering EQ tool of choice in studios everywhere. The essence of the original Pultec EQ Holy Grail lives on through a wide range of tube, solid state, and mastering variants.
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In 1951, founders Gene Shenk and Ollie Summerland introduced Pultec’s passive EQP-1 to the market. Generally, passive EQs require an additional level of 16dB to make up for the loss in gain. The EQP-1 was designed with a tube amplifier to counter the need to apply gain to the signal. The convenience of the internal amplifier also added a subtle character to the sound. The Pultec company closed its doors in the early ‘80s, but many of the original EQP-1 models lived on through the years. In 2000, Steve Jackson began the process of bringing Pultec EQs back. The 10-year process has resulted in the most faithful recreations of the iconic Pultec EQs.
The Pultec EQP-1A is a classic 2-band program equalizer built to the same specs of Gene Shenk’s base design. The entirety of the EQP-1A is a mirror of the same Pultec EQ that helped shape countless records, with its unmistakable audible character immediately enhancing what it touches. The mastering version of the EQP-1A is a more versatile solution for mix bus applications and provides great sound across the entire spectrum. It offers all the features of the standard tube EQs with enhanced controls to dial in the perfect mix.
Pultec’s complimentary mid-range EQ, the MEQ-5, has plenty of bite for midrange frequencies and is based on the precise circuitry of the original Pultec EQs Steve Jackson studied . The MEQ-5 (tube or solid state) can bring new dimensions of color by finding the perfect balance of cut and boost parameters. This mid-range EQ is ideal for adding emphasis to key frequency ranges on guitars or vocals. Like the EQP-1A, there’s a mastering version of this EQ available to boost and/or cut the middle of the spectrum with great control.
Pultec also offers a pair of 500 series EQs (EQP-500S and EQP-500A), which follow the same specs and quality standards as the EQP-1A-SS, the solid state version of their best-selling tube EQ. The 500S and 500A vary in specification based on their respective filter frequency cutoff points.
Thanks to Gene Shenk’s willingness to aid Steve Jackson in his pursuit of the Pultec sound, engineers everywhere can experience it for themselves once again.
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