Are parametric EQs really that much more expensive to make?

[veracohr]

I was looking at EQs, trying to find a low-cost one I can use to complement my hardware synths live. I wanted a parametric, but a brief perusal of a couple different popular etailers came up with only two that were less than about $800. On the graphic side, there were tons around $200-300. Does it really cost that much more to make a parametric EQ?

[Phil O'Keefe]

As I recently said in the Arsenal Audio thread, there has been a relative shortage of hardware EQ units; at least compared to the number of preamp and compression choices. Probably the cheapest parametric around at the moment is the Presonus EQ3B, and it's not bad at all for the very modest price. Beyond that, you start moving into the $300 / $500 per channel bracket, and while there's not a lot of choices, there are a few more options - Toft, Speck, etc.

[Ethan Winer]

I don't like to mention the "B" word but they sell parametric EQs for $100.

 

--Ethan

[goatman]

behringer hahaha

 

what's the diff between a parametric eq and a regular eq?

[Phil O'Keefe]

Parametric EQ was created by George Massenburg in the early 1970s and presented to the Audio Engineering Society in a White Paper (circa 1971, IIRC...)

 

Parametric equalizers have three main controls:

 

Frequency

Boost / cut

Q (bandwidth)

 

While equalizers that offered control over the amount of boost or cut existed before then, George was the first to propose a EQ that also allowed you to pick the bandwidth - the "narrowness" or broadness of the frequencies to either side (higher and lower than the center frequency) that would be affected when you boosted or cut.

 

An EQ with just boost / cut and frequency selection is commonly called a semi or pseudo-parametric, although it's really just a selectable frequency, fixed bandwidth peaking / dipping filter.

 

There are also shelving filters, high and low pass filters, notch filters... there's a ton of different types of EQ's, but Mr Massenburg came up with the one that many engineers - myself included - consider to be the most flexible and powerful.

 

Couple the technical innovations with his album production and engineering work and the way he is as a person and you get someone whom I have the utmost respect for. GM's the real deal. :phil:

[veracohr]

I don't like to mention the "B" word but they sell parametric EQs for $100. --Ethan

 

How dare you?

[Hard Truth]

Depending onyour needs and what you have, the most economical solution might be a mixer with built-in parametic EQ for at least the midrange. I wouldn't descend into B territory, but Mackie is OK for most users in my opinion.