Six-Band Digital z-Qualizer Introduced

z-Qualizer (Computer Rendering)

Z-Systems has unveiled of its new 'z-Qualizer', a high-end, six-band, stereo digital parametric EQ. Endowed with a wealth of features that make it ideal for mixing and mastering applications, the new half-rack-space carries an MSRP of only $1,200.

"Our z-Q2 and z-Q6 digital equalizers are cherished by many top mastering engineers and have found their way onto scores of Grammy Award-winning recordings," says Z-Systems president Glenn Zelniker. "Yet, regrettably, Z-Systems EQs have remained an elusive dream for many engineers due to price points that put them out of reach. The z-Qualizer, however, changes that by offering the exact same world-class EQ algorithms at a price everyone can afford."

At the heart of the unit lies a 40-bit floating-point DSP chip running Z-Systems' proprietary digital filtering algorithms. Capable of handling up to 24 bits at sample rates of up to 192kHz, the unit can output 24, 20 or 16 bits and features both TPDF and POW-r wordlength reduction. Dynamic range is greater than 135dB while THD+N is remarkably low at better than -130dB.

The new digital EQ supports both M/S (mid-side) encoding and decoding in addition to the typical stereo-linked and dual-mono operation modes. Such flexibility allows the unit to handle separate processing on the mid and side components.

The z-Qualizer is also equipped with MIDI system-exclusive dump-and-restore capability, which enables users to save and recall presets from a computer running any MIDI sequencing program. Furthermore, the z-Qualizer can be snapshot-automated using MIDI program change commands.

Center frequency, gain and bandwidth (Q) all feature wide variability, while filter bands are fully overlappable.

Rear-panel connections on the compact digital EQ are comprised of AES/EBU in and out as well as MIDI in and through.