7 things about our VEQs

no 1 | The first version of Pultec EQP-1—which inspired our VEQ-1P—came out in 1951! But still, almost 70 years later, nothing matches its unique sound. The Pultecs are passive designs, which many engineers regard as the most natural and sweet-sounding type.

no 2 | The VEQ-1P focuses on the low and high frequencies. It’s called a ”program” EQ, meaning it’s designed for use across an entire stereo mix. But don’t let that stop you from using it on individual tracks where it can be equally useful!

no 3 | The classic Pultec trick is simultaneously boosting and attenuating the low frequencies on the VEQ-1P. You’d be forgiven for thinking these two things would just counteract one another. But what actually happens is that you get an enormous low end with a cleaned-up low mid. Try it, you’ll like it.

no 4 | Silky, velvety, creamy—these are words commonly used to describe the character of the VEQ-1P’s High Frequency section. Use it to add natural and beautiful air to individual tracks or across the master bus.

no 5 | The VEQ-5 focuses on the midrange and is a great companion to VEQ-1P. It has two Peak filters which boost the selected frequency, and a Dip filter which instead attenuates.

no 6 | To fit in the lead vocal in a mix with lots of midrange-heavy chord instruments, you can use the VEQ-5 to gently boost the vocal around 3 kHz and cut it at 300 Hz. This adds clarity and presence. Then send your chord instruments to a shared mix buss and do the opposite—cut at 3 kHz and boost at 300 Hz. Subtle EQ’ing can go a long way.

no 7 | The VHL-3C is a free plug-in—just go get it! It’s very useful on each individual track in the mix to cut unnecessary low and high frequencies, giving you a nice starting point for your mix. In particular, it’s a common practice to cut the low end (80 or 100 Hz) on all tracks except the bass instruments. This cleans up the low end and leaves room for the bass instruments to do their thing.