http://www.greatriverelectronics.com/EQ-2NV.html

How about a review of this baby?

Soon, Grasshopper, very soon...

Oh GAS! Evil, sweet horrible GAS! I look forward to the review...

From: Dan A Kennedy
Date: Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:25:14 PM US/Eastern
To: Dan Richards
Subject: Re: Great River EQ shipped

Hi Dan,

It's off, the tracking number is: 1Z2WX902034006----

Dan

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Dan Richards
The Listening Sessions
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my weiner tingled when I saw that .jpg

quote:

Originally posted by Baz²:
my weiner tingled when I saw that .jpg

I wondered why they didn't dust the top first.

-Dusty

Actually, I think those are pixel errors, 'cause I was dusting it as the shots were taken. I'll have to go back and look at the big file tho.

It probably sounds more vintage with the dust anyways. Certainly looks cooler by my standards. Where do I send my check?

-Dusty

Dan,

Can I get mine in a 2 space rack with big retro knobs......at no extra cost (or maybe at a discount?)?

So Dot,

You put anything thru the beast yet?

Hey Dan. Yep. Have done some DI bass with it. And now running it across the 2 buss with different material. Still playing. Very sweet so far. More soon.

So...I'm using one in my mixdowns this weekend, and all I have to say is...

God BLESS analog EQ!!

Al these years of digital EQ frustration...relieved with one $3k purchase! Well...not really-it's a loaner, but...

Since I'm a griping type of guy, I'll tell you the issues I have with the piece...but NONE of them are sonic.

The whole "digitally controlled" thing is a little odd, IMO. No continuous Q. Only fixed curves. And I find the gain knobs pretty f'n loose and twitchy. I would think for $3k, we might get some knobs with a little heft to them. I've often slipped and whoops-there's 5 more db of high end! Not a huge deal, but considering the price point...I'd rather see some bigger, knobs that take a little more o turn them.

And the fact that the frequency selector doubles as a "band off" is a little odd. I have to make sure to zero the gain knob before turning the band on, else who knows what frequency I might land on.

But, folk here know I like to point out the negative. And notice there was nothing sonic? This unit sounds beautiful...and the things like the fixed curves and fixed frequency points didn't actually get in the way of it doing exactly what I wanted every single time. I imagine DanK had reasons for the digitally controlled steps and curves...

From downright reshaping a snare to balancing a stereo acoustic track done with two different mics...to clearing mud with the AWESOME variable (both in frequency and filter type) HPF...it rocks.

Anyone still thinking ITB mixing is the way to go needs only get their hands on this, and imagine it on every channel of a mixer.

Not ONCE did I find anything "nasty" or phasey about it. And as much as DOT likes to say pres are the source of focus...every track I ran out through this and back in came back with a nicely focused image--in a word? Better. Even with tiny adjustments.

If I hadn't committed to having this back on Monday, and finishing these mixes, I'd be tempted to run ever single track through it. But, in the end, I'm using it only for key tracks and anything that needs serious surgery.

Kudos, Mr Kennedy. This is a sweet piece of gear. It will go back to the folks who loaned it to me with nothing but the highest praise from me. For what that's worth.

Thanks for the nice words Popmann.

Let see, gripes first: Fixed Q's, well, the way this circuit is arranged, the Q's are adjusted by a series resistor that "spoils" the Q achieved by the inductor and capacitor in resonance. To make this continuously variable would require either a VCA in the circuit or a motor driven pot, both which to be done properly is expensive, in the case of the VCA a sonic detriment, plus add another pot to the panel layout. Since the selection of Q's now available seems to fit the bill, for me too, you can guess which way I went.

Twitchy pots: I'd like to find some stiffer ones too, but I would rather give up the resistance to turning for the conductive plastic reliablility.
I'm still looking though.

Band Off: Never gave it much thought as far as "what frequency I might land on". I typically have all bands on as I'm tweaking something, then turn off the ones that aren't used. Or not. If it sounds fine at some point I just leave it. Lazy me, I guess.

But I'm really glad you like what it does sonically. I do too. During the developement there were a couple of milestone "damn, this thing works nice" moments. Like verifying that the switching system would work, then the new amplifier circuit that openned up the dynamic range another 10dB.

Unfortunately, my demo had to be back before I laid the vocals into the mix...but, for the first time in my life--the combination of right mic and compressor meant that I barely touched the EQ on them anyway.

But, it went a long way towards shaping the drum tracks and acoustic guitars. A few bass tracks, too.

Dude...just for perspective, I've been playing with a lot of alternate "processed" tracks...meaning ones I didn't end up using but printed anyway...preparing the archives for the tunes...

And one thing is VERY clear. Any track that I EQ'd with the GR EQ I can NOT duplicate with digital EQ of any kind. I may not have liked what the compressor in the chain did to the dynamics...but, the overall tone rules.

I dialed it in fast and sure. I felt "home". With digital EQs I find myself sweeping all over the place and just never finding the right frequency. Somehow, I nailed it every time quickly with the GR EQ.

Hey, Mr Kennedy...If I say enough nice stuff, can I have one on permanent loan? The thing is just fab sounding.

Hey Pop,

At the risk of this turning into a mutual admiration society, I just tuned into some of your stuff...very nice. I'm a Jackson Brown/Jesse Winchester/Guy Clark/John Hiatt sort of fan, so you fit right in.

Thanks again for the nice words.

Oh yeah,

Good name too. My son is Jameson.

Unfortunately it's Sgt. Jameson, and his second tour of Iraq starts in August.

quote:

At the risk of this turning into a mutual admiration society, I just tuned into some of your stuff...very nice.

Hey, man...isn't that what these communities are all about? Thank you for the kind words. That's your pre on the vocals and the acoustic on "Lose You", FWIW. And the vocal actually sounds better than it does in those mixes...but, that's a little misjudgement with a compressor on my part...and has nothing to do with the topic at hand. Unfortunately, I didn't have the EQ2nv the weekend I processed the vocals. I do have a few tracks I did with it, and they're beautiful. For some dumb ass reason I didn't use them in those mixes. Doh, de, doh...is this where I fall back on the "Damnit, Jim, I'm not an engineer--I'm a musicain, for goodness sake" defense?

Best wishes to your son. I hope we bring him home safe and soon.