TC Electronic was founded in 1976 by the Rishøj brothers to build products for musicians and recording studios. The brothers were musicians and they designed products for musicians. This led to features like a built-in preamplifier so a guitar, bass or keyboard could be plugged straight into the equaliser

TC studio gear was a well-kept secret in the UK till the success of the 2290 Delay Line and the Finalizer, both products that had a big impact in studios. Among the “sleeper” products in their back catalogue are parametric equaliser footpedals, chorus & pitch-shifter units and rackmount equalisers like the 1140

The TC 1140 is a mono rackmount equaliser with a built-in preamplifier with up to 20 dB gain. The unbalanced input impedance is set deliberately high, so there’s no loss of high-end when direct-injecting guitars & basses, or synths & other keyboards. It also has a balanced input on an XLR connector

The 1140 preamp has Input Gain (+/- 20 dB), Output (0-6) and a peak-reading LED meter. Unusually, it has an EQ Match gain control to allow gain matching between the flat & EQ’d signals and to help with gain staging. The eq section has a non-latching in / out toggle switch and an external bypass footswitch socket on the back panel. EQ status (in / out) is indicated by different levels of brightness of the power on LED

The EQ section has sweepable EQ bands in the typical TC fashion with Center (frequency), Bandwidth (Q) and Function (boost / cut) controls. The four bands cover 20 Hz – 2 kHz, 50 Hz – 5 kHz, 100 Hz – 10 kHz and 200 Hz – 20 kHz so there’s plenty of overlap. Each band has its own Overload LED making it easy to spot overloads caused by large amounts of boost

Most studio equalisers assume a nominal signal level of +4 dBm and have no gain controls. TC goes to the other extreme – the 1140 assumes input levels may vary by up to 40 dB, that boost and or cut may change signal level significantly and that any EQ band might be pushed into overload – a fair assumption when 20db of boost or cut are available. This makes the 1140 ideal for live situations, for instruments with widely varying output levels, or for situations where large amounts of EQ may be required

Like the TC 1220, the TC 1140 is a highly effective equaliser. It’s possible to dial in large amounts of boost or cut but the results are always musical. On the broadest settings the EQ gives a warm, wide boost ideal for brightening signals or putting punch into the low end without making it sound flabby. At higher Q settings you can put a nice snap on a snare drum or make surgical cuts at problem frequencies

TC equalisers are amongst the few EQs I really like. They’re precise but musical at the same time – a combination that seems to escape most other manufacturers

“There are not a lot of 1140’s left on the market today, but should you be able to get a hold of one, don’t let it go. Even if you don’t have a use for it, don’t throw it out. You’ll regret it later on”

“The TC 2240 is one of my absolute favorite all purpose parametric EQ’s next to the GML 8200”

Tested & working 100%. Photos show the EQ for sale

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Supplied with a newly-made set of XLR pigtails neatly anchored to the back panel

Photos to follow

Bob Orban is one of the unsung heroes of recording & broadcasting. For more than forty years his products have been in use in studios around the world and the company is still active and developing new gear

Orban is not as well-known in the UK as in the USA but, in the 80s and 90s, plenty of UK studios had an Orban De-esser, compressor or – if they were lucky – an equaliser. They’re not flashy or high-tech, but they’re flexible, accurate & sound great. They definitely have mojo!

Orban products were aimed primarily at the broadcast industry but found favour in recording studios. The things they bring from the broadcast environment – great build quality, modular construction and attention to detail – make them ideal in a studio environment

The Orban 622B equaliser is a two-channel device in a compact, heavy 2U box. It’s a four-band parametric equaliser with bypass switch, input gain trim, overload LED and EQ controls for each channel. Each band has frequency, Q & boost / cut controls plus an in / out switch so individual bands can be switched in or out for comparison purposes. There’s plenty of overlap between bands so it’s a very flexible EQ

Channel A controls (repeat for channel B)

• Input attenuator
• Peak LED
• Channel bypass switch
• Band 1 bypass switch
• Band 1 frequency control
• Band 1 Q control
• Band 1 boost & cut control
• Band 2 bypass switch
• Band 2 frequency control
• Band 2 Q control
• Band 2 boost & cut control
• Band 3 bypass switch
• Band 3 frequency control
• Band 3 Q control
• Band 3 boost & cut control
• Band 4 bypass switch
• Band 4 frequency control
• Band 4 Q control
• Band 4 boost & cut control

Sonically, the 622 is warm, like an old console channel equaliser, but with more flexibility. It reminds me of the very wonderful Klein & Hummel UE400 mastering EQ – both are fully parametric equalisers and both have in / out switches for each band – but the K & H is bland next to the Orban. The K & H is super-clean, as you’d expect from a mastering EQ, whereas the 622B has more character and a ton more mojo

Many describe the 622 as “The Poor Man’s GML 8200”. Turn it around, and call the GML the rich man’s 622B, and I think you have a fairer description

A few quotes from Gearslutz:

“Not really clean, they are more of a fun coloured beast. In a tracking or recording situation they can be great”

“They are full of character. These guys were designed for broadcasting, that’s where I first used one. Loved the EQ curves so much, I got one when I started mastering. It’s truly a poor mans GML”

“I had a bit of use years ago with both a 621B and 622B – certainly lots of vibe”

“I personally prefer the 622. It has more character. I find that its great for electric guitars”

“These things are extremely underrated as EQ’s and sound great. I was a big fan of it on drums especially”

“It’s a pretty cool EQ that’s great for control over low end stuff like kick, toms, bass, tuba or bari sax etc. pretty good with anything else. I also dig that each band is bypassable”

“I still got 2 Orban 622Bs and use them mostly for peaky stuff like drums and percussion. I don’t like them too much on guitars or more RMS signals, but on drums they still kick butt. I’ll keep mine for a while. Of course now the new EQ-2NV is majorly kicking butt and mostly gets the cake over the Orbans, but the 622s are still a good EQ to have around” – M Wagener, 2004

“Mine has the output transformers (do all “B” models have output transformers?), and I would describe the sound as semi-colored and “grabby”… which I’m liking on drums”

“The thing I like about the 622 is that each band is bypassable. You can really hear what each band is doing, or only use one band if you please”

“622b is very colorful (in a nice way) and it has been a workhorse here on my studio, specially on kick, bass and smoothing out problematic singers”

Tested & working 100%. Supplied with new XLR pigtails. Photos show the EQ fro sale

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In very good, used condition. Refurbished, recapped, case repainted, new slider caps, tested & working 100%. Photos show the first EQ for sale

The post MXR M-125 Thirty-One Band Graphic Equaliser (Refurbished & Recapped) #2 appeared first on BN1studio.

In very good, used condition. Refurbished, recapped, case repainted, new slider caps, tested & working 100%. Photos show the first unit for sale

The post MXR M-125 Thirty-One Band Graphic Equaliser (Refurbished & Recapped) #1 appeared first on BN1studio.

Photos show a 120XP sold previously, not the unit for sale

This is an unusual piece of kit, even by outboard gear standards. The dbx 120A is a Subharmonic Synthesizer which generates low frequency subharmonics to increase bass output. It’s designed to enhance the low end by adding really low frequencies that doesn’t exist in the original signal. So, unlike enhancers or EQ which work with what’s already there, the 120A generates additional subharmonics to add to the signal

The 120A can be used on an insert – it has stereo inputs & outputs – or on a send with the return coming from the subwoofer output. It’s capable of generating large amounts of subharmonics so needs to be used with a degree of caution!

dbx has made a number of subharmonic synthesisers which are all basically similar. The 120A and 120XP are probably the best known and the 120A is a current product. They’re popular on film post stages for generating subharmonic rumbles for movie effects

I spent a while playing with the Subharmonic Synthesiser. It surprised me how effective it was and how much excitement it could add to a mix. It’s an easy effect to overdo, particularly when monitoring on small speakers when the true effect can’t be felt. Pulling the grilles off your speakers and switching the 120 in and out is instructive – with it switched in, you can see the bass cones flapping around like crazy if you’ve overdone it

To be used with caution on mixes, with care on sound effects, and with reckless abandon on big PA rigs. The 120A is one of the best toys I’ve played with in years. Useful for adding that ultra-low end in a mix, beefing up wimpy samples, or for adding rumble to a PA setup. The 120A will make things wobble!

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Each eq section has variable Q enabling tight notches or boosts or broad lifts & cuts. Three bands are dedicated to low, mid and high-frequencies, and cover a couple of octaves or so, while the fourth is switchable low / mid / high. This means the fourth section can be used in addition to another section, to pinpoint areas to cut or boost. For example, you can put a nice broad boost on the low end of a snare with the low or mid section, notch out the ring using the fourth – and still have two bands, plus the filters, to work with

After working with it I got to really like the 545. It has the typical UREI attention to detail and the usability you’d expect, but is also more than the sum of its parts. It has that UREI mojo

This 545 has been refurbished in our workshops – the power supply has been recapped, pots & switches cleaned & lubricated, and the front panel & knobs cleaned. The case has some surface corrosion but the inside is clean & tidy and it works a treat. Supplied with a set of short XLR pigtails and set to 220V for use in the UK & Europe. Power cable supplied on request. Tested & working 100%. Photos show the EQ for sale

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This 535 has been completely refurbished. The boost / cut sliders have been replaced with new pots. The pots are mounted closer to the front panel which removes much of the stiffness common with the 530 and 535. With all new pots this 535 works better than new

The unit has been recapped with uprated Panasonic electrolytic capacitors in the power supply. The tantalum caps have been replaced with electrolytics, main reservoir caps increased in value and decoupling caps fitted. Finally, all the electrolytics in the audio path have been replaced with uprated Panasonic bipolar caps

Tested & working 100% and better than new. Photos of the 535 for sale to come

Universal Audio was one of the early pioneers in audio equipment. Founded in 1946 by Bill Putnam, UA produced recording equipment as a sideline to his Universal Recording record company. The company was later renamed United Recording Electronics Industries, giving us the famous UREI name & logo

Bill Putnam was responsible for many innovations in recording including the 1176 compressor, the valve Teletronix LA/3A and transistor UREI LA4/A levelling amplifiers. UREI produced a wide range of products and the 535 is one of many equalisers they produced in the late 70s and 80s

The 535 is a two-channel graphic equaliser with ten bands per channel, in / out switch, input gain trim and a transformer-coupled output with overload LED. It’s a simple design, owing a lot to the earlier 527 & 529 mono graphics

Like all UREI kit from this period, it’s built like a tank with a very functional case, secured by the traditional UREI exposed hex-head screws, and a beautifully-finished aluminium front panel. Inside, it’s best-practice, 1970s-style, with a thick circuit board, huge (by today’s standards) through-hole mounted components, massive American transformers and lots of hand-wiring

The 535 is a 10-band equaliser with frequencies at octave spacings. It has a reputation as a great guitar EQ – the bands are wide enough to be smooth, but tight enough to pull out or accentuate specific frequency bands. It definitely sounds crunchier than plugin EQs and can be as subtle or as lairy as you like, depending how far you push it

Like all UREI gear, the 535 has tons of sonic character and great visual appeal. It has a functional appearance, like much German audio equipment, so simple & so logical that it can’t be bettered. That combination of simplicity, rugged construction & great sonics is as compelling now as it was in the 1970s

Great analogue outboard gear never dates and never devalues if it’s as simple, effective and well-designed as this UREI equaliser. In that respect, it’s the polar opposite of software plugins. A UREI 535 will sound unlike any other EQ you own and give you two channels of no-faff equalisation for guitars, loops, drum ambience, effects – whatever you like

The post UREI 535 Dual Graphic Equaliser #4 (Refurbished & Recapped with new faders) appeared first on BN1studio.