JCC1996 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Hi, I'm looking into buying a graphic EQ. There are plenty of events in school and out of school that I could really do with having one. Particularly for one show coming up soon it would be really beneficial to have one, so I'm looking into what one to get, however (as always) the budget's tight! I've looked (don't laugh) at Maplin's ProSound 15 band, but I'm wary of that brand. Would this be suitable, or is it just going to sound awful? The only similarly priced one I can see is the Behringer MiniFBQ800 9-band. But I'm worried about the limits of 9-band. Is there much point or is it just not going to be accurate enough? I'd welcome other suggestions around this price range, and I'd definitely consider second hand if anyone knew of a good source. Thanks in advance, Joe Maplin model (it's a pain to search for!) http://www.maplin.co.uk/15-channel-stereo-eq-36430 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pisquee Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 For a graphic to be of use to you, it is going to need to be 30 bands, otherwise you could also look at a parametric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Cheap graphics aren't brilliant. As you suspect, anything less than 31 bands is a pretty blunt tool. Also the interaction between bands can be problematic, and can screw up both frequency and phase response if it's not done well, which is hard to do when you are building to a tight budget. A parametric EQ can be a bit more useful in many ways. Think of it as a channel EQ on steroids. You can cut/boost, and sweep through frequencies like you would on a desk channel. But you also have a "Q" or bandwidth control, which allows you to vary the width of the filter. This is very useful, it means you can take a very narrow cut to get rid of feedback or resonance at a specific frequency, or take a wider filter for a presence boost somewhere. Typically with a parametric EQ, you can get by with less filters, because they can be more versatile. (If you are needing more than six filters, it's a sign that there are other problems with the setup that should be addressed) You also have less interactions going on between the filters, and less faders to potentially break. Parametrics are less common, but it's worth holding out for something decent second hand. I found a Klark Technik model for a very good price a while back but there was a bit of good luck involved. From a quick browse on eBay the best I could find is this, which might be a good buy if the price stays down and you think you can find a power supply. There are only three bands per channel but that's enough to be going on with, especially if you are just starting off. (Incidentally, the manual that the seller links to has a pretty good description of how a parametric EQ works, far more succinct than what I've just written above) The other fairly cost-effective route to go (if you have a laptop available) is to buy a multipurpose digital processor, BSS Soundwebs seem to come up really cheap these days. You can have up to 8 channels of parametric EQ available and lots more besides. It can be a useful toolkit to have if you are jumping onto other people's systems on a regular basis, especially if it tends to be analogue desks rather than digital that you encounter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 What are you actually wanting it for? They're handy for squeezing the very last bit of monitor volume, and maybe for getting rid of nasty resonances - BUT - so many you see are set up with a nice smiley face eq curve, which probably could have been done with a bass/treble control. Front of house, some users ring out a room, trying to get a 'flat' sound before they add musical eq - but I have to smile when people drag in their FOH rack, and they have maybe a bunch for their monitors with some savage cuts and boosts, that allow their monitors to work well, but they also have a graphic on front of house with a curve that seems to be set visually? A proper 32 band eq, with a cut/boost at 1/3 octave intervals can be a good problem solver (or causer), but a 9 or 15 band is more often used as a clever tone control.\ What is special about the show coming up that makes you think it's really going to help? I ran one 6 week season with the FOH graphic disconnected - so the nice curve I'd careful set up the previous time in the venue wasn't even applied, and the desk channel eq was quite capable. I suspect more graphics are actually in use in smaller venues doing not a lot. I took some gear into a local venue to try to make it more radio mic friendly. After lots of pink noise and mics all over the place, I produced a curve that I thought would help. It turned out somebody had done this before, but must have got the curve upside down - and they'd boosted exactly the frequencies that needed to be reduced and vice versa. It explained the tendency to feedback so easily. Good tools, but too often used as an effect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCC1996 Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Paul, I'm aware of the 'smiley face' EQ problems, but I use it to go some way to correcting the horrible acoustic tendencies of our hall. I used one with a hired in PA in the hall and the difference was night and day. This particular show has radio mics used in front of the speakers and I know from previous experience that using the graphic really helps to prevent feedback and get a bit more volume (however I'd appreciate any other tips and tricks you know that might help me out). I am not one for making things look nice for no reason so I can assure you it would be put to good use! I hadn't actually though of using a parametric, but I'll keep a look out for that as it may be just the thing I'm looking for. Also the BSS Soundweb looks interesting, but the information is a little scarce. Is is programmed via a PC interface and then works in whatever way you've set it to? Would it work with Mac? And I can't seem to find a price anywhere, so how cheap is cheap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I use the Behringer DEQ2496 as the 'room eq' in my rig, and find it ideal. It has parametrics, a stereo graphic eq, delays, even a feedback destroyer, and a nice RTA built in. Needs careful study of the manual to get the best out of it, but you can store & recall settings, so once you have perfected the eq you need, you can always come back to it. I'm sure it's not a million miles from some other manufacturers product, but I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCC1996 Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Having a look around it seems that any EQ worth buying is out of my budget right now, so I think I'll make do without for now or beg/borrow/steal one from somewhere! Thanks for the help so far, I'd welcome any further ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pisquee Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 What is your budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCC1996 Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 <£100 for definite, but preferably around £70 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedkiller Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 dbx 231? Ebay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top-cat Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 <£100 for definite, but preferably around £70 How soon do you need it? I should be selling a couple of Behringer FBQ-3102s towards the end of the month. I know you can get a new one for only about £100 but I will only want about half that for each of them. They've been in a studio since new so very little wear on them. Resale value of them isn't very good so I'd be prepared to take an offer on 1 or multiple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCC1996 Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 top-cat, I've left it too late for this show but if you post them on here then I'll keep a eye out for them because that sounds ideal! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S&L Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 re budget eq - I have used a behringer fbq 1502 15 band on monitor duty - it isn't great and often by ther time you notch a couple of frequencies the sound isn't pretty but it IS servicable and they DO work for that purpose giving a feedback free but not great sounding monitor response.. I have one in the bottom of my FOH rack and use it for extra monitors etc. topcat - I will happily take one of those fbq3102's when you are ready to sell :o) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyP1955 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Nothing cheaper than a dbx 31 band. Though I might prefer a Rane parametric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrV Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Also the BSS Soundweb looks interesting, but the information is a little scarce. Is is programmed via a PC interface and then works in whatever way you've set it to? Think "box of Lego* bricks with audio functions" plus a CAD program that allows you to put them together in any way you fancy. One of the Lego bricks happens to be a 30 band EQ. You can alter the settings interactively (i.e. live) using a PC and then disconnect the PC once you have set it up as required. You could even configure one to have several EQs set up with different curves and an input switch to select the one you wanted - no PC required after initial configuration. I don't believe the software is available for anything other than Windows however. BSS Audio website for details - you can download the Soundweb Designer software and play with it for nothing. They go on ebay for around £250Dave *Other universal construction toys are available ;). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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