Earlier this year we ran a poll asking The Production Expert Community what their preferred type of studio outboard gear is if they only had one form of it in their studio workflows:

• Read: If You Only Had One Type Of Studio Outboard Processor To Mix With What Would It Be? EQ, Compressor Or Something More Exotic?

44% stated they would choose to have some form of compressor unit in their rack over and above any other type of outboard gear. EQ ranked in second place with 20%.

I voted EQ and stated my case in the supporting article of the poll. My outboard EQ of choice is Tegeler Audio Manufaktur’s dual mono passive EQP-1… it’s so good I feel it could very well be The Outboard EQ Bargain Of The Century.

In this video we take a close look at Tegeler’s passive EQ. We put it to work on some real-world audio examples to give you an idea of what this device is all about and why I feel it deserves some of your attention.

The EQP-1 is a “Pultec” inspired passive tube design which enables users to both cut and boost within the same band. The shape of the boost and cut curves differ slightly, as in Pultec EQs, which makes these units very useful for shaping the tone of all manner of track types, especially kick drums.

If you are unfamiliar with the Pultec trick then watch our video tutorial to learn all about it.

Tegeler Audio EQP-1 Main Features

• Low boost/attenuation (Low shelf): 20Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz, 100Hz

• High boost (Peak with variable bandwidth): 3kHz, ,4kHz, ,5kHz, 6kHz, 8kHz, 10kHz, 12kHz, 16kHz, 20kHz

• High attenuation: (High shelf) 5kHz, 10kHz, 20kHz

• Balanced input and output

• Bypass switches for each of the channels

How Can You Get The Most Out Of The Tegeler Audio EQP-1?

Tegeler’s EQP-1 can be used in one of two ways:

Dual Mono: As demonstrated in our video, this device can be used as two mono channel EQs. It’s a great device for focusing the tone of say a kick-in channel and snare top track at the same time in a mix.

Stereo: This can also be used in “stereo” for drum overheads, mix buses and masters. Sadly there is no option to link the two channels together. For stereo applications you will most likely want to match your left curve settings to the right which at times can be a bit of challenge if you are not looking dead on at the face of the unit, but the feel of the dials certainly make up for this small drawback.

Recall EQP-1 Settings With Ease

The EQP-1 doesn’t have any clever motorised pots such as the ones we find in Tegeler Audio’s amazing compressor Schwerkraftmaschine and Raumzeitmaschine reverb units. Instead, Tegeler provide a free plug-in suite called Digital Recall Sheets. These are simply blank plug-ins which don’t process audio, however these feature movable dials and switches no different to what you find in any plug-in. To "save” your EQP-1 settings you load an instance of the EQP-1 plug-in into an available insert in your DAW, set the virtual dials with your mouse to match the settings on your outboard EQP-1 and you’re done. The next you load your session you will have quick and easy access to the settings to recall back to the device by hand.

Fit, Finish And Feel

The dials on the EQP-1 feel quite strong and purposeful just like the controls on other Tegeler devices. The frequency selector pots are especially tough when shifting with a satisfying click when set. This forceful haptic gives the unit a nice premium “built like a tank” feel. The boost and cut pots are weighted differently to the frequency dials and are finely stepped with a loose feel.

Using the EQP-1 to sculpt the tone of stereo content will force you to use both your hands at the same time, which for many engineers is a great way of working. Every time I reach for this device I find myself adjusting the top end first as the results are time and again super sweet sounding. Low-end adjustments are also applied just as easily, especially if I feel that a track is sounding a bit light and in need of some extra weight and prominence. Comparing before-and-after results is easily done by switching the bypass in-and-out on each of the channels.

The EQ learning curve (pun intended) is incredibly shallow on this device. It didn’t take me long to really appreciate all of the available tones and sweeteners this device has to offer. The manual is also a very good resource. It includes a number of very clear curve shape diagrams for each of the bands which will help you to visualise what the EQ will do in certain positions.

Finding The Sweet Spot

Let’s move on to talking about best practises. With this being a tube based unit you need to be aware that there’s a sweet spot in which these sort of devices sound best. If you push too much signal into this device you will hear it. It’s not difficult to find the sweet spot in the EQP-1 as you’ll quickly notice a slight crunch to the sound when overstepping the mark with too much level. As this hasn’t got any input gain attenuation you will need to trim down your signals in your DAW before sending it out to the device.

Verdict - Is The EQP-1 The Outboard EQ Bargain Of The Century?

Quite possibly, considering that the EQP-1 costs £1,500/€1,699 and you are in-essence getting two independent channels of passive EQ all within a single 2U chassis. For that kind of money you could buy a pair of 500 series EQs, of which there are plenty to choose from. If you prefer 19” rack gear over 500 series then for a similar level of investment you could get a Wes Audio LC-EQP for £1,260, though this is a single channel EQ, or a Neve 8803 for £1,550 which is also a stereo EQ but it isn’t passive.

In my opinion, for the money there really isn’t anything else out there quite like the EQP-1. If you were one of those in the 20% who voted EQ in our poll then the EQP-1 is well worth checking out. For me, it’s the outboard EQ bargain of the century.

To hear another example of Tegeler Audio’s EQP-1 in action check our video below in which we use it in series with two other Tegeler Audio processors in a mastering application.

Try Before You Buy

Some brands offer a try before you buy service. This is how I tested my Tegeler Audio gear and decided on purchasing it all. It’s super simple to apply for a demo unit. All you need to do is contact Tegeler Audio, express interest in the gear you would like to test and they will kindly ship you a test unit for a week or two. They offer this try before you buy service to all as long as you meet one or two small criteria. If you are in the UK you can contact the team at SX Pro as they provide a similar services and have stock of Tegeler Audio devices you can borrow.