Nomad Blue Tubes Pultec EQ and resonance curves: Opinions? Tips? Uses?

I like them on kick drums and bass.
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Post-Favorite-Plugin-and-Tips-m2799852.aspx#2801056
 

Cool. I had forgotten about the whole "resonance curve" stuff and even though not being able to see a visual graph of the freqs while tweaking I figure it might be easier to achieve with this plug. Seems there is something special about the pultec curve too otherwise such a seemingly basic EQ wouldn't be so touted.
 
Also when I first say the Blue Tubes bundle listed for X3 I kind of figured I didn't need any of that because of the already rather healthy effects kits in X1/2, and perhaps I don't REALLY need it but the more I look at these things the more I think I could really get into them. Lots of stuff that aren't the same brand as things I've seen in lots of tuts but seem to be modeled after the same older gear. If anything else it might help me understand that type of equipment better.
 
And that graph is very helpful. I saw I guy awkwardly trying to mimic the curves using a linear EQ but it was youtube and I wasn't sure how seriously I could take it. That confirms where my understanding was heading. The explanations of "it cuts AND boosts at the same time!!" makes it sound weird... as if it's happening at the same freq which doesn't really make sense. The boost then a little dip does. What I'm not quite sure of is how that would look when you turn the boost way DOWN then fiddle with the atten knob.
 
I'm wondering if this is the type of thing that can be shown with white noise or pink noise or whatever gives a flat freq line (I forget which does what) then viewing it through a freq analyst.
 
Anyway... cool stuff and some very interesting toys to get tossed into the package.

hmmm... that makes me even more curious. So if you turn the Atten knob down it'll end up creating the shelf and the boost creates a spike after? Well... okay that's probably wrong and I should just play with the thing but I guess that's what I get for only being exposed to all this digital graphical nonsense... and I guess a lot of guys back in the day didn't even know what the curves looked like. They just used their ears. Just makes me think and wonder.
 
As far as the $10k... if you can figure out a way to send polar bears to me VIA fedex* you got a deal. Stereo pair of course... because you can never have enough polar bears... and polar bears are better in stereo ;-p
 
*more plausible than me having 10 grand

This will be about the least scientific answer you will get.  There are guys here like bitflipper or Jeff Evans that will break down why they work the way you do..and i will likely read what they say because it's awesome information.  With that said, I tend to use it on kicks and bass too, AFTER I have done just about everything else with quadcurve or other EQ. I won't apply it to any sound that actually has a problem. I pretty much throw it on my kick buss and start twisting knobs and sometimes it sounds amazing.  It's like adding a dash of cinnamon in my chili for me.  Not sure the exact technical reason, but it sometimes just tastes better.  The same can be said for the baxter type EQ. Looks simple, but I don't get the same sound when i attempt to do what would seem like equivelant functionality with other EQs

If you want to see for yourself what is going on, load up the MeldaProduction Free bundle and use the MNoiseGenerator to send pink noise through the PEQ-2B and see what happens using the MAnalyzer. You may need to run the average length and smoothness setting up a bit to keep the display from jumping around too much.

Beepster
 Not sure why Cake hasn't tossed a home baked one into Sonar yet. Cheers.

They did, in your effects Direct X > Cakewalk > Analyst
 
Edit: I read freq analyzer. There is no CW stereo analyzer

 
Here is a good free stereo tool :
 
http://www.fluxhome.com/products/freewares/stereotool
 
 

scook

Beepster
 Not sure why Cake hasn't tossed a home baked one into Sonar yet. Cheers.

They did, in your effects Direct X > Cakewalk > Analyst
 
Edit: I read freq analyzer. There is no CW stereo analyzer

As in FYI for X3 owners.  Analyst is no longer installed by default

scook

dubdisciple
As in FYI for X3 owners.  Analyst is no longer installed by default

I thought it was dropped from the product completely. Is is available for custom install in X3?

No, it's no longer included.
 
Scott

--
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Thanks, I thought it did not make the cut.

Hi Beeps well the Pultec EQ is a bit if a beast and it is not your average EQ in terms of how you use it. Not sure about the one included in X3, I am referring to the Nomad Pulstec EQ though. The full version that is. Not sure how that helps you but there may be some stuff here that is relevant.
 
I highly recommend that you first setup a source of pink noise. Insert the EQ and after that put in Voxengo Span. Set Span for a slope of 3dB to start with so the pink noise curve ends up totally horizontal. I also found that filling in the display below is also a good choice too.
 
A few things. Even with everything set flat and Input/Output level controls at 0 the EQ will introduce a few dB of gain. No biggie but worth noting. Watch what happens around 20K as well when it is switched in. It only has a response up to about 17Khz as well and then it drops off pretty quickly.
 
Start playing with all the controls one by one and observe what is happening on Span. The top section is all about the Mid Range. 'Peak' controls boost at the selected frequencies while 'Dip' controls obviously pull those freqs down. The bell curve is fixed here and is pretty relaxed.
 
There are two peak controls in the top section on the left and right. On the left the range of freqs is from 200 to 1K in steps on the right the peak controls continue on from 1.5K to 5K in steps. In the middle is the DIP control covering the range from 200Hz to 7Khz in steps and as you can see a pretty wide range there.
 
The Middle Section covers the ends of the spectrum with both peak and dip controls. The Lo Freq control covers 20, 30, 60 100Hz. Peak or dip. The High Freq controls are a little different though. The ATT control only works in conjunction with the ATT Select switch over on the very right. So you can only atten at 5K,10K and 20K. These are very gentle curves but quite noticeable however. The pink noise and span will really show what they are doing. The Boost control only works with that KCS switch and you can boost at 3,4,5,8,10,12 and 16 KHz. That bandwidth control is pretty fierce and had a major effect especially on the Span as you will see.
 
Now you can do things like ATT at say 10Khz but also boost at 8Khz at the same time and as you would expect you will get a sharper peak at say 8Khz but then a sudden drop at 10Khz. Do not be afraid to use the boost and att controls at the same time.
 
All the controls interact eg you could boost on the middle panel at say 5 Khz and also on the top panel using the peak control at 5Khz to get more action at 5Khz. But the top panel has a smoother bell while the bottom one can be a sharper peak with that bandwidth control set completely anticlockwise.
 
I love it on almost everything and it is a great mastering EQ as well. One of my faves is to set the DIP control around 300Hz and just dip an entire mix there (slightly) and hear all that upper lows or lower mid mud just disappear. Ultimately you just have to use it on either tracks, buses or a mix and just listen to what it is doing with your ears. Try not to move too many things at once, try single things at a time first to get an idea. Also when you use the boost controls at first it may seem not much is happening but listen carefully and you will realise a lot is happening. I can hear even the peak control at say 1k and a setting of 1 or 2 has a major impact on a mix. You wont hear it at first but after a while you start to really notice it.
 
I don't like the clipper control at all. I switch that off. It is not that nice. Also watch those Input/Output controls and VU's too. Switch that switch to INPUT and make sure your input levels are nice and switch over to OUTPUT to see what the levels are like leaving it as well. And yes you can drive the input hard and turn the output down for a more driven sound or back the input levels off and turn the output levels up for a cleaner sound.
 
Those Vintage switches are meant to remove I think the input transformers and things that give it an even more retro sound. With high quality masters that are pristine in sound I tend to switch the Vintage switches OFF to stop it from putting too much transformer sound in. But on the other hand on a track or a buss the vintage controls will push the sound of the transformers a bit more. But overall they are very subtle effects (Vintage switches that is)
 
Hope that helps. It does make things sound better even when nothing is being boosted or cut! The more you use it the better you will get.

Actually Beeps a master mix is an excellent place to start because a full mix has got everything going in it. The widest range of frequencies present and anything you fiddle with on the EQ is going to create an audible result. I often get students playing with high quailty full range mixes and equalisers to just get the hang of what is being effected and where.

I didn't realize the Nomadic stuff had a Pultec in it, which model is it Beeps? I am going to have to try it as well.

And there's another that is like an enhanced Pulteq, but I can't  remember it's name.

Isn't there also a pultec style equipment in the analog track one too?