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Product 501583

Empirical Labs ELQ Lil FrEQ Equalizer

The Lil FrEQ Equalizer is a modern digitally controlled analog EQ offering unprecedented performance, and control over equalization. In a single heig...Click To Read More About This Product

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OVERVIEW

Fantastic-sounding EQ, de-esser, and instrument DI in one.

The Lil FrEQ Equalizer is a modern digitally controlled analog EQ offering unprecedented performance, and control over equalization. In a single height unit, Empirical Labs offers seven frequency shaping controls and one dynamic section and every frequency is covered in at least two sections.

HP
The High Pass section is a sharp filter that cuts all content below one of eight pre-selected frequencies. We call this particular filter a "colored" filter since it is very steep and has a special shape that prevents thinning out frequencies just above the "cutoff" frequency. The corner frequency is indicated by LEDs that glow softly when the section is bypassed, and brightly when the section is engaged. As with all the EQ sections in the Lil FrEQ, there is a dedicated bypass switch.


High and Low Shelving
These are very similar to your standard "Tone Controls", but extremely high performance, providing exceptionally smooth boost and cut on the "bass" and "treble" frequencies.


Parametric EQ Sections
The ELQ Equalizer offers four sections of fully parametric EQ... possibly the cleanest parametric EQ section ever produced- operating below .0007% THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) at extremely high audio levels.



Dynamic EQ Section
The DS section combines filters with a compressor-like circuit that can help contain and control excessive high frequency content such as sibilants, especially in the absence of other lower frequency content. There are two modes of operation, with threshold control as well as a frequency select control. The ELQ equalizer has four LEDs that indicate the amount of Gain Reduction: -1.5dB, -8dB, -14dB, -24dB. The DS section provides the highest performance, easiest to use, and most natural De-esser ever built, as well as a one of a kind, soft knee High Frequency Limiter.


About Empirical Labs:
Empirical Labs was started in 1988 and functioned mainly as a recording studio and electronics consulting firm. The founder, Dave Derr, was also employed at the time by Eventide as an audio engineer and was one of the core designers of their legendary H3000. EL's first product, the EL8 Distressor (#501578) immediately took the recording industry by storm and hardly a record has been made without it since. With a mission "to make products that work a little easier, a little better, a lot longer, and are fun to use," Empirical Labs continues to create unique and innovate products that quickly find homes among the top professionals of the audio industry (and anyone else who wants in on the Empirical Labs sound).


Empirical Labs Users:
Aerosmith - Joe Perry (8 Distressors)
Al Schmidt
Alanis Morrisette
Angela Piva - Mary J Blige, Naughty by Nature, Janet Jackson
Ashes dIvide
Billy Howerdel
Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Niacin, David Lee Roth)
Bob Clearmountain - Journey, Bryan Adams, Stones, Springstein, etc, etc, etc!
Bob Dylan
Bob Powers
Bon Jovi
Brendan O'Brien -Producer Mixdown Engineer
Bruce Calder - (Electric Lady Studios, Degeneration)
Butch Vig
Cher
Chimera
Chris Lord Alge
Chuck Ainlay
Clair Brothers
Cold Play
Craig Melvin (Gloria Estefan)
Creed - Eight Distressors on their 2003 tour
D & D Studios NYC
Daniel Lanois (U2)
Dave Hewitt - Remote Recording Services
Dave Matthews ”
David Kahne
Death Cab for Cutie
Disturbed
Dolly Parton
Don Was
Dust Brothers (John King)
Ed Cherney -
Ed Kowalcyzk - Live
Eddie Kramer (JimiHendrix)
Effanel Remote recording - Randy Ezratty, 2003 Grammys
Elton John
Eminem
Eric Schilling - Gloria Estefan, John Secada
Finn Halle - Germany
Fiona Apple
Five Towns College (6 Distressors)
Fleetwood Mac
Fletcher
Full Sail School for the Recording Arts
George Massenburg
Goo Goo Dolls
Greg Calbi - Sterling Sound
Gungi Patterson
Hole
Jason Slater - Snake River Conspiracy
Jay Baumgartner - NRG Studios
Jay Gordon - Producer, Lead Vocalist of Orgy
Jerry Harrison - Live, Verve Pipe, (12 Distressors)
Jerry Only - The Misfits
Joe Berisi
Joe Chicarelli - Hole, Beck, U2, etc!
Joe Satriani
John Agnello - Producer, Engineer, Mixer
John Kurzweg - Creed
John McBride at Blackbird Studios - 8 Distressors, 4 Fatsos, 2 Lil FrEQs
John Paterno
John Patterson ”
John Sicket
Josh Abraham (Orgy, Staind, Korn, Limp Bizkit)
Judy Saiya
Julien - K
Kevin Killen
Kip Winger
Kooster McAllister - Record Plant Remote
Linkin Park
Marc Costanzo, Len
Mark Anthony
Mark Plati - David Bowie
Maroon 5
Matt Wallace
Megadeth
Metallica
Michael Bienhorn
Michael Wilton (Queensrych)
Micheal Brauer - Sony Studios NYC
Mick Gazauski ” (Mariah Carey, Boyz 2 Men, Toni Braxton, etc.)
Mick Hughes - Metallica FOH Engineer
Mike Keating (Sting, Bush, Springstein live)
Mike Shipley
Millbrook Sound
Mitch Goldfarb
Mutt Lange
N SYNC
Natalie Merchant
Nate Kunkel
Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue)
Nine Inch Nails
Outsmarting Simon
Paul Tennebekk (Norway's Midwest Audio)
Peter Denenberg
Phil (the Buther) Nicolo (The Stones, Amy Grant, Sting, Aerosmith, Judy Saiya)
Phil Ramone/John Patterson
Rammstein
Real World Studios - (Peter Gabriel's facility in England)
Ricky Martin
Roey Shamir - Information Society, Al B Sure
Ross Hogarth - (Jewel, Coal Chamber, Grade 8)
Ryan Hewitt - Engineer Extraordinare
Scott Anthony - Dessau recording, Beastie Boys
Seal - on tour
Sean Beresford (3rd Eye Blind)
Shania Twain
Sheryl Crow
Sound Kitchen
Staind
Sting
Stone Temple Pilots
Sue Shoemaker - Blues Traveler
Tchad Blake - Sheryl Crow, Richard Thompson, Crowded House, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt
The Academy Is
The Police
The Voyager Remote Truck in Paris
The Who
Tom Lord Alge
Tony Levin
Wheatus
Whitney Houston
Woodland Studios - Robert Solomon

FEATURES
  • Eight sections of processing
  • Two shelving Equalizers, Special 3rd order HP (Low Cut) section with 8 selectable Frequencies, 4 Fully Parametric bands, and one Dynamic Equalizer section.
  • Dynamic Section that can be used for De-essing and high frequency softening.
  • Movable Dynamic Section. For instance, De-essing can be before or after EQ.
  • Highest audio performance of any Parametric EQ ever available. The total harmonic distortion is typically below .0006% with all EQ bands Engaged! (See specs). Empirical Labs had to buy a new analyzer to even measure the distortion.
  • Performance exceeds any digital EQ in terms of Distortion and Noise. There is no Analog to Digital Converter that can currently produce such low distortion and noise.
  • Built in Instrument Preamp/Direct box ” Just plug a guitar or bass etc into the front panel and engage the instrument Switch, and you have the highest performance direct box currently available. Distortion is below .0007% on the Instrument Preamp, 114dB dynamic range.
  • Three Outputs, including a Class A transformer output to give you an isolated output with the wonderful soft saturation and beefy low end that you get from your favorite vintage gear.
  • Traditional and digitally controlled analog combined in new topology.
  • Huge "DISTRESSOR" knobs with high resolution numbering - For easy readability and repeatable settings. They also go to 10 1/2 .
  • A "BAD!" Hard Clip Indicator lights ” A "Bad" Clip LED that lets user know he is within 1dB of hard clipping. It monitors every section of the EQ for internal clipping.
  • Locked, calibrated, output level - Allows speed in setting tape and live mix levels.
  • Foolproof operation - it's almost impossible to clip or get a bad sound.
  • Single height and light weight ” More EQ processing than any other single height analog EQ.
  • Discrete and integrated combination -The best of speed/linearity with repeatability. Hand tested & selected components. All metal film and Roederstein resistors in the audio path - top quality components, most being high temperature military spec parts.
  • Switchable 115/230 volt operation - Extra fuse provided inside unit.
  • True EQ bypass - Know what it's really doing.
  • XLR and 1/4" phone ins and outs - XLR fully balanced design, pin 2 hot. Changeable by user to pin 3 hot!
  • No internal connectors, high reliability parts and military grade switches and relays. All contacts doubled up for maximum reliability.
  • Three year unlimited warranty.
  • Interface and features found nowhere else.
  • Hand wired, calibrated in USA. Shipping weight 14 Lbs.

With everything you could expect in a hi-end EQ and then some, at a price that won't break the bank!

SPECIFICATIONS
  • Freq. Response:
  • 5 Hz to 140 kHz on transformerless inputs and outputs.
  • Transformer Output response is 10Hz to 110kHz .
  • Dynamic Range:
  • 120 dB from maximum output (.1% clipping) to minimum output. Greater than 110 dB signal to noise.
  • Distortion Ranges: between .00056% and .005% depending on mode and settings. DS section has THD < .005%.
    DC coupled Input and Outputs and one transformer coupled Output
  • High quality audio caps used internally.
  • Dynamic Time Constants:
  • Attack is approximately .5mS. Release .04 sec, fixed internally.

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