life after the DEQ 2496

Tim Perry

Tim Perry

Sophomore
Jan 11, 2011
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Utica, NY
Ok so my DEQ flaked out tonight. It later came back to life... but I can no longer trust it's reliability. Another DEQ let me down on 3 critical shows. Most of the features are nice, but I primarily am interested in stereo tracking graphic and parametric EQ.

I know about the Alesis * in one box.

What's the next step up?
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Are you looking to spend a little more on the second round? Are you only looking for a 2 channel unit like this one ready to give yourself more flexibility? You could find yourself a DriveRack PA and get the same features and more - minus the word clock. You would just need to lower the HPF of the High Outs to give you a full range signal.

Are you going analog or digital from your source to the "mastering" unit?
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

We used the DEQ's on monitors for a couple of years with no issues, however, they are frowned upon by "rider" acts. We now use analog DBX 231's......less money....less features......says DBX lol :)
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

It's nice to have a digital EQ with AES I/O at a reasonable price. The digital I/O enables me to insert the device without more AD/DA conversion, keeping things cleaner.

My big question is, and it's a bit of a hijack, how would one even use a regular graphic EQ with a system that is all digital? I'm very shortly going to be using Cobranet to distribute audio directly from a digital console to the amplifiers over a network. There is absolutely no way to insert a Graphic EQ anywhere, other than using the console's built-in ones. I know that graphic EQs are actually pretty useless in reality, but what if an act insisted on one? What would you do?

Tim, back to you, why do you need a graphic? Six bands of parametric should do everything you would ever need to do with a system. What does the rest of your system look like? Do you have more EQ elsewhere you could repurpose?
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Silas Pradetto said:
My big question is, and it's a bit of a hijack, how would one even use a regular graphic EQ with a system that is all digital? I'm very shortly going to be using Cobranet to distribute audio directly from a digital console to the amplifiers over a network. There is absolutely no way to insert a Graphic EQ anywhere, other than using the console's built-in ones. I know that graphic EQs are actually pretty useless in reality, but what if an act insisted on one? What would you do?
Click to expand...

Unless the mix masters have an insert I don't know about I think you are stuck with the ones built into the console. If someone is really insisting, and can't deal with the fader flip, I think they are going to be having other major problems with the board as well.
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Silas Pradetto said:
My big question is, and it's a bit of a hijack, how would one even use a regular graphic EQ with a system that is all digital? I'm very shortly going to be using Cobranet to distribute audio directly from a digital console to the amplifiers over a network. There is absolutely no way to insert a Graphic EQ anywhere, other than using the console's built-in ones. I know that graphic EQs are actually pretty useless in reality, but what if an act insisted on one? What would you do?
Click to expand...

Pretty much every digi console let's you patch inserts. You burn an input and and output and just patch in a graphic. I've had to do it a few times when an act wants either a 31 band, or more likely, an analog vocal channel. You go through an additional AD/DA conversion process but to these acts it doesn't matter.

On the flip side to that, we have now included a couple of ways to get analog from the stage to FOH and back to the stage so that those acts with a rack for their star vocal can remain analog until it goes into the stage rack. We run a 4 channel aes-ebu snake to FOH and use that sometimes for analog signals. Or we also have some boxes that take one of our spare ethernet lines and turns it into 2 channels of XLR.
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

I have some thoughts, but need to ask a few questions... What console are you using? Is this PA a permanent installation in a venue?
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Kip Conner said:
I have some thoughts, but need to ask a few questions... What console are you using? Is this PA a permanent installation in a venue?
Click to expand...

I have a number of mixers but generally prefer my Soundcraft LX7. Most recently I picked up an old Behringer DDX but I am not fast or comfortable with it.

My systems are all portable PA.
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Silas Pradetto said:
Tim, back to you, why do you need a graphic? Six bands of parametric should do everything you would ever need to do with a system. What does the rest of your system look like? Do you have more EQ elsewhere you could repurpose?
Click to expand...

You are correct. I nearly always deploy stereo mains and have come to enjoy linked left/right EQ.

The system i currently have deployed looks like this.
 

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Re: life after the DEQ 2496

My first choice would be a used BSS Varicurve FDS-926. 2RU, 2ch, 6 bands of analog parametric per channel, linkable channels, MIDI expandable with other varicurve components but not as a master, no A/D D/A conversion.

Second choice would be a Ashly Protea 4.24G, 2RU 4ch, 28-band graphic + comp + delay per channel, 24-bit A/D D/A, linkable channels, MIDI expandable and can act as the control interface for other "blank panel" 4.24 components.
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Matt Errend said:
My first choice would be a used BSS Varicurve FDS-926. 2RU, 2ch, 6 bands of analog parametric per channel, linkable channels, MIDI expandable with other varicurve components but not as a master, no A/D D/A conversion.

Second choice would be a Ashly Protea 4.24G, 2RU 4ch, 28-band graphic + comp + delay per channel, 24-bit A/D D/A, linkable channels, MIDI expandable and can act as the control interface for other "blank panel" 4.24 components.
Click to expand...

+1 to both recommendations, but i would reverse the order. i love the BSS, but the protea's combo of features along with it's rock solid reliability and it's super ease of use makes it hard to beat.

now, if you can find the great varicurve remote and you don't need delay then all bets are off...
 
Re: life after the DEQ 2496

Other than the lack of linking, I'm pretty pleased with the Rane RPM series (later models, with Ethernet connection). They have all the toys built in, including a couple of AES I/0, and they sell cheap on eBay (no local control - must have a PC).
 
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