Kush Electra vs other EQs

I don't have the hardware but I have the plugin. It's supposed to be a clean eq so I don't expect the hardware vs software debate to really hold much water in this particular case. Kush does really cool stuff and when they want dirt, they get it. When they want clean - which is rare - they seem to do a pretty good job of getting that, too.

I dig the plugin. It's a good 2nd EQ. I don't think it's an only EQ. The low shelf is really nice to add weight. Pair that with the 12db/oct slightly resonant hpf and there's some shaping that can happen down there in a pretty nice way. The midrange bands go from gentle to notch-y. I think that's where they get the "Electrified transient" portion of the description. If you grab the right frequency and give the gain a twist you can really jump the transient forward away from the rest of the sound. The high shelf is nice in a gentle-yet-dangerous way. I've accidentally applied GOBS of it before it sounded like too much...and then it was REALLY too much. I like it.

I don't particularly use it a ton anymore. Between my stock DAW EQ for notching/picking up slack and the EQs in my Console 1 channel strips I get most of my EQ needs met. Every now and then I'll use something like the Boz Digital Labs +10db channel strip for some brightness on a source or a little more sculpting if additional compression is also required. My master bus will typically get either the Kush Hammer or the Kush Clariphonic. Now that I think about it, though, I'm going to use it on my next bass guitar, kick drum, and acoustic guitar.

I’ve never used the hardware, but I always find the plugin version to be really confusing. I do like the way it sounds quite a bit, but I rarely reach for it b/c it always takes me awhile to figure it out.

Awesome, I just hate how the HPF isn't numbered other than 25 to 400. Is it safe to say to set HPF at 100 hz, the dial would be between 2 and 3 o'clock?

If there is a situation where you really need to know where the hi pass is at other than listening, you can simply run white noise out of a channel, Through the Electra, then back into an aux channel with something like a fabfilter eq inserted. Twist the dial and watch where it’s cutting the white noise.

Drums all the way. You can really mangle them with the Electra without it sounding all phasey and weird. They're worth owning for that alone.

I think a large part of my issue with the plugin is the concentric “knobs“. It’s hard to do those well in software, IMO. I would imagine the hardware could get a good sound happening with two hands really quickly.

With you on this 100% - Had a pair and whilst I LOVE Kush's gear, ideals and over methods - the Electra's were not for me.  I got them before the plugin came out.

Did some testing of the plugin vs. the HW Electra's and TBH - the plugin sounded and behaved basically identically.  So close that I couldn't justify keeping them.  I know, heresy but just my honest opinion. 

ITB EQ is REALLY good these days - (unless a bunch of tube and transformer non-linearities are part of the HW EQ's "sound") and attempting to be emulated; then I can hear the difference .  Compression on the other hand is still not there yet (unless you're going for a really fast, mangly-thing), but again, this is all just IMO...

....but DUDE!!!  I am SO WITH YOU on the OG 7602 (the first version they released which is basically a clone of a TG2/1073).  THAT thing's EQ is BONKERS.  And again, that's saying a LOT coming from us, hahaha.  The mic pre isn't anything to particularly write home about but mannnnn that EQ!!  SO GOOD.

 

Just used it on an acoustic guitar bus today on a semi-modern country song. Took a pair acoustic guitar tracks (two different guitar sounds playing a similar part) to a nice cohesive place that served the song a little better.

I do a lot of my EQing in layers. It feels a bit like whittling where I'm shaping then reshaping then reshaping as more and more of the song is found or defined. The individual channels got EQ to get the rough mix in the ballpark. Little saturation and a little compression, EQ some notch-y stuff if necessary (one side of the acoustic guitars had a resonance around 1.2kHz and the other had something around 3.5kHz - two different guitars with the same mic setup). Ran it into a bus but felt like the levels were still never right - jumping out or underserving their role - no matter how much automation went into the levels. So I used Electra to fit the acoustics into the track that little bit more. It really cleanly fit the two different acoustic guitar sounds right where they needed to be and gave the two different sounds a little extra unification they didn't have before.

Full Disclosure: They've been amazing overall in my interactions. Both the previous owner and the current owner. Both owners answered my emails and took my phone calls themselves. My problems with the units started a few years back...maybe as far as 2015? It's hard to remember this stuff!

I had a pair of 7602 MkIIs. They both developed problems - one's problem was intermittent and the other was completely unusable. They had some difficulty getting them repaired because their repair guy was in China overseeing new the 7603 development. He was scheduled to be there for 3 weeks after I sent my stuff in for repair. 9 weeks later he still hadn't come back.

So they sent me two brand new preamps they had in the shop. Consecutive serial numbers.

They show up and the boxes say 7602 Mk II. I open 'em and they're 7602 MkII XMods. Sooooo...big upgrade. I called to tell them they sent me the wrong thing and they told me to keep 'em because they didn't have two of the non-XMods in the shop. They also mentioned that they're not going to be able to work on the old models anymore.

That might have changed. Maybe I misunderstood and they only meant the wouldn't be able to work on the old models for a period of time. But I wasn't going to bother them again after they've been generous and dealt with me calling and emailing regularly while they were trying to sort out my units and their new production line.

Plus, if Audioscape wants to take a peek at it and develop a killer product then I'd be more than happy to help that happen while it gets repaired.

Appreciate you thinking of us for this but to answer your question with the utmost honesty (as always) because we get asked about "repairs" quite a bit - we simply don't have the time or the manpower to take on repairs - it's also not really an area where we have much interest at the moment but that could change as it seems there is a lack of good techs out there!  ;-)

A buddy of ours had the 7602 MKII X-Mod but I didn't like it as much as the OG 7602 which definitely sounded different and was constructed differently (circuit board, layout, etc...)

I recommend you posting to the GroupDIY forum in one of the appropriate sub-forums and I am SURE you will find someone VERY qualified to send your unit to and have it repaired!

As it is - we can't keep up with the assembly / demand for our own products, not to mention all of the other things we have on our plate (new product development, prototyping, marketing, socials, emails, ordering parts, keeping our assemblers on track... the list goes on and on! hahaha).

We'd love to help our AS FAM but repairs we can't do.  If I think of anyone who would be a good fit for you I'll post the info here!

If they worked on yours 9 months ago that is more recent than the last time I talked to 'em. My problems were in 2015 so your experience is MUCH more recent than mine.

I'll have to get ahold of them again. Thanks for the info!