|
|
Post by lpedrum on Feb 20, 2021 13:54:31 GMT -6
I’m not seeing a lot about this eq here on RGO. I’m intrigued by its claims to sweeten the top end in a unique and pleasing way, especially because there’s a reasonably priced 500 series mono version. Anyone here own one or use one?
|
|
|
|
Post by bram on Feb 20, 2021 14:19:03 GMT -6
I have the rack MS version on my mixbus and use it on 90% of my productions, I find it versatile in shaping the mix beyond just the silky ultra-high frequency sheen that it is known for. Valuable on individual instruments and vocals as well but it’s very easy to go overboard on the boosts because they sound so delicious. 🙃 One nice trick I’ve enjoyed on vocals is rolling off the highs via negative feedback on the Coil pres and bringing the sheen back with the clariphonic.
|
|
|
|
Post by lpedrum on Feb 20, 2021 14:38:40 GMT -6
I have the rack MS version on my mixbus and use it on 90% of my productions, I find it versatile in shaping the mix beyond just the silky ultra-high frequency sheen that it is known for. Valuable on individual instruments and vocals as well but it’s very easy to go overboard on the boosts because they sound so delicious. 🙃 One nice trick I’ve enjoyed on vocals is rolling off the highs via negative feedback on the Coil pres and bringing the sheen back with the clariphonic. That seems counterintuitive but if it works it works! It seems like owners of the Clariphonic rave about it but it’s still not that popular for whatever reason. Do you feel it does things that simply can’t be done with other EQs or that it just gets you there quicker and easier? |
|
|
|
Post by swurveman on Feb 20, 2021 15:40:53 GMT -6
It’s a shelving EQ. So, it has its limits. I sold mine and bought a GML 8200.
|
|
|
|
Post by stormymondays on Feb 20, 2021 15:56:28 GMT -6
Try the plugin. It really does something unique. Although you could always set up a parallel equalizer (which is what this is), but this will get you there faster and nicer. I always wanted to add a hardware piece to my racks but other things took preference.
|
|
|
|
Post by lpedrum on Feb 20, 2021 16:06:52 GMT -6
Try the plugin. It really does something unique. Although you could always set up a parallel equalizer (which is what this is), but this will get you there faster and nicer. I always wanted to add a hardware piece to my racks but other things took preference. Yeah, I'm going to download the demo soon. That said, what I read is that most folks who own the hardware claim that it has edge over the plugin. |
|
|
|
Post by bram on Feb 20, 2021 18:48:09 GMT -6
Does it do things other eq’s can’t? It is a parallel EQ which is different from my other options, and I use the MS mode a lot which is unique in that it allows you to turn your other hardware into MS modes as well.
I’d say give the software version a try and see how you like the vibe, should be close enough to give you an idea if the hardware would be worth it . The hardware version sounds lovely to my ears, and it inspires me to make music which in my opinion is the most important quality a piece of gear can have. Follow your bliss!
|
|
|
|
Post by drsax on Feb 20, 2021 19:31:07 GMT -6
It does it differently and with a lot less effort. It’s a sweet piece... a specialty piece, but that high end is so sweet. I have the hardware Clariphonic MS
|
|
|
|
Post by stormymondays on Feb 21, 2021 3:42:23 GMT -6
I have 1U rack space free and this is not helping!!! 😅
One of the reasons I didn’t buy it is because the Hammer EQ high bands are really good. If I hadn’t had a hammer 😄 the Clariphonic would be mine already...
|
|
|
|
Post by schmalzy on Feb 21, 2021 12:46:33 GMT -6
I have 1U rack space free and this is not helping!!! 😅 One of the reasons I didn’t buy it is because the Hammer EQ high bands are really good. If I hadn’t had a hammer 😄 the Clariphonic would be mine already... Kush has plugin versions of both. The Kush Hammer EQ is really good. Kush's Hammer and the Softube Summit EQF-100 are my two most common mix bus EQ plugins. Hammer has a little more personality and wildcard-ness while the Summit sounds a little more buttoned up and well-mannered...if that makes sense. But....we're talking about the Kush Clariphonic. I use Clariphonic in about 50% of my mixes. I probably use it on the mix bus 20% of my mixes. It's great at what it does. I don't need what it does on the mix bus THAT often but I bet I could start with it on the mix bus and be perfectly happy with it on 100% of my mixes instead. I use it most often, though, on ANYTHING that needs to be opened up. I mix other people's tracking a lot - a lot of DIY recordings - and often they just don't have a handle on how bright things could/should be tracked. Vocals, snare drums, room mics, overheads, pianos, heavy guitars (super awesome there for some reason...I don't know exactly why - maybe it messes up the phase stuff less because of the parallel nature of the EQ). It's my go-to for stuff that needs a more useful relationship between 600hz and everything above it before getting any other processing, it's my go-to when - after the mix has come together more - something need to be pushed toward this listener, and it's my go-to when I need beautiful top end. |
|
|
|
Post by stormymondays on Feb 21, 2021 13:15:58 GMT -6
Kush has plugin versions of both. The Kush Hammer EQ is really good. It's my go-to for stuff that needs a more useful relationship between 600hz and everything above it before getting any other processing, it's my go-to when - after the mix has come together more - something need to be pushed toward this listener, and it's my go-to when I need beautiful top end. Got both plugins too. Cool post, thanks for the info, I agree on usage for other people's tracks. I take it you have the plugin and not the hardware? |
|
|
|
Post by Vincent R. on Feb 21, 2021 13:58:23 GMT -6
It’s really nice. jtc111 has one and it sounds so musical. |
|
|
|
Post by jtc111 on Feb 21, 2021 14:28:31 GMT -6
I can't speak to the 500 version because I don't own it, but I do own the plugin and the hardware. Both are excellent but they're not exactly the same. With the same settings, the output from the hardware is quite a bit louder than from the plugin. I have no idea what is going on under the hood of the Clariphonic but it's not like anything else I own. When I bought mine, I had just finished mastering a cd (something like 12-14 songs) for a client. I had just sent the finished masters off and the client approved them. Since I had those songs fresh in my head, I tested the Clariphonic on them. The tweaks I made were subtle but nevertheless made those songs better. I went through every song and felt the Clariphonic improved all but one of them. Since the work was already done, I figured I'd give the client the chance to hear them. So I shot her an email and told her I was sending new versions of all but the one song. She went with every Clariphonic version and was blown away by the improvement. Both the box and the plugin are incredibly musical. Both offer a mid-side option which makes the Clariphonic useful for adding width to a mix. The hardware allows for another interesting option... you can run another piece of hardware through the Clariphonic allowing that other hardware to be used in mid-side. I have a pretty nice collection of outboard gear but the Clariphonic, along with the V-Comp, are my favorites by far.
|
|
|
|
Post by schmalzy on Feb 21, 2021 15:02:44 GMT -6
Kush has plugin versions of both. The Kush Hammer EQ is really good. It's my go-to for stuff that needs a more useful relationship between 600hz and everything above it before getting any other processing, it's my go-to when - after the mix has come together more - something need to be pushed toward this listener, and it's my go-to when I need beautiful top end. I take it you have the plugin and not the hardware? Correct. I don't have that hardware. How do you think the plugins compare to the hardware? |
|
|
|
Post by stormymondays on Feb 21, 2021 15:22:40 GMT -6
Well, I can only compare the Hammer EQ plugin with the Hammer 2 EQ hardware unit. They are not exactly the same unit, Kush modeled the older one. I really liked the plugin and I love the hardware.
|
|
