RECORDING May 2022 - 59

Pivot points
A see-saw or pivot EQ is akin to a
broad shelving EQ. However, rather
than boosting or cutting a single,
selected frequency range, it does both
simultaneously in an equally reactive
way. The big thing to note, the chosen
frequency is the pivot point. It is not the
frequency being boosted or cut. When
you increase the treble side, the bass
side gets lowered and vice versa - like a
see-saw. Unlike an actual teeter-totter, its
reaction is not flat or linear. The EQ52
features a broadly rounded bell that
grows bolder as it is pushed.
Gentle sweeps and cuts
The unique part of the EQ52 is not
that you can select from two frequency
ranges. It's that you can sweep through
them to find the best use. This is one of
those devices where big dial turns will
yield massive sonic changes fast. In
most cases, .5 to 2.5dB may be all that
is needed to produce the best results.
In practice
Recording_PSI_HalfPage_Horizontal_June_2021_PRINT.pdf
On a full mix, a pivot point of 700 Hz
with 1dB of low boost added heft and
warmed up the highs in a very subtle
polished way. Set to 8.1 kHz with a 2dB
low boost added fullness while shaving
a pinch of harshness off the top end. The
mix was richer and less brittle.
A broad high cut cleaned out high-end
grunge on a DI bass take, while a 50 Hz
low cut cleared out mud. Sweeping the
pivot point on the see-saw EQ offered
the choice of better string definition on
the high side or a pillow-like vintage Motown
weight on the low.
The EQ52 makes an excellent drum
bus shaper, especially with a high-mid
pivot point that adds presence and tames
cymbal bite, or it can add sizzle and air
while lessening the low-end bloom.
One area that you can dig deep with
this EQ is electric guitar. Here I preferred
to sweep the frequency until I found the
best point to pull back the lows and low
mids and push the mid presence forward,
dialing in the high-cut to tame any
ear-splitting aggression.
On vocals, it's a great tool to add a
gentle air, presence and fullness or a
touch of gently rounded polish.
1
6/25/21 12:08 PM
Considerations
Again, this is a finesse piece, and
the smooth, resistant knobs aid nicely
in the task. Having said that, they
are on the petite side and can be hard
to read and set to precise settings.
Matching a stereo pair can be tricky.
However, Eric suggests getting the settings
close and then flipping the phase
of one channel and gently adjusting
the controls until phase cancelation
occurs, reflip the phase, and you will
be good to go for stereo bus and mastering
tasks. It helps that the EQ52 is
incredibly phase-accurate.
Conclusions
The Ingram Engineering EQ52 is a
magnificent tone-shaping device that
offers great-sounding, fast results with a
gentle turn of a knob or two. It's also
highly affordable, and you can get a
pair for less than the cost of most single
500 Series EQs or preamps, and trust
me, you will want more than one.
Price: $375
More from: ingramengineering.net
http://ingramengineering.net http://www.psiaudio.com http://11dmedia.com
RECORDING May 2022

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