Recording - March 2013 - 56

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Kush Audio Clariphonic Parallel Equalizer
and Clariphonic DSP Plug-in

Kush Audio came to life a good five
years ago when noted audio engineer
Gregory Scott (nicknamed UBK) came up
with a custom mod for the Empirical Labs EL
7 Fatso Jr. The UBK Edition Fatso kept the
original’s transformer and warmth sections
intact, but altered the seven preset compression ratios and settings to make the unit
better suited to individual instrument tracking and mixing compared to the original’s
bent towards bus compression and tape
simulation. It also sported a new light-coffee
brown face plate that has since become the
look of the Kush Audio line. If you are interested in an in-depth look at the entire Fatso
family (including the Universal Audio UADplatform plug-in version) and their differences, please check out the comparison
review in our May 2011 issue.
The Kush line has grown to include a
modular monitor controller named the
Gain Train, a unique compression/saturation/density plug-in dubbed the UBK-1
(look for an upcoming review), a new
equalizer announced at this year’s AES
called the Electra, and the pair of products we are looking at today: the
Clariphonic Parallel Equalizer and its
plug-in counterpart, the Clariphonic DSP.

Parallel equalization
What is “parallel equalization”? If the
term makes you think of the process of
parallel compression, where a compressed audio source is mixed alongside
the original dry signal, resulting in a
sound that is equal parts controlled and
squashed yet retains a blend of its full transient dynamics, you would be partially on
the right track, as parallel eq is similar.
The Clariphonic splits an incoming signal into three separate audio paths—one
dry, plus two choices of eq—and then
blends them back together at the output.
However, it differs in that the Clariphonic
56

RECORDING March 2013

Hardware or software versions of a uniquely musical eq idea

is not your typical full-range or multi-band
eq. There are only two active bands of eq
per channel, and the unit only focuses on
upper mids, highs, and ultra-high frequencies, with the goal of improved clarity. In fact, the original name for the unit
in its early stages was the Clarity Control.
Open the box: The Clariphonic
The Clariphonic is a 2-channel singlespace 19" rackmount device. Both channels are identical. The unit sports the
brown Kush look and is trimmed in black
with crème-colored vintage-looking chicken-head knobs. On the back, each channel has a balanced XLR/TRS Combo
input as well as balanced XLR and 1/4"
TRS outputs; the unit automatically selects
balanced or unbalanced operation
depending on cabling.
In the center of the front panel is the
power switch with matching yellow LEDs.
Next to that is a pair of switches marked FF
or Full Frequency with corresponding green
LEDs. When they are engaged you hear
the unit in all its parallel glory; in the off
position you can audition one or all of the
affected frequencies for better control and
understanding of what is being added. But
which frequencies, and what do they do?
By ear
Mr. Scott is an engineer who is more
concerned with sound, feel and ease of
use then he is with the numbers. As such,

most of his devices and plug-ins carry
nebulous and often humorous names
rather than decibel or frequency settings.
This will delight some and frustrate others.
All eq bands on the unit are additive
only and this unit does not offer any cutting or attenuation. It’s also worth noting
that all the eq bands are shelving, aside
from the midrange shelf which can be
switched to a wide bell curve with a frontpanel toggle switch. While each band
centers on a preselected frequency, a
healthy range of adjacent frequencies are
affected as well.
Each channel has two sections, Focus
and Clarity, each with its own collection
of toggle switches, cryptic names, and a
single chicken-head knob.
Into focus
Focus is essentially the mid section and
has a two-position toggle switch marked
Lift and Open, and a three-position switch
marked Tight, Diffuse and Out (bypass).
Lift centers roughly on 800 Hz and
Open is approximately centered on 3
kHz. The Tight and Diffuse controls are
not frequencies; they switch between the
abovementioned shelving curve and bell
curve.
The Lift setting is the fullest traditional eq
on the unit and gives the feeling of the
widest boost, or lift (!), in the overall mix.
Open could also have been called ‘Punch’
or ‘Pop’ in my opinion; it gives snare

Recording - March 2013

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