Recording - November 2013 - 48

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

Millennia Media NSEQ-2 EQ for the

Universal Audio UAD-2 and Apollo
The NSEQ-2 is a high-fidelity masteringgrade equalizer created by Millennia
Media and featuring the company’s
famed Twin Topology design. Twin
Topology, also found in the company’s
TCL-2 Twin Com mastering compressor
and the SST-1 Origin channel strip, offers
users a choice of a solid-state or a tubebased signal path at the touch of a button.
The NSEQ-2 was first introduced over
14 years ago and has stood the test of
time as a popular piece in many mastering
houses and recording studios alike. Now,
thanks to Universal Audio, the NSEQ-2
has made the jump to the plug-in realm by
way of the company’s popular UAD-2
series of DSP engines and Apollo interfaces. I recently had a chance to compare
it to my trusty NSEQ-2, a fixture in my studio for years, and to try it out against
Millennia Media’s new NSEQ-4, a newlydesigned eq with strikingly different design
from its predecessor (see the sidebar).
The UA-Brainworx connection
Like the Shadow Hills Mastering
Compressor plug-in (reviewed March
2013) and the bx_digital V2 (reviewed in
its native non-UAD form back in August
2012), the NSEQ-2 plug-in’s modeling
and coding was handled through
Universal Audio’s continuing partnership
with the folks at Brainworx.
The plug-in version is a spec-for-spec
recreation of the hardware, and every
knob, switch, feature and function has
been modeled in great detail, along with
a few additions only possible in software. So let’s start with a reintroduction
48

RECORDING November 2013

An exactingly musical equalizer makes its software debut

to the hardware unit, with the understanding that all features and functions
apply to the software as well, short of
physical connections.
An NESQ-2 tour
The NSEQ-2 is a two-space rack unit
measuring 19" W x 3.5" H x 12.5" D and
weighing 26 lbs. It is big, deep and heavy,
and with 4 tubes inside it is also fry-an-egg
hot!
Visually it features Millennia’s standard
thick gloss piano-black faceplate, or it can
be ordered custom with an upgraded
pewter-colored metallic crackle finish. (Note
that the plug-in makes use of the black finish,
but it would have been cool to have a reskin button to give it the upgraded look...
just sayin’.) The unit’s controls are boutique
quality and its jewel-toned push buttons are
brightly illuminated when engaged.
The NSEQ-2 is a 2-channel 4-band
parametric equalizer with a choice of a
Class-A FET signal path, or a 300V ClassA triode tube path. Both are completely
discrete and no transformers are used in
the unit. In keeping with Millennia’s commitment to signal purity, the XLR ins and
outs on the back of the unit are unbalanced so as not to degrade the signal,
although a balanced option is available.
See the sidebar for a selection of specs.

Roll out the bands
Each channel contains four bands of eq
that can be individually engaged with a
red illuminated push button along the top.
At the bottom each band uses a large 21step detented pot for 20 dB of boosting or
cutting, and each band has controls for
frequency selection and Q.
The low band offers stepped frequency
choices of 20, 34, 56, 100, 180 or 270
Hz. Rather than a Q control on the low
band there is a yellow button that selects
a bell or shelving curve.
The low mid band has a variable frequency knob from 20 Hz–220 Hz, while
the high mid band similarly offers a choice
of 250 Hz–2.5 kHz. Both have a variable
Q of 0.4 to 4.0. Each mid band also contains a yellow button labeled X10 that
shifts each band’s frequency range times
ten for choices of 200 Hz–2.2 kHz and
2.5 kHz–25 kHz respectively.
The high band is similar to the low band,
with stepped frequencies of 4.8, 5.8, 8.0,
10, 16 or 21 kHz and again a choice of a
bell or shelving curve in lieu of a Q.
Unlike on many typical parametric
equalizers, none of the frequencies in the
NSEQ-2 overlap, unless the mid bands
are shifted by ten.
A final six buttons are located in the center
of the unit. The top green row is for engaging



Recording - November 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2013

Recording - November 2013
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Creativity And Community: A Chat With Kristian Bush
Reviewed & Revisited: Apple Logic Pro X
Write—Record—Release—ROCK!
Yamaha HS7 Monitors And HS8S Subwoofer
The Windup... And The Pitch
DPA Microphones d:facto II Handheld Vocal Microphone
Focal Spirit Professional Headphones
Songwriter’s Intervention
Millennia Media NSEQ-2 EQ For The Universal Audio UAD-2 and Apollo
Be Ready!
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 23: Compression—Part 2
Readers’ Tapes
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - November 2013 - Intro
Recording - November 2013 - Recording - November 2013
Recording - November 2013 - Cover2
Recording - November 2013 - 1
Recording - November 2013 - 2
Recording - November 2013 - 3
Recording - November 2013 - Fade In
Recording - November 2013 - 5
Recording - November 2013 - Contents
Recording - November 2013 - 7
Recording - November 2013 - Talkback
Recording - November 2013 - 9
Recording - November 2013 - Fast Forward
Recording - November 2013 - 11
Recording - November 2013 - 12
Recording - November 2013 - 13
Recording - November 2013 - Creativity And Community: A Chat With Kristian Bush
Recording - November 2013 - 15
Recording - November 2013 - 16
Recording - November 2013 - 17
Recording - November 2013 - 18
Recording - November 2013 - 19
Recording - November 2013 - Reviewed & Revisited: Apple Logic Pro X
Recording - November 2013 - 21
Recording - November 2013 - 22
Recording - November 2013 - 23
Recording - November 2013 - 24
Recording - November 2013 - 25
Recording - November 2013 - Write—Record—Release—ROCK!
Recording - November 2013 - 27
Recording - November 2013 - 28
Recording - November 2013 - 29
Recording - November 2013 - 30
Recording - November 2013 - 31
Recording - November 2013 - 32
Recording - November 2013 - 33
Recording - November 2013 - 34
Recording - November 2013 - 35
Recording - November 2013 - Yamaha HS7 Monitors And HS8S Subwoofer
Recording - November 2013 - 37
Recording - November 2013 - The Windup... And The Pitch
Recording - November 2013 - 39
Recording - November 2013 - 40
Recording - November 2013 - 41
Recording - November 2013 - DPA Microphones d:facto II Handheld Vocal Microphone
Recording - November 2013 - 43
Recording - November 2013 - Focal Spirit Professional Headphones
Recording - November 2013 - 45
Recording - November 2013 - Songwriter’s Intervention
Recording - November 2013 - 47
Recording - November 2013 - Millennia Media NSEQ-2 EQ For The Universal Audio UAD-2 and Apollo
Recording - November 2013 - 49
Recording - November 2013 - 50
Recording - November 2013 - 51
Recording - November 2013 - 52
Recording - November 2013 - 53
Recording - November 2013 - 54
Recording - November 2013 - 55
Recording - November 2013 - Be Ready!
Recording - November 2013 - 57
Recording - November 2013 - 58
Recording - November 2013 - 59
Recording - November 2013 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 23: Compression—Part 2
Recording - November 2013 - 61
Recording - November 2013 - 62
Recording - November 2013 - 63
Recording - November 2013 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - November 2013 - Advertiser Index
Recording - November 2013 - 66
Recording - November 2013 - 67
Recording - November 2013 - 68
Recording - November 2013 - 69
Recording - November 2013 - 70
Recording - November 2013 - 71
Recording - November 2013 - Fade Out
Recording - November 2013 - Cover3
Recording - November 2013 - Cover4
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