Pultec: Does It 500? (EQ Shootout)

In this debut episode of "Does It 500?" Producer Matty Amendola compares the sound of an original tube Pultec to 500-series alternatives, from Pulse Techniques, A-Designs, IGS, and Bettermaker.
Thanks to help from Access Analog, this EQ shootout contains A/B comparisons on the mix bus, drums, bass, vocals, and more.
Visit AccessAnalog.com, where you can even try a free demo of the service, which allows you to robotically control real high-end vintage hardware for use in your sessions and mixes.
Special thanks also to artist Cyn Electric for allowing us to use their music in this episode. Check out Matty's mix in the music video here: • Cyn Electric - If It K...
To see more from Matty Amendola, visit: www.mattyamend...
www.825records... / mattyamendola
#500series #pultec #mixing #500 #mattyamendola #bettermaker #igs #accessanalog

[@aleksamrkela831]

I generally prefer solid-state Pultecs over tube Pultecs for low end processing. It just sounds more solid and focused. Great demo!

[@mrsayang]

Great comparison and great video. Thanks so much.

[@cashsounds3704]

Pultec 500s too meee easily sound the best very full, most true to source, and smooth like butter

[@geoffreymerrifield5666]

Really great video and info. Such a drag Bettermaker discontinued their 500 Series EQ ugh!!!

[@preciseaudioblog]

Great job! Thank you!

[@SoundScienceMediaWorks]

Really want to see the Prometheus from Wes audio in this shootout

[@RipperFromYT]

I own 2 Pultec 500x and also the Wes Audio Prometheus. Both units are fantastic. To me the Pultecs sound a bit more "raw/looser" and the WesAudio a bit more polished/tighter (almost compressed). When I say that I'm talking about a very subtle difference. Control wise, the Pultec knobs aren't stepped and also pretty loose and being so tight together it's pretty easy to bump a knob. WesAudio's plug in control is amazing. Period. Works and reacts exactly like it should. Even more important to me is the hardware preset buttons on the WesAudio. Makes it easy for tracking different chains without dealing with a plug in. Bad side is itsimpossible to recall a mix/setting on it without the plug in. The lights in place of numbers/lines just aren't as accurate for dialing in. I'm keeping both just for the subtle differences in sounds.

[@CombatLegsVIDS]

Maaaaan, Pultec tubes though!

[@williambratcher6073]

Great comparison! This test confirmed some of my fears about some of the 500 units. They REALLY want to thin out the midrange! I thought the a designs held up ok to the pulse units

[@MattyAmendola]

Well, I don't think that's the case for all 500 units. The tubes in the real Pultec def beef up the midrange, so I can see what you mean ✌️

[@王竑哲]

IGS Rubber Band user here, good job man!

[@PaulViguier]

Great video !!! Thanks a lot !!!

[@Rondozza]

nice video. like. nearly the same concept but different sounds from these units. interresting. i own the igs. i can't/won't mix/master without this eq anymore. thanks for the comparison. the igs is a fix part of my dangerous 2bus + insert. in the future i will buy bettermaker and wes audio products. this concept of total recall is amazing and still have the benifit of analog sound. again thanks for the video on a rainy day. many greetings from germany

[@peteralbert9805]

Hey Ron. Is it possible to give me some details on the IGS Rubber bands? I would buy one in the next days. It would be very helpful!

[@Rondozza]

@@peteralbert9805 hi peter, from a purely technical point of view I can of course only recommend you to go to the manufacturer's website. this equalizer is also available as a 19 "unit and as a mono instance as far as I know. the sound is difficult to describe. the highs (10,12,16khz) are very soft and musical. maybe not as silky and soft as a tube equalizer. but nonetheless very flattering and clean. you always like to give a little too much than too little when mixing. at least it happens to me. it tears up a dull mix and makes cymbals, vocals or synths shine. that can of course also be done with plugins . but with the device it is somehow a little more organic. it feels "more correct". you have to be a little careful with the bass. both when turning in and when turning out. often just a few clicks (rastered potis) are enough to achieve a massive low end in the mix. but here too the sound quality is excellent. when lowering or working against it according to the pultec principle it is even worse and can be heard more clearly. I really only need a few clicks (1-3 clicks) to work against the bumped frequency. 97% of the physical control path of the poti can be saved on the part of the manufacturer ... :) I would have liked an output knob. the eq is already enormously and clearly louder when boosting. of course it is. would be nice if you could pursue your gain staging concept here as well. all in all, this is an incredibly good equalizer for the relatively little money. I can only recommend this to anyone with a 500 housing and two places left. likewise the vca compressor s-type. both on the master bus with mostly a fixed setting are a time saver and a nice sound stamp. buy peter ... buy :)

[@peteralbert9805]

@@Rondozza Thank you for the detailed answer, I really appreciate it. When I listen to the demos I always feel that the magic this tool does is the high frequency processing. But most the users mention actually the low frequency boost as the best feature. What do you think? Could you somehow replace the high end boost or the low end boost with some other tool, or this is something very special and unique in this EQ?

[@Rondozza]

@@peteralbert9805 it is difficult to make a statement about it. regarding the high frequencies. i know the bax eq from dangerous music, the kush clariphonic and the maag. all as hardware. but not in a direct a / b comparison. for my ears the clariphonic is the winner in terms of top end. the highpass filter on the bax is to be worshiped also in the upper frequencies this eq is a revelation. and with the maag you can also bring your music to bats or dogs (40khz) :) if i had more money i would tend to use tube tech devices. the rubber bands eq definitely has its own sound. thanks to the passive concept, however, he always feels relaxed and never harsh. I think it's 50/50. good work in the top end, just as good work in the low end area. in the low end he is really a beast. warm, powerful and still clear. as already written, you only need a fraction of the normal way to push the foundation. on the mixbus you live with the properties of this device. Of course, as a mastering eq it might not always be the right choice. for some material, the bass response of a different equalizer may be more suitable. Manley's massive passive handles deep transients very well. or a ssl eq. if you opt for a hybrid mastering solution and only have a single eq available, the igs device is a good choice. but does not always have to fit. sometimes it's better to stay in the daw. with electronic music, for example, or you leave that with the bass and just add trebles. peter, order the device from thomann and test it out. you have this "30 days money back" option there. this is the only way to get to know the device. I am always like that too. read a thousand videos and test reports before i buy. please let me know when you do this after you test ... but all in all it's a no brainer with the rubber bands.

[@pop_polizei]

Thanks for the video. It’s a shame you didn’t include the DIY options in your shootout, e.g. DIY Recording Equipment’s EQP5 or Sound Skulptor’s EQP501. Maybe next time?

[@peteralbert9805]

I own one, and it is pretty neat :)

[@CollinDonnell]

Would hand loved to have seen Logic’s Pultec emulation in the mix here. Really leaning towards that IGS for the insane value and good looks.

[@billyhughes9776]

To my ears the Bettermaker was a more even sounding version of the IGS, and my favorite of the 500 series. But, the UAD version was right there and considering the price difference -- come on.

[@InknAnimation]

Can you share links to the 500 series modules?

[@DeeKeiMixes]

The UAD and the Pultec 500s are the closest to the OG for sure

[@MattyAmendola]

Agreed.

[@SydneyValette]

You forgot the Prometheus:)

[@CalebCuzner]

This video has inspired me to get some of these some day! I really like the A-Design's high end and the IGS's low end.

[@MattyAmendola]

Sounds like you need both 🤣

[@RIP_Milhouse]

500s wins for me here even over the regular sized. Great video!

[@tonye9045]

Really useful, thanks, The Pultec looks like the one for me,

[@mysteryblackstudio6185]

You said it! "Pultec"

[@ermano]

Wish you would use the new Pultec Uad and not the legacy version

[@lonesomelooch5661]

Love the way you ran this.

[@jeffpike2992]

IGS -- my goodness the low end!

[@caspermaster-com]

Really liked the bettermaker on all sources

[@MattyAmendola]

That was the unit I actually owned before this shootout.

[@ryanshook8284]

Makes sense why the IGS would sound too scooped if it has the potential to push that V curve a lot more. Maybe just dial a bit back on it and it might sound more natural?

[@jpilot07]

Pultec slighted all of them the analog hardware

[@jeremysikkema640]

Acustica Audio in there would be nice!

[@MattyAmendola]

Man, they make great stuff but 1 or 2 of their plugs spiking CPU is just not realistic to my workflow ✌️

[@karma_moths]

There's something off with the access analogue sound - the tones are great but it's just not as 3 dimensional as it should be, the 500 series stuff has way more depth to my ears..

[@SonicScoop]

The Access Analog clips are literally just a recording of audio going through a real Puletc. It’s ok to prefer the sound of the 500 series unit to the all tube original, but that’s what you’re hearing!

[@accessanalog2534]

One great thing is that you can connect to our pair of Pultecs and try it yourself from your studio with your music and see if you hear the same results. We also offer free reservations on our Warm Audio EQPWA anytime if you'd like to try a budget 19" version

[@beatchildproductions]

I feel the same way about Access Analog sound. It's the converters they use: Antelope .... Where as if you try mixanalog.com they use Burl ADA and it makes a world of a difference in maintaining sonic integrity of the gear.

[@beatchildproductions]

With that said... I still use Access Analog all the time because of the real time integration within the daw.

[@karma_moths]

@@beatchildproductions That's interesting - will have to check mixanalogue out - nice one!

[@SXTWLVE]

Have you used the one from wes audio?

[@GSF_Ambiental]

exactly the vid i was searching for! thanks

[@bassnotes5468]

UAD for me.

[@salvadorm2276]

bettermaker sounded nice, midly scooped to me.

[@chillenfromguldan]

Yooo well done on the video! Thanks for sending me this as well. Quality demos !

[@Paulkatz123]

Only works with a hat on. Perfect filter :p.

[@quazrmusic]

Love all your videos Brotha! Thanks and Keep the great videos coming!!!

[@MattyAmendola]

Thank you! Did you catch the latest? kzbin.info/www/bejne/l53KopuEidyFh9U ✌️

[@whisperthiefmusic]

What a really informative review, thanks so much. I particularly like the "favourite feature", erm, feature! And how your commentary included real applications and things you liked and disliked. Sounds obvious but loads of reviewers try and describe the sounds instead of their experiences in practice! Cheers again, I've subscribed!

[@TheHeater90]

Overall mix: 1. Real Pultec 2. Plug-in Pultec 3. 500 A-designs 4. 500 Pultec 5. 500 Bettermaker 6. 500 IGS Bassdrum: 1. Real Pultec 2. 500 Pultec 3. Plug-in Pultec 4. 500 A-designs 5. 500 IGS 6. 500 Bettermaker Snare: 1. Real Pultec 2. Plug-in Pultec 3. 500 IGS 4. 500 Bettermaker 5. 500 A-designs 6. 500 Pultec Bass: 1. Real Pultec 2. 500 A-designs 3. 500 Pultec 4. 500 Bettermaker 5. 500 IGS 6. Plug-in Pultec Vocal: 1. Real Pultec 2. 500 Pultec 3. 500 A-designs 4. 500 Bettermaker 5. 500 IGS 6. Plug-in Pultec