Iron Age Audioworks: V2 Equalizer

In an incredibly saturated market, where there is a piece of equipment for every possible scenario – like a mic pre or EQ for hi-hat top and bottom on a full moon with 57% humidity – I am amazed to find a piece of gear that seems to have found a permanent parking space right in a gap we didn’t even know existed.

Let me put this simply, using tried and true references to make it easy for you: The Iron Age Audioworks V2 EQ is like having a Neve for the lows, an API for the mids, and a Mäag Audio for the high end, all in one well designed and manufactured unit; two channels of incredibly useful, versatile, and solid EQ in a single rack space. The feature set is what you would expect from a professional EQ, and also manages to do a few tricks that really make it shine in various applications via two modes: trk (for tracking) or mstr (for mastering) – basically two ranges that allow you to make either very large moves, or fine adjustments.

This EQ found its way into my friend John Davis’ workflow a while back. He is smart and has ears, so I listened to him when he told me, “You have to hear this the Iron Age Audioworks EQ.” I said, “No I don’t. I have everything I need.” Then John said, “Yeah, I know, but you need to hear this EQ.” With resentment, contempt, and curiosity in my heart, I reached out to Matt Walton from Iron Age Audioworks. It turns out that the people who make this EQ are great humans, so that is a plus. The tech specs and particulars of this EQ are on the Iron Age Audioworks website, but nothing could prepare me for how much I simply adore using the V2 on a daily basis. I bought one for the SSL 8048 G+ equipped A room at Studio G Brooklyn. Shortly after it arrived, I mixed a few projects with the V2 on various sources, then I bought one for the vintage Neve 5316 equipped B room as well.

Somehow, in a room filled with everything from Aengus to API, Pultec, Manley, Chandler, Mäag, and all the other classic EQs, the Iron Age Audioworks pulled right up alongside and parked itself in the racks here to stay. Thank you for making a piece of gear that makes my job more fun. The V2 is a great one!