Malcolm Toft: EQUATE 8-Channel EQ

Being a loyal Trident console user, I jumped at the chance to review Malcolm Toft’s [Tape Op #26, #165 online] new EQUATE: Eight channels of six-band EQ in a three-space rack unit built in the UK. Malcolm has been in the audio recording industry as a gear designer, an engineer, and even a professor longer than some of us have been alive. How can one argue with the classic sound of the Trident consoles he designed, especially their EQs? Though the EQUATE is not a 500 Series chassis, it’s laid out with 500 Series spacing between channels and would sit well below or above a 500 rack. The EQ design is similar to the original Trident Series 80 console EQs developed by Malcolm in the late '70s. These EQs are bound by sweepable High and Low Pass filters between the frequency range of 30 Hz to 350 Hz and 1.5 kHz to 22 kHz, respectively. This is incredibly handy to either enhance specific frequencies or eliminate unwanted noise. Notably, you can employ a version of the “Pultec trick” effect by boosting a shelving EQ while simultaneously cutting the same frequencies with the filters. The other four EQ bands feature 15 dB of boost or cut, with the high frequency (H.F.) and low frequency (L.F.) having fixed-point shelving EQs. The other two bands are the sweepable High Mid (1 kHz to 15 kHz) and Low Mid (100 Hz to 1.5 kHz). The rear panel has a pair of D-sub connectors or TRS 1/4-inch jacks for I/O.

I can confirm EQUATE is as good as an original Trident console EQ, or maybe even better because there are no scratchy old pots to deal with! I put the EQ to good use on some stereo rhythm rock guitars to give a little lift on the upper mids for definition and presence in the mix. I adjusted the frequency to around 6 kHz, boosted it to 2 o’clock, and voila! – the guitars shined! They stood out perfectly without being shrill. I also used the EQUATE on drum overheads and bass guitar. I brightened up the drum overheads with a High Pass filter cut while boosting a bit of the H.F. The overheads sat well in the mix and brought more of the cymbals into the overall drum kit's sound. On bass guitar, I went in the opposite direction by using the Low Pass filter while boosting a small amount of the mids around 4 kHz that brought out the bottom end as well as some definition. I’ve always loved that the Trident EQs are so musical sounding, and the frequencies Malcolm Toft chose for boosting and cutting are all within the musical instrument range. You would have to try pretty hard to get a bad sound with his EQs. I still use a 1986 Trident Audio Developments London 24 recording console that has been painstakingly recapped and refurbished. When I compared EQs between my console and the EQUATE, I found them similar in tone and feel. The EQUATE is a well-designed EQ, reminiscent of the classic Trident EQs from the '70s. It's a worthy investment (at $249 per channel!) for anyone who spends a lot of time mixing in the box and wants to add true Toft circuitry to their productions.