Modern Black Dragon: The Legendary Pultec Equalizer in Your DAW
The world of digital audio is constantly striving to replicate the warmth, character, and musicality of analog equipment that has shaped the sound of countless hits for decades. Among the most iconic studio processing devices, the Pultec EQP-1A software equalizer holds a special place. Its unique passive circuitry and intuitive controls have made it an indispensable tool for sound engineers worldwide.
It is this legend that the Modern Black Dragon plugin from developer Antress is inspired by. This plugin is a classic clone of the Pultec EQP-1A equalizer, designed to bring its magic into your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) completely free of charge.
Features and Capabilities
Modern Black Dragon reproduces the key control elements and sound characteristics of the original device. This gives you access to the same, well-known “Pultec sound,” which is ideal for gentle correction, adding air, weight, or specific analog “stickiness” to your tracks.
Key Control Elements:
- EQ In/Out button: Allows you to quickly enable or disable the equalization effect for comparison.
- 16 KHz cut In/Out button: A special filter for cutting ultra-high frequencies at 16 kHz, which can be useful for taming excess brightness or noise.
- Low shelf freq selector: Frequency selection for the low-frequency shelf: 20, 30, 60, or 100 CPS (cycles per second, equivalent to Hz).
- Low shelf boost control: Adjusting the gain of the selected low frequency from 0 to +16 dB.
- Low shelf attenuate control: Adjusting the attenuation of the selected low frequency from 0 to -20 dB. This control, used together with the boost, creates the famous “Pultec trick” – a unique equalization curve that adds density and subharmonics to low frequencies.
- High peak freq selector: Selecting the center frequency for the high-frequency peak filter: 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 16 KCS (kilocycles per second, equivalent to kHz).
- High peak boost control: Adjusting the gain of the selected high-frequency point from 0 to +20 dB. Perfect for adding presence, brilliance, or “air.”
- High peak bandwidth control: Adjusts the quality factor (Q) of the peak filter, allowing you to make the gain wider (musical) or narrower (for more precise correction).
- High shelf attenuate control: Adjusting the attenuation of high frequencies on the shelf from 0 to -18 dB.
- High shelf freq selector: Frequency selection for the high-frequency shelf attenuation: 5, 10, or 20 KCS (kHz).
- Trim level control: Overall control of the plugin’s output level from -15 to +15 dB, which allows you to compensate for volume changes after equalization.
Pultec Sound in Your Projects
Using Modern Black Dragon makes it easy to implement classic sound processing techniques. Its low-frequency section doesn’t just amplify or attenuate frequencies but interacts in a unique way, creating a dense, focused low end that is felt, not just heard. High-frequency boost with different Q values gives you the ability to both gently open up the mix and pinpoint the element you need, whether it’s vocals, cymbals, or an acoustic guitar.
This plugin will work wonders on individual instruments, adding analog character and volume to them. It is also a great tool for processing channel groups or even on the master bus, where its musical equalization can smooth out the overall tonal balance and add that “expensive” quality to the track.
Technical Details
The Modern Black Dragon plugin is available in VST format for Windows operating systems (compatible with Win32). This makes it accessible to a wide range of users who work in popular DAWs on Windows. Despite the age of the technology (Win32), many DAWs still support such plugins through adapters or native support.
Having this plugin in your collection is an opportunity to get the sound that has been used in professional studios for decades without spending a penny. It’s a great example of how the legacy of analog sound can be preserved and made available in the digital age thanks to the efforts of talented developers like Antress.
Try Modern Black Dragon and see for yourself how easy it is to improve the sound of your recordings, adding warmth, depth, and a professional analog touch. It’s not just an equalizer, it’s a tool that will help unlock the potential of your mixes and give them real character.
