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ABOUT THE VQP VINTAGE PASSIVE EQ BUNDLE Inclined readers can learn more details in the “About The

n more details in the “About The Cir-


cuit” section below.
The VQP-258A and VQP-259A plugins are faithful recreations
of two entirely passive EQs / filters that were introduced in the THE CONTROLS (VQP-258A)
1950s. Unlike its competitors from the same era, the 258A
offered two widely orthogonal and intuitive controls that were Mode (40C/Off/100C)
capable of independently cutting or boosting the low and high
Toggle the low shelf boost frequency between 40 or 100 Cycles
frequency spectrum. The VQP-259A filter cascade excelled in
(Hz) or bypass the processing altogether (“Off”).
its wide range of settings.

Low Band Gain (Low Freq)


Using state of the art circuit-modeling techniques a meticulous
rebuild of the original 258A program equalizer was converted The Low Freq knob controls the low band cut (“Attenuate”) or
into a software emulation that features all the intricacies of boost (“Equalize”) in 2 dB steps. The filter acts as a low shelf
the hardware version, including band interaction and boost or cut depending on the setting
inductor/transformer core saturation. An emulation of the
259A filter cascade was added to allow for cleaning up the low NOTE: The low shelf frequency selector is only effective when the
and high ends of your mix where necessary. low band is in the boost region above 0 dB. In cut mode, the fre-
quency is fixed at 100 Hz which is a property of the original unit.

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High Band Gain (High Freq) THE CONTROLS (VQP-259A)
The High Freq knob sets the high band cut (“Attenuate”) or
boost (“Equalize”) in 2 dB steps. The high band filter acts as a Power (Out/In)
proportional Q peaking filter at the frequency selected by the Engage or bypass the processing altogether.
High Freq Select knob in the boost range > 0 dB or as a high
shelf cut filter fixed at 10 kHz in the cut range < 0 dB. Low Freq
Use the Low Freq knob to set the low-cut cut off point to the
High Frequency (High Freq Select) desired frequency or bypass the low-cut (“Off”). The frequency
The High Freq Select knob adjust the high band peaking fre- printed on the front plate roughly corresponds to the -3 dB
quency. point of the filter. The filter slope is 18 dB / Oct.

NOTE: The High Freq Select knob is only effective in the boost High Freq
(“Equalize”) range of the high band. This is a property of the ori- Use the High Freq knob to set the high-cut cut off point to the
ginal hardware. desired frequency or bypass the high-cut (“Off”). The fre-
quency printed on the front plate roughly corresponds to the
Trim Gain -3 dB point of the filter. The filter slope is 18 dB / Oct.
The trim screw controls the linear output gain from -18 to +18
dB. This lets you compensate for any loudness gain or loss Mode (LF/HF+LF/HF)
caused by the current equalization setting. Select which of the two filters is active: Choose LF to engage
only the low-cut, HF to engage only the high-cut or LF+HF in
order to engage both filters.

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ABOUT THE 258-A CIRCUIT

The original EQ design was introduced in the 1950s by Cinema


Engineering. Except for some minor modifications such as ad-
ditional low and high band frequencies and the addition of in-
put and/or output transformers, the virtually identical circuit
can be found in many EQ of that era, manufactured by brands
such as Langevin, Altec or Hycor1.

The circuit uses a clever switching scheme to facilitate cut or


boost operation for each band, whereas competitors typically
offered independent cut and/or boost bands.

The EQ is built exclusively around linear, passive components


using constant-k filters and introduces roughly 14 dB of inser-
tion loss which is, of course, compensated in the software
emulation. The former yields very clean operation, especially
for a vintage unit. It produces mild amounts of THD notably in
the very low frequency region that occur due to inductor and
transformer core saturation.

Fuse Audio Labs meticulously rebuilt the original unit using


modern 4-way attenuators and hand-wound inductors and ad-
ded in- and output transformers.

1 Referenced brands and trademarks underlie the copyright conditions of


their respective owners.

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SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM

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KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS PLUGIN ACTIVATION

VST hosts You can test our plugins for 14 days without any restrictions.
Simply click the "Activate Trial" button in the plugin GUI after
Ctrl/CMD+Click: Reset to default
the installation to start your trial period.
Alt+Drag: Switch to circular knob mode
Shift+Drag/Mouse wheel: Fine control
To activate your full license you can purchase a product activa-
tion key on our website. The activation key will be sent to you
AU / AAX hosts
by email once the payment process has been completed, suc-
Alt+Click: Reset to default cessfully. Click "Activate plugin..." in the plugin GUI or the drop
Shift+Drag/Mouse wheel: Fine control down menu below, enter your email and product activation
key and hit the "Activate" button to proceed.
All hosts
Double Click: Reset to default / jump to value
FAQS AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
An overview of Frequently Asked Questions can be found on
• Intel compatible or Apple Silicon CPU our website under the following link
• 2GB RAM
• Mac OS 10.9 or newer (Mac users) https://fuseaudiolabs.com/faq.html
• Windows 7 or newer (PC users)
• A display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more Our tech support can be reached via the following link
• A VST2, VST3, AAX or AU compatible 64-bit host (Mac
users) https://fuseaudiolabs.com/support.html
• A VST2, VST3 or AAX compatible 32-bit or 64-bit host (PC
users)

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