AudioTales Designs 1954 'The Color EQ'

The AudioTales Designs 1954 'The Color EQ' is a fully passive stereo equaliser built for shaping the tone and character of a mix. Handmade in France, it combines two midrange EQ bands with Loudness, Varishelf, Coloreq and Dual RIAA sections, giving mastering engineers several complementary ways to refine the balance of a recording.

Passive equalisation with a distinctive approach

The 1954 uses custom Lundahl transformers and operates without a power supply or active amplification stage. Its circuit is designed to maintain signal level without the make-up amplifier normally associated with passive EQ. For a hybrid studio, that means analogue tone shaping from a unit that needs only its audio connections.

Shape the midrange with Varishelf

The low-mid band offers five frequency selections from 210Hz to 654Hz, while the high-mid band covers 921Hz to 4.65kHz. Separate gain controls let you adjust body and presence, and Varishelf changes the response curve of each band. These controls give you different ways to approach the midrange balance of vocals, guitars, drums and complete mixes.

Loudness, Coloreq and Dual RIAA

A dedicated Loudness section provides tonal adjustment from a single control. The Coloreq section adds variable transfer-curve shaping, while the Dual RIAA settings provide split tilt equalisation. Together, these sections make the 1954 an interesting choice when you want to explore the overall character of a mix as well as its frequency balance.

Use it independently or build a modular EQ system

The 1954 can be used on its own or integrated with the separately available AudioTales 1951. Dedicated rear-panel connections and a front-panel switching matrix support the modular arrangement, bringing the two equalisers together within one system.

Connecting the 1954

Main left and right inputs and outputs use XLR connections. For the intended passive operation, AudioTales specifies a source output impedance of 600 ohms or lower and a following input impedance of 10k ohms or higher; 50 ohms and 20k ohms respectively are recommended. Check these specifications on your interface or adjacent outboard when planning your signal chain.