Pultec gear on the Anagram

Pultec was the brand of Pulse Techniques, a small New Jersey company that made studio equipment in the 1950s and 1960s. Its EQP-1A is a passive valve equaliser, and it is still one of the most used and most copied studio EQs. Original units are expensive and many studios keep one on the bass or kick drum.

Cognate Audio describes Cognate Pultrick as a faithful model of the EQP-1A circuit. That is confirmed by the developer.

The EQP-1A has separate controls to boost and to cut the low end at a chosen frequency. On paper, using both at once makes no sense. In practice, because the boost and cut curves have different shapes, you get a lift in the deep lows and a dip just above. That is the famous Pultec low-end trick.

The result is a bass that sounds bigger and tighter at the same time. The deep fundamental grows, while the slightly muddy area above it clears. It is a favourite on bass guitar for exactly that reason, and it is why engineers reach for it in mixing.

The EQP-1A also has a gentle high boost and cut, which add air or soften the top without harshness. Its curves are broad and smooth, so it is hard to make it sound unnatural.

On the Anagram, Pultrick works well at the end of a chain, after your amp or drive blocks. It shapes the whole sound rather than changing one part of it, and it can make a DI tone feel more finished.

Try Cognate Pultrick with the low frequency set fairly deep, around 60 Hz if the block offers it. Add some boost, then bring in a little cut, and listen to the low mids clear.