Thanks for the input, NewYorkDave.
Yes, I do ever so often change the order so I eq after compression. Like when I finished the G1176, I immediately started tracking with it inserted but without eqing. It gives me much of what I have missed from when I recorded on to tape in the old days. I sense that's due to the nature of the transformer. Magnetism. (Please have the heart to not tell me tails about how sweet it was to track with an 1176 AND tape!:shock
However, not so much on the mixbuss. When mixing I like to compress when the mix is as..."even" or well balanced as possible and I tend not to be too generous with highs when mixing on my console so it's not quite as even as I'd like it to be before compressing.
You could argue that I should start pouring highs on where needed on the channel eqs, but in my ears that would require a different kind of control of highs on that eq. I really really like the eq but it has fixed highs and lows. Only the two mids are swept. "High" on this eq gives me pretty good control over crispiness and highs on drums, guitars and such. But not to the extend that I'd like on the high highs and/or airyness on cymbals, vocals... You know what I mean. Before I got the GSSL, I therefore chose to make everything blend well on a level I could control and left the rest up to the mastering process done elsewhere. But now I have the GSSL and would like just to compensate a bit for the above before compressing since I have more than once discovered details when boosting overall highs I would have liked to have taken care of in the mix. Right now I have to mix, make a quick master eq on the computer to make sure I'm not surprised later on, and then go back and change details if necessary. What joy it would be just to be able to tell before I run the mix back into the computer...
I wouldn't be surprised if, as you say, a simple passive eq is all I need. And with the GSSL situated after the eq, I have plenty of threshold margin and plenty of gain makeup to compensate for insertion loss.
Are there any DIY projects available for "a simple passive eq" of this sort?
What am I looking for in the dungeons of Castle Groupdiy?:razz:
I assume the output impedance of my Soundtracs console and the input impedance of the GSSL won't be changing by itself so that shouldn't be a problem.
[Thinking out loud]Hmmm...maybe.......if I build this passive eq, and then at some point get my greedy hands on a Neumann W495stb.....I could just add that W495stb after the comp and be able to refine the overall sound even more in a more....mastering-like fashion...[/Thinking out loud]