Sweepable EQ option

[DrRhythm2030]

The TridA-Pre sounds truly fantastic, but...the EQs would be much more useful if there was an option to allow us to use continuous, sweepable knobs. Modern producers need to be able to directly aim at certain frequencies (which are currently not directly accessible when turning the TridA knobs). For example, as I am working on a mix, I will often need to centre upon frequencies such as 60, 120, or 200 Hz... or 2.5, 4, or 8 K, etc. Since I can't directly aim at any of those frequencies when using the current version of TridA, I (sadly) won't be able to use it in much of my work.

[matjones]

HI Doc,
That's kind of the point of making these particular pre's, their 'limitations' are part of what gives them their own unique sonic signature, the filters on the Trident are absolutely superb for dealing with electric guitars which is why many of the rock crowd LOVE them.
Don't think of it in terms of a typical modern digital EQ as it's not, again it's one of those tools to reach for when you're after a specific sound OR if you just fancy being creative.
It's a weird beast for sure and it often forces the user to make certain decisions based on its 'limitations'.
It's one of those units that often produces 'happy accidents' if you play with it and keep an open mind.
If you're after the flexibility of something like ProQ3 then use something like ProQ3 

[DrRhythm2030]

I hear you. But, as Arturia specializes in thinking outside the box, and typically builds-in features that extend the capabilities of the vintage units they are emulating, I think it would make sense if they would "unlock" the EQ on this preamp so that we not only get its character, but get to use it in a way that benefits a wider range of contemporary sounds. Arturia has done exactly that with the new EQ SITRAL-295. The description on the SITRAL-295 page say this...

"Part of EQ SITRAL-295’s charm is its stepped control panel, letting you adjust your sound in bold chunks. But for the discerning producer or engineer who likes to mix between the lines, we added the option of continuous controls for tweaking the finer details. The choice is yours."

[matjones]

The hardware units are still being made and are still being lusted after by many, indeed i have several nice hardware units myself including a Neve 8801, UA6176, SSL Alpha channel and others, i, like other buyers bought them for their specific sound and control sets. All of them dictate, to a certain extent, work-flow etc and all of them have their own unique sound and limitations and THAT is why i, and many others, purchased them in the first place.
I do have plugin versions of some of them, some of them get closer to the hardware than others, but the whole point of creating a plugin version of something like the Trident is to, of course, emulate these limitations, sound and work-flow.

The Trident IS a very odd beast with its fixed frequency selections, which may or may not appear at first glance to be particularly flexible, the trick with it is to realise that all the bands and filters interact with each other and it takes time to familiarise oneself with them, i don't claim to be too familiar with the original hardware as i've only used a Trident desk on one occasion, but from what i remember and from the opinions of many other people who ARE more familiar with the hardware that this is the case.

If EVERY EQ on the market had essentially the same control set, things would get very bland very quickly.

As with any piece of hardware it takes time and effort to become fully cognisant and familiar with what you personally like and dislike using it for.

The guitarists i know that use this, or other versions of the Trident, and myself all treat this as a 'character' EQ, get as close as we can with the plugin's controls and, if needed, follow it with a more transparent EQ.

If you spend more time with it you'll come to realise this, again, this is why things like the 1073 are SO popular with the rock and jazz crowds, despite its minimal feature set, and AMS Neve certainly have no plans on changing this.

[DrRhythm2030]

In the context of Arturia, an argument against improving the versatility of the EQs doesn't make sense, in my opinion.

As yet another example of Arturia extending the capabilities of a vintage unit, they improved upon the Pre 1973 (which had only switchable EQ frequencies in the original hardware), by allowing users to sweep through the frequency ranges of the mid, low and high pass knobs (amongst other Arturia upgrades not found in the original Neve 1073).

"Unlocking" the Pre TridA EQs in the same way (allowing them to be sweepable) could be done with a simple toggle button labelled "Stepped Controls", such as the one found in Arturia's EQ Sitral-295. And by implementing such a toggle, everybody wins; the purists get to keep their stepped EQ, and those that seek the wider possibilities of sweepable EQ are satisfied as well.