Origin Effects Doubles Down on its Adaptive Circuitry for the Mid-Boosting M-EQ Driver based on the Pultec EQ

Interestingly this is the second time the Pultec Passive EQ has come up recently as it was also the inspiration for Spaceman Effects’ Equinox EQ. While on the M-EQ that type of circuitry is very much on Mids duties here - sort of very Semi-Parametric - as you select the Mid Frequency Band via the KCS (Kilocycles) Switch - 0.8, 1.0 or 1.3 kHz and then the Mids knob selects how much you boost - so the Mids are only in one direction, and with that knob dialled all the way back you have a fairly flat EQ Output Profile.

Controls - Level, Adapt : Off / On, Drive, Mids (Boost), KCS (Kilocycles) : 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.3 kHz, Cut (High-End Roll-Off).

The clever stuff here is when the ADAPT switch is set to On (to the right) - the circuit then dynamically adjusts the Treble Cut - based on your playing style - so if you play soft you get less of a cut, play hard and it cuts more - to give you overall a more balanced output.

Of course the use of a Mids Boost has long been a means of driving the front end of your amp - and indeed this Passive EQ has a wonderful breakup texture when pushed.

For the Halcyon, the same sort of circuitry controls the amount of Low-End in the circuit - play soft and you get augmented lows, play hard and the lows are attenuated. On the Halcyon you also get an Intermediate middle option for a less impacting Adaptive manipulation.

I’m slightly bemused now as I had intended to get the Halcyon but had not got around to it yet - and now I have two Mids-foraward Overdrives to decide between.

It’s also interesting to see the tiny tweaks to the design - where I feel the Halcyon artwork is slightly more elegant overall - while the M-EQ Driver Design Flourishes don’t seem to serve any particular purpose beyond further differentiating the two. The upper cutouts kind of make sense as semi-dividers between two rows of knobs, while the lower ones don’t really make any sense at all - what are you dividing up there? I would have loved to have sat in on the session when the aesthetics were discussed and rationalised. UPDATE! - As Justin rightly points out in the comments below - the cut-outs of course are a homage to the Pultec Rack Units - I really should have spotted that myself - working on it too late no doubt!

Overall the M-EQ Driver is a little more versatile than the Halcyon as far as I see it. While I’m also intrigued by the limit of just having 4 knobs. Much like I was surprised by the lack of any Mids on the RD Compact Units when they materialised. When I deploy my RevivalDRIVE Custom - I always involve some Mids - via the additional footswitch - while on these 2 pedals you’re still carving out EQ’s in a fairly limited fashion - particularly say compared with the recent Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1.

Regardless of my various quibbles I actually really like both these pedals - and now it looks like I will need to get both - while I probably very slightly prefer the M-EQ. And of course the Dynamic Adaptive Circuitry is really clever and still very unique. I wonder how that can be evolved in the future to control several EQ Bands at a time - versus just Lows or Highs.

It’s priced at £259 with VAT, c£216 without (for overseas customers). Meaning it’s a touch dearer than its Halcyon sibling - which retails for £239 with VAT, and c£199 without. Generally Origin Effects have beautiful balanced aesthetics and the highest level of quality engineering - and moreover I really love their style of knobs. And it’s very clever to be able to use the exact same enclosure format over and over for different circuits - the drilling template here is identical. The M-EQ Driver is of course available right now on the Origin Effect Webstore, and at leading dealers worldwide.

I’m now really intrigued as to what will come next in this format. And whether it’s limited to Overdrives or whether we will see other varieties of effects in those exact same boxes with just a slightly different coloured screen-print with some more mini touches of design differemtiation. I’m very excited to see what shape the next one of these takes outside and in!

I know some of you grabbed an Halcyon back when it was launched this July - are you thinking of getting an M-EQ too - and those that didn’t - are you more tempted by this new variety. Mark Johnston certainly seems to love his. I have so many overdrives already in the reference collection that I go through a massive screening process now typically before I add another. There’s certainly much to like about the M-EQ Driver - and you can of course deploy it to various different degrees - as an EQ, Boost and Overdrive.