[UPDATED MARCH 2025 with more free pultec plugins !]
From tracking to mastering, Pultec EQs have played an integral part in nearly 50 years of recording history from the early 1950s to the late 80s.
But when their creators hand-crafted the first units in their garage they had no idea they were about to define a new standard which is still one of the the top choice for numerous audio professionals in audio production today.
When describing its sound, people often use words like ‘musical’ and ‘magical’, and there are now tons of tributes, clones and plugins modeled on this famous analog EQ.
But what is it that makes its sound so desirable, even years later ?
How does it work ?
And what are some of the best free Pultec plugins that are good alternatives to this expensive piece of hardware ?
Check out this week’s Instagram post and read more below !
PULTEC: WHAT IS IT ?
The Pultec EQP-1A is a legendary 2-band program equalizer that helped to shape countless records, with an unmistakable audible character immediately enhancing what it touches.
The PulTec name is an abbreviation of Pulse Techniques Inc, the first company that produced these hand-crafted, made to order high quality passive equalizers.
Years later, these have been cloned by countless manufacturers and are now available as software plugins to work their magic.
HOW IT WORKS ?
The knob layout on a Pultec is a bit nonintuitive and still confuses lots of users so a few explanations might be useful:
The 3 groups (separated by the grey lines) show which knobs and switches operate together.
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FREE PULTEC PLUGINS | DOWNLOAD LINKS
COFFEE THE PUN
Acustica Audio’s Coffee The PUn is a freeware Pultec-style parametric equalizer plugin available for Mac & PC:
It’s a characterful emulation modeled on the classic Pultec EQP1 with ‘an aggressive sound character’ according to the developper.
PTEQX
PTEq-X features all 3 famous Pultec modules (MEQ-5/EQP-1A/HLF-3C) in a single user interface: It has a lovely sound and a quite low CPU usage for an analog emulation.
WARMY EP1A
Warmy EP1A Tube EQ is a free Pultec plugin plugin which looks really familiar to the Pultec EQP1 hardware unit:it employs non-linear modeling to replicate the hardware more realistically, allows internal oversampling and features a few additional options which differentiates it from the original.
POORTEC
The Poortec EQ by Analog Obession delivers smooth low-end shaping and crisp high-frequency boosts. While it forgoes the inductors and gain stage of the original design, it incorporates a Fairchild-style amplifier to provide a rich, characterful sound. It excels at achieving the classic “Pultec low-end trick,” adding depth and warmth while enhancing clarity with its shelf-shaped high-band EQ. A trim pot lets you introduce drive and enhance transients for extra punch, while a clean master output and bypass ensure seamless operation in any workflow.
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RARE SE 'BPB Edition'
Rare is largely inspired by the original Pultec, but unlike the hardware, it features a pre-EQ gain stage which can be used to saturate the signal before it hits the EQ, resulting in a warmer and fuller sound.
The ‘BPB’ free Pultec plugin edition has been updated to allow oversampling that will help removing aliasing sonic artifacts for top-notch quality.
SONEQ
Loosely inspired by the famous Pultec EQP-1A, SonEQ takes parts from some vintage gear, combining several hardware EQ concepts into a simple to use coloring EQ plugin:
The result is one of the most popular anbd best free pultec plugins emulation out there which everyone should give a try.
ELECTRON
Electron EQ is one of the undercover free Pultec plugins emulation: Despite its unassuming simple look, it’s a fairly rich sounding EQ plugin that can rival some quite expensive emulations of the original Pultec hardware.
PCEQ5
PCEQ5 by Psycho Circuitry is a a Pultec-style, 5-band analog-inspired EQ that features High and Low shelves, along with 3 bell filters, all switchable between Active or Passive inspired filter shapes. Users can adjust Q, frequency, and gain, and also access high pass and low pass filters with various options for selection.
The plugin also offers an output stage with Tube or Solid State models, drive and blend control, and auto gain adjustment. It supports up to x16 oversampling and can be operated in stereo or mono.
