Creme
The Creme combines a passive EQ based on the Pultec principle and a proven bus compressor in a single unit.
Many successful mixing engineers have one thing in common: they mix with a compressor and EQ on the master bus. The EQ is usually set for subtle highs and low-end enhancement, while the bus compressor adds a few dB of compression. This gives a first impression of how the mix will sound after mastering — and it helps achieve the right level balance, especially for vocals.
The Creme unites both on the highest level in one unit. The passive EQ has been reduced to the most popular applications: bass boost for more definition in the lows and treble boost to add shine to the mix. The boosts are switchable to ensure total recall and have been limited to values that make sense for master bus use.
The bus compressor includes additional features like a low-cut filter for the side-chain and a 1.5:1 ratio for particularly gentle compression. The order of EQ and compressor is switchable.
All of this makes the Creme perfectly suitable for mastering applications.
The Compressor
Whether you want to gently and transparently balance the track or give it a rhythmic imprint — the Creme’s VCA compressor can do it all.
Its powerful and characterful sound can lift any mix to the next level. The compressor grabs firmly when needed and makes the mix sound more open and slightly more brilliant.
The compression is very musical, the sound remains transparent, and individual instruments find their place in the mix. The often-mentioned high-frequency loss in compression doesn’t occur here — in fact, the signal sounds as if it had been treated with an exciter.
The lows feel cohesive and refined with tight dynamics. The lower mids become fuller without muddiness, and the entire midrange gains clarity and articulation. The stereo image becomes more spacious.
The switchable high-pass filter in the side-chain ensures that even powerful bass won’t cause pumping — if needed.
The Equalizer
Passive equalizers with their complex circuitry of inductors and capacitors remain among the most beloved sound shapers in bus processing. Tegeler chose the filter circuit of the original Pultec for good reason — it's the same one that made the Classic Equalizer a success.
No other EQ type manages to sound good in nearly every setting. Smooth and silky highs that live up to the name. A bass boost that gives the mix a tight foundation and thrust without getting muddy. Tegeler carefully refined the original Pultec circuit. Unnecessary knobs were replaced with fixed values. Frequencies irrelevant for the mix bus were deactivated.
All controls were replaced with stepped switches for higher precision. Limited control ranges ensure more accuracy and excellent stereo tracking of the Creme.
The result is an EQ you simply have to hear. Once you’ve heard it, you’ll miss it if it’s gone. And if you’ve never heard it, chances are you’ve been searching for it all along.
Features
Equalizer
- Bass cut/boost (Low shelf):
- 20Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz, 100Hz
- Treble boost (Peak with adjustable bandwidth):
- 3kHz, 4kHz, 5kHz, 6kHz, 8kHz, 10kHz, 12kHz, 16kHz, 20kHz
- Treble attenuation (High shelf): 5kHz, 10kHz, 20kHz
- Balanced input and output
Bus Compressor
- Low-cut filter: 60–120Hz
- Attack: 0.1–0.3–1–3–10–30ms
- Release: 100–300–600ms–1.2s–Auto
- Ratio: 1.5–2–4–10
- Stepped potentiometers
- Frequency response: 20 – 40,000 Hz ±1.5 dB
- Balanced input and output
- Internal power supply with high-quality toroidal transformer
- Height: 88.4 mm (2U), Width: 483 mm, Depth: 250 mm
Tech Specs
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz
- Maximum input level: +22 dBu
- Input impedance: ≥ 10 kΩ
- Output impedance: < 600 Ω
- Maximum output level: +24 dBu
- Dynamic range: ≥ 110 dB
- Voltage: 230 V~/50Hz or 115 V~/60Hz
- Fuse: 500 mA slow-blow
- Max. power consumption: < 25 W (0.01 A at 230 V)
- Dimensions: 2U, H:88.1 mm, W:483 mm, D:250 mm
