D.W. Fearn VT-4

The D.W. Fearn VT-4 is a high quality parametric EQ.  The unit has five bands and is an analog piece of gear, the connections of which it has I'm not sure as the one that I have used as already racked up.  The unit is tube based and will take up three spaces in a traditional rack.

UTILIZATION

The make up of the D.W. Fearn VT-4 isn't hard to follow if you understand the basics of equalization and parametric EQs to be specific.  Everything is self explanatory assuming that you understand EQs, as each band has knobs for frequency and gain.  There is also a knob for controlling the high filter bandwidth, which isn't found on the other bands.  There is also an input level knob and a bypass one as well.  Since the make up is basic and should be familiar for most users, I don't believe that a manual in needed.


SOUND QUALITY

The sound of the D.W. Fearn VT-4 is just about as good as it gets in terms of a parametric EQ.  It has an extremely warm sound while still maintaining clarity and the ability to the job that it aims to do, and it does it quiet well.  It can be used for any application where you would want to sculpt your tone using EQ, including vocals, guitars, and drums.  While the VT-4 does have its own sound, I wouldn't say that it colors your sound in a bad way as it simply has its own personality and character.  The VT-4 sounds as good as any parametric EQ that I have used...


OVERALL OPINION

While the D.W. Fearn VT-4 certainly carries a heavy price tag, if you are a professional engineer or studio owner looking for top notch tone regardless of the price, the VT-4 is for you.  I would definitely recommend shopping around to see what will suit your needs the best, but this definitely needs to be in the conversation.  I can't think of anything that I don't like about this beyond the price and that it is out of the budget for most studio owners.  If you want an incredible sounding EQ, the D.W. Fearn VT-4 is something that you should be looking into.