# It's about time! An API EQ DIY project...

- Site: Analog Industries
- Author: Chris Randall
- Date: 2005-12-19
- URL: https://analogindustries.com/2005/12/its-about-time-an-api-eq-diy-project/

![It's about time! An API EQ DIY project...](https://analogindustries.com/images/blog/Fuax553Protocopy.jpg)

In my years of watching the various sites that talk about DIY audio gear, I must have seen a couple hundred requests for an API EQ project. (I think I may have made one or two of those requests.) Now that I'm older and wiser, I know that the API 550 is a hidiously complicated beast. However, I'm watching [this thread](http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12161#img_4263) at Prodigy-Pro with interest. It seems Elco of [Egostatic Media](http://www.egostaticmedia.com/) is working on a clone of the [API 553 three-band EQ.](http://www.soniccircus.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SC&Product_Code=305380) While this little guy isn't as fly as its big brother, it is still really fly, so I'm pretty excited about this.

Elco's project will be fully compatible with the API 500 form-factor, so it'll fit in the lunchboxes and boards already in existence. It has a couple extra features, too, like switchable highs and lows, and the ability to use any 990-footprint op-amp, so you can tune each unit to taste. I think it would be interesting to have, say, 8 of them, and have a different op-amp (e.g. Hardy, Melcor, Millenia, et al) in each one.

Anyways, the project should be quite easy, and relatively cheap. I'll keep you posted of the progress; when he has boards available, you can definitely sign me up.