Api Audio Select SV14 EQ

A Classic from the 70s-80s Revamped in the Select Series

The SV14 follows the great API tradition: offering studio tools that sound "record-ready" from the first settings, with a clear and usable character both tracking and mixing. Its circuit design is directly rooted in the brand's history, as it is reimagined from the APSI 562 equalizers, which have become rare and highly sought after. The idea behind the SV14 is not to "roughly copy a vintage sound," but to bring this equalization approach into a modern and accessible format, perfectly suited to current workflows in the 500 series.

Within the range, the SV14 has a clear goal: to offer a parametric equalizer with musical behavior, simple implementation, and immediate integration into a 500 rack. Compared to the rarer and more expensive historical solutions, the novelty here lies in the availability and practicality for everyday use: dedicated bypass, continuous controls, and transformer-balanced output, all in a compact studio module.

Who It's For and Studio Applications

The API Select SV14 EQ is aimed at demanding home studio users, production studios, and sound engineers who want equalization that can work quickly without sacrificing precision. Its 4-band parametric approach is suitable both for correction (cleaning a resonance, taming harshness, trimming an overwhelming low end) and enhancement (adding air, increasing attack, thickening a source).

During tracking, the SV14 is ideal for securing a sound from the start: clearer vocals, guitar better placed in the midrange, snare that "speaks" without harshness. In mixing, it becomes a formidable tool on subgroups (drums, guitars, keyboards) and on tracks requiring fine shaping. The EQ In/Out switch facilitates decisions: you compare in a fraction of a second without being fooled by a simple level increase.

Key Features: Parametric Precision, Continuous Controls, and Headroom

4-Band Equalization: From Quick Adjustments to Surgical Precision

The SV14 offers 4-band parametric equalization with a Peak/Dipping configuration allowing expressive work in the mid-spectrum, but also clean correction when needed. Each band provides up to 12 dB boost/cut, a sufficient range for subtle adjustments as well as more pronounced choices, while staying within a usable range for mixing contexts.

Two Concentric Controls: A Real Time Saver

The presence of two concentric knobs emphasizes efficiency: you continuously control frequency selection and boost/cut with a smooth and natural adjustment feel. This "continuous" operation is an asset for precisely targeting the point of interest (for example, a drum resonance, a nasal tone on a vocal, or an attack zone on a bass) without being limited by fixed steps.

Transformer-Balanced Output and High Headroom

In the studio, headroom is insurance: the SV14 offers high headroom up to +24 dB with indicated clipping level, allowing you to drive the module with strong levels while maintaining comfortable dynamics. Its special transformer-balanced output contributes to clean integration in an analog chain by reducing noise sensitivity on balanced connections and preserving robust reproduction when the project becomes dense.

Technical specifications

Category

equalizer

EQ

4 channels

Type	4-band equalizer (EQ) module	Format	500 series (500 rack format)
Architecture	parametric equalization with bands configured in Peak/Dipping	Compatibility	fits API 500 VPR rack or enclosure
Gain per band	12 dB boost/cut	Design origin	based on the classic APSI 562 EQ
Control	continuous adjustment of frequency and gain	Output	balanced with special transformer
Controls	two concentric knobs for continuously variable control of boost/cut and frequency selection	Headroom	+24 dB with clipping level
Switching	EQ input/output switch (EQ In/Out)