Rane ME-15
A dual 15-band graphic that fit two channels of constant-Q equalization into a single rack space.
Overview
Rane built the ME-15 as a two-channel, 2/3-octave microGraphic equalizer. The pitch was saving space without giving up sound quality. The company's own advertising for the ME-15 and its single-channel sibling, the ME-30, asked who says you have to walk before you run. The pair were billed as "brain children" delivering professional performance at entry-level prices. The ME-15 carried a manufacturer's list price of $369.00, with the mono ME-30 at $359.00. For a stereo graphic with balanced connectivity, that price did a lot of the selling.
The core technology was Rane's constant-Q filter design, which the company pushed hard in the mid-1980s. Each filter stays narrow enough that moving one slider doesn't drag its neighbors along with it. Gain and reduction changes happen only on the bands you actually want to touch.
Rane packed a lot into a single rack space. The feature set includes auto-balanced/unbalanced floating inputs and outputs, a range switch, hard-wire bypass, a three-prong line cord, and turn-on/off muting - all in a compact all-steel chassis. According to DB Magazine (September 1991, p.62), the ME-15's switchable boost/cut range is ±6/12 dB, its sliders are 20 mm center-detent types, and the whole unit measures 1.75 in. × 19 in. × 5.25 in. and weighs 5 lbs. Those short sliders are the trade-off of a 1U stereo graphic. Short throws mean less fine resolution under the fingers than a two-space unit with 45 mm faders, but you get the rack space back.
EQ Magazine recommended the ME-15 as a means of overall system tone shaping in a DJ system build, noting that it combines "superb specifications with a moderate price tag." It also praised the balanced ins and outs and the constant-Q design's minimal interaction between bands.
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