Best EQ Plugin
Today we’ll look at a another important category of VSTs. Which of the following is the best EQ plugin in your opinion? Did we miss one – let us know!
Gullfoss. €79.
Everything just got clearer. Gullfoss is an intelligent automatic equalizer that uses Soundtheory’s unique computational auditory perception technology to identify and resolve problems in the frequency balance of your signal. Adjusting its settings in realtime according to the audible features of the input signal, Gullfoss allows quick and precise fixes for issues that would otherwise be unsolvable or would require a lot of time and experience to resolve.
Fabfilter Pro Q 2. $179.
An equalizer is probably the tool you use most while mixing and mastering, so you need the best of the best! With FabFilter Pro-Q 2, you get the highest possible sound quality and a gorgeous, innovative interface with unrivalled ease of use.
Waves SSL G-Equalizer. $199.
The SSL G-Equalizer includes a pre-boost dip and a pre-cut rise, as well as a broader Q for more extreme equalization. That’s why many leading engineers use the E-Channel’s equalization for detailed problem-solving and mixing, and the G-Equalizer to shape and give character to the sound.
Pultec Passive EQ Collection. $299.
Building on a decade of the world’s most intensive modeling research, UAD has recreated the famed Pultec EQ experience as plug-ins – ones that are nearly indistinguishable from the original analog hardware. UAD Soundcard needed.
Smart:EQ. €129.
The intelligent smart:EQ+ plug-in enhances the detail, clarity, and personality of your audio-track with a tap of the finger. What makes it special: the perfect mix is ready in a matter of seconds.
McQ. $69.
PSP McQ captures the sonic character and functionality of various classic console equalizers such as the versatile MCI console EQs.
Waves Renaissance EQ. $79.
Featuring real-time EQ graphing, vintage-modeled filter curves, and extended internal headroom, the Renaissance Equalizer by Waves is a versatile paragraphic EQ with warm, analog-style sound.
Is the Best EQ Plugin Free?
Not really, but if it’s functionality you’re after, this one has it in spades.
Nova RQ. Free.
Nova does double duty, acting as a superb parametric equaliser or a dynamic equaliser, offering dynamics processing on each band. Add to that a gorgeous spectral display and you have a plugin that should cost a pretty penny – but doesn’t. Download it here.
Fuse Audio Labs W2395c. Free.
Fuse Audio Labs has partnered with Roger Schult to introduce the RS-W2395c plug-in. It’s a free, authentic emulation of German Audio Lab’s W2395c, a classic Baxandll EQ combined with a powerful mid-band filter. Fuse Audio Labs’ plug-in is designed to be straightforward in operation, with a minimal design that exhibits the controls in their most simplistic form. The LF can be switched from 80Hz to 110Hz, the HF from 2K to 5K, and the semi-parametric MF offers three different Q factors to choose from. Drive control is a function that can add “satisfying grit to its supernaturally-natural tone character”, the company says. Check out the demos below:
elysia niveau filter. Free.
Often touted as the ultimate frequency balancing tool, the niveau filter first gained prominence in the filter section of elysia’s famous mpressor, where it was used to add punch to muffled snares, reduce the harshness from active pickups, or as a sound design tool to create everything from a telephone tone to low-fi loops. This filter provides a super simple way to change the overall sonic character of a signal. It features two comprehensive controllers and is capable of producing powerful results in no time at all. Whenever a classic shelving filter would be too limited and a fully parametric filter would be too much, the niveau filter plugin is the perfect tool.
