EQuality
The Final Go-To EQ
EQuality has been designed to be the perfect EQ to let your mixdowns shine. Something for every track of your session. For it to sound at least as good as any high-end console or rack gear, and with all the features and functionality that digital brings.
This is the best mix EQ ever built, but don't take our word for it - test the claim and download the demo!
Overview
- Very low CPU usage for every track of your mix
- Generates super-high-quality prototypes. Clear undistorted top.
- Digital+ mode; turns awesome into perfect.
- Linear/Analogue/Minimum phase modes for master and special channels
- 6 bands, 2 shelf/bells, 4 bell/notches, Q 0.1 -> 50, +/-36dB range
- 2 fully parametric filters (high and low-pass), 6/12/18/24/30/36db/oct Q 0.1 -> 20
- Three different UI modes to taste - full, graph and knobs.
- M/S processing modes
- Windows VST,VST3,VST 64,VST3 64,RTAS,AAX 32, AAX 64. Mac VST,VST3,VST 64,VST3 64,AU32+64bit,AAX 32+64bit,RTAS
Sound
- Bells and notches, with a +/-36dB range, and a Q range from 0.1 to 50.
- Shelves which let you move the resonance above or below the curve.
- Filters at 6/12/18/24/30/36/42/48 db/octave, sweepable resonance.
- Extra hi-pass, so you can remove rumble on every channel without spending a band on it.
- M/S processing mode, allows you to process Mid, Side or the Stereo image.
- Adjustable gain-q interaction for 'musical' usage.
Vision
- Big, clear, antialiased graph
- Hi-res Spectrum analyser
- Range, to scale the EQ response, both +ve and -ve.
- Frequency shift, to allow you to retune the response
- Large, configurable spectrum-analyser with readout
- Control linking for all EQ parameters
- Configurable VU, supporting K-metering and variable ballistics
- 8 banks of A/B
- Full preset management system
- Undo/redo
- Autolisten mode, for quick finding/adjustment of frequencies
- Flat button on UI for rapid reset
- Clip LED
Windows System Requirements
- Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10
- 32bit or 64bit
- ProTools 7 or newer (RTAS and AAX Native)
- A host that supports VST or VST3, such as:
- Steinberg Cubase
- Steinberg Nuendo
- Steinberg Wavelab
- Sony ACID Pro
- Ableton Live
- Cockos Reaper
- Magix Sequoia
- Magix Samplitude
- AudioMulch
Mac OS System Requirements
- Mac OS 10.7 or newer. For 10.7 and 10.8 use the Intel 32/64 Mac Combined Installer on the Downloads page.
- Intel or Apple Silicon Mac
- ProTools 7 or newer (RTAS and 64-bit AAX Native, 32-bit AAX is not supported on Mac OS). For RTAS use the Intel 32/64 Mac Combined Installer on the Downloads page.
- A host that supports VST, AU or VST3, such as:
- Apple Logic (32bit or 64bit)
- Apple Garageband
- Steinberg Cubase
- Steinberg Nuendo
- Ableton Live
1.43 (2023-10-30)
- Fix incorrect latency on re-opening a project in Studio One.
- Fix latency reporting in VST3.
1.42 (2023-04-03)
- AAX Apple Silicon support.
1.41 (2022-11-09)
- Fix Digital+ mode causing silence when selected.
- Fix VST3 bundle structure for architecture on Windows.
1.40 (2022-11-03)
- Fix potential crash when editing parameters.
- Fix gain jumps when using Digital+ mode.
- Fix incorrect latency on re-opening a project in Ableton Live.
- Improve parameter display text reported to host for discrete parameters.
- Fix crash when moving between insert slots in Logic.
- Fix UI positioning in Reaper when window size is smaller than plug-in UI size.
- Fix duplicated preset data in VST3 preset file.
- VST3 can replace VST2 in Cubase/Nuendo 12 if missing or no longer supported.
1.39 (2022-03-28)
- Remove 32 bit AAX support on Mac.
- Improve parameter automation response at start of item if inserted as a Take FX in Reaper.
1.38 (2021-06-22)
- Fix VST2 window resizing in Cubase/Nuendo.
- Fix potential incorrect parameter recall with VST3 in Bitwig.
- Fix uninstaller location on Windows.
- Fix DPI scaling on Windows in apps that are not per-monitor aware.
1.37
- Fix graphics issues on Windows.
- Fix plugin not processing automation during silence when VST3 "suspend in silence" option is enabled in Cubase/Nuendo.
- Fix page table missing from AAX build.
- Fix UI sizing on Windows when application is set to override DPI scaling.
- Skip EQ coefficient interpolation on initial processing to fix issues in EqualizerAPO.
- Fix updating of track controls assigned to MIDI CCs in Reaper with VST3 version.
- Fix potential crash when instancing VST3 version in Harrison Mixbus.
- Update to new style load/save dialogs on Windows and fix initial path.
- Wrap mouse when editing text controls if mouse hiding enabled.
- Fix incorrect VST2 plugin window size with DPI scaling on Windows if host uses effEditGetRect flag (e.g. Tracktion Waveform and Max/MSP).
- Peak readouts are now sample accurate.
- Fix mouse hiding not working on Windows after entering a parameter as text.
1.36
- Fix potential crash when using different plugin formats in the same project.
1.35
- Fix potential OpenGL crash when closing window.
- Fix crash when closing window and parameter being automated.
- Improved undo of mouse wheel action.
- Fix rare issue where knobs don’t get drawn with some graphics cards.
1.34
- Improved HiDPI support
- Added OpenGL support
- Support VST2 getEffectName for some rare hosts
1.33
- Fix AU validation in old not-really-supported versions of Logic
- Reaper key entry improvements
- HiDPI support in Cubase and Studio One on Windows
- Improvements with discrete parameters drag/mousewheel
1.32
- When entering EQ band parameter value as text, TAB and BACKTAB commit entered value and move to next/prev control
- Fix for autolisten disengaging when previewing a sample for offline rendering in Cubase and Nuendo
- Mac build now requires 10.7 or later
- Improve menu position when opening a menu would cause it to appear offscreen
- AAX Mac window focus improved
- Fix potential crash when file saving fails
- Accept ',' for decimal point when entering value by text
- Fix crash when closing UI with text box open
- Fix crash with text entry on touchbar MacBook Pro
- Prevent Cubase/Nuendo right-click menu from appearing when right-clicking on a clutter bar button that accepts right-clicks
- Support for mono->stereo AU
- Installer searches for existing VST plugins folder for 64-bit plugins on Windows if run for first time
- Correctly sign Windows installers with Codesigning cert
- Improve text and layout for Windows installers
- Improve install descriptions and logo for Mac installers
1.31
- Improve VST3 automation
- Improve text editing on 64bit mac
- Improve mousewheel handling on windows
- Improve keyboard handling
- Improve automation resolution in Logic X
- Improvements for AAX DSP
- Support AAX EQ Curve display
- Extensive updates to EQuality pagetables
1.30
- Fix 32bit Carbon UIs on OSX
1.29
- Update AU validation.
- Allow all AUs to use Cocoa UIs on 32bit mac.
- Improve speed of session recall for AUs.
- Fix mousewheel on 2nd screens.
- Improve pagetable mappings for S6 controllers.
1.28
- Fix handling of preferences.
1.27
- Fix bug with AAX automation whereby discrete parameters could jump.
- Fix bug with mousewheel on windows to left of main screen on windows.
- Improve determinism of automation when rendering.
- Improve handling of OS load dialog for presets.
- Improvements for latency reporting both realtime and offline.
- Fix AAX DSP automation.
- Fix AAX DSP license handling.
1.26
- Faster load/save times.
- Installer also includes AAX-DSP Support.
1.25
- Right/alt-drag to autolisten.
- AAX version imports old RTAS (latency) versions.
- Fix bug with A/B in AAX.
- Fix AAX level meters.
1.24
- Tidying and optimisation.
- Reduce saved preset sizes further.
- Fix crashes with undo/redo.
- Fixes for Sonar.
- Fix automation of discrete parameters for PT11 AAX.
- Fix samplerate issues in Wavelab for VST3.
- Remove AAX GR meter.
- Fix "true Q" preference.
- Fix crash with SoundMiner.
1.23
- Fix bug affecting reloading of settings
- Fix issues with Windows 32bit AAX and ProTools 10
1.22
- Fix obscure crash bug related to Analyser usage.
- Versioning display for binaries.
- Significant reduction in load/save times.
- All-round optimisation and tidying.
- Ceased support for 10.4 and PPC. 10.5/Intel now required.
- Improvements for RTAS versions.
- Fix samplerate related issues for AU.
- Improvements for AAX Automation.
- Improvements for redraw strategy on OSX.
- Improvements for UIs for AU+Cocoa.
- Fix mousewheel handling on Windows.
- Fix UI resizing in Live 9 Mac.
- Fix crash when closing UI for Cocoa AUs
- Move Windows presets to My Documents to improve Win7/8 usage.
- Added warning box if file save/load fails.
1.21
- Fix Digital+ bug
1.20
- Fix textboxes in Logic
- Improve RTAS resizing
- AAX improvements
- AAX2.0 and PT11 compatibility.
1.19
- AAX-AudioSuite Enabled
- Fix samplerate handling for VST3 in StudioOne
- AAX enable click-thru - prevents first click from being absorbed when UI is opened
- AAX Bypass mechanism reworked to match RTAS version
1.18
- AAX version included
- Tweaks for stability
- VST3 Automation improvements
- Mac builds and Installers optimised and signed
- Massive optimise for reload of presets.
- Improve HPFs.
1.17
- Fixed memory leak
- Fixed potential crash in UI
- Massive improvements to CPU usage with UI redraw/animation
- Fix focus stealing bug on windows
- Fix UI crash on mac
- Invalid text entry returns controls to default values.
- Fix "stuck-on" clip light in ProTools HD
- Fix Win+Ctrl click for Windows ProTools
- Fix AudioSuite redraw for Windows ProTools
- Presets are compressed to dramatically reduce session sizes (1/50th)
1.16
- Fixed textbox display, ProTools Mac RTAS.
- Fix crash when switching between DMGAudio plugins in ProTools using header menu.
- Fixed obscure potential crash bug.
- VST3 versions support presets.
- Fixed bug whereby host redraw would slow down when UI was open.
- Improved AudioSuite metering and processing.
- Enable Windows ProTools automation menu.
- Fixed issues relating to window resizing in ProTools.
- Added A/B Automation type preference.
- Always report zero latency when expired/hard bypassed.
- Can now right-click the A/B menu to toggle.
- Fixed bug where saving filter with 48db/oct (entered numerically) reloads as 42db/oct.
- Fixed bug whereby analyser could hide high-frequency spikes.
- Fix Spec-analyser pops.
1.15
- CPU Usage Improvements
- Added ProTools metering support
- Fix M/S / bypass latency for non-8k IR length.
- Added analyser outlined/filled/both pref.
1.12 -> 1.14
- Fixed rare memory leak
- Fixed A/B automation
- Improved ProTools Controlsurface integration
- Fixed M/S mode bug
- Improved denormal handling
- Improved mousewheel handling
- Added Manual to EQuality installer
- Added soft-bypass to eliminate CPU load for inactive bands
- Improved Digital+ phase-cancellation
1.10 -> 1.12
- Fix RTAS/AudioSuite mousehandling
- Fix RTAS/AudioSuite resizing bug
- Fix RTAS automation highlights bug
- Graph Zoom (as pref)
- Enter note names on note-mode textboxes
- Fix slider 'hover' mode
- AU: Improve display of value strings
- Preference to switch IR len
- Improve handling of Defaults vs Factory bank.
- Improve low-level metering
- Added support for 64bit VST and VST3 on mac
- Fixed memory leaks
- Improved keyboard handling in Cubase
- Optimise CPU usage in Digital/Digital+ mode
- Enhanced Graph zooming function
- Improve ProTools control surface support
1.08 -> 1.10
- Efficiency improvements
- Fix loading issue with Logic9
- Fix bug whereby wrong UI mode was loaded
- Change grouping colours
- Increase visibility of 0dB on meters
- Fix RTAS automation and enable shortcuts
- RTAS samplerate fixes
- Graph grid brightness preference
- Ctrl/Apple+Shift-click on frequency textboxes to show note values
- Pagetable enhancements for C24/ProControl
- Fix Digital+/Mid modes for RTAS
- Support for PT9 latency compensation
- Fix redraw issue on some macs
- Support for Digi ICON/D-Control control surfaces
- Fix AU Validation
- Improve RTAS UI handling
- Improve display of textboxes for RTAS/Mac
- Fix AudioSuite handling
- Fix processing of long offline blocks
- Fix special peaks bug
- Fix 64bit UI handling
- Fix RTAS samplerate issue
- Sliders have textboxes for display/entry
- VST2.4 mono version, for convenience
- Fix range=0 bug
- Double-click sliders/knobs to reset to default.
- Button added to Setup to save state as default.
- Mousewheel adjusts Q for all bands
- Autolisten uses q=12 pref.
- Alt-dblclick on the graph resets a band to default.
- Alt-drag Range/Shift will not change value without affecting bands.
1.06 -> 1.08
- Fix latency compensation for RTAS
- Fix bug with textbox entry on Mac
- Optimised VU redraw
- Fix reporting of latency in VST3 version
- Optimisations for Graph redraw
- MASSIVE speed increase for UI redraw on Windows
- Analyser is no longer pink
- Enhanced CPU efficiency for redraw for AU version
- Solo by Select preference (new default)
- Use "Factory Bank" if no Default Bank found (no overwriting of your defaults)
- Improve ultra-low frequency performance
- Analyser Tilt and Smooth preferences
- Avoid glitches when switching between Stereo <-> M/S/L/R modes with Linphase
- Compensate for mouse position, so touching bands doesn't nudge frequency
- "Show me the EXACT Q value" preference
- 48db/oct filters
- Tidyup preferences
- Fix bug whereby "hide mouse" preference could become permanent
- Fix two crash bugs
- Prevent pop on start with Phase modes
- VST2: Avoid reporting latency IN the audio thread (avoids weird delays in Cubase)
- VST2: Keep UI in synch with preset selected from host
- Make FLAT smarter
- Make entered text undoable
- Preference for Red or Blue analyser colour
- Added "press shift to lock graph to adjust only gain, not frequency"
- Fine-drag with knobs/textboxes with right mousebutton
- Improved "pointer hide" mode
- VST3: Don't map all channels incorrectly
- VST3: Don't crash when inserted on a mono channel
- Fix Stereo and Double Precision processing for VST3
- Fix metering bug
- Reinstate +/-6dB zoomed range, add +/-3dB range
- Stop the registration info from rotating
- Add Shift+Ctrl (Shift+Apple) click to invert a band's gain.
1.04 -> 1.06
- RTAS
- Tweak to make high-pass filters nicer
- Fixed handling of filter slopes for automation
- Fixed automation issue with VST3
- Fixed fine-control for knobs (shift-drag)
- Fixed Autolisten to be immediate (without needing adjustment of knob)
- Fixed handling of denormals
- Fixed issues with Reaper/Samplitude on window resizing
- Supports VST 64bit processing
- Display correct positions for control-handle of bypassed bands
- Soft-switching band bypass
- Configurable autolisten gain
- Autolisten ignores Q adjustments pref
- Improvements for K-metering
1.02 -> 1.04
- Fix Analogue Phase mode
- Fix mousewheel handling on Windows
- Fix A/B issue.
- Enlarged Setup window
- Mouse-hiding preference for dragging controls
- Inverted-Q preference for graph
- Mousewheel-Q on graph
1.00 -> 1.02
- Double-click to enable a band on the graph
- Adjust Q on the graph by pressing Alt/Right-button without having to restart a drag
- Right click on the enable button to switch a band's type
- Denormal prevention
- Fixed crazy mousewheel handling on faders.
- Mono mode for AU
- Fix Digital+ HPF-filtering behaviour
- Fixed permissions for Default Bank on mac.
I've been building EQs for nearly a decade. From Focusrite to Sonalksis, I've learned a lot about EQs; how they should sound, how they should work, and I'd always wanted to build an EQ from the ground up, incorporating everything I've learned.
When I first started telling people I was going to do this, the response was a mixture of encouragement, tempered against the question "why do we need another EQ?". I'm pleased to tell you that now, at the end of the development process, everyone who asked that question has their answer. It's an answer that's hard to explain in words, and much much easier to find by just using the plugin. You can click the installer and the "send demo" link, and find out right now.
Most people have quite a collection of EQs - some are models of hardware, some are workhorse EQs for surgical correction, or for guiding a track into a mix, some are for mastering. First off, EQuality is not a model of a specific piece of hardware; it's more ambitious than that. EQuality aims to be a great replacement for all your EQs. That's been the driving factor.
From the bottom up, EQuality sounds as good as an EQ can sound. By that, I mean the prototypes are as close to the consistent analogue shapes as can be achieved digitally, without spending extra CPU. When you want to spend extra CPU to close the deal, you can do that too, but so far not many people have reported finding occasions where the difference is perceptible.
From the top-down, EQuality is designed to allow you to make it work the way you want it to. At every stage, we've sought out any idiosyncrasies in the design, and replaced them with solutions that make sense, and with options to allow you to have things the way you need them.
