EQs or equalizers are among the most useful–and most commonly-used–sound processing tools in the audio world.
All these plugins were some of the hottest freeware releases in 2016. Many of these free audio plugins works both on Windows and MAC (there are some exceptions), and they are compatible with all the major today's music production software (DAW). Frontier from D16 Group opens our list of best VST/AU plugins of 2016. SonEQ is free equalizer plugin that takes parts from some vintage gear and combine them in one. SonEQ has 3 bands, bass, middle and treble. Also, SonEQ has a pre-amp section. SonEQ is a free VST/AU/AAX plugin for Mac and Windows. 3 band Equalizer, Low, Mid, High. 2 Musical Filters, High-Pass Low-Pass. Preamp stage with bass booster. Fab Filter was the best eq I've ever used.in it's 30 day demo. I don't feel like spending the money at the moment though. Are there any free plugins that come close to as good as Fab Filters EQ?
Download all the best free VST equalizer plugins. EQ plug-ins for mastering & mixing music. Warm analog coloration of the sound. Graphic EQ, paragraphic EQ, and parametric equalizers.
They're capable of brightening dull sound sources and tempering harsh and overly bright ones, it has near-limitless uses in studio and live settings. While EQ plugins like Fabfilter and Waves offer the industry standard and ease of use, there are a few great free alternatives you can try out.
So in this article we'll take a look at the best free EQ plugin software that money can't buy!
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Introduction: About EQ Plugins
EQs work by cutting or boosting specific frequencies of a sound. Graphic EQs alter the sound in pre-set frequency bands, while parametric EQs provide more control over which bands–or range of bands–can be affected.
Many plug-in EQs provide much greater degree of control than most hardware EQ units. Capable of ultra-precise cuts and boosts, plug-ins EQs make it possible to perform broadband sweetening or surgically-precise edits.
Of course, some purists would insist that nothing comes close to the warmth and presence of a high-end analog EQ. But there is no denying that today's modern breed of EQ plug-ins are capable of sounds that can be every bit as rich and satisfying.
Free EQ Plugins
The List
EQ Plugin Roundup
Cockos' ReaEQ is an Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) equalizer plug-in that is capable of unlimited bands.
It has many different filters options, including shelf, band, LPF, HPF, notch, band-pass, and all-pass. Like many graph-based plug-ins, it supports the use of the mousewheel for adjusting the bandwidths of individual frequency points.
In actual usage, ReaEQ is a precise and transparent EQ that is versatile enough to stand up against even the priciest paid offerings.
Like the much-lauded Pro Q by FabFilter, it lets you add as many bands as you need, allowing for precise EQing.
Even if you already have a couple of go-to plug-ins in your toolkit, ReaEQ is well worth looking into as a solid all-rounder.
Tokyo Dawn's TDR Nova is billed as a 'parallel dynamic equalizer', although it looks pretty much like your typical parametric equalizer. Even so, there is considerable power beneath the familiar interface, with each of the four bands equipped with a comprehensive dynamics section.
This enables the TDR Nova to go well beyond the capabilities offered by most mere EQ plug-ins, almost into the realm of the full-blown mastering tool.
Even with its expanded range of capabilities, TDR Nova remains very easy to use. The drag-and-drop WYSIWYG interface invites creative tweaking, and there are even equal loudness features that help you make EQ decisions without being influenced by volume differences.
Overall, TDR Nova is a useful and versatile plug-in that is more than just an EQ.
In contrast, Blue Cat Audio's Triple EQ is an unabashed EQ plug-in through and through.
A 3-band, semi-parametric design, it can also be used as a single highly customizable filter by linking all three filters.
These filters–low shelf, high shelf, and boost/cut peak–work remarkably well together. Each is capable of wide gain and bandwidth ranges, providing all the tone-shaping you need for a multitude of tasks.
Triple EQ has a helpful graph that provides visual feedback on the frequency response. There is also a dual-channel version that allows for independent left/right or mid/side processing.
Somius' SonEQ brings together the best qualities of the classic hardware EQ units in a convenient plug-in. A three-band EQ that provides control over the bass, middle, and treble frequency ranges, it also has high-pass and low-pass filters.
There is even a preamp section with bass boost for added warmth and tonal control.
Those familiar with the legendary Pulteq EQs will appreciate the SonEQ's ability to boost and cut the low end at the same frequency.
The preamp's drive control is capable of a surprising range of sounds, from a slight edge to smooth saturation. With a warm and present tonal character that sounds great no matter where you set it, the SonEQ will be just as useful on your master buss as it will be on individual tracks.
Tokyo Dawn's Vos SlickEQ is another three-band EQ that cranks out great sound by the bucket load.
Four modes are provided, each with a distinct curve and frequency response. The plug-in also has an auto gain feature that compensates for changes in perceived levels, so you can tweak settings accurately without being swayed by volume changes.
What makes the Vos SlickEQ different from other EQ plug-ins is the output stage with four saturation models.
The separate output drive control works in conjunction with these four models, producing different flavors of warmth and drive.
This results in a varied array of sounds that is reminiscent of the character of vintage hardware EQs.
Best Vst Eq 2020
Voxengo's Overtone GEQ is a seven-band graphic EQ plug-in that imbues your audio with pleasing harmonic content. It supports eight input and eight output channels for maximum tone-shaping versatility, and it handles mid-side processing with ease and elegance.
Each of the seven EQ bands has its own harmonic enhancement module, which adds rich overtones to the sound. The combined effect result is subtle but striking, and it is especially impressive on sub-mixes and the master buss.
Plugin Alliance's SPL Free Ranger is a cut-down version of the Full Ranger EQ, with only four bands instead of eight. The good news is that it affects the most useful frequency bands, so you have a pretty good range of control over your sound.
Best Eq Plugin
Like its big brother, the SPL Free Ranger is a remarkably musical-sound plug-in, with a crisp, clean sound that won't change the basic character of your tracks.
Although most of the other EQs in this roundup have more tonal-shaping capabilities, the SPL Free Ranger is a good choice for more basic EQing duties.
Top pick
With so many fine free plug-ins, it was quite a challenge to come up with one that could be called 'the best free EQ plugin'.
The TDR Nova and the SonEQ are capable of so much more than your average EQ plug-in, and the Overtone GEQ deserves credit for its harmonically-rich sound.
But if there is one EQ that stands above all the others, it would have to be Cockos' ReaEQ. With its unlimited band capability and the myriad array of filters, it gets our vote for the best EQ plug-in this time around.
Dynamic EQs are phenomenal. I use them all the time for precision mixing. They are for when the hard, static filter cuts and boosts won't suffice. I've been fortunate enough to have had hands-on experience with many high quality EQs with some sort of dynamic capability or another over the years, so I wanted to share with you my favorites. Don't worry if some of the bigger names aren't in the budget right now, I have two free ones for you as well! Here's my run-down of some of my favorite Dynamic EQs and a little bit about each of them.
What Is A Dynamic EQ?
First, we should talk a little bit about EQs, compressors and dynamic EQs. If you already know about these concepts, feel free to skip ahead. An EQ filter is generally static. It boosts, cuts and shapes incoming frequencies in a linear fashion. A compressor is non-linear. It 'reacts' to incoming signals to boost, attenuate and shape sounds being fed through it dynamically.
A dynamic EQ takes the best of both worlds and combines them in one place. An EQ that cuts, boosts, or shapes the sound depending on what is being fed into it. So instead of just a frequency node, gain, Q, and filter types we have additional tools like threshold, attack and release which can drive those EQ parameters. They react to internal or external sources.
Internal mode listens to the sound source itself; de-essing is a common application for this as an example. External mode listens to a different sound source and makes cuts or boosts the audio. Alright? Now that we have basics out of the way, let's check out some great dynamic EQs.
Neutron 2 by iZotope
Neutron 2 is pretty much the crème-de-la-crème of Dynamic EQs. It has incredible precision and many years of world-class algorithms developed by iZotope behind it. You have the ability to turn on Dynamic Mode for any of the 12 filters and either increase or reduce the gain of the filter node. That reaction is dictated by either an internal or external sidechain audio source. Not only that, but Neutron 2 has a number of different band presets for the sidechain options making things even more precise. Add to that the 'Learn' and 'Masking' features which will actually show you where you might want to pay attention to and place your filter nodes and you have a truly first-class Dynamic EQ.
Web: https://www.izotope.com/en/products/mix/neutron/features-and-comparison/equalizer.html
SurferEQ 2 by Sound Radix
SurferEQ 2 is a different type of dynamic EQ than that in Neutron 2's EQ when set up for external sidechaining. Surfer EQ, instead of responding to gain values, responds to pitch. That means the filter nodes follow the incoming pitch of a signal instead of the volume. It's awesome. You can turn on the 'Surf' function to follow the incoming audio's pitch and you can choose which harmonic too. There are 5 main filters which can cover all the main harmonics (3, 5 ,7, 9) and the fundamental. This makes SurferEQ 2 great for precision when you are mixing similar sounds and want one to always stand out.
You have global controls for the pitch tolerance, pitch threshold, 'surf time' which is how long the filter takes to move to the new pitch, as well as attack and recovery times. The filter's gain value is more-or-less static though unless you enable GTE mode, which will use a gate, so the filter will only be active when the threshold is crossed giving you even further control.
For example, when I use the SurferEQ to carve space out of a pad for a vocal. Turning on the GTE mode and setting a good threshold means that the filter node won't be active if there is no vocal which will let the pad remain completely full and unaltered. I only recently found out about this gem, but I'm really excited I did!
Web: https://www.soundradix.com/products/surfer-eq/
Trackspacer by Wavesfactory
I've been raving about this plugin for the two years I've known about it. It just does such a great job so quickly that it's a must-have for all music producers! Also, the price tag isn't too bad. Trackspacer has a 32-band dynamic EQ behind the scenes. Once you set up the sidechain you can instantly and easily carve out room for anything in the sonic spectrum. Each band reacts independently making for decently precise sound carving. You don't have as much control of each one of those bands as you might in SurferEQ and Neutron but if you are looking for a quick and clean job, Trackspacer has you covered.
Web: https://www.wavesfactory.com/trackspacer/
Ableton Live & Max Dynamic EQ by Joshua Casper (FREE)
I actually wrote a long tutorial on how to build your own dynamic EQ in Ableton Live using Max and Live's devices here on Ask.Audio a while back.
You should check it out. You can follow along with the tutorial or download the completed Effect Rack for free. It only has 4 bands, but it does the trick. Plus, there's the extra bonus of following along with the tutorial to learn more than a few things about dynamic EQs, Live and Max along the way.
Web: https://ask.audio/articles/how-to-build-a-dynamic-eq-inside-ableton-live
NOVA by Tokyo Dawn Records (Free)
This is a completely free Dynamic EQ VST and works wonders. Many people swear by it. So if you don't have the cash and want to see what the Dynamic EQ fuss is about, this is the right option for you. The free version is the younger sibling of a much more parameter-packed bigger EQ, but it still has the Dynamic EQ part and a boat load of other goodies; Parametric equalization, Dynamic equalization, Frequency selective compression, Multi-band compression, and Wideband compression to name a few.
Web: https://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/
Disclaimer
While I have had hands-on experience with a large number of plugins, I haven't tried them all. That means I might have missed your favorite. Not because it's worse, but because I can't speak from experience about it. So, if I did miss your favorite or something of note, please drop us a comment below to help us all.
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