Landon from ViatorDSP has just announced his latest freeware plugin, called Graphic EQ.
This must have been a busy period for him since he recently released a trio of freeware vocal processing plugins.
Graphic EQ is an analog emulation plugin aiming to bring the classic character of analog EQ hardware to your DAW.
While the audio software industry is oversaturated (🤓, hehe) with analog-inspired plugins, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have one more, especially if it’s free and well-designed.
A remarkable feature of Graphic EQ is its Dynamic Filter Bandwidth which emulates the behavior of hardware EQs. The bandwidth or Q changes accordingly to the gain boost or cut.
In particular, as you boost the signal, the filter bandwidth slightly narrows, producing a harmonically pleasing and organic sound compared to static digital EQs.
Conversely, as you lower the gain negatively, the bandwidth narrows even further, granting you precise control and surgical cuts.
This latter scenario is particularly helpful when addressing resonances in your audio since you want to cut very narrow frequency ranges without removing too much signal.
If you pair that with the availability of 10 bands of EQ, you certainly have plenty of room for audio surgery inside Graphic EQ.
In typical graphic equalizer design, the bands are spread across the whole spectrum with an octave increment. In this way, you can think of the process of equalization in musical terms, not just focusing on the technical side of things.
Indeed, having pre-defined frequency bands may seem a limitation compared to most digital EQs we are used to, but this ensures you focus more on the musicality of your EQ decisions.
Graphic EQ also comes with Lowpass & Highpass Filters, useful to quickly smooth out your signals and eliminate unwanted rumble and hiss.
Input & Output controls are present on the interface, too, ensuring you monitor the so-important gain staging of your signal chain.
Finally, the real-time VU meter looks like a cherry on top of an already greatly designed analog-emulated EQ.
Graphic EQ is available as a pay-what-you-want on Gumroad, and it’s compatible with both Windows and Mac, with AU and VST3 as downloadable formats.
Read our article about free EQ VST plugins for more freeware equalization tools.
Download: Graphic EQ (FREE or name your price)
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