Noirsonance releases EQ6, a freeware equalizer plugin for Windows and macOS.
It’s a toss-up as to whether equalizers or compressors are more common for plugins. To add fuel to this particular VST plugin rivalry is the EQ6 parametric equalizer by Noirsonance.
EQ6 is a relatively simple-looking plugin with a clear and easily read interface. You have five bell filters and a high pass filter to shape your sounds.
Each band is set at a fixed frequency, with the four bell filters running from low to high-end frequencies. These have a fair bit of range to them, with 16dB of gain in either direction.
The filters are smooth, and they sound quite nice when used for mixing and mastering. The bands themselves don’t seem to be particularly narrow on the bandwidth. Instead, it’s more broad strokes.
EQ6 is simple and to the point, which can be rather liberating when carving out space for the various elements of a song. Noirsonance has also stated that each individual band on EQ6 has its own separate processing engine, which is supposed to add to the clarity and definition of the affected frequencies.
However, it lacks some degree of character to it, operating more as a clean and clear mastering equalizer than a grungy vintage emulation. Still, not everything on the planet needs a smudge of saturation despite my protestations.
If you need more saturation in your mix, try using our free BPB Saturator plugin.
Each of the knobs is stepped, however minutely, which might be a point of contention for some. Also, thanks to the lack of a real-time frequency spectrum analyzer, it can be a welcome change of pace if you find yourself relying too much on your eyes over your ears.
Of course, if you’re running something like the superlative TDR Slick EQ or have a preferred EQ like Pro-Q 3 or Kirchhoff, it might not get the creative juices rolling.
EQ6 is available for Windows and Mac computers. Supported plugin formats are VST3 and AU. You will need a 64-bit host for Windows and Mac alike.
I apologize to the Mac users since I can’t readily test if this one is Silicon-ready. At the very least, you can probably get it running in Rosetta if native support isn’t available.
Download: EQ6
More:
