MousePlugins has released The Trick, a free passive program EQ for Windows and Linux.
The “trick” in the name is the old Pultec move. You boost and cut at the same low frequency at the same time, and instead of the two canceling each other out, you get a resonant low-end lift followed by a scoop just above it.
This results in a bigger bottom end and tighter low-mids. It’s a classic studio move, and we also tried recreating it in our free BPB Bassaturator plugin.
That said, most EQ plugins start from a target curve, but The Trick is built from a circuit-style topology. The passive network runs as a Wave Digital Filter tree, with the resistors, capacitors, inductors, and frequency selectors all represented in the structure.
That’s also why the LF Boost and LF Atten share a single four-position frequency selector (20, 30, 60, or 100 Hz) while still driving two independent LC networks. When you lock them to the same frequency, you get that classic peak-then-dip shape, which basically focuses your bass.
The HF section splits into two independent networks, too. HF Boost is a resonant RLC peak with seven frequency positions between 3 and 16 kHz, plus a Bandwidth control to widen or sharpen the lift.
HF Atten is a shelving cut on its own, with a three-position selector (5, 10, or 20 kHz). The classic move there is boosting around 10 kHz while rolling off at 20 kHz for air without the harsh top-end bite.
Even with every EQ knob at zero, The Trick still colors your signal. The passive network has about 24 dB of insertion loss, and the tube makeup stage that compensates for it adds its own even-order harmonics.
There’s a transformer voicing stage in the path for extra low-end weight, too. Both are always on, just like in the hardware, so the plugin has a recognizable character before you touch a control.
You also get Stereo and Mid-Side modes, a Mix knob with a latency-compensated dry path for parallel coloring, and a fully resizable interface. The tube stage runs at 2x oversampling and reports the latency to your host for plugin-delay compensation.
MousePlugins keeps the licensing simple. Activation is via email, with no iLok or dongle. There’s no telemetry or phone-home, and the free download has no demo limits, no noise bursts, and no time-bomb. Every knob is active.
The Trick is available in VST3 and CLAP formats for Windows 10 64-bit and 64-bit Linux distros like Ubuntu 20.04 or later and Fedora. macOS users will have to sit this one out for now.
Download: The Trick (FREE)
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Last Updated on May 3, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
