A specific number of EQ filters can be completely customized with parametric EQ. There are various filter types available for each frequency band or filter, including the relative gain (boost/cut), Q factor, and cutoff and center frequencies. It is the EQ kind that is most adaptable.
Every step of the music-making process, from the earliest sound correction difficulties at the recording stage all the way to broad sweetening while mastering at the very end, can be solved by boosting or attenuating specific frequencies in a signal. Additionally, EQ can help with tone-shaping for sound design on the creative end of the spectrum, either by itself or in combination with other techniques. Here are six of the greatest parametric EQ plugins since having one is a necessity.
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FabFilter Pro-Q 3
Excellent fully parametric EQ plugin with up to 24 bands of completely programmable EQ filters is the FabFilter Pro-Q 3. FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is a good example of the business’s top-notch plugins. This completely parametric, extremely flexible EQ offers stunning sound quality and a lovely resizable Retina user interface.
With this parametric EQ, users can create up to 24 bands. You can choose from 9 different filter designs with slopes ranging from 6 dB/oct to 96 dB/oct, and you can add bands as you see fit. Even the “brickwall” slope setting is available for the high-pass and low-pass filters. To quickly create the precise EQ you require, add and change bands within the spectrum analyzer.
Additionally, Pro-Q 3 has excellent EQ match functionality. Other features include piano roll EQ quantization, several display ranges, optional collision detection for external spectrum visualization, phase inversion, and output level metering. The Pro-Q 3 features interactive MIDI Learn, undo/redo and A/B switches, Smart Parameter Interpolation, interactive “Help” documentation with tips, sample-accurate automation, double-click text entry of parameter values, among other features that are typical of FabFilter products.
The Pro-Q 3 needs a very small amount of CPU and memory for all of this power and flexibility. The Pro Q-3 won’t slow you down whether you require one instance or several hundred (unless you’re using linear phase). This is the Best Parametric EQ Plugin in 2023.
Sonible smart:EQ 3
With smart:EQ 3, you can quickly achieve spectral balance whether you are working on a single track or a mix. The AI-powered equalization will remove undesired notches and unpleasant resonances, leaving you with a well-balanced sound that is the perfect starting point for future creative action.
With astounding accuracy and dependability, this intelligent parametric EQ plugin corrects tonal imbalances in audio streams using Sonible’s exclusive smart:engine learning engine and artificial intelligence. In order to create a natural-sounding balance, the Sonible smart:EQ 3 efficiently analyzes the audio and develops a bespoke EQ curve.
You can design a transparent arrangement of up to six channels with each track doing exactly the function you want it to by using intelligent cross-channel processing. The algorithms ensure that each track receives its allotted space within your mix by examining the spectral data of each channel you’ve added to your group. Simply decide on the sonic hierarchy in accordance with your vision. That’s all there is to it.
Despite the nearly unlimited sonic possibilities, the smart:EQ 3 is intensely focused on delivering the greatest results with the quickest process. The smart:EQ 3 can easily improve the detail and clarity of a mix with a few parameter changes. The A.I. is quick to analyze data and produce findings, but the user-friendly interface is also a boon for accelerating workflow. We can effectively get the results we’re wanting in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional EQ devices by using controls that are simple to use and a high-definition analyzer (with pre, post, and pre/post settings).
The smart:EQ 3 includes mid-side processing and a variety of filter options. Users can save their own profiles (presets) for content-aware audio processing with the smart:EQ 3. With only a press of a button, these profiles will create professional-quality results by adapting to the audio input in question and serving as an excellent EQ starting point. This is the Best Parametric EQ VST Plugin in 2023.
MeldaProduction MAutoDynamicEQ
As its name suggests, Melda MAutoDynamicEq is a powerful automatic EQ plugin with dynamic processing options. Seven fully parametric bands are present. This parametric EQ combines automated and dynamic EQ features, making it an incredibly flexible and potent plugin.
The MAutoDynamicEq has an incredibly transparent and musical sound, and the plugin is exceptionally lovely due to the amount of features it incorporates into its design. The MAutoDynamicEq displays the outcomes of your processing combined with an integrated analyzer, sonogram, spectrum areas, and more inside the resizable interface.
The MAutoDynamicEq plugin has a very potent automatic equalization feature. A defined source is perfectly matched to the overall EQ of an audio signal by this plugin. The source could be a previously recorded mixed or mastered audio, a different source recording, a user-specified EQ curve, or a previously established analysis. When you enable the auto EQ, the plugin will configure the EQ bands for you.
The MAutoDynamicEq has carefully designed dynamic filters with sidechain control for the dynamic side of things. Without using a compressor, de-essing and bass drum amplification are made simple. This outstanding plugin offers both gorgeous equalization and the essential dynamic control.
iZotope Neutron 4
The 6-module, fully-featured mixing tool iZotope Neutron 4 has clever Mix Assistant and Track Assistant technologies that automatically offers an overall mix. This incredibly strong mixing plugin offers a fantastic parametric EQ in addition to all the other necessary mixing tools. Four alternative displays are available on this robust parametric EQ module: a spectrum analyzer, a composite EQ curve, a filter response curve, and meter scales. Although our hearing should be our primary tool when EQing a signal filter bandwidth, these visual aids can be quite useful.
It is simple to add and delete up to 12 completely parametric bands from the EQ, including a high-pass/high-shelf and low-pass/low-shelf filter. With the exception of the pass filters, each band has an own utility menu that provides access to Neutron’s potent sidechaining capabilities as well as static and dynamic mode adjustments.
Each parametric band in dynamic mode has its own Q, frequency, gain, sidechain, threshold, direction (upward or downward), and sidechain parameters for audio engineers. To trigger the dynamic EQ bands, use any external signal or the internal/program signal as the sidechain. The resulting EQ boost or cut will activate as soon as the threshold is reached (which can be set above or below).