NoirSonance releases EQ6 (b), a freeware equalizer plugin with a unique character.
Who doesn’t have a dozen or more EQs just chilling out in their plugin folder at this point?
To be perfectly honest, that might just be projecting on my part since I tend to collect them like Pokemon with ease. Nevertheless, today’s covered plugin is a little outside the norm for your typical EQ offerings.
The EQ6 (b) by NoirSonance is a different sort of animal, being part dynamics processor, tone box, and equalizer. You’ve probably already heard about its predecessor, the similarly named (but also quite different) EQ6.
So, what makes this EQ so special?
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is just another ho-hum analog emulation. The overall interface seems inspired by any number of classic console equalizers, just without the same effective branding.
However, this EQ6 (b) functions more like a saturator than a typical clean EQ. When you go to boost bands, harmonics are added and the dynamics of a signal are affected greatly.
I found myself falling in love with it after quite a bit of testing on various sound sources. It sounds fantastic on kicks, just as a general example, where you can really add some grit and punch to the secondary fundamentals.
It also works equally well on snares, giving body and snap without having to reach for other processors right away.
Now, it isn’t going to function as an effective replacement for the whole toolbox. But it does function as a handy multi-tool with a straightforward interface.
It does miss out on the automatic gain compensation I’ve grown accustomed to with the likes of Pro-Q. However, that’s easily rectified with a gain utility directly after the equalizer if you want to maintain the same overall level.
My time with EQ6 (b) left me fairly impressed, especially given the overall price of the software itself. NoirSonance has a slew of other different products I’m more inclined to give a closer look after my time with this EQ.
EQ6 (b) is available for Windows and Mac computers. Supported plugin formats are VST3 and AU. It does load up just fine in Bitwig on my M1 Mac, but I couldn’t tell if it was running through Rosetta or not. More Mac-savvy readers can likely chime in with its actual status as a Universal Binary, however.
Download: EQ6 (b) (FREE)
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7 Comments
Dee
onThis sounds very good ! Thx
Dee
onTried on a few tracks, sounds amazing
alex
onI like this one :) The old, “clean” EQ6 (w) version is also available to download.
Todd
on@ William…
“…I couldn’t tell if it was running through Rosetta or not. More Mac-savvy readers can likely chime in with its actual status as a Universal Binary, however.”
Another recommendation for the PlugInfo app for macOS. It shows version number, plugin types (VST, VST3, AAX, AU, CLAP), build architecture (Apple UB2, Intel32/64, etc), disk location, etc for all the plugins on your system. Super simple and a very handy utility. $2.99 in the App Store (or more info here):
https://www.thinkersnacks.com/as-pluginfo.html
Hope that is helpful! :-)
Frank Labuschagne
onA bit of a tangent, but does anyone know of a nice proper eq/filter that can do sort of arb masking? None of the things i’ve looked at are suitable. Like for instance, you get basic 3-band splitter things in FL studio. Reaper, etc, but for my purposes that’s not quite good enough and this particular task is rather important (as in, probably quit music entirely if there’s nothing suitable).
Jordan
onThank you as always for sharing the knowledge of free plugins!
Fyi, it appears the link is currently not working.
Anne
onGonna give this eq a try. I can live with saturation features. I prefer 5 or 6 knobs to get the saturated sound I want. Versus a dozen or more knobs and menus to get the job done.