Lotus Sound has just released Aerial EQ, a free semi-parametric tube EQ for Windows and macOS.
The company states that its innovative feature is its ‘Air’ function, which should bring brilliance and spaciousness to your audio.
As I tested the plugin and delved into the manual, I realized that the Air knob acts as a Q factor of a traditional parametric equalizer. Hence, it’s a bit of a snake-oil claim.
Anyway, since the plugin is delivered for free, I’ll stop the criticism to talk about its overall functionality.
Aerial EQ controls four distinct frequency bands: LF, LM, HM, and HF.
Only the LM and HM bands introduce you to the aforementioned ‘Air’ knob.
As you turn it up, you’re effectively narrowing the bell shape of the respective frequency band.
I’m honestly confused by the naming choice since ‘air’ in audio terminology usually refers to the very top end of the frequency spectrum.
In this case, the LM band’s range is between 300Hz and 3kHz, while the HM band is between 2500Hz and 8kHz.
All the ‘Boost’ knobs are Gain controls in a range between -15dB and +15dB. Again, this is another weird naming choice, as you can also perform ‘cuts’ with them.
A cool option of Aerial EQ is its global bypass switch in the top right of the interface, a welcome feature that not all EQs include. It also allows you to resize the interface with pre-defined scalings when you click over the magnifying glass icon.
Another plus is the possibility to enter specific values over any control simply by double-clicking it. This can be handy for surgical adjustments for addressing specific frequencies that may resonate too much.
If you pair the EQ with a spectrum analyzer like the free Voxengo SPAN, you can perform precise EQ moves.
Talking about the sound, Aerial EQ is quite nice, especially for adding warmth in the low mids.
It’s available as a VST, VST3, and AU plugin for Windows and macOS machines. Check it out for yourself, and if you enjoy it, consider supporting the developer on his Patreon page.
Download: Aerial EQ (FREE)
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2 Comments
Darryl Lim
onThanks for the honest review that delves into the details. Sounds like something i may skip (in favor of the tons of other high-quality free tube EQs). :P
Viliam
onThanks, seems great!