• Best Professional Vst Plugins
• Tin Whistle Vst
• Free Whistle Vst
• Human Whistle Vst

Virtual instruments are now more popular than ever, so we are checking out the best piano VST plugins available in 2020.

Many piano VST’s are thought to sound more realistic than the piano engines found in keyboard workstations, etc. When you consider the processing power of high-quality PC’s and Mac’s, it’s no surprise that some plugins can push the boundaries further than a physical instrument. In this article, we will list and review our top piano plugins.

Here are the best piano VST plugins 2020:

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1. Spectrasonics Keyscape

The ultimate piano VST plugin

Spectrasonics are giants of the virtual instrument world; their Omnisphere synth changed the way people think about VST’s. Now, they Keyscape Collector Keyboards VST is the benchmark for virtual pianos.

Keyscape is a collection of 36 stunning keyboard instruments, ranging from a beautiful grand piano to a more obscure harmochord. In between the conventional and the obscure, there are gorgeous Rhodes, Wurlitzer’s, Clavinet’s, and much more. Even more impressive than the instrument lineup is the meticulous attention to detail in finding, restoring, and recording these rare instruments.

Each instrument has lots of variations, for example, the flagship Yamaha C7 Grand Piano has rock, classical, cinematic, amongst others. Each variation suits different styles of playing or musical genres.

The user interface is well laid out and easy to use. There are two windows on the left; the upper window is where you choose your instrument, and the lower window is where you select your style variation. Once you have selected a keyboard, the main window will show a nice image of it, underneath which you will find a range of relative controls, like reverb, performance noise, EQ, etc.

To get the most out of your performance, Keyscape has a broad range of velocity curve settings that are optimized for the most popular controller keyboards.

In our book, Keyscape Collector Keyboards is the best piano VST plugin; it’s that simple. The fact that it was around 10 years in the making show the monumental amount of work that went into putting it together.

As a virtual grand piano, Keyscape’s LA Custom C7 is king. The beautiful C7 is incredibly articulate and crisp, with a low-end that almost makes you feel the weight under the keys. No other virtual piano has so much depth of character; no other VST is so responsive to your playing.

At this level, sounding nice isn’t enough; it’s about small details, and Spectrasonics do that better than anyone. All 36 keyboard instruments are of the same impeccable quality; that’s why Keyscape is our highest-rated piano VST plugin. Try it with a top-quality keyboard controller, and it will blow you away.

2. Garritan CFX Concert Grand

The sound of Abbey Road Studios

When you think about Yamaha grand pianos, the 9-foot CFX concert grand is as good as it gets. Now, place that CFX concert grand in Abbey Road Studio One, and you have a match made in heaven. That is precisely what Garritan did.

The Yamaha CFX concert grand piano is world-renowned for its broad palette of tonal color. The acoustics of Abbey Road Studio One was the perfect place to capture all of that detail. It was done by using the very best microphones in the world in various positions to create lots of presets.

The presets are split into three categories, which are Classic, Contemporary, and Player, each with its unique microphone position. Within each category, there are numerous sub-presets to suit all styles. If we take a closer look, the Classic category is full of presets that range from Bach inspired classical settings to a Bill Evens themed jazz tone. So, it crosses different genres but remains in the classic era of each.

Contemporary provides amore modern mix of presets. It covers everything from dark and edgy soundtracksto Randy Newman style movie magic warmth. Both Classic and Contemporary are allabout the output and how the audience hears the CFX.

The Player category, onthe other hand, is all about the CFX itself. It’s full of presets that captureevery single noise and nuance of the CFX from right there on the bench. Thereare also a few alternate tuning presets that offer something a littledifferent.

Garritan put together an attractive user interface with just the right amount of content. It has enough tweaking options, whether it’s mic positions or mechanical noise, but not so much that it becomes tedious. It’s very playable right from the start.

Deciding where to place this one on our list was quite tricky. It was always going to be near the top, but splitting this VST and Ivory II by Synthogy was difficult. In the end, we placed Garritan slightly ahead; the sound quality was close, but the lovely user interface won us over.

The Yamaha CFX concert grand is a genuine performers piano; it’s not tied to one genre. Garritan has delightfully captured all of that versatility through the extensive microphone positions. This piano is beautiful from top to bottom, but it’s the midrange that excels most. Play a simple major 7th root voicing anywhere in the mids, and you’ll be hooked.

3. Synthogy Ivory II Studio Grands

The most realistic grand piano emulator

Synthogy has been a leader in virtual piano software for many years, and some people still consider them to be the best. Their Ivory series has never failed to impress with its outstanding realism. This time, we are looking at the Ivory II Studio Grands plugin.

The plugin features two iconic grand pianos that were recorded in iconic studios. The first of the pianos is the Steinway Model B grand piano, one of the most recorded grand pianos in history. It was recorded at the legendary Power Station in New England with absolute precision.

The second instrument is the Bösendorfer 225 grand piano, which was recorded at the famed Firehouse Recording Studios in California. This specific VST has been used on multiple Grammy Award winning songs.

The thing that stands out most when you get the specs of Ivory II is that it boasts a 112 GB library. To think of the time involved in sampling those pianos to that extent is nothing short of spectacular. Each piano has up to 24 velocity layers and more release and soft pedal samples.

Ivory II was also the launch of an entirely new sound engine from Synthogy, the Ivory 2.5 Piano Engine. Apart from the improved sound, it comes with some new features like Shimmer, which gives more precise control over reverb and decay.

Synthogy are experts in this field; they have been doing it for a very long time and keep getting better. Ivory II takes two iconic pianos, and they have replicated them digitally with incredible accuracy. When you think about the sheer size of the library and the 24 velocity layers, you can imagine nothing is lost, every nuance of these instruments is at your fingertips.

The Steinway Model B is a stunning classical grand piano, it’s beautifully percussive, too. The Bösenndorfer 225 is the more versatile of the two, great for classical, but exceptional for jazz. Especially that bottom range that Oscar Peterson made famous with his ostinato bass lines.

The interface lets it down slightly, while it offers a lot of tweaking possibilities, it looks very dated and isn’t as intuitive as it should be. When it comes to sound alone, Ivory II might be the most realistic piano VST available.

4. Native Instruments The Gentleman

The best upright piano VST plugin

The Gentleman is one ofthe best-rated upright piano VST’s available. It comes from Native Instruments,and it was released at a time when they got into their groove with onefantastic VST after another.

The most significant selling point of The Gentleman (over other upright pianos) is that it was sampled from a vintage 1908 piano. That might not sound overly interesting, but this 1908 is fully intact with all original parts. So, you’d have a hard time finding an upright piano with more character and charm.

The charm of that upright piano was captured in 2300 individual samples and 16 velocity zones. To give an idea of how extensive the sampling process was, even the key release noises were sampled in nine velocity layers.

The Gentleman shines when it comes to it’s tweaking options. The main screen of the interface is nice and clean, with a few reverb, tone, and dynamic options. It’s once you enter the full editing screen that you can control every tiny performance aspect. Everything from key release, hammer noise, to the velocity curve can be adjusted with fantastic precision.

The Gentleman is one that might get a mixed response from players who want a more modern upright sound. However, we love the character that this instrument brings with it. The piano has been sampled with incredible detail, as we have come to expect with Native Instruments.

The overall sound is warmer than it is bright, but the low-end has that growl that you get from an old upright when it’s pushed hard. If you tweak the sound with the lovely 3-band EQ and abundance of adjustable parameters, you can head towards a brighter, livelier sound.

The downside is that a couple of notes have a slight click when played in a specific velocity range. It’s something you might not notice, but it’s a shame, considering the depth of the recording process. Despite that, The Gentleman is still the best upright piano VST, in our opinion.

5. Native Instruments Noire

One for the sountrack composers

Best Professional Vst Plugins

Noire is the latest grand piano VST from Native Instruments. It was developed in collaboration with the German composer Nils Frahm, famous for his contemporary approach to recording piano. Frahm’s handpicked 9-foot grand piano was sampled in Berlins Funkhaus recording complex.

There are two sound settings to choose from, which are pure and felt. Pure is the clean, untouched, grand piano tone. The felt setting, comes from the same grand piano, but it was sampled with a felt moderator between the hammers and the strings. The result is a much more gentle tone with a reduced attack.

Both of the main sound settings can be further tweaked by adjusting the various parameter knobs found at the bottom of the main screen. These include color, dynamic, reverb, tonal shift, and delay. The entire user interface is elegant and represents the instrument very well.

The thing that makes Noire different is the Particles engine, which is very much from the mind of Nils Frahm. What the Particles engine does is generate pulsating harmonic elements based on your playing. These elements can be mechanical sounds, percussive sounds, or pitch-based, and it adds momentum to your playing. It brings together the worlds of classical piano, industrial soundtracks, and modern EDM.

Noire might be a new piano plugin, but it’s already proving to be a hit with composers and producers. It’s another one that is going to work better for producers rather than performers. The reason we say that is because the Noire’s pure piano tone isn’t as good as Keyscape, Ivory II, etc. However, it is terrific, and the added elements of the felt version and Particles engine give it something different.

The pure piano tone is fantastic for jazz and reflective classical music, not so much percussive playing. It’s when the Particles engine is used that the percussive qualities come out. To sum it up, as a performer piano, it’s very good, for composition and soundtracks, it’s absolute magic.

6. Native Instruments Alicia’s Keys

The singer songwriter’s virtual piano

Alicia’s Keys was one of the first majorly popular piano plugins from Native Instruments. Many people were dubious about the success, wondering if it was down to quality or having a famous name attached to it. Forget that it’s named after Alicia Keys and focus on the fact that it’s modeled on her unique Yamaha C3 Neo grand piano.

Apart from the ridiculously rare grand piano, the other thing Alicia’s Keys has going for it is the fantastic team who worked on it. Led by Thomas Skarbye (Scarbee), the development/recording team is full of Grammy winners and industry leaders. Even Alicia Keys herself was in the studio to record samples, so it’s not one of those products a celebrity puts their name on after the fact.

When it was complete, it had a massive 17 GB of samples with 12 velocity layers per key. In terms of unique samples, it works out at over 3000 samples across the 12 velocity layers – that’s insane!

The detailed sampling process paid off with possibly the cleanest quality virtual piano available at the time. The attention to detail didn’t stop at the playing, Alicia’s Keys still has one of the most natural sustain and release phases of any VST. Even the smallest performance details were captured meticulously, like fingers touching the keys, mechanical noises of key and pedals, string harmonics. The amount of that noise you want in your performance is entirely up to you, and easily tweaked from the interface.

The user interface is straightforward, clearly defined tabs have simple controls for everything from reverb type/amount, to mechanical noise, and mic position. You can even edit the stereo image of the output and hear the piano from the artist’s or audience’s point of view.

When Alicia’s Keys was released, there was a time when it was the best-selling grand piano VST around. Those days have gone, but it’s still one of the best VSTs, especially for pop or R&B music.

The overall sound is remarkable, although it’s quite a warm sound, and maybe not as articulate in the high-range as it could be. The lows are thick but well defined, not muddy, and the mids are perfect for those lush minor 7/9 chords that Alicia Keys loves so much. If you are looking for a classical piano, this probably isn’t the one, if you are a pop performer, it could be right up your street.

7. Native Instruments The Giant

The most unique piano plugin

The Giant is somethingutterly different from Native Instruments. They sampled it from the KlavinsPiano Model 370i, and if you didn’t already know, it’s the biggest uprightpiano in the world.

The extreme height ofthe piano provides intense dynamics that you won’t hear anywhere else. NativeInstruments wanted to capture those dynamics as naturally as possible, so theysampled it completely untreated.

The Giant comes with two distinct personalities, day and night. Each personality is reflected in the user interface showing a city skyline (day or night) seen from the top of a building.

The day interface hasthree primary control sections, tone, space, and anatomy. The tone section hasa simple soft/hard dial to adjust color and an XXL button that boosts alldynamics when activated. Space deals with reverb, and anatomy controls thedynamic range and mechanical noise. Both the tone and anatomy sections expand,giving you far deeper control of their parameters.

Now for the sinister alter ego, the night interface. The night interface has two distinct control sections, sources, and convolution. Sources deal with more extreme piano sounds, any resonant noise that this monster upright produces when pushed to its limits can be adjusted here. By that logic, the night interface is far darker and over the top than the day model. The convolution section provides a detailed EQ, limiter, and filter. The EQ has a swept middle, meaning it has two mid bands, so it’s very accurate.

The Giant is big, bold, and beautiful.

The Giant is one of our favorite VST’s period. It’s not in the same league as some of the others when it comes to library size or velocity layers, but it’s so different that we don’t care. Despite being quite an extreme instrument, The Giant is an excellent pop piano when in its day personality. It has a very bright sound, but because the dynamics are so severe, it also has a deep and full low end.

When you switch to the night personality, it doesn’t just get darker, everything becomes more extreme. Night mode is perfect for creating eerie atmospheres and haunting textures for any soundtrack. That is what we would suggest The Giant is best at, it’s less about being a mainstream piano emulator, and more about creating textures as a sound designer.

Conclusion

If you haven’t worked with piano VST plugins before, don’t be put off by stories of MIDI problems and glitches. As long as you are running a system that exceeds the requirements of the plugin, you’ll be fine.

When it comes to sound quality, we can confidently say that many VST’s outperform physical keyboards. But, like choosing any instrument, each VST excels in different areas, so always consider where and how you will be playing it most. Our list includes some of the best-selling and most realistic piano VST’s available, check them out and enjoy!

James is a writer and musician with a passion for audio production. He is a lover of all things tech, especially the latest keyboards, synths, DAW’s, virtual instruments, and effects plugins. Musical interests include jazz, funk, hip hop, blues, and rock.

You may face several scenarios while mixing and mastering which may include the use of an equalizer, having a transparent display to analyze what you are adding or subtracting with the EQ, multiple EQ bands, and proper CPU usage is what to look for in an EQ.

But with that said every piece of software and hardware alike creates and outputs a slightly different sound meaning they all have unique timbres and uses. Alongside that, there are some rather expensive plugins we may see online, which aren’t out of our reaches but we don’t know what we need until we need it right? Well, this is why its best to try some free EQ’s first to see what it is you like within an EQ and what it maybe you are looking for.

We become ever so comfortable with our stock plugins, they do the simple tasks for us (sometimes), they don’t run our computer into the ground, and they for sure are pretty basic. Well, this is the issue most people come to, they want a better EQ, or they want a change of visuals.

EQ History – ‘The first EQ was first used by John Volkman working at RCA in the 1920s”

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1. DDMF Colour EQ | info & download
2. SPL Free Ranger | info & download
3. Analog Obsession STEQ v2 | info & download
4. TDR Nova Parallel Dynamic Equalizer | info & download
5. Cockos ReaEQ | info & download
6. Blue Cat’s Triple EQ | info & download
7. Analog Obsession Merica | info & download
8. TinyQ lkjb | info & download
9. Sonimus SonEQ | info & download
10. Ignite Amps PTEq-X | info & download
11. Leftover Lasagne Pushtec 5+1A EQ | info & download
12. lkjb QRange | info & download
13. TDR Slick EQ | info & download
14. Manda Audio 7Q | info & download
15. Mellowmuse EQ1A | info & download
16. Voxengo Marvel GEQ | info & download
17. Kuassa BASIQ | info & download

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Specifications:

• 64-bit processing
• Low-CPU Usage
• Customizable GUI
• Great warm sound
• 5 Bands
• Resizable Window

Features & When To Use:

Colour EQ is a 64-bit EQ plugin that offers 5 ”super parametric” bands to manipulate the frequency range. This is exceedingly handy when wanting to use more than one band in one instance; the intuitive gain knobs on the five bands allow for perfect mixing of these bands when mixing and mastering.

Using the two different types of curves, Colour EQ offers a warm sound that you just wouldn’t get from your stock EQ.

Having a bright visual display helps you to craft and mould your bands to preference.

A great way to use this plugin is when you are not getting enough warmth in your low, mid/mids, Colour EQ will add a great sense of warmth throughout the selected bands. Another cool way to use this plugin is to use two different setups with two different curve types; you can use modified versions of the EQ for selected times in your mixdowns to add the feeling of a change in energy in a breakdown or drop.

Colour EQ is a great tool to have in your arsenal for mixing and mastering, plus you may find many uses in your day-to-day production.

Compatibility:

Windows VST (32/64 bit), Windows/Mac RTAS, and Mac VST/AU format (Intel, OSX 10.5 and higher)

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Specifications:

• Four useful bands
• Volume knob
• Great sound
• Four buttons to switch between EQ settings

Features & When To Use:

With a sleek, minimalistic design Free Ranger is a powerful EQ.

With a mid-band (150Hz – 7kHz), fixed high (10kHz), low shelf (80Hz) SPL have kept things very simple so anyone can EQ with ease.

Free Ranger gives the feel of the world-renowned API 560 EQ but offers this all for free!

Free Ranger is a bodybuilder for your sounds while mixing and a gentle touch when mastering, this plugin makes EQing fun, quick and easy.

You may find yourself using the four different EQ settings and incorporate them into your mixdowns. Using them to create different feels and vibes can give your masters that final touch you’ve been looking for.

This is a must-have!

Compatibility:

macOS 10.9 through 10.15, Windows 7-10

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Specifications:

• mid-band (150Hz – 7kHz)
• fixed high (10kHz)
• low shelf (80Hz)
• Optical compressor knob
• Added preamp

Features & When To Use:

Simplicity is key with EQ work in the mix or master, and this plugin keeps that in mind through and through.

With a very easy to use GUI STEQ 2 has a powerful but simple way of delivering a small form factor EQ to your DAW.

This EQ gives off old school retro vibe, precise, clean, and adds a lot of detail to the mid-range.

STEQ 2 is excellent for tonal rebalancing due to the broadness of the three bands creating a pure blend between the frequency ranges.

Using this to add punch to claps and snares is also a good use. But be careful when adding to full bus groups.

This EQ from Analog Obsession is an excellent tool to keep at your disposal when thinking about doing some tasks during your mix, or why not change up those stock plugins for free.

Compatibility

WiN, OSX AU VST, VST3

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Specifications:

Great for:

Features & When To Use:

Nova is a parallel dynamic EQ; each band has a dedicated, dynamic section giving the user full flexibility.

Giving the option to drag and move bands in the visual GUI individually or group, this provides a natural form factor way to get results.

Using the multiband compression built into Nova your be able to manipulate your EQ even further, this will be displayed in the visual GUI with real-time feedback of the compression process. (subtly decrease the threshold to hear the difference)

In mix and mastering, you can use Nova to visually see where you may have audio issues to fix and makes it very easy to apply these changes with the drag and change feature.

The dynamic EQ is a handy tool to have in practice when mixing down full compositions – use it to bring down or up frequencies only when they reach a specific volume.

Nova is a heavyweight EQ with a lot under the hood all for free!

Compatibility:

Win XP SP2 or above, Mac OS X 10.7 or above.

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Specifications:

• Low CPU & RAM
• Fast and highly configurable
• Portable – copy & run
• Resizeable GUI

Tin Whistle Vst

Features & When To Use:

ReaEQ may look basic, but under the hood, there is a lot to offer.

Being able to have as many bands as you wish is a massive bonus, you also have the ability to change all of these bands to one of the following (shelves, bands, LPF, HPF, notch, bandpass, allpass).

With a stripped-back GUI, it keeps you focused on the task at hand, not over complicating things but giving you the power of an audio god at your fingertips.

With a tremendous real-time visual display, this gives you the eyes and ear focus that you need when EQ in the mix.

Phasing is a big issue when mixing, ReaEQ gives you a ‘Show Phase’ button which will show you in your display what frequencies are being affected by the band.

Free Whistle Vst

When mastering you may wish to keep all bands in one EQ patch, with ReaEQ you can do this.

Stripped back and powerful ReaEQ is a favorite among many producers across a wide range of genres.

Compatibility:

WIN 32, WIN 64

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Specifications:

• Semi-parametric EQ
• +/- 40dB Range per band
• MIDI control and automation support
• Real-time display
• All sample rates supported

Features & When To Use:

The Triple EQ is a three-band semi-parametric equaliser.

With a simple and easy to read visual display of the frequencies in real-time, you will have a clear display of the EQ in front of your eyes.

Alongside the huge +/- 40 dB range, Triple EQ has a bandwidth of .01 to 5 Octaves!

An exciting feature with Triple EQ is that you can link two bands together using the ‘Link Channels’ feature. This will allow you to use them in unison; combine this with the automaton support to create quick and easy modulation. This is a great way to change an EQ while in the mix with complex automation.

Using the linking feature to create movement and progression within your mixdowns makes Triple EQ a threat.

Fully customisable shapes make this a different tool when deep in the mix or master, you will find many uses for the dynamic bands you can create—having dynamic bands that you are able to manipulate helps when visually your EQ and how it may affect the whole frequency range.

Check this one out for a small form factor powerful EQ!

Compatibility:

Windows 7 to 10, Mac OS 10.7 or newer.

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Specifications:

• Low & High Band – Shelf
• Mid Band – Proportional Q Peak
• HP & LP Filter – Constant
• Low CPU usage

Features & When To Use:

We have another FREE plugin from Analog Obsession!

This time is bringing you Merica an emulation of the API 550A console equaliser.

A simple three-band EQ delivers a lot of power to your mixes and masters. Selectively choose which frequency your band boosts or cuts with the option to the right of the knobs.

All bands kept simple and easy to get to grips with.

Meica also has a nifty and very much needed output knob, there will be no issues with clipping in the digital domain when mastering with this plugin.

A larger than appearing sound Merica is an excellent EQ plugin to use when in the mixdowns and masters.

Given that the EQ it emulates is an industry-standard plugin this small form, powerful, easy to use, and was coded by one man! Merica is a must grab for all audio creatives looking to upgrade their stock EQ plugins.

Compatibility:

VST Win, VST3 Win, VST Mac, VST3 Mac, AU Mac

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Specifications:

• Four bands (20 Hz to 20 kHz)
• Small form factor (ability to make larger if wanted)
• High & Low cuts range is 6 and 48 dB/octave
• Included frequency analyser

Features & When To Use:

TinyQ is a small form factor EQ.

Giving the user a stripped-back interface TinyQ offers a solution to a simple job.

Having too many settings can become overwhelming; TinyQ does what it says on the tin and doesn’t make your job any harder.

Keeping things simple when mixing down whole groups is essential – finding yourself using CPU heavy EQ, or a stock plugin just might not cut it for you. TinyEQ is excellent for doing those necessary but straightforward EQ tasks!

With the recent addition of built-in frequency analyzer, it makes EQ even easier when getting stuck into your mixes or masters.

Create awesome sounding band curves.

Great emphasis on keeping things simple goes a long way with TinyQ; the team has made a great EQ that does everything it needs to in one small package. With four bands plus high pass/low pass filters, you won’t be looking any further for your day to day EQ needs.

Compatibility:

Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.7 or later (both 64 bit)

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• Three-band Equalizer, Low, Mid, High.
• 2 Musical Filters, High-Pass Low-Pass.
• Preamp stage with a bass booster.
• 64-bit floating-point precision.
• Up to 192kHz sample rates supported.

Features & When To Use:

SonEQ has 3 bands, low (20 Hz – 100 Hz), mid (150 Hz – 4 kHz), high (6 kHz – 15 kHz). Combined with a high pass and low pass filter, plus a ‘Mid-high Q’ this means when it’s on your band its narrow and when deactivated will cause it to be wider. This indicated by the red light.

Giving the user a lot of ways to EQ but keeping things user-friendly is what SonEQ does best.

Having the volume meter is very hand when mixing with any EQ, it gives the visual display of when things are getting a bit heated for your output.

SonEQ also gives you the full control of your input and output levels. This comes in handy when you are mixing your tracks with heavy effects, causing the overall levels to become louder than 0.0dB; this is where adjusting both the input and output parameters will solve the issue.

With this plugin being free for all to use we don’t see any reason why this shouldn’t be ready to deploy at the click of a finger, whether it’s beefing up the mix with the built-in bass boost preamp staging or adding a touch of colour to the highs this plugin has you covered.

Compatibility:

Mac OSX 10.6 or newer – Windows XP or newer

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Specifications:

• Three equalisation modules
• Stereo/Mono switching
• Four different tube types
• Global input/output level control

Features & When To Use:

PTEq-X is a digital emulation of three famous vintage EQ.

Equipped with three EQ modules comprised of mid-range (2kHZ – 7 kHz), low-frequency (20Hz – 150Hz), high-frequency (3kHz – 16kHz).

Using the mid-range module, you can use the low, mid parameter (top left) to effect the lower mid frequencies. Alternatively use the high mid setting (top right) to cause-effect to these frequencies.

Moving down the EQ, we have our second module, which is PEQ1A EQ (Low & High). This comes with a bunch of parameters to mould your EQ patches perfectly to your source.

Finally, this is all topped off with the HL3C module; this is a low-cut accompanied by a high-cut.

You can also use the ‘Oversampling’ feature to reduce aliasing.

Use the “Tube” switch to apply or deactivate the tube amp.

Using the input and output levels will give you the ability to control any nasty peaks brought in or out of the EQ.

PTEq-X is a combination of some of the best analogue EQ’s to exist, plus its FREE!! We recommend this one for a great addition to your EQ arsenal.

Compatibility:

Windows 7 – 10 32 and 64 bit. OS X 10.7 64 bit

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Specifications:

• 6 Band mid-range EQ
• Presets built-in
• Algorithms based on famous analogue gear
• Designed for mixing and mastering

Features & When To Use:

Pushtec 5+1A is a versatile mid-range program EQ that has mixing and mastering at its heart.

This plugin offers six bands, all offering a fantastic sounding boost through all parameters.

A vast selection of plugins makes it easy for users to start with something super effective and tweak to their liking.

“B/W” stands for bandwidth, this allows you to tweak the selected band and adjust to your preference.

A friendly and straightforward GUI keeps this EQ a smaller form factor but with a lot of power. Being designed for mixing and mastering be assured that this plugin delivers best when applied to a whole group or a master channel.

Giving instant sparkle to a mix or a very much needed bass boost this FREE plugin has you covered!

Compatibility:

Win 7 or higher only

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Specifications:

• 12 bands
• peak, shelf and cut filter
• Cut filters (12, 24 and 48 dB/oct steepness)
• Stereo/Left/Right/Mid/Side routing for each band
• A global gain for loudness adjustments
• Resizable GUI

Features & When To Use:

QRange is a very straight forward, user friendly, and effective EQ for mixing and mastering.

Giving the user an intuitive click and drag feature makes EQ work easy and more controllable.

With a choice of twelve bands, there is excellent room for doing additive plus subtractive EQ all in one plugin patch. Each band has. Selection of up to five different types (peak, low-shelf, high-shelf, low cut, and high cut).

Built into the frequency spectrum, you have the power to change it to pre or post. ‘Pre’ will let you see what the frequency range looks likes before the EQ is applied, whereas ‘Post’ will allow you to see it after the EQ has taken effect.

Offering the ability to users to save and load their own presets makes it easy to bring back some of your favourite patches while working on a mix or master.

It has to be said lkjb QRange is a must-have FREE EQ plugin.

Compatibility:

Win 7 or higher, macOS 10.7 or higher

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Specifications:

• Semiparametric EQ layout
• Three bands combined with 18dB/Oct high-pass filter
• Four EQ models: “American”, “British”, “German” and “Soviet” with optional non-linearity
• Five output stages: “Linear”, “Silky”, “Mellow”, “Deep” and “Toasted”
• Saturation algorithms by VoS (“Stateful saturation”)

Features & When To Use:

TDR’s Slick EQ provides a recognizable analogue sound.

Using three bands that bring together four different EQ models.

Both low and high bands are coupled with a cut and bell feature allowing for comfortable band changing.

Auto gain estimates the gain change caused by the current EQ settings; this makes it great to compare your EQ setting during the mix. There is also an ‘EQ Sat’ button; this will activate the saturator which is very intelligently paired to your EQ bands. This will add harmonics when boosting and remain passive when cutting.

Being able to save your favourite EQ settings for a later mix or master can be done within the plugin. Coupled with a undo/redo button you never miss that sweet spot for your bands, alternatively set up two different EQs with the A/B switch.

Slick EQ gives a very stripped back interface meaning you don’t get caught up with the visuals when doing equalising, providing a focus on what your hearing. This EQ shouldn’t be overlooked, with great coding, algorithms, settings, and excellent sounding types SlickEQ delivers more than you would expect from a FREE plugin.

Compatibility:

Win 32 bit VST2, VST3, Win 64bit VST2, VST3, AAX
Mac VST2, VST3, AU, AAX 64 bit

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Specifications:

• Seven band EQ
• Highpass/lowpass
• Stereo/mono options
• Left/right options
• Output level

Features & When To Use:

Manda Audio brings us 7Q.

7Q is an emulation of the beloved ‘Classic EQ’ which became discontinued, the team came together and brought the community back a redesigned version.

7Q takes off all the fancy parts and gives you the bare basics; this is what gives this a place on our list. With 7Q giving you the ability to apply your EQ to the left or right or both channels, you can independently EQ both sides of the stereo field.

Each band can be additive or subtractive. Keeping easy to use format is what this plugin does best; it doesn’t over-complicate the task at hand but assists your needs along the way wether mix or master.

Low memory and CPU usage make it easy to have multiple instances in your projects without having your computer meltdown.

7Q is a nifty EQ that is awesome for giving your sounds a little crisp boost before running into your other plugins within the chain.

Compatibility:

Win VST 32/64 bit, AAX 32/64 bit
Mac VST, AU, AAX

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Specifications:

• HP: 10hz – 1khz / sweepable Q
• Low Shelf: 30hz – 500hz
• Low Mid: 70hz – 2khz / sweepable Q
• High Mid: 500hz – 6k / sweepable Q
• High Shelf: 1.5k – 18k
• Phase switch
• Output level
• 64-bit internal processing
• Formats: 64bit VST, VST3, AU and AAX
• Version: 3.2
• Legacy 32bit installers

Features & When To Use:

EQ1A is a FREE analog-style EQ with a clever algorithm giving you minimal phase coloration.

This plugin has initially been paid to use the plugin, but the developers have decided to give it to us all for FREE!

EQ1A allows you to use broad bands to shape your sounds or outputs in a clean, crisp and phase-corrected way.

Being able to save you presets within the plugin makes it very easy to pull back that EQ you made on the last mix. 4-band parametric equalizer with an additional HP filter with variable resonance gives a wide range of settings to play with while keeping everything simple and user friendly.

EQ1A does what it says on the tin for FREE!

Using this within mixing or mastering may help you when wanting to add a hefty highpass or when looking to give some warmth to your mid ranges.

It has to be said with a great look, and low CPU usage EQ1A is an excellent addition to your plugins.

Compatibility:

Win, Mac

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Specifications:

• 16-band graphic equalizing
• +/- 12 dB gain range per band
• Channel grouping
• Preset manager
• Contextual hint messages
• Freehand drawing mode
• Stereo and multi-channel processing
• Mid/side processing
• Undo/redo history
• All sample rates support
• Linear-phase equalizing
• Internal channel routing
• 64-bit floating-point processing

Features & When To Use:

Voxengo is notorious for doing some excellent free plugins.

This addition is the Marvel GEQ, which is a fifteen band linear phase EQ.

There is a routing tab that allows you to affect the signals mid/sides independently. (orange slides)

Also giving full independence to the mid/side output level, becoming very useful when mixing and mastering.

Bypass feature makes it simple to hear what your EQ is doing to your sound source. Alternatively, decide between two EQ setups with the A/B mode.

For quick EQ drawing, you can hold ‘Ctrl or Cmd’ and click across the EQ drawing in your fader settings with the click of a mouse.

Having a stripped back form factor with enough controls to complement your mixing tasks this plugin has to be our list today.

Compatibility:

VST Win, VST3 Win, VST Mac, VST3 Mac, AU Mac

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Specifications:

• Three-band EQ
• High, mid, low
• Presets tab
• Output level
• Very simple to use

Features & When To Use:

BASIQ is a three-band EQ.

It keeps in mind that EQ work for mixing and mastering doesn’t have to be a headache or over complicated.

BASIQ is a design similar to the classic ‘Baxandall Equalizer’ which is knowns for its natural-sounding shelves and HiFi quality responses.

Adding a smooth, gradual shimmer or warmth instead of a surgical sharpness is what BASIQ does best. Use on groups or a master chain to subtly but significantly add character with the turn of a knob.

With some added presets you be able to get a quick change in tone with the click of a button.

The small form factor makes this BASIQ a powerful tool to be used within the mix or master.

Compatibility:

Win, Mac, VST, AU, 64 bit

With all of that said, grabbing all 17 plugins wouldn’t do you any harm, but we want to break down our top 3 picks!

In our top spot, we have Colour EQ by DDMF.

This plugin brings so many features that you would expect from pay to use plugins but all for FREE! Another fresh point is that the curves you can create with this cannot be done on other EQ plugins, giving Colour EQ a versatile approach.

Low-CPU – Usage Customisable GUI – Great warm sound – 5 Bands

Coming in second is Nova by TDR.

Human Whistle Vst

Parametric, dynamic EQ, and multiband compression are all built into an excellent looking FREE plugin.

Nova has a built-in dynamic EQ parameter when mixing, and mastering using a dynamic EQ is crucial sometimes. Having this all in one plugin for free is hugely commendable to the team who developed this plugin!

Parametric equalization – Dynamic equalization – Frequency selective compression – Multi-band compression – Wideband compression

And finally, our last top pick is ‘Triple’ by Blue Cat.

This awesome plugin has so many features you just wouldn’t expect a FREE plugin to have.

With a fresh interface and drag and click feature to make EQing even more natural Triple is a powerful EQ.

Semi-parametric EQ – +/- 40dB Range per band – MIDI control and automation support – Real-time display

Today we have covered a lot of great FREE EQs for mixing and mastering. Amazingly, we have developers putting out all of these plugins for producers/sound engineers to level out the playing field. As we have all seen these ‘not to name’ brands releasing rather expensive EQs that we just can’t fork out for, but with the way, music has progressed today in the digital domain it has become much more accessible for creatives to share their ideas and effects for free.

With that said, they all have their benefits and downsides, but with them all being free, there is no reason you can’t pick them up and use these in your mixes or masters today!