DRAW EQ

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Controls

• 31 Hz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 31 Hz (-18 to +18 dB): the sub and deep low end; drag the first point in the curve.
• 63 Hz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 63 Hz (-18 to +18 dB): kick and bass weight.
• 125 Hz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 125 Hz (-18 to +18 dB): bass body and warmth.
• 250 Hz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 250 Hz (-18 to +18 dB): low mids, where mud and boxiness build up.
• 500 Hz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 500 Hz (-18 to +18 dB): body of voices, guitars and snares.
• 1 kHz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 1 kHz (-18 to +18 dB): the centre of the midrange, nasal or honky when boosted.
• 2 kHz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 2 kHz (-18 to +18 dB): presence and attack.
• 4 kHz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 4 kHz (-18 to +18 dB): clarity and edge, harsh if pushed.
• 8 kHz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 8 kHz (-18 to +18 dB): brilliance and sibilance.
• 16 kHz−18 to +18 dB — Gain at 16 kHz (-18 to +18 dB): air and sparkle (left out at sample rates below 36 kHz).
• Smoothness0 to 100% — How smoothly the curve flows between the points (0 to 100%): low values give each point its own defined bump, high values blend them into broad, gentle slopes.
• Output−18 to +18 dB — Level after the EQ (-18 to +18 dB), to match loudness after big boosts or cuts.
• Mix0 to 100% — Blend of equalized and dry signal (0 to 100%), for subtle or parallel tone shaping.

Best uses

• Sketch a tone curve by dragging across the display instead of setting bands one by one
• Gentle tilts and smiles on a mix bus or master
• Carve mud and add air on vocals, guitars and pads
• Telephone and old radio voices with steep cuts at both ends
• Match a reference by drawing against the live spectrum behind the curve

Properties

Ten points at fixed octave-spaced frequencies (31.25 Hz to 16 kHz) set the gain the curve passes through. Each point drives an RBJ peaking filter; the ten gains are solved (Gaussian elimination on the filters' interaction, then two corrections with the true response) so the cascade passes through every point to within a fraction of a dB, and Smoothness sets the filters' Q from 1.5 to 0.6. Minimum-phase IIR, zero latency; with every point at 0 dB the filters are bypassed and the plugin is transparent. Mix with the dry signal, then Output. The GFX and VST3/CLAP interfaces draw the response over a live output spectrum: drag across the display to draw, double-click a point to reset it.

Formats

• JSFXJSFX for REAPER, with REAPER's own sliders
• GFXJSFX GFX for REAPER, with its own interface
• VST3VST3 for any DAW
• CLAPCLAP for any DAW

Factory presets

Smile · Warm Tilt · Bright Tilt · Air Lift · Low End Weight · Mud Cut · Vocal Presence · Telephone · Old Radio · Scooped Guitar · Kick Shape · Master Polish · Parallel Color · Dark Room

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