Mastering · Mixing · Character
An 8-band mastering EQ with dynamic EQ, Spectral Dynamics, linear and hybrid phase, per-band hardware character, and Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 — one plugin, no compromise between surgical precision and musical color.
Overview
Outboard-EQ takes the modern mastering EQ to the next level — per-band dynamic detectors, Soothe-style spectral suppression, linear and hybrid phase, eight independent hardware character chains, and native Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 support. One plugin replaces a stack: surgical when the cut has to be precise, musical when the track asks for color.
01/Outboard-EQ
Each of the eight bands has its own sidechain detector with Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, and signed Range. Pick Peak for surgical de-essing, RMS for musical glue, Adaptive for a bipolar, program-dependent envelope, or Spectral. An optional free sidechain detector decouples the trigger band from the EQ band — making every cut or boost dynamic without a separate plugin in the chain.
02/Outboard-EQ
When needed, each band runs through a shared STFT engine (4096-FFT, 75 % overlap) and suppresses resonances bin by bin. Selectivity, Ratio, Knee, Density, and Mask are free per band. A single instance of Outboard-EQ replaces de-esser, resonance hunter, and dynamic EQ in one step — at only 4096 samples of latency, and only active when it has to be.
03/Outboard-EQ
Five phase modes: MinPhase (0 ms latency, default), Natural, LinPhase (frequency-sampling FIR with Kaiser window), Hybrid (LR4 split — lows minimum-phase, highs linear-phase) and PerBand. Three resolution tiers. An atomic IR double-buffer swaps coefficients seamlessly the moment the worker-thread IR is ready. Mastering keeps transient integrity. Mixing stays latency-free.
04/Outboard-EQ
Eight bands, each with its own character chain: Op-Amp emulations (Neve · API · SSL), Tape (15 / 30 ips with bias knob), Pultec low-end (the classic EQP-1A / MEQ-5 boost-cut trick), Density waveshaper (pre- or post-EQ tap), Transient Designer (frequency-selective — eight independent units in one plugin), and SplitEQ-style Tonal/Transient gain. Color where it should sit — at the band, not on the bus.
05/Outboard-EQ
16k-FFT Welch-averaged source PSD over 10 seconds. Capture, pick a target — Pink Noise, Bach Orchestral, Hip-Hop, or Modern Pop — apply, and a greedy allocator writes the result into up to eight EQ bands. Amount, Resolution, and Smoothing as three knobs. No second plugin, no reverse-engineering.
06/Outboard-EQ
Mono, Stereo, 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4, 9.1.4 and 9.1.6 are natively supported — including a per-band channel mask (16-bit integer per band) so individual bands can target specific channels. The Atmos layout badge in the header signals the active format. Stereo and M/S paths remain untouched.
Further features
07
Pre, Post, and External in a single engine. Worker-thread FFT, triple-buffer publish, tilt 0–6 dB/oct, smoothing from 1/3 to 1/48 octave, five peak-hold modes. A 32-slot cross-instance broker overlays another Outboard-EQ's post-spectrum as an external reference.
08
4× polyphase oversampled True-Peak (BS.1770, ±0.05 dB). Integrated LUFS meter with nine streaming targets — Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Vinyl, CD, Club, EBU R128, ATSC A/85 — K-weighted equal-loud bypass (pre vs. post within ±0.5 dB), and Bob Katz K-12 / K-14 / K-20 reference scales.
09
Sorted across Instrument, Mixing, Mastering, and Character categories — straight from the header picker, with a user library and a dedicated default slot.
Specifications
CLAP supported on every platform.
FAQ
Outboard-EQ is an 8-band mastering equalizer for Windows that combines dynamic EQ, Soothe-style spectral resonance suppression, five phase modes, per-band hardware character, EQ Match, and full true-peak/LUFS metering in a single plugin. It runs as VST3 and CLAP and is built for mixing, mastering, and adding analog character without a chain of separate tools.
Yes. Outboard-EQ covers the surgical and dynamic EQ workflow people buy Pro-Q 4 for, and adds spectral resonance suppression (Soothe-style), per-band hardware character (Neve/API/SSL, tape, Pultec), EQ Match, and native Dolby Atmos up to 9.1.6 — for a one-time €65 instead of $199. See the full comparison on our vs FabFilter Pro-Q 4 page.
Outboard-EQ ships today for Windows 10 (build 17134) and Windows 11 as a 64-bit VST3 and CLAP plugin. A macOS build (VST3, AU, CLAP, Intel and Apple Silicon) is in preparation.
Yes. Every one of the eight bands has its own dynamic EQ with four detector modes — Peak, RMS, Adaptive, and Spectral — plus an optional free sidechain that decouples the trigger from the EQ band. Spectral mode runs a shared STFT engine for Soothe-style, per-bin de-essing and resonance suppression.
Five: Minimum phase (zero latency), Natural, Linear phase (Kaiser-window FIR), Hybrid (LR4 split — minimum-phase lows, linear-phase highs), and Per-band. An atomic IR double-buffer swaps coefficients without dropouts, so you can switch modes while audio is playing.
Yes. Outboard-EQ natively supports Mono, Stereo, 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4, 9.1.4, and 9.1.6, with a per-band channel mask so individual bands can target specific channels — making it usable as a multichannel mastering EQ.
Outboard-EQ is a one-time purchase of €65. There is no subscription. The license activates on up to three devices at once, and you can release a device anytime from your account dashboard.
Yes. Beyond the EU's 14-day right of withdrawal, we offer a voluntary 30-day money-back guarantee if the plugin doesn't work as described — just email support@outboard.audio.
Ready when you are
One plugin. Mastering, mixing, character. 30-day money-back guarantee.
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