Plugin Alliance EQ825 Mastering Equalizer User Manual

Gain Control of Behavior
The gain knobs’ behavior has been adjusted for intuitive control. Gain in dB is directly proportional to knob rotation, unlike the original hardware unit.

Global Controls

GAIN INPUT: Adjusts the input level entering the plugin.
OUTPUT: Controls the output level of the plugin.
THD: Regulate the analog harmonic distortion level.

FEATURES

Toolbar

A / B
Gives access to two different settings for quick comparison. The selected memory appears in blue. All the parameter changes or preset loads affect only the selected memory.

Copy Button (>)
When clicked, the current memory is copied to the other memory.
Graph
Shows the EQ curve editor. When the ink is disabled, click L or R to select which channel is edited.

Set in all instances » copies the parameter value to all the instances of the plugin in the session. This can also be achieved by [shift] + clicking on a menu option.
Save as default » sets the current parameter value as the default one when the plugin opens. This can also be achieved by [alt] + clicking a menu option.

About
Shows the plugin version and credits information.

Calibration
You can choose the calibration level here (the mapping between the real digital dBFS level and the virtual dBu level in the simulated circuits).
The calibration level is often expressed as XX dBFS = 0 VU (or +4 dBu).

Oversampling
You can select the oversampling mode here. Higher oversampling reduces the aliasing problem, but makes the processing n-times moreCPU-intensivee.

UI Zoom
The Lindell EQ825 UI size can be reduced using these menu options from 80% to 150% of its normal size.
Note that the plugin’s size will never get larger than 80% of the screen width/height, regardless of the UI Zoom setting.

Noise
The plugin adds a very low amount of noise that is usually inaudible (the noise ﬂoor). It can be turned off here.

EQ BAND

LOW (Yellow)
FREQ: Selects the corner frequency for the low shelf (20Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz, 100Hz).
GAIN: Boosts or cuts the low-frequency range (+-12dB).
LOW MID (Red)
FREQ: Selects center frequency (60Hz to 1kHz).
GAIN: Boosts or cuts the selected frequency (+-12dB).

MID (Orange)
FREQ: Center frequency from 1.5kHz to 5kHz.
GAIN: Boost/cut control (+-12dB).
HIGH MID (Green)
FREQ: Selects from 6kHz to 16kHz.
GAIN: Boosts or cuts the selected high-mid frequency (+-12dB).

HIGH (Blue)
FREQ: Selects the corner frequency of the high shelf (3kHz, 5KHz, 10kHz, 20kHz)
GAIN: Boosts or cuts the low-frequency range (+-12dB).
Note on the Gain Controls Behavior
The gain knobs response has been intentionally adjusted compared to the original hardware to improve usability. In this plugin,
gain in dB is directly proportional to knob rotation, allowing for more intuitive control. So when comparing with the hardware unit, do not rely solely on matching knob positions.

Proportional Q
The original hardware employs a proportional-Q design, where the bandwidth narrows as the gain increases. This behavior contributes to its musical yet precise character, particularly in mastering contexts. The plugin faithfully replicates this behavior for each band.
LINK
Links the Left (Mid) and Right (Side) controls. When a parameter is changed on one channel, the corresponding parameter on the other channel is also modiﬁed.

M/S
Activates Mid/Side stereo processing instead of Left/Right.

GLOBAL CONTROLS

GAIN
INPUT: controls the level entering the plugin.
OUTPUT: controls the level at the plugin output.
THD
Total harmonic distortion. Use it to adjust the amount of analog harmonic distortion, with 0dB being the normal emulated hardware distortion level.

HIGH PASS
Adds a high-pass ﬁlter after the main EQ ﬁlters. Frequency: 15Hz to 300Hz, Slope: 6dB/oct. To 36dB/oct.
LOW PASS
Adds a lowpass ﬁlter after the main EQ ﬁlters. Frequency: 3kHz to 40kHz, Slope: 6dB/oct. To 36dB/oct.

Special Processing

MONO 200Hz
Collapses all content below 200Hz to mono.

OCTAVE FILLER
Enhances the perceived weight and fullness of the low end using psychoacoustic principles. The trim can be used to select the center frequency of the effect.

INTENSITY: controls how much the bass content is pushed.

Credits

Emmanuel Dubecq – LSR audio Design

Programming
Graphics
Circuit modeling

Tobias Lindell – Lindell Audio Design

Tests and tuning
Presets

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I link the Left and Right controls?
A: Use the ‘LINK’ option to link the Left (Mid) and Right (Side) controls. Changes made to one channel will reflect on the corresponding parameter of the other channel.

Q: What does M/S activation do?
A: Activating M/S switches to Mid/Side stereo processing mode instead of Left/Right, providing a different stereo processing approach.
Q: What is the purpose of proportional Q design?
A: The proportional-Q design narrows bandwidth as gain increases, contributing to a musical yet precise character, especially in mastering scenarios. This behavior is faithfully replicated in the plugin for each band.

Documents / Resources

Plugin Alliance EQ825 Mastering Equalizer [pdf] User Manual
EQ825 Mastering Equalizer, EQ825, Mastering Equalizer, Equalizer

References

User Manual

Plugin Alliance EQ825 Mastering Equalizer

Specifications

Product Usage Instructions