Custom EQ
Six bands of final tone shaping, applied at the very end of the master. When to use it, when not to, and the fader tricks that save time.
#The bands
The Custom EQ lives on the right side of the workspace, under Revision Info. Six peaking bands at fixed frequencies, each from -10 to +10 dB in half-dB steps, all with a broad, musical shape. It is a tone control, not a surgical EQ, and that is the right tool at this stage.
| Band | What lives there | Typical move |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Hz | Sub bass, kick weight | +1 to +2 for a thin low end; -1 to -2 if the mix already booms on big systems |
| 90 Hz | Bass body, kick punch | Small boosts add punch; cuts clean up "woolly" mixes |
| 350 Hz | Low mids, warmth and mud | A -1 to -2 cut is the classic clarity move; a boost adds body to thin mixes |
| 2.5 kHz | Presence, vocal intelligibility | +1 brings vocals and guitars forward; -1 tames a shouty mix |
| 7 kHz | Sibilance, snare crack, harshness | Usually a cut if anything; the De Esser is the better tool for sibilance |
| 10 kHz | Air and sparkle | +1 to +2 opens a dull master; too much and cymbals turn to hiss |
#Using it
- ON / OFF at the top of the panel enables the EQ for the selected revision. Off means the bands are ignored even if they are not at zero.
- Drag a fader, or double-click it to snap back to 0 dB.
- Copy takes the current curve; Paste appears on other revisions so you can carry a curve across. Reset zeroes all six.
- The faders are motorised: switch to another revision in the A/B list and they glide to that revision's curve.
#When it is applied
The EQ is remembered per revision and rendered into the audio when you finalize, inserted as the last stage before the true-peak limiter. That placement matters: a +3 dB boost at 50 Hz does push the limiter harder, so big boosts cost you loudness elsewhere. Small, broad moves are the whole game here. If you find yourself at +6 on two bands, the mix probably wants fixing in the DAW instead.
#When to reach for it
- The master is right but a touch dull or a touch bright: 10 kHz by a dB or two.
- Vocals sit slightly behind the beat: +1 at 2.5 kHz before you touch anything else.
- The low end is big but not clear: -1.5 at 350 Hz does more than a bass boost.
- Two songs on an EP do not match: copy the curve from the one you like, paste it on the other, then share the seed with the rest.
Can I change the frequencies?
No, they are fixed. The bands were chosen to cover the problems that reach mastering; anything narrower belongs in the mix.
Does the EQ change the mastering seed?
Yes. The six band gains are encoded in the seed, so a pasted seed brings the curve with it.
Is the EQ part of a prompt?
Prompts do not move EQ bands. "EQ cut on highs" is handled by the De Esser and clarity stages instead. Use the faders for exact tonal moves.