Crave EQ Free Download: 32-Band EQ with Directional Stereo Control

If you need surgical control over frequencies and the stereo field during a mix, but find standard EQs limiting, Crave EQ addresses this. It gives you 32 parametric bands and the ability to process mid/side and left/right channels independently. You can grab a free download of this VST/AU/AAX plugin for detailed mixing and mastering work.

What You Get with Crave EQ

This is a parametric equalizer built for complex adjustments. You get four different EQ models suitable for both mixing and mastering stages.

Core EQ and Filter Controls You have 32 parametric bands at your disposal. For each band, you can choose from multiple filter types: Peaking, High/Low Shelf, High/Low Cut, Notch, Band Pass, and Tilt. Every band includes automatic gain compensation. You can solo a band by double-clicking it or from the context menu. Adjustments are made with velocity-sensitive knobs, and you can use the Shift key for finer control or the mouse wheel for adjustments (Ctrl/Cmd + mouse wheel changes filter slope). Directional Stereo and Channel Processing A key feature is the Directional EQ for peaking and shelving filters. This lets you adjust the stereo positioning of each band. Processing is combined for M/S and L/R channels; each filter has dedicated M/S and L/R knobs, with a direction bar around each band for visual feedback. Spectrum Analyzer and Metering The configurable, high-resolution spectrum analyzer displays M, S, L, R, and combined L/R channels. You can zoom the analyzer up to 4x by dragging on the frequency axis, adjust smoothing, and it has its own preset management. The decibel meter is scalable from -90dB/+30dB down to -12dB/+12dB, shows input and output levels, and includes a peak hold indicator. Phase and Performance You can select phase models per band. The transparent phase model combines an analog phase response at lower frequencies with a phase suppression algorithm at higher frequencies. A phase inversion (Φ) button is also provided. Version 2 uses up to 8x less GPU memory and is up to 4x lighter on the GPU processor, and it remains light on CPU usage. Workflow and Interface The interface is fully resizable with macOS Retina and Windows high-DPI support. You get fluidly scalable frequency, filter, and meter axes. Features include piano keyboard input for frequency selection, cursor tracking with gain/frequency display, sample-accurate automation, and adjustable linear phase latency. For management, there are presets, user-defined defaults, extended preset functionality for parameter subsets, and default settings for new instances.

Who Should Use Crave EQ

This fits audio engineers who need to surgically carve out problem frequencies across 32 bands while also managing stereo width and balance in a detailed way. It’s useful for mastering scenarios where you need to apply precise EQ adjustments to the mid, side, left, or right channels independently without using multiple plugins. It also works for mixing engineers dealing with dense arrangements who require extensive parametric control and visual feedback from a detailed analyzer.

Final Verdict

Crave EQ free download is for you if your mixing or mastering work requires extreme parametric control and directional stereo processing. You get the key capability of applying 32 bands of EQ with combined M/S and L/R processing on every filter. The catch is that to benefit from the directional features, you need to understand mid/side and stereo channel processing. If your workflow involves detailed surgical EQ and stereo field manipulation, this plugin torrent offers a full, professional toolset for that task.