Helloooo! What do you think about new Wavesfactory Equalizer? What do you think about my test? Lemme know down below, as always!

I’m getting nice results for vocals. I like tools like this because they can help you reset your ears and point to potential problem areas, whether you keep the plug-in on the track or not

great to see you my friend great show!! Im using trackspacer

I've been testing the demo and I'm definitely going to get it (waiting until the end of the month to see if Plugin Boutique adds any more freebies). I'd say it's more of a corrective tool than a creative coloring tool, kind of like putting primer on the wall before adding your color of choice on top of it. The fact that you can increase or decrease processing in each band to focus on the area(s) you want is something I really wish Gullfoss had. I always add multiple instances to create a multiband setup, but it is so much nicer to have it all in one plugin.

i like that it moves so much. unique sound character, just like trackspacer. maybe it would be a nice creative effect of some sort

Great review, again and thanks! It luck's like maybe Wavesfactory EQUALIZER idea is to fix sound before our EQ/smart correction we apply to get it's place in the mix?! If so, they may be have a place in our plugins collection :)

I own the Smart EQ3 and Gullfoss (which is must when I mix) so I just downloaded the trial version and I'm gonna test it out. I own Track Spacer 2.5 and Spectre from Waves Factory which I love

First of all, thank you for this very transparent use of Equalizer. I understand the very obvious contradiction of making everything equally flat. Nevertheless, I see the possibilities to intuitively intervene with this tool in individual tracks or even in the final mix as extremely high.

I did buy it after watching a longer video from the developer (so maybe that's why I wasn't pulling out my hair while using it with that super annoying voice). Once I heard which material you were gonna test it on I didn't think you were gonna be impressed :D For me it sounds very good on live recorded music, like today I was mixing acoustic guitar and it gave a shine I really liked - I think also pads and similar could benefit from this plugin to bring some life in specific areas of the 32 bands available . From your starting point of the video I agree with your thoughts about squashing the signal, but for me this plugin isn't a mix a complete song magically like Smart EQ. I would use it to bring back life to an acoustic guitar, shine to a vocal etc. Why would I make electronic music sound flat? you are right - that makes no sense. so I think I will use this plugin on certain material on a usual basis going forward, but most certainly not as a go to mixing tool eq

Question where should this eq go in your vocal chain or instrument buss doesn’t chain first or last to get the best results

Thank you for review. All is matter of taste. Also your kind of music is already very "clean" and sampled (with all the respect).. so the real judge would be with acoustic music. But in general could be good tool for reference listening and maybe for using. Thank you again. ... I just download the demo and, because I have rough drum tracks I usi it. For sure it is improvement, even after mastering plugins. Subtle, but not unimportant. In my case I use it just on bass spectrum, because it automatically gains the highs too much. In general... no step to the wrong direction

Hey there! Thx for the review! I watch them quite a lot. In my opinion, as someone who makes a living mixing, you didn't take into consideration the speed and convenience with which Equalizer solves the problem of badly recorded or simply problematic sources. When you mix 2-3 songs a day, having this tool is super convenient. The parameters allow you to tweak it to your liking. As far as "creative" mixing goes, it sounds right, but it also sounds very over romanticized. Besides, no one said it should be the only plug in in the chain.

That was my initial reaction as well ("do you really want to make everything equal on channels in a mix?"). But I have to say, I like on most things I put it on so I don't quite know how to reconcile these two things. At least on master bus it could make sense theoretically also. I really like what it's doing to the mix I'm working on....also on several individual channels...hm... That and the one-knob dynamics in Saturn II that I'm in the process of giving myself permission to use because it just sounds good in so many cases. Am I automating myself out of my job?

It's not meant to be smart eq as in smart mix. From what the dev said it's not about following a flat or predestined curve. It tries to smooth out the source based on that source. It's tempting to try it on a acoustic guitar but not necessary on that price point ;-)

To be honest I like the results of EQUALIZER. As far as i'm concerned, only the results matter. I've been using the demo only on my master buss & i cannot get any eq to sound as good. I will be buying it. For unmasking I use Wavesfactory trackspacer on my group busses, this may become another must have on my mixes. Nice video Folia..

I found it worked best by focusing specific ranges more than just broadband. Like I enjoyed how it handled just the mid range of some vocals, and just the upper mids and top end of a master. I didn't care for how it handles low end, but I didn't like how Gulfoss did that either.

I haven't tried the demo and i’m on my phone atm, so i cant really hear the quality of the plug-in. But i would think i would use it to flatline the audio, then use a normal eq to color the Sound after. I dont know if that was the intention with the plug-in?

Hmm, I think it may have its use cases when mixing. If you have a specific problem that's moving across the "boxy" range, you can use it to fix the problem, and it may be more appropriate than Gullfoss or Soothe in a case like that. But it's definitely not a go-to mixing tool; it's more of a tool to fix a rare problem.

Take 2 copies of one audio (A & B), and insert the Trackspacer on one of them (for example B), then route A into the sidechain of the Trackspacer and switch the A off the master output. Now you have the signal flattener))

Yep its not tool to make soundguys obsolete, its mentioned like problem solving tool which does that great imho

I like Equalizer, but I think its role is perhaps more remedial than it is creative. It might give a track a better starting point for tone and dynamic shaping later...

Getting everything flat first and then pulling things forward or pushing back to taste is not a bad way to mix, like with every plugin, it’s easy to overdo it. I find that this plugin instantly opens up any sound you throw at it leaving you with enough controls to tweak it to your own taste.

I think the idea is to get the mix closer to being flat, not to actually make it flat. I agree that making it completely flat makes it kind of lifeless. But getting it closer to being flat can fix imbalances in the mix. I think Gullfoss does pretty much the same thing, just judging by its controlls. Nice video thou. Thanks for the review.

Nice mate ❤

1 - I presume that you were putting some Polish curse on the demo announcement. That's justifiable violence ;) =] 2 - To play devil's advocate, I don't think this plugin was designed to be the only EQ plugin you would use on a signal chain. If anything, I could see myself using it more as a "dynamic corrective EQ" to ensure a more consistent tonal balance and *then* get creative with additional processing including additional EQ. 3 - I do understand what you mean by what mixing is and is not. For me personally, I think of mixing as the chance to address either technical issues or to be creative. Going back to the EQUALIZER, I think it is better served for the technical rather than creative. 4 - I have to give it to Wavesfactory in that it is a new approach to the whole "intelligent plugin". After all: Soundtheory's Gulfoss is about conforming a signal to a "psychoacoustic profile", sonible's smart:EQ(3) is about conforming a signal to an instrument profile you tell it to use, Oeksound's soothe and Baby Audio's Smooth Operator is about addressing resonances, etc.

LMFAO I thought the waves factory equalizer sound tag was placed in by you until it started going ham and you had that reaction LMAOOOO... Bro the plugin seems like it helped you make that song sound pretty fire though. opinions on it vs eq4 smart?

Wavesfactory Equalizer Demo... This is funnier than a prank 😂😂

Thank you

Wouldn’t use it on a whole mix but maybe for vocals

Tried it and love it for certain material. I use gullfoss too, but this has way more control to me. I’ll be using this on individual tracks like synths, guitars and vocals. Instant buy for me. Y’all tripping it’s 🔥🔥, just wish it could be side-chained.

Gracias 😊

I'm honestly surprised with how people completely miss the point with this plugin. Literally no one, including the company that makes it, is telling you that making everything flat is a good idea. What this is is a quick fix for audio that needs tonal balancing of some sort. In occasions where you would usually pick a tilt filter - for example-, this becomes a much more flexible alternative.

Hello, Waves Factory Equalizer is not intended to make it "flat" (maybe you heard the WF Guy where really how he expressed himself about the Concept of the Plugin was kinda non sense)...... but anyway you did not understand how the plugin works and how to use it... you may not like the Plugin........ and I am not sure yet if I like the Waves Factory Plugin, but I get what this Plugin does and how it works and maybe would be cool to have it as an specific "Tool" than more that an all purpose bread and butter Equalizer. In this WF Plugin all it all depends of your CURVE, the Cut and BOOST and the amount of the Effx... yes you can try to balance it out as you call it "Flat" less or more.... but that is not only what it can do.... , just think about it, different curves cut , boost and amount will give you different results, so that can not be only "Flat"......... now, being said that.... possibly SmartEQ 3 is better and more like a Traditional EQ in the general sense (I know is very advance)...when Waves Factory is more like a kind of Processor maybe like a parallel EQ/kind of Exciter/sound better thing and is not like an all around EQ where you shape or sculpt the sound the way you want

I still think its usfull to make things flat so then you have a even starting point to EQ afterwards

It seems to me like mixing is not the point of this plugin. I would use this more like soothe2 where I need to restore a sound to be better quality before I mix and fit all the parts together. I don’t think is meant to mix you track for you.

Great honest review! I use gulfoss and sooth and fail to understand what is the magic in having everything flat, thank you

The shoot here IMO is that the smart EQ is pointy a little edgy. Wavesfactory is Smoother and has more depth… but needs to be tweeted for the sparkle…. What I noticed in using it is it adds depth if done right and it doesn’t loose the sparkle…… For some reason the Wavesfactory sounded a little lower in volume…… thanks for the review…….

Hey, music newbie here. Do you think this would work for me? I"ve made several excellent tracks except for some hot issues. Im not great at eqing due to a hearing problem. Do you think this would resolve the harsh sounds in some of my tracks? Is it worth it? Thanks.

If I'm not mistaken Gullfoss is very similar, but Equalizer may be more of a blend between Gullfoss and Soothe2. As far as I know (and as little as I understand) Gullfoss is named after a waterfall with a PERCEPTUALLY flat (although because of this NOT ACTUALLY FLAT) spectral balance. The word PERCEPTUAL is key. Humans don't hear things based on actual decibal amounts regardless of the band they're in. The spectral bands are perceived in a scaling, and Gullfoss seems to use that to poke down, and poke up the elements that violate that "perceived balance". Soothe2 is comparable in the sense that things that "poke" in terms of dynamic suddenness are reduced by that plugin. But it is very different than Gullfoss otherwise, and both Gullfoss and Soothe2 have their uses in my workflow but at different times. (For example, Gullfoss is particular good at times when the mix is too dense for a track group or master. By reducing what's poking out and overtaking the overall mix (e.g. resonance) it makes the elements in the mix seem more clearly perceivable. Yet Soothe 2 is good for instruments like electric guitars or vocals or cymbals that sometimes have brittly resonance areas that have dynamic obtrusiveness - they sound abrasive as they jump up repeatedly. Soothe2 can reduce those moves in the parts of the spectrum where you aim it. )

Imagine a vocal that was recorded too close to mic, you may have frequencies that jump out..this plugin would level out the frequency spectrum in real time. You can then do your normal vocal processing but on a much more even vocal. Similar to Soothe but from an eq angle rather than responding to resonances

I kinda disagree with your point at the mixing section. These plugins aren't necessarily trying to make the mix sound flat and lifeless but more-so achieve tonal balance which most often = clarity. In the comparison, both of the plugins opened up the mix and made it sound much more defined, though EQ seems to have a steeper high end curve than Smart EQ3. All in all, this seems like a good cheaper alternative for Gulfoss but I'll still personally think TEOTE from Voxengo is king.

The voice interruption drastically affects one’s perception of what’s happening because the voice is so loud. I just tried the plugin and I have to say, it sounds better than Gulfoss. I think it will become a classic.

There's only a couple videos up for this plugin. Based on that, I'd say you are not usinng the plugin correcting. I'm downing the demo now.

use paralell - like dry wet :D its all mustly for this. Its greate plugin on right hands

I think you have completely misunderstood what this tool is for. You can use it to creat a flat start or you can draw a curve that the plugin with maintain, from there you can use other tools to add colour.

It seems to aim for 'Flat Pink' rather than "Flat White' , which is sensible. I haven't seen any 'Learn Mode' yet. Seems a lot to do in 'Real Time'.

What do you think about SplitEQ ?

The more I think about the tests on this video the more I think it was like comparing a hammer and brick and how well they drive a nail into a board. One is obviously dessigned for that specific task and the other can do it but is not actually made to do it and so it doesnt work even close to as well.

In the end it's a 32 bands compressor or dynamic EQ with adjustable curve. It does more compression/upward expansion than EQing for me, cuz there is obvious pumping going on.

You used Smart Eq which has pre defined curves suited to the sources across a bunch of tracks then put Gulfos across the master which accentuates pleasing frequencies and tames unpleasant frequencies THEN compared it to Equaliser which is designed to flatten!?! How is this a fair comparison? I think you need to do another video to clarify

It's a real shame you didn't take more time with it, or even read the manual. It does allow you to both tilt and apply curves.

I don't understand this plugin. I figured since it was waves factory it had to be good. But the other video I saw reviewing it... I didn't like the audio. I felt like things were just being tucked away when they got a little louder.... But not in a musical way. It felt kind of artificial. Just like making everything stay confined to a certain volume.... In a frequency dependent way.....No matter what. Am I missing something?

The closest plugin Ive seen in the market to this is probably voxengo’s TEOTE.

Did you try TEOTE? 🤙🤙

The Demo Voice, LOL!!

You can draw in your own curves. So it won’t be flat. That’s what those dots lines are for. I think you need to spend more time with it as it does a lot more than you demo’d

This plugin gives me a similar 'vibe' to Gullfoss and I don't like it. Both for me sound 'artificial', unnatural(?) or maybe too perfect? I can't find a vocabulary for it but while I'm impressed at the beginning (mainly with Gullfoss) after longer casual listening outside the studio I feel like they make everything sound unpleasant/fake. For me, these plugins are the 'hardcore brickwall limiting' of the 2020s: great first impression but tiring after longer listening sessions. Ps. Smart EQ should have more profiles for electronic music. Dunno why they ignored it completely besides just one synth profile.

I am not sure that your test is valid because I am almost sure that "TEOTE" is the same as EQUALIZER but with different options, and Gulfoss + Smart EQ are totally different weapons, so you should have done a test of TEOTE vs EQUALIZER

Wavesfactory Equalizer sounds best to me. Nothing stood out to me as out of place or off. As a mixer, that's what I try to do.

Paul, you got confused with this Plugin, is not what you are saying.

Equializer destroys all “intelligent” eq plugins because its works like it could be the others too. The Autogain is a real Autogain.

U can adjust the curve. Watch the vid they put out

I'm also not for flat spectrum... But tbh it seemed quite nice on vocals

I picked up EQUALIZER and I am getting nice results too. I think that too many people get caught up on wether a new product will replace existing products. This does not replace smart eq. In certain situations it make smart eq better. Like @mainsailsound983 said, It is a nice reset. It helps to do all of the corrective work. After that you can use what ever you want to do the creative work. I don't look at the tool as a replacement of creative mixing, it actually helps you get to creative work faster. I will use this on every mix.

oh yeah there is nothing much in the house genre as well lmao

In the very limited time I've tried it, which was on a vocal, it didn't do a better job than me EQíng the vocal myself. SmartEQ is far less CPU intensive, and even Gulfoss is less CPU intensive.

Great video and you had the exact feeling as I had after playing with the demo. This one is not for me and don’t understand why anyone would want this to be honest.

First✌️✌️✌️

Great to put before an eq on a badly eq'ed instrument.

Is just the new society completely flat depressed and boring

I liked the idea of this plugin. So I downloaded the demo. And was greeted with that voice telling me it's a demo. And again. And again. So I stopped trying it and decided I don't need it. Maybe it would be great in my collection but that voice makes the overall experience a bad one. Will not buy it for this reason

I find the vocal as annoying as the demo reminder.

definitely something i will NOT be buying ...thanks for the review

Tested it today. Compared to Unfilter, SmartEQ and gullfoss - no chance. Was not impressed

Ayaic Ceilings Of Sound Pro is the best for what they're trying to achieve here. This is a disappointment.

WAVESFACTORY EQUALIZER DEMO