What is the Best Plugin for EQ Matching?

Eq matching has become a popular way to either match or separate instruments quickly. With that in mind it helps to know which EQ Matching plugin offers the most for your money.

We decided to compare two of the most popular equalizers with EQ matching software, the Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer, and the FabFilter Pro Q 3.

Although Izotope has updated it’s line of Ozone products, including the Ozone Equalizer, it should be noted that in terms of EQ Matching, the functionality has remained nearly identical.

We’ll be comparing CPU usage, ease of use, and overall functionality to see which one offers the best user experience and most mixing capabilities.

Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer:

Pros: Ease of Use

Using the Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer or later models, really couldn’t be easier. It’s as simple as inserting the plugin on your output, clicking record for your reference audio, capturing it by playing the track, and then doing the same for your target audio.

Place the EQ on your output and individually play the two signals you want to record.

Once this is complete you’ll be presented with a generated eq curve and the option to smooth and increase the amount of equalization applied.

The smoothing function is a combination of Q adjustment and the number of bands.

Cons: Limited Functionality

Once you’ve finished capturing your audio, you may realize that the ease of use is due to limited functionality.

You won’t have the option to edit your generated curve intensely, or invert it’s gain for separating purposes. You can’t decide how many bands you want to have or the specific Qs for those bands. These options have all been reduced and simplified to the ‘Amount’ and ‘Smoothing’ functions.

Creating new bands can alter the EQ curve, but not accurately.

Price: In order to purchase this equalizer you must pay for the entire 7 plugin mastering suite. In total this costs $250.00 USD.

FabFilter Pro Q 3:

Pros: Functionality

With the FabFilter Pro Q 3, once you match one track’s EQ to another, a world of possibilities open up.

You can select the numbers of bands in the curve, and then highlight these bands to affect them like you could in a typical eq setting.

Bands can range from 1 to 24.

The number of bands can range from 1 to 24.

You can adjust their gain, Q, placement, or delete certain bands that sound disharmonious.

Delete low frequency bands if disharmonious fundamentals or harmonics occur.

Furthermore you can invert the gain of these bands, effectively causing the two tracks to be distinct and separate from one another. This is incredibly useful in convoluted mixes where instruments are fighting for sonic space.

Cons: Difficult to Operate at First

If you’ve gotten used to the ease of use with the Izotope Ozone 6, the FabFilter Pro Q 3 may seem confusing at first.

In my first few attempts to capture audio I noticed that I could accomplish it, but I couldn’t tell exactly from where the signal was being routed.

The quickest way to capture audio is insert the EQ on a track, and then side chaining another instrument.

This difficultly subsided pretty quickly however, as you explore the plugin’s options and looking into it’s eq match routing.

Price: $179.00 USD. This includes only the one plugin.

CPU Usage Test:

For this test we had two sessions. One in which the Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer was placed on 16 tracks, another in which the FabFilter Pro Q 3 was placed on 16 tracks.

The sessions were identical, except for their relative plugin inserts.

During playback the FabFilter Pro Q 3 peaked around 20% of CPU and averaged around 12%.

FabFilter Pro Q 3: 13.3% of CPU Usage

The Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer peaked around 40% and averaged around 35%.

Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer: 40.3% of CPU Usage

That being said, the FabFilter required significantly less CPU.

Conclusion:

The FabFilter Pro Q 3 offers increased functionality and low CPU usage, meaning it’s perfect for both mastering and mixing. It’s versatile enough to be used for both mixing and mastering applications.

The Izotope Ozone 6 Equalizer may be easier to use, but sacrifices functionality for the sake of simplicity.

Although the FabFilter Pro Q 3 may cost slightly more, considering the Ozone package comes with 6 other plugins, it is definitely the superior plugin.

What is your go to equalizer?

Sage Audio Membership

Make Pro Songs

There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.

1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year

50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.

2. 1-on-1 Mentorship

The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.

3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback

Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.

4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)

SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.

5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions

Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.

6. Community

The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.

7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:

36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.

8. 700+ Video Catalog

Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.