Overview

The most powerful passive EQ ever. Made by Brainworx in cooperation with SPL.

 

Target 72 Frequencies Per Channel
Building on the legacy of the two-band passive Pultec EQ from the 1950s and 60s, the SPL Passeq provides six separate bands to boost and cut frequency content. It has 12 switchable frequencies per band, totaling 36 boost frequencies and 36 cut frequencies. These boost and cut frequencies are different, which means you can target 72 frequencies per channel.

A Truly Authentic Sound
The SPL Passeq isn’t just another emulation. It was designed accurately with the help of component-level modeling. All of the complex interactions between filters are present, resulting in a truly authentic sound. On top of that, the SPL Passeq offers flexibility through an abundance of filter choices.

Complex Band Interactions
One of the unique qualities of passive EQ designs is that your audio signal reacts to multiple bands at once. When you change one band’s settings, an interaction between bands occurs. This characteristic is what provides passive EQs with a unique musical sound that active EQs can only dream of.

Made for Mixing and Mastering
The combination of all this filtering power, mastering-grade sonic quality, and advanced M/S processing make the SPL Passeq an essential mixing and mastering tool. Use it to balance out your mix buses or delicately fine-tune masters. The SPL Passeq’s 10 Hz Sub Band and 16 kHz Top band sound truly mesmerizing.

Features

  • Six bands and 72 filters per channel.
  • Separate L/R and M/S processing.
  • L/R and M/S channel linking.
  • Four parameter recall buttons to conduct A/B comparisons.
  • Component modeled design that faithfully captures the sound of complex band interactions.
  • Emulation of input and output transformers.
  • A standard stereo version of the plugin is provided, along with a mono version for individual tracks.

Audio Examples

Customer Reviews

  • One of the best!

    ★★★★★
    by sobrinN
    One of the best EQ emulation ever done, powerful, smooth and versatile.

  • Most incredible EQ

    ★★★★★
    by Evoke
    I genuinely can't believe how perfect this EQ is. I bought it without really understanding what a passive EQ is, but I've never had a disappointment with an SPL product, and this one is no… Read More

  • What a surprise!

    ★★★★★
    by Alfred
    I waited a long time to buy this plugin because I didn't see much value with all the plugins I already had. Now it's on sale I bought it to complete my SPLMastering chain and it was a big surprise!… Read More

  • Love the Mid-Side controls

    ★★★★★
    by Overdrive Music
    I predominantly use this EQ in Mid-Side mode. The two big knobs make it so easy to increase or decrease the stereo field as a whole, and also fine-tweak it. I love adding some top end air sparkle on… Read More

  • Amazing EQ

    ★★★★★
    by adrianfaur
    Probably the most underrated plugin eq on the market. Best eq for boosting lows. Better than all my UAD eq's for low end. Amazing!
    Plugin Alliance response
    Thanks a lot for your support!
View All Customer Reviews

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX DSP, AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 15 down to macOS 12
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

Passeq Installers

Installation Manager

Manuals

ChangeLog

Passeq

SPL Passeq - Changelog

Version 1.15.1 (Oct 9, 2023)
- General: fixed CPU spikes on Mac OS

Version 1.15.0 (Aug 15, 2023)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX
- General: added macOS Ventura support
- General: improved plugin loading time in the DAW
- General: fixed issue causing Logic to crash when closing the plugin UI
- General: improved font drawing behavior

Version 1.14 (Mar 15, 2022)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for VST3, VST2 and AU
- General: added macOS Monterey support
- General: added Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H1 support
- General: discontinued Windows 7 support
- General: discontinued macOS 10.9 and 10.11 support
- General: fixed metering behavior in block sizes of 2048 samples and higher

Version 1.13 (Mar 22, 2021)
- General: Compatibility with Logic on Apple Silicon devices via the Rosetta-2 layer
- General: Fixed possible artefacts when freezing or bouncing tracks in Pro Tools
- General: Fixed automation highlighting disappearing in Studio One
- General: Improved license dialog visibility in dark mode

Version 1.12 (May 27, 2020)
- General: Qualified for use with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
- General: VST3: Fixed potential hangs in a DAW upon loading
- General: Fixed logical issues in undo / redo behavior
- General: Fixed UI resizing issues in Ableton Live on Windows
- General: Fixed audio processing initialization issues on amp and delay products

Version 1.11 (Nov 06, 2019)
- General: Qualified for use with macOS 10.15 Catalina
- General: Qualified for use with Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- General: Fixed plugin validation in Logic under macOS Catalina
- General: Fixed preset name restore in Logic when reopening a session
- General: Fixed opening authorization dialog triggering automation
- General: Improved instantiation times for plugins
- General: Improved license functionality and branding for subscription
- General: Removed 32-bit support on macOS and Windows

Version 1.10 (Jul 10, 2019)
- General: macOS 10.14.5 Update compatibility
- General: Windows 10 1903 Update compatibility
- General: Fixed activation issue in Windows hosts set to non-English language (e.g. Cakewalk)
- General: AU: Fixed issue with increased CPU and memory on reopening UI
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with adapting to host knob mode, and now prioritizing linear
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with VST3 preset permissions
- General: VST3: Improved synchronization between parameter states and some UI functions, e.g. toolbar reset
- Fixed Pro Tools DAE error in AAX DSP Format

Version 1.9 (Nov 16, 2018)
- General: macOS Mojave compatibility
- General: Windows October 2018 update compatibility
- General: adding Windows High DPI support for VST2/3 plugins
- General: Fixed potential crashes in Cubase and other VST2 / VST3 DAWs
- General: Fixed potential CPU spikes and audio dropouts
- General: Fixed rendering in Pro Tools on the start of a session
- General: Fixed missing presets in Wavelab and other VST3 DAWs
- General: Improving keyboard control, fixing issues with catched keys preventing it from passing through to DAW
- General: Fixed parallel use of host sessions (e.g. with Live)

Version 1.8 (May 24, 2018)
- General: Microsoft Windows Redstone 4 compatibility
- General: Added computer keyboard control for plugin parameters
- General: Fixed Mouse scroll wheel not working in Windows 8
- General: Fixed an issue where plugins will not validate or load after a certain amount of plugins have been loaded (Windows)
- General: Fixed visual GUI freezes when adjusting DAW parameters, meters, analyzers (Mac)
- General: Fixed possible issue with Pick Pack licenses
- General: Small licenser stability fix
- Added Pro Tools Multi-Channel support

Version 1.7 (Oct 23, 2017)
- General: Mac OS High Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed possible crash on online activation (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed Logic Pro X not validating AU plugins (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed CPU spikes and crashes with Cubase (Windows)
- General: Fixed bug that could lead to "AAE -6 error" in ProTools (Windows)
- General: Fixed crash with FL Studio
- General: Fixed crash when cross-opening plugins in various hosts
- General: Fixed crash when using mixdown in Audition
- General: Fixed crash in Final Cut Pro
- General: Fixed delayed parameter handling and crackling issues in Cubase with VST3
- General: Fixed bug where plugin settings were not saved in Harrison Mixbus
- General: Fixed bug that led to AAE error -9317 in ProTools when instantiating plugin
- General: Fixed bug where plugins did not render properly when "x ray" option is enabled in Sonar
- General: Modifications to factory presets were lost when reopening session
- General: Fixed mouse wheel behaviour with second monitor setup (Windows)
- Some plugins: Value labels do not appear every time when clicking on parameter in UI
- General: Faster instantiation time for plugins (Windows)
- General: Adding support for automation highlighting in Presonus StudioOne

Version 1.6.1 (Dec 20, 2016)
- General: Mac OS Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed automation issues in AU and AAX
- General: Fixed license dialog use of special characters
- General: Improved AU preset support
- General: Performance improvements

Version 1.6 (Apr 1, 2016)
- General: Major UI codebase update
- General: Fixed possible crash when authorizing plugin
- General: Added gain reduction meter support for StudioOne 3
- General: Installers show version info in Windows "Programs And Features"

Version 1.5.4 (Jan 18, 2016)
- General codebase update
- Removing RTAS/TDM/VENUE 32-bit format support

Version 1.5.3 (Jul 18, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.2 (Jun 22, 2015)
- General codebase update

Version 1.5.1 (May 27, 2015)
- Fixed wrong installation path for 32-bit Win VST plugin version

Version 1.5 (Apr 14, 2015)
- Added AAX DSP format

Version 1.4 (Nov 18, 2013)
- Licenser update (V3): Fixes and new features
- Prevent wrong mouse wheel behavior in 32-bit hosts on 64-bit Windows (Windows bug) (87, 95, 156)
- Fixed keyboard events after text input in Pro Tools Windows (325)
- Fixed parameter value display in VST3 (330)
- Fixed toolbar triggering automation (335)
- Fixed window size issues (279, 327)
- Fixed possible preset issues in Pro Tools 11 (312)
- Fixed AAX Audiosuite latency compensation (311)

Version 1.3.1 (Jun 28, 2013)
- fixed installer for 32-bit Windows

Version 1.3 (Jun 21, 2013)
- added support for Pro Tools 11
- licenser update: fixes and new features
- fixed automation with VST3 offline processing

Version 1.2 (Apr 05, 2013)
- otimized performance
- fixed issues with possible high CPU load
- fixed possible host hanging issue
- fixed Avid related issue in Pro Tools 10 that could lead to sporadic crashes
- fixed issue that could lead to values jumping in Ableton Live

Version 1.1.4 (Jan 16, 2013)
- added support for high resolution displays (e.g. Apple Retina)
- licenser: improved Pro Tools activation

Version 1.1.3 (Oct 31, 2012)
- fixed potential TDM automation issue under Mac OS
- licenser: minor fixes
- licenser: fixed activation issue under Mac OS 10.5 / Pro Tools 8
- licenser: fixed potential crash in online activation under Mac OS
- licenser: fixed issues with USB stick activation
- licenser: fixed file handling with offline activation

Version 1.1.2 (Jun 22, 2012)
- Licenser update: added toolbar and USB activation
- Fixed response issues in AU format
- change company string to Plugin Alliance

Version 1.1.1 (Jan 28, 2012)
- Resolved DAE/AAX AudioSuite incompatibility
- Fixed audio problems with certain licenses
- Fixed hanging 64-bit version after changing parameters

Version 1.1 (Jan 2, 2012)
- Added presets
- Added AAX Native
- Added 64-bit support
- Added Plugin Alliance Licenser