HarmonEQ by Rave Generation harmonic exciter EQ plugin interface

HarmonEQ: Harmonic Exciter EQ Plugin by Rave Generation

HarmonEQ is a harmonic exciter EQ plugin from Rave Generation that adds musical harmonics and saturation to audio. It creates perceived presence and loudness without a large increase in peak level.

VST3AUWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

HarmonEQ works differently from a standard equalizer. Instead of only boosting or cutting frequencies, it adds harmonic content across three parallel bands labeled LO, MID and HI. The developer describes the result as perceived loudness and presence without a significant rise in peak level. Each band offers six saturation types, and per-band dynamics and a De-Emphasis mode give you finer control over how the processing sits in a mix or master.

Best for

Mix presence boosting
Mastering harmonic enhancement
Vocal saturation
Mid-Side stereo shaping
Transparent harmonic exciter

Developer: Rave Generation
Category: Exciters
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Six saturation types per band: MAIN, TUBE, WARM, SOLID, TAPE and CLEAN
Three parallel harmonic EQ bands labeled LO, MID and HI
Stereo and Mid-Side processing modes
Per-band Expand, Compress and Transient dynamics controls
Oversampling selectable at 1x, 2x or 4x
De-Emphasis mode that isolates the harmonic content
Soft clipping with Clip 0dB protection and a Scoop control
Phase-aligned Mix control

03In depth

Saturation Characters and Signal Path

Each of the three EQ bands offers six saturation types. MAIN gives smooth musical harmonics, TUBE adds valve-style even harmonics, and WARM is a darker tube variant. SOLID provides transistor-style odd harmonics, TAPE gives magnetic tape-style compression, and CLEAN applies a pure EQ boost with no saturation.

The three harmonic bands extract their frequency content independently and sum back with the dry signal, so they interact rather than cascade. Progressive slope cut filters, soft clipping with Clip 0dB protection, a Scoop control for reducing muddiness and a phase-aligned Mix control complete the chain.

Stereo, Mid-Side and Dynamics Controls

HarmonEQ runs in Stereo mode for linked left and right processing, or in Mid-Side mode for independent control of the mono center and the stereo width. This makes it possible to shape spatial content during mixing and mastering.

Three dynamics controls sit after the EQ. Expand increases dynamic range, Compress gently tightens peaks, and Transient reshapes attack character. Oversampling modes of Normal 1x, Medium 2x and Best 4x use Kaiser-windowed FIR filters, with automatic latency compensation in Medium and Best modes.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Rave Generation
Type	Plugin
Category	Exciter
Formats	VST3, AU
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What formats and operating systems does HarmonEQ support?

HarmonEQ is available in VST3 and AU formats, and runs on Windows 10/11 (64-bit) and macOS 10.13 or later, with native Apple Silicon support on macOS.

What do I need to use HarmonEQ?

You need any VST3 or AU compatible DAW, an Intel Core i5 or AMD equivalent CPU at 2 GHz or faster, and at least 4 GB of RAM, with 8 GB recommended.

What is De-Emphasis mode?

De-Emphasis mode subtracts the clean EQ boost component, leaving only the harmonic saturation content. This adds a subtle enhancement without changing the overall tonal balance.