VEQ-5 vintage mid-range EQ plugin interface by Black Rooster Audio

VEQ-5: Vintage Mid-Range EQ Plugin by Black Rooster Audio

VEQ-5 is a vintage mid-range equalizer plugin from Black Rooster Audio, inspired by a famous studio EQ and focused on the 200Hz to 7kHz range. It is aimed at cleaning up and sweetening vocals.

VST3VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

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01Overview

VEQ-5 is an effects plugin in the EQ category, released by Black Rooster Audio. Its design draws on a well-known studio equalizer, and it concentrates on the power range of the frequency spectrum, roughly 200Hz to 7kHz. The developer positions it mainly for vocals, and says it also works on guitars and keys. The plugin runs as a 64-bit VST3, VST2, AU or AAX effect on Windows and macOS.

Best for

Vocal cleanup
Vocal sweetening
Guitar EQ
Keys tone shaping
Mid-range sculpting

Developer: Black Rooster Audio
Category: EQ
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Vintage mid-range EQ focused on 200Hz to 7kHz
Real-time SPICE-type analog circuit emulation
Modeled passive filter network, transformers and tube stages
SSE2-optimized DSP processing
Auto-adjusted linear-phase oversampling
High DPI and Retina display support

03In depth

Analog-Style Circuit Emulation

Black Rooster Audio says the VEQ-5 uses real-time, SPICE-type component-based circuit simulation to model the analog original. According to the developer, the crucial parts of the circuit are modeled, including the passive filter network, audio transformers and amplifier tube stages.

The goal is to reproduce the sound and feel of the hardware in its nuances rather than only its frequency curve, which suits users looking for character from a vintage-inspired mid-range EQ.

Processing, Oversampling and Display Support

The developer states that DSP operations are pipelined using the SSE2 instruction set to keep CPU load manageable. Aliasing is handled with a low-latency, linear-phase Dolph-Chebyshev poly-phase oversampling design.

Oversampling adjusts automatically to the session sample rate, which the developer says saves CPU while keeping the sound transparent. The plugin also supports high pixel density displays on macOS and Windows.

04Specs

Will it run?

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

Developer	Black Rooster Audio
Type	Plugin
Category	EQ
Formats	VST3, VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is VEQ-5 mainly designed for?

The developer describes VEQ-5 as aimed at cleaning up and sweetening vocals, with a focus on the 200Hz to 7kHz range. It also works on guitars and keys, according to Black Rooster Audio.

Which formats and operating systems does VEQ-5 support?

VEQ-5 is available as VST3, VST2, AU and AAX, in 64-bit, and runs on Windows and macOS.

What do I need to run VEQ-5?

You need a VST, VST3, AU or AAX compatible 64-bit host, at least 1GB of RAM, and a display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or more. On macOS, OS X 10.9 or newer is required, and M1 and M2 Apple Silicon are supported. On Windows, Windows 7 or newer with an SSE2 compatible processor is required.