New Music Gear Monday: Empirical Labs ParaDyn Dynamic EQ Plugin

One of the ongoing challenges in any mix is keeping problematic frequencies under control without making the processing obvious. Static EQ gets you partway there, but if a frequency only causes trouble when the signal gets loud, you end up either over-correcting when it is not needed or under-correcting when it is. That is where dynamic EQ earns its place on the channel strip, and the new ParaDyn from Empirical Labs brings a few genuinely useful ideas to the concept that set it apart from the standard approach.

Four Sections, Two with Dynamics

ParaDyn is built around four parametric EQ sections, each derived from the company’s BIG FrEQ plugin.

Every section includes the standard parametric controls — frequency, gain, and Q — along with a Slope control that steepens the edges of the filter curve to create a flat-top plateau shape.

This lets you apply a broad, even boost or cut across a range of frequencies without the exaggerated peak you get from a traditional bell curve.

One of the things I really like about ParaDyn is the Width parameter, which controls the Q or bandwidth of the EQ section. It makes so much sense to use a horizontal slider for this as it gives you a better feel for what’s actually happening to the signal.

Also included is a Focus mode, which narrows the frequency knob range for fine-tuning, and a Range toggle extends the gain from plus or minus 15dB out to plus or minus 30dB when you need more aggressive moves.

The DYN Modules

Sections 1 and 4 each carry a dynamics module with three operating modes.

The standard Dyn EQ mode works as you would expect: gain reduction kicks in when the target frequency crosses a set threshold.

The Dyn Mask mode is where things get more interesting.

It uses a spectral detection algorithm related to the technology in the Empirical Labs hardware DerrEsser to monitor whether the target frequencies are already being masked by surrounding material in the mix. If they are, it backs off the processing rather than applying gain reduction unnecessarily.

The result is a more natural-sounding correction that responds to the actual context of the mix, rather than just the level of a single band.

The third mode is called Compress and takes a different approach entirely.

It decouples the dynamics module from the EQ band and turns that section into a full-bandwidth compressor using Empirical Labs’ signature knee compression.

With two of these available, one at the low end and one at the high end of the frequency range, ParaDyn can function as a compact channel strip with up to six sections of processing running simultaneously.

Format and Authorization

ParaDyn works on Mac and PC in VST3, AU, and AAX formats, covering virtually every major DAW. Authorization is handled through iLok, with support for either a USB dongle or local machine activation. A fully functional 15-day trial is available so you can put it through its paces before committing.

ParaDyn is priced at $39, which is a very big band for the buck. You can find out more here, or watch the video below.

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