New Music Gear Monday: Waves Equator Resonance Suppression Plugin

Going back to the days when equalizers were first used on recording sessions, engineers had to train their ears regarding the frequencies that required adjusting. Obviously that takes time to gain enough experience, something that novice engineers were more than willing to do. Thanks to a new generation of smart plugins, even experienced engineers can now make these adjustments faster and easier. The latest Waves Equator resonance suppression and frequency masking plugin is a shining example of this category.

Like most smart plugins, Equator is dead simple to use. Insert it on a channel or mix buss, press the Learn button, and the plugin removes problematic frequencies, fixes resonances and balances inconsistencies. Learn captures a part of your audio and uses it as a template and will then process the rest of the signal to match it. Shape and Tilt controls allow you to manually adjust the target for the processing according to your taste.

When used in sidechain mode, Equator will prevent frequency masking by constantly riding the response to keep each channel out of the way. To prevent the resonance suppression from overprocessing the problem areas, Equator has a Dynamic Auto Makeup Gain feature which matches the input RMS by boosting the volume of the frequencies you don’t attenuate. This can be toggled on/off.

For those that prefer to tweak the results, an advanced mode features 4 customizable processing bands, 8 nodes, and adjustable crossover points.

The Waves Equator plugin retails for $79 but is currently available for $39. There’s also a free trial period available. You can find out more here, or watch the video below.

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