Free EQ for Cubase: where a dynamic EQ adds to the channel EQ and Frequency 2

Cubase's own EQs, described fairly

The channel EQ, in the Channel Settings window, has up to four bands per audio channel. Bands 1 and 4 can be parametric, shelving or cut filters, bands 2 and 3 are parametric, and there's a channel comparison mode that shows two channels' curves and spectra together. StudioEQ is a four-band parametric plug-in with a spectrum display and Auto Gain.

Frequency 2 is the serious one: eight bands, dynamic filtering on shelf, peak and notch bands, a separate internal or external side-chain per band (Side-Chain 1 to 8), linear phase per band, L/R and M/S processing, and Auto Listen. If you have it, it already covers dynamic EQ well. Note that switching a band to linear phase turns off that band's dynamics.

• Channel EQ and StudioEQ: everyday static shaping.
• Frequency 2: dynamic bands with per-band side-chains, if your edition includes it.
• What AURORA adds: up to 24 bands, Smart Ops (de-ess, de-resonate, match, auto cuts, unmask, each previewed before it applies), De-Harsh, Delta listening, and per-band stereo, mid, side, left or right placement. On an edition without a dynamic EQ, it adds dynamic EQ in the first place.

Cubase loads VST3, so that's the AURORA file you want

Cubase hosts VST plug-ins only. There's no Audio Unit support, even on a Mac, and no CLAP. VST 2 support is off by default in Cubase 15, and Steinberg recommends VST 3 versions where they exist. AURORA's VST3 is the right file on both Windows and macOS. Its macOS build is universal, so it runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel.

Scan AURORA with the VST Plug-in Manager

Cubase only shows plug-ins it has scanned and that are in the active collection. Both matter.

• Install the VST3: run Install Aurora.cmd on Windows, or copy 13x Aurora.vst3 to ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 on a Mac.
• Restart Cubase, or open Studio → VST Plug-in Manager and click Scan for new and blocked plug-ins. Hold Shift to rescan everything. Older versions call this Rescan All.
• If AURORA is on the Blocklist tab, select it and click Reactivate. Cubase rescans it and moves it back.
• Plug-ins found at launch go into the Default collection. If you work with a custom collection, drag AURORA into it, or it won't appear in the insert menus.
• Add it as an insert on the channel you want to EQ.

Recipe 1: a kick-keyed band on the bass with Cubase's side-chain routing

Frequency 2 users will know the idea: a dynamic band driven by another track. In AURORA, it works through the plug-in's side-chain input, which Cubase sets up in the plug-in window.

• Insert AURORA on the bass channel and open its window.
• Click Activate/Deactivate Side-Chaining in the plug-in panel's header, then Set up Side-Chain Routing.
• Click Add Side-Chain Source and pick the kick track. Use the Level control in that panel if the kick arrives too hot or too quiet.
• In AURORA, place a bell where the kick's weight sits, make the band dynamic, set its detector to sidechain, and lower the threshold until it dips a few dB on each kick.
• Side-chain connections survive moving the plug-in within the channel, but not dragging or copying it to another channel. Set the routing up again after a copy.

Recipe 2: linear phase on the stereo out, and Constrain Delay Compensation

AURORA's Linear phase mode reports its latency, and Cubase's delay compensation keeps the project in time. The catch is Constrain Delay Compensation, the button on the Project window toolbar and in the Transport zone that you switch on while recording or playing instruments live. It affects instrument channels, record-enabled audio tracks, group channels and output channels. A plug-in without a low-latency mode whose latency is above the threshold gets deactivated while it's on.

So a linear-phase AURORA on the stereo out can drop out while you track. Two clean ways around it: switch AURORA to Zero latency or Natural (analog-matched, also zero latency) before recording, or turn Constrain Delay Compensation off again as soon as the take is done, which Steinberg recommends anyway.

Recipe 3: Smart Ops on a vocal group

Route your lead and doubles to a group channel and put AURORA there. Run De-ess with Smart Ops while the busiest chorus plays (at least two seconds). The suggestion appears dashed on the curve before it touches the sound, and Apply turns it into a real dynamic band. Then add De-Harsh if the group still bites in the upper mids on loud lines. Delta lets you hear only what's being removed, and Revert undoes Smart Ops' changes without touching your own bands.

Using another DAW too? The FL Studio and Ableton Live pages show the same recipes with their routing.