Overview

Brainworx, the leading developer in Mid/Side mixing tools, has once again launched a game changer: bx_panEQ. This next-level spatial equalizer will forever change the way you sculpt and shape stereo tracks.

Imagine EQ'ing a crash cymbal buried in a pre-recorded stereo mix without affecting instruments panned to other positions in the soundstage. Or how about moving a dead-center lead synth to the left or right of the sound stage to make room for more bass? bx_panEQ offers a comprehensive view into the stereo spatialization of your content and provides intuitive visual controls to help mold the stereo field to your liking. It’s a brand new way to approach stereo-spatial processing.

At the heart of bx_panEQ is a Focus control for each filter; this adjusts how wide the filter’s effect will be in the stereo panorama, allowing for anything from broad strokes to precise adjustments in your mix. The filters' API-style Proportional Q design pinpoints your EQ tweaks by raising the Q factor as gain is increased or decreased from 0 dB, allowing for even more surgical precision. Solo buttons for each band give insight to the exact changes in frequency response by auditioning the pure difference in signal.

Best of all, a Panoramic Spectral Analyzer displays the amplitude of your EQ boosts and cuts across the stereo field and frequency spectrum in real time, intuitively guiding your hand while accurately indicating a blended combination of stereo width and frequency response. You can directly adjust stereo position and relative gain of each band from within this display—a lifesaver when it comes to recording automation or making on-the-fly adjustments. What’s more, bx_panEQ is the first Brainworx plugin to feature a re-sizable interface, allowing you to increase the size of the analyzer to comfortably work on larger displays.

The power unleashed by bx_panEQ in mixing and mastering applications is profound. Stretch the width of a stereo acoustic guitar track by boosting progressively higher frequencies at pan positions from left to right. Reach into the stereo mix of a live concert to tame a boomy hard-panned guitar without affecting other slices of the stereo field. For the mastering engineer, discretely equalize localized spectral imbalances to correct a lopsided mix. For the music producer, automate bands to fly across the spectral analyzer for unique and interesting stereo filter effects. The applications with bx_panEQ are limitless.

bx_panEQ. Point it. EQ it. Done.

Activate the full function 14-day demo with your Plugin Alliance account (no dongle required!) to find out how the magic of bx_panEQ can take your music to places it has never gone before.

Features

  • Three parametric bell-curve filters—each featuring a Gain, Frequency, Q, Pan and Focus control—independently boost or cut EQ at discrete pan positions in the stereo field
  • Innovative Focus control precisely regulates the panoramic width of your EQ adjustments
  • Proportional Q filter design prevents progressive EQ boosts and cuts from spilling over into adjacent bands
  • Color-coded Panoramic Spectral Analyzer plots changes to pan position, frequency and amplitude for stereo content in real time as you make EQ adjustments
  • Visual aid of Spectral Analyzer makes mix decisions easy while providing direct control over stereo position and gain of each band
  • Each filter can be independently bypassed or soloed; when soloed, the signal difference is auditioned, providing critical monitoring on processing
  • Re-sizable interface allows work on larger displays
  • Cut and boost at the same frequency on different points of the panorama to re-place instruments within a full mix
  • Create dramatic panning filter effects with automation.
  • Use bx_panEQ on mono signals to open up frequencies into stereo channels, adding clarity and width
  • ‘Stretch’ sounds by progressively boosting low to high, left to right or vise-versa to create a wider–than-life sound on instruments like guitar and keyboard

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Richard Chycki

    Richard Chycki

    Mixer/Engineer (Rush, Dream Theater, Skillet, Aerosmith)

    I just finished mastering a track where the artist had used a loop as the main rhythm component. The loop was light in the hi-hat, but using the bx_panEQ I was able to focus on the hi-hat… Read More

  • Mischke

    Mischke

    Writer/Vocal Producer (Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Gwen Stefani, El Debarge, Little Mix, Jojo)

    The bx_panEQ is something that’s crazy. I’ve never seen an EQ like this ever in my life, and the fact that I can automate where in the pan my EQ is changing is absolutely revolutionary.… Read More

  • Trehy Harris

    Trehy Harris

    Mixing Engineer (Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Lupe Fiasco)

    A surgical tool with great precision to EQ one side of the stereo image without affecting the other. Can't work without it.

  • X:144

    X:144

    Producer, Mix & Mastering Engineer (Ms. Lauryn Hill, Qusai, EA Sports: Madden NFL)

    We live in great times…times where developers are pulling from the same pool of thought as us artists. All of the ideas from years ago are finally starting to catch up. I’ve dreamt of a… Read More

Customer Reviews

  • Nice plugin

    ★★★★★
    by BluelagoonStudios
    Lately, I'm remastering dance tracks from the early 90s, which sometimes sounds poorly, some even sound like mono or with rumbling low end. With this plugin, I can bring the material back to live.… Read More
  • If you need it...

    ★★★★★
    by Paul Misty
    I don't know if there are any alternatives. I used it only once. But it was the only way I could deal with the problem. For that you need it.
  • Depth

    ★★★★★
    by Go Season
    Awesome depth creation. I put this on a background vocal bus and with some tweaking and a/b’ing it had to stay. It made a glued two track retain its glue while creating depth. Will most likely end… Read More
  • I love it

    ★★★★★
    by SawSine
    Very special EQ.
    Its amazing
    Plugin Alliance response
    Thank you for your great feedback!
  • Surprizing & Polyvalent

    ★★★★★
    by Elliott S.
    Not sure why i waited so long to try bx_panEQ (it's been a while now, took even more time to write a review).
    It's an amazing tool that should not be underestimed.
    It allows… Read More

Awards

  • Gearslutz bx_panEQ Review

    Gearslutz bx_panEQ Review

    “Personally, getting my hands on this plugin came at a great time as I was working on a string quartet that wasn’t recorded in the greatest of rooms. I was able to take out resonant frequencies from the violin on one side, whilst boosting some of the body of the cello on the other.

    Likewise, we’ve all had to mix drum tracks and there’s that one cymbal that really bothers you… not any more! This plugin could be a lifesaver! - Gearbot”

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX DSP, AAX Native, AU, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 14 down to macOS 11
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel, or Apple Silicon

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

ChangeLog

bx_panEQ

Brainworx bx_panEQ - Changelog

Version 1.9.1 (Oct 9, 2023)
- General: fixed CPU spikes on Mac OS

Version 1.9.0 (Aug 15, 2023)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for AAX
- General: added macOS Ventura support
- General: improved plugin loading time in the DAW
- General: fixed issue causing Logic to crash when closing the plugin UI
- General: improved font drawing behavior

Version 1.8 (Mar 15, 2022)
- General: added native Apple Silicon compatibility for VST3, VST2 and AU
- General: added macOS Monterey support
- General: added Windows 11 and Windows 10 21H1 support
- General: discontinued Windows 7 support
- General: discontinued macOS 10.9 and 10.11 support
- General: fixed metering behavior in block sizes of 2048 samples and higher
- Fixed potential crashes in macOS hosts

Version 1.7 (Mar 22, 2021)
- General: Compatibility with Logic on Apple Silicon devices via the Rosetta-2 layer
- General: Fixed possible artefacts when freezing or bouncing tracks in Pro Tools
- General: Fixed automation highlighting disappearing in Studio One
- General: Improved license dialog visibility in dark mode

Version 1.6 (May 27, 2020)
- General: Qualified for use with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
- General: VST3: Fixed potential hangs in a DAW upon loading
- General: Fixed logical issues in undo / redo behavior
- General: Fixed UI resizing issues in Ableton Live on Windows
- General: Fixed audio processing initialization issues on amp and delay products

Version 1.5 (Nov 06, 2019)
- General: Qualified for use with macOS 10.15 Catalina
- General: Qualified for use with Windows 10 November 2019 Update
- General: Fixed plugin validation in Logic under macOS Catalina
- General: Fixed preset name restore in Logic when reopening a session
- General: Fixed opening authorization dialog triggering automation
- General: Improved instantiation times for plugins
- General: Improved license functionality and branding for subscription
- General: Removed 32-bit support on macOS and Windows

Version 1.4 (Jul 10, 2019)
- General: macOS 10.14.5 Update compatibility
- General: Windows 10 1903 Update compatibility
- General: Fixed activation issue in Windows hosts set to non-English language (e.g. Cakewalk)
- General: AU: Fixed issue with increased CPU and memory on reopening UI
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with adapting to host knob mode, and now prioritizing linear
- General: VST3: Fixed issue with VST3 preset permissions
- General: VST3: Improved synchronization between parameter states and some UI functions, e.g. toolbar reset


Version 1.3 (Nov 16, 2018)
- General: macOS Mojave compatibility
- General: Windows October 2018 update compatibility
- General: adding Windows High DPI support for VST2/3 plugins
- General: Fixed potential crashes in Cubase and other VST2 / VST3 DAWs
- General: Fixed potential CPU spikes and audio dropouts
- General: Fixed rendering in Pro Tools on the start of a session
- General: Fixed missing presets in Wavelab and other VST3 DAWs
- General: Improving keyboard control, fixing issues with catched keys preventing it from passing through to DAW
- General: Fixed parallel use of host sessions (e.g. with Live)

Version 1.2 (May 24, 2018)
- General: Microsoft Windows Redstone 4 compatibility
- General: Added computer keyboard control for plugin parameters
- General: Fixed Mouse scroll wheel not working in Windows 8
- General: Fixed an issue where plugins will not validate or load after a certain amount of plugins have been loaded (Windows)
- General: Fixed visual GUI freezes when adjusting DAW parameters, meters, analyzers (Mac)
- General: Fixed possible issue with Pick Pack licenses
- General: Small licenser stability fix

Version 1.1 (Oct 23, 2017)
- General: Mac OS High Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed possible crash on online activation (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed Logic Pro X not validating AU plugins (Mac OS High Sierra)
- General: Fixed CPU spikes and crashes with Cubase (Windows)
- General: Fixed bug that could lead to "AAE -6 error" in ProTools (Windows)
- General: Fixed crash with FL Studio
- General: Fixed crash when cross-opening plugins in various hosts
- General: Fixed crash when using mixdown in Audition
- General: Fixed crash in Final Cut Pro
- General: Fixed delayed parameter handling and crackling issues in Cubase with VST3
- General: Fixed bug where plugin settings were not saved in Harrison Mixbus
- General: Fixed bug that led to AAE error -9317 in ProTools when instantiating plugin
- General: Fixed bug where plugins did not render properly when "x ray" option is enabled in Sonar
- General: Modifications to factory presets were lost when reopening session
- General: Fixed mouse wheel behaviour with second monitor setup (Windows)
- Some plugins: Value labels do not appear every time when clicking on parameter in UI
- General: Faster instantiation time for plugins (Windows)
- General: Adding support for automation highlighting in Presonus StudioOne

Version 1.0.1 (Dec 20, 2016)
- General: Mac OS Sierra compatibility
- General: Fixed automation issues in AU and AAX
- General: Fixed license dialog use of special characters
- General: Improved AU preset support
- General: Performance improvements
- Graphic improvements

Version 1.0 (Apr 1, 2016)
- Release version