TreBande

Name: TreBande
Author: HoRNet

by HoRNet · EQ · Three-band vintage mixer EQ

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TreBande is a free three-band EQ from HoRNet that emulates the mixers of vintage portable tape recorders, with a slightly saturated, warm sound.

It has high and low shelves of ±15 dB, a mid band from 250 Hz to 5 kHz, and optional hiss.

Best for: Vocals, Guitars, Keys & Synths, Drums, Bass. Genres: Lo-Fi, Rock & Indie.

Keywords: vintage, free, bass, drums, hardware emulation, mixing, vocals, warm, electric guitar, keys, simple, airy, classic, lo-fi, static, subtle, tape.

What it does

TreBande (Italian for "three bands") is HoRNet's free three-band semi-parametric EQ, made to bring "the classic sound of vintage mixing desks" to a DAW. It keeps the layout simple, with a little saturation built in.

Low shelf: ±15 dB for the bass and low-end weight.
Mid band: sweepable from 250 Hz to 5 kHz with its own gain, for pushing or pulling the midrange.
High shelf: ±15 dB for brilliance and air.
Character: subtle saturation and warmth modeled on old mixer EQ circuits.
Hiss: an optional noise simulation you can switch on or off.
Interface: scalable, with dark and light modes.

It is free.

Source: HoRNet product page

When to use it

TreBande is the better pick for quick, broad, colored tone shaping in the style of a channel strip, with no learning curve. Compared with TDR Nova or Pro-Q 4 it has only three bands, no Q control and no analyzer, but it adds saturation and optional hiss that those clean EQs don't. Next to TDR VOS SlickEQ, another free EQ with character, it is simpler, with no saturation modes or EQ styles to choose from. It is much cheaper than the Pultec Passive EQ Collection, but it is a mixer EQ, not a passive curve EQ.

Best for: broad tone shaping with vintage color on vocals, guitars, keys and drums.
Genres: lo-fi, indie, rock and retro styles.
Look elsewhere if: you need surgical cuts, many bands or a spectrum display; TDR Nova (free) or Pro-Q 4 are better.

Where to buy

HoRNet: Free
Plugin Boutique: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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