Sonic EQ is the Original Digital Mastering EQ. Now available for your 64-bit DAW for the first time!


MH Sonic EQ is an modern version of the original Sonic EQ developed by Dr. James A. Moorer for Lucasfilm’s SoundDroid project, and then expanded for the Sonic Solutions mastering DAWs in the ’90’s and early 2000’s.

In 2007 Sonic EQ was re-created and enhanced for the Metric Halo-designed Sonic Studio 30x Interfaces. The Sonic Studio 30x version of Sonic EQ went back to first principals, updating the UI and engine.

MH Sonic EQ today is a 6-band fully parametric equalizer in which every band in the EQ supports 2nd to 8th order filters using an updated, low-noise 64-bit state-space EQ structure with the core Sonic EQ coefficients.





In every generation of Sonic EQ, three primary characteristics have remained consistent:

  1. The sound - a full, sweet yet powerful musicality which brings a presence and clarity to anything you pass through it.
  2. Its precision - with high-order slopes and a high degree of control over filter ripple, both in-band and out, Sonic EQ makes it easy to manage very specific frequency content with minimal effect on surrounding program.
  3. Its unrivaled versatility.

Whether you work in forensic restoration, sound design, high-end mastering, post-production, recording, re-recording, multi-tracking or live sound, the power and simplicity of this EQ will get you the sound you are looking for faster and sounding better than you may be willing to believe.

You will find you can make EQ curves with Sonic EQ that look completely broken, yet still sound perfectly clean and natural.

Sonic EQ also provides a special set of laboratory-grade filters for vinyl (RIAA encode and decode) and early generation digital formats transfer (DC removal and digital de-emphasis).

It is no understatement to say the Sonic EQ has been and still is one of the most highly respected and coveted digital equalizer packages on the planet.

This version of Sonic EQ, originally incorporated exclusively in the hardware DSP of Sonic Studio branded Model 30x audio interfaces is now reborn as an AAX, VST and AU plug-in for Mac and Windows DAW users with a cleaner layout, SpectraFoo™ spectrum analysis and level metering and an even higher order of musicality, precision and power.


“The MH Sonic EQ is an amazing box of EQ options. It has so many types of filters and EQ possibilities that cover a huge range of fixing and tone shaping tools. This is definitely an EQ that you will keep learning and be happy that you got it.” - Maor Appelbaum, Mastering Engineer (credits: Faith No More, Yes, Meatloaf, Sepultura, Eric Gales, Starset)

“Transparent digital equalization is a game of inches, but it’s a game fraught with compromise. Metric Halo’s Sonic EQ towers miles above the rest, without sacrificing a thing. Cuts are precise without phase coherency artifacts, and transients are kept intact. But that’s not all… it’ll boost to the sweet spot and beyond. It’s a very powerful, high resolution equalizer and I’m thrilled that it’s now my main surgical EQ.” - Brad Boatright, Mastering Engineer (credits: Stranger Things, Netflix, Sleep, Samiam, Nails, Poison Idea, Obituary, Code Orange)

“Since being originally trained to pilot SoundBlade on OS9 at Masterdisk, the sound and flexibility of the SonicEQ has always been a favorite, but the workflow of authoring in SoundBlade made using it in modern production environments challenging… till now. It’s a game changer to have this amazing bit of code running on the hardware within my Metric Halo system, as well as all the flexibility and compatibility of running full native on my M-series Mac. A unique and extremely flexible EQ, that works across all my projects and platforms, helping me to attain a smoothness and natural extension few other EQs can reach.” - Tim Boyce, Mastering Engineer, (Credits)

Key Features


  • World-class Signal Processing and Workflow
  • Used by Grammy-Award winning Engineers on countless hits
  • User-selectable optional Over-sampling (up to 16x)
  • 6-band Fully Parametric interpolated State-Space EQ
  • All parametric bands support up to 48-dB per octave (8th order) filters
  • One Special band for RIAA Encode or Decode or De-emphasis
  • SpectraFoo™ spectrum analysis built-in
  • SpectraFoo™ level metering built-in
  • Scalable gain reduction meters
  • Many presets included
  • Adjustable UI size / Disclosable Graphs
  • MH Preset Manager - Provides cross-platform presets

Try It Free for 30 Days

We want you to hear how Metric Halo can bring your mixes to the next level – that’s why we have a free, fully functional 30-day trial of all the Production Bundle plugins included in the Production Bundle Trial.

Try all the plugins in the Production Bundle for yourself today!

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To celebrate the release of v4, all new purchases of Metric Halo Audio Interfaces include a free MH Production Bundle v4 license in addition to the bundled hardware versions that run with zero latency on the DSP in the interfaces.

Tech Specs

System Requirements

  • Mac OS X 10.10 or newer. Intel Processor or Apple Silicon. AU, VST 2 & 3 or AAX (Pro Tools 11 & newer Native) host. 64 bit.
  • Windows 7 or newer. Intel Processor. VST or AAX (Pro Tools 10, 11 & 12 & Native) host. 64 bit.

Licensing Requirements

  • iLok.com account.
  • License includes two activations for your account.
  • iLok dongle is optional — you may install the license on your machine or on an iLok or the iLok Cloud for portability.
  • Only one license required – works on all supported platforms.

Documentation [PDF]