Undertone Audio has released the MPEQ-1 Super-Parametric Saturation Equalizer Plugin, turning one of its hardware designs into a software tool with a few additions that could make it useful well beyond simple corrective EQ.
The biggest feature is independent saturation on every band.
That gives producers and engineers a way to decide where harmonic color enters the signal, rather than adding a single broad saturation stage across the entire sound. You can push the upper mids while keeping the low end cleaner, add density around a snare’s body without softening the transient too much, or shape a vocal’s presence and texture from the same section of the plugin.
That is the part I like here. EQ and saturation are often used together anyway, but they usually live in separate plugins or require a more complicated chain. The MPEQ-1 puts those decisions in the same place, which should make it easier to hear how a frequency move changes as harmonic content builds around it.
Per-Band Saturation Changes The Way The EQ Can Be Used
The MPEQ-1 plugin includes four super-parametric bands, wide-range Q control, versatile filters, and Undertone Audio’s Vari-Phase mode. The software version recreates the curves and general workflow of the original hardware while giving users direct digital parameter controls and a graphic view based on the physical unit.
The independent saturation controls are what push the plugin into a different category. A normal parametric EQ lets you boost, cut, and narrow in on a frequency range. Here, each band can also carry its own amount of harmonic intensity.
That gives the plugin a more creative role in a mix. A bass can gain extra character around its midrange while the sub stays controlled. A synth can get brighter and rougher in one band without the whole patch becoming overdriven. A drum bus can pick up extra density around the snare and toms while the top end remains open.
It also gives mastering engineers a more measured way to introduce color. Small amounts of saturation can be applied exactly where the mix needs added texture, rather than pushing the full stereo signal through a single uniform process.
A Hardware-Inspired EQ That Takes Advantage Of Software
The MPEQ-1 does not appear to be following a strict hardware-replica workflow. Undertone Audio has preserved the original EQ architecture and then used software to add controls that would have been difficult to build into the physical unit.
That is usually the better reason to move a hardware design into the plugin space. The value comes from keeping the tone and behavior people liked while opening up decisions that the original format could not handle as easily.
For producers, the plugin could become a tone-shaping tool for individual tracks and buses. For mixing and mastering engineers, the per-band saturation and Vari-Phase controls offer a more precise route into color, balance, and harmonic detail.
The MPEQ-1 Super-Parametric Saturation Equalizer Plugin is available now for $149 through Undertone Audio.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
