Apollo
Maag Audio EQ4 MS
Add air and life to your tracks with an expanded version of a coveted EQ.
- Breathe life into vocals, drums, and acoustic guitar with the famous Air Band
- Boost highs with smooth, musical clarity that’s never harsh or brittle
- Shape width and depth using powerful Mid/Side processing tools
- Dial in refined center frequencies and selectable Q values for precise tone-shaping
- Enjoy the natural depth and dimension of an analog processor, right in your DAW
Give Your Tracks Life with the Iconic Air Band
What They Say
Dylan "3-D" Dresdow
Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Michael Jackson
Dave Pensado
Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake
David Reitzas
Madonna, Celine Dion, Guns N' Roses
Reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 245 Total 4 star reviews: 27 Total 3 star reviews: 4 Total 2 star reviews: 1 Total 1 star reviews: 3
97%would recommend these products
280 reviews
- ACAdam C.Verified BuyerReviewingMaag Audio EQ4 MSI recommend this productRated 5 out of 5 stars6 months agoMaag Audio EQ4 MS
Great on drums!
- MMmarco m.Verified BuyerReviewingMaag Audio EQ4 MSI recommend this productRated 5 out of 5 stars6 months agoMaag Audio EQ4 MS
Used only a little so far, but from first impressions, I find it very musical and natural, it doesn't impact the dynamics too much. The overall tone is master-level. I also have the previous version and I have to say this one is complete. Thanks UAD.
Marco
- ZBZlatko B.Verified BuyerReviewingMaag Audio EQ4 MSI recommend this productRated 5 out of 5 stars6 months agoMaag Audio EQ (EQ4 / EQ2)
The Maag EQ is extremely musical and intuitive; the Air Band in particular adds openness and presence in a way that sits naturally in a mix.
- AWAndy W.Verified BuyerReviewingMaag Audio EQ4 MSI recommend this productRated 5 out of 5 stars6 months agoNever heard air like this
I've been a UAD user and fan since 2010, have a number of EQs, including go to ones like Manley for tightness or Harrison for high pass and low pass, cambridge for precision accuracy, yet none of them can give the air to a sound like this EQ., it's absolutely beautiful and you can select from a choice of frequencies to target. My new favourite EQ.
- DHDavid H.Verified BuyerReviewingMaag Audio EQ4 MSRated 3 out of 5 stars6 months agoDoesn’t make much difference
I have used this plug-in on vocals and on the master output and it just doesn’t seem to make that much of a difference
Frequently Asked Questions
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS is worth it at $129 if you want the famous Air Band plus stereo control the original never offered. It adds Mid/Side processing, selectable Q values, and refined center frequencies to a circuit engineers have leaned on for decades. Your purchase also includes a license for the UAD Maag EQ4, so you are picking up both versions.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS combines the original Maag EQ4's broad, musical band shapes with Mid/Side processing, selectable Q values, and Brainworx Tolerance Modeling Technology. Where most EQ plug-ins aim for surgical precision, this one is built to add brightness and dimension without the harshness that usually comes with it.
The Air Band on the Maag Audio EQ4 MS is a high-frequency shelf that opens up the top of a track without making it brittle. You choose a center frequency, turn it up, and the source gains presence and breath instead of edge. It is the feature the original hardware built its reputation on, and it is why engineers reach for a Maag on vocals, drums, and acoustic guitar.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS expands the original UAD Maag EQ4 with Mid/Side processing, selectable Q factors, refined center frequencies, and Tolerance Modeling Technology. The original remains a straightforward stereo EQ, while the MS version lets you treat the center and the sides of a stereo image separately. Buying the Maag Audio EQ4 MS also gives you a license for the original, so you do not have to choose between them.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS is modeled from the original Maag EQ4 schematics with the endorsement of its creator, Cliff Maag Sr. The band shapes, the way the bands interact, and how the circuit behaves under a heavy boost all follow the hardware rather than a generic digital curve. Tolerance Modeling Technology goes further by recreating the small component variations that give real analog units their character.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS uses Brainworx Tolerance Modeling Technology (TMT) to recreate the small variations that exist between channels in real analog hardware. No two channels of a hardware EQ measure identically, and those differences are part of why analog gear sounds wide and dimensional. TMT puts that behavior back in rather than giving every instance a mathematically identical response.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS runs on the DSP built into your Universal Audio hardware, not on your computer's CPU. That keeps your processing power free for virtual instruments and higher track counts. It also means the plug-in runs in realtime with near-zero latency through an Apollo interface, and you can record that processing straight into your DAW.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS requires Universal Audio DSP hardware: an Apollo audio interface, a UAD-2 Satellite, or a UAD-2 PCIe card. There is no CPU-only mode, because the plug-in runs on the hardware itself. Licenses follow the hardware rather than a single computer, so the plug-in travels with your interface or UAD hardware.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS runs on macOS Big Sur 11 and newer, Windows 10 64-bit, and Windows 11. You also need a connected Universal Audio DSP device, since the processing happens on that hardware. Whichever computer your hardware is connected to is the one the plug-in runs on.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS is available in VST3, AU, and AAX 64 formats, so it loads in any compatible DAW. That covers the major recording platforms on both Mac and Windows, including LUNA. Once your Universal Audio hardware is connected and authorized, the plug-in shows up in your DAW's plug-in list like any other insert.
Mid/Side processing on the Maag Audio EQ4 MS lets you EQ the center of a stereo image separately from the sides. In practice, you can tighten the low end down the middle where the kick and bass live, then add air to the sides so guitars, keys, and effects open up around the vocal. It is the most direct way to make a mix feel wider without simply making it brighter.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS runs in realtime through an Apollo interface with near-zero latency, so you can track through it. Print the EQ to the recording when you are confident in the sound, or monitor through it and keep the raw take for later. Singers and players tend to give you a better performance when the sound in the headphones already has some air on it.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS earns its keep on vocals, drums, and acoustic guitar, where the Air Band adds presence without harshness. It also sits well on piano, keys, strings, brass, and bass when a part needs to move forward in a mix. On stereo sources, the Mid/Side controls give you a second way to place a part without touching a fader.
DSP-based UAD plug-ins are still worth buying, and the Maag Audio EQ4 MS shows why. Running processing on dedicated hardware gives you realtime monitoring with near-zero latency while you track, and it keeps your CPU free as sessions grow. Computers keep getting faster, but purpose-built DSP is still what makes latency a non-issue when someone is singing into a microphone.
UAD DSP plug-ins run on Universal Audio hardware, UAD native plug-ins run on your computer's processor, and the Maag Audio EQ4 MS is a DSP title. That means you need an Apollo interface or a UAD-2 accelerator to run it. The tradeoff is worth knowing: DSP gives you realtime tracking with near-zero latency, while native titles travel with your laptop on their own.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS carries forward an EQ known for transparency and top-end presence, most famously through its Air Band. The original circuit turned up on the vocal chains behind records including Madonna's Ray of Light and Celine Dion's Taking Chances. The MS version keeps that character and adds Mid/Side processing, selectable Q values, and refined center frequencies on top of it.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS is one of the most direct ways to add air and presence to a vocal. The Air Band lifts the top end so breath and detail come through, and it does that without the brittle edge a narrow high shelf tends to introduce. On a stereo vocal bus, the Mid/Side controls let you keep the lead centered and tight while doubles and harmonies spread wider.
The Maag Audio EQ4 MS works on the mix bus and in mastering, and Mid/Side is the reason. You can firm up the center where the kick, bass, and lead vocal sit, then open the sides so the mix feels wider and more dimensional. Its broad band shapes and gentle boosts make it a better fit for final polish than for surgical correction.