Knobs
Drag vertically to change a value. Hold Shift for finer movement. The mouse wheel and arrow keys also change the focused control.
USER GUIDE · CHICKEN EQ
Chicken EQ user guide
Thank you for choosing the world’s most chicken-shaped free dynamic EQ plug-in.
Chicken EQ is a zero-latency equalizer for cleaning resonances, shaping tone and adding a final top-end lift. Tenderizer works first, up to 20 cut-first radial bands handle broad or surgical moves, and Pop Top completes the signal path.
Chicken EQ · macOS · Audio Unit, CLAP and VST3
FIRST INSERT
A useful start
The complete Chicken EQ plug-in is free. Sign in to your bitsnacks account and install it through the Bitsnacks Vending Machine, which sets up its licence on your Mac. Restart your DAW after installation. For an existing installation, choose Check for Updates in the Vending Machine.
- 1
Load Chicken EQ
Insert the plug-in on a mono or stereo track. Tenderizer is enabled ahead of six flat radial bands. The plug-in reports 0 samples of latency.
- 2
Set the level into the chain
Use Input Trim when the incoming level needs correction. Leave comfortable headroom for any later boost.
- 3
Clean before shaping
Raise or lower Tender to judge how strongly it settles resonances. Focus moves between broad tone balance and narrow resonance cuts. Hold Listen to hear the change.
- 4
Draw the EQ move
Select one of the six starting bands (A through F) or double-click an empty spot on the arc to add more up to 20 (A through T), then drag its node. Angle follows frequency. Distance sets gain: inward cuts down to -24 dB, while the outer zone provides up to 3 dB of broad lift.
- 5
Finish and compare
Use Pop Top for the final high-frequency lift, set Output Trim, then compare complete sounds with A/B at a matched listening level.
PANEL OPERATION
Precise control
Exact values
Click a dial and type a number, or press Return to edit the value shown. Return applies it and Escape leaves the value as it was. One click opens a band's frequency the same way, to type it in hertz, in kilohertz or as a note such as A4.
Defaults
Double-click a parameter control, or press Home while it is focused, to restore its default.
Stage power
Each processing stage has its own power control. This makes it practical to judge one part of the chain while the rest of the sound stays in place.
Input TrimTenderizerUp to 20 bandsPop TopOutput Trim
RESONANCE AND TONE BALANCE
Tenderizer clears the way
Set the response
- Tender
- Sets how strongly the stage presses resonances down and pulls broad zones toward the voicing contour. Above 70% it adds upward and downward dynamic density.
- Focus
- Spans both jobs: Broad leads with tone balance and wide cuts, the middle does both, and Narrow corrects resonances alone.
- Voicing
- Chooses the tonal contour and emphasis: Even, Open Top, Mid Punch or Warm.
- GUARD 125 Hz
- Nothing at or below 125 Hz is cut or boosted while GUARD 125 Hz is on.
Audition the change
Hold Listen (LISTENING TO THE CHANGE) to hear the difference Tenderizer makes, matched close to the loudness of your mix. Ringing tones mean it has caught resonances; when the body of the music dominates, lower Tender or turn Focus toward Narrow.
Release Listen to return to the complete output. Listen is a held audition control and writes nothing to the project.
UP TO 20 RADIAL BANDS
Frequency around the rim
Place a band
A fresh instance starts with six active bands (A through F) flat on the 0 dB ring. Double-click any empty point on the arc, or clear the selection and click + ADD BAND in the Shape column, to add more bands up to 20 (A through T). The fan spans 20 Hz through 20 kHz.
Double-click a node to reset its gain to 0 dB. Right-click or Option-click a node to rest or wake it, and press Delete or Backspace to remove the selected band.
The right-hand Shape column holds the selected band's lettered disc with M and S buttons above the frequency readout and the Gain and Q dials.
Shape the curve
Q sets the width of the selected band in the right-hand Shape column. With a band selected, the ] and [ keys step its Q, N switches to a narrow Q of 12 and back, the mouse wheel adjusts width over the node, and the two small ticks either side of the node set the width when dragged.
Frequency and note readout sits above Gain and Q in the Shape column, showing both the exact frequency and its nearest musical note. Click it to type a frequency or a musical note name.
Mute rests the selected band: it stops sounding and keeps its settings. Click the band's lettered disc or M button in the Shape column, or right-click a node on the arc or press M, to rest or wake it. Dragging a resting node wakes it automatically.
Broad musical bells
Pulling a node outward into the +3 dB lift zone automatically opens its width into a broad musical bell (Q 0.7) for gentle tonal shaping. Turn the Q dial or drag the width ticks whenever you want a narrower or wider lift.
Surgical notches
Pulling a node inward below 0 dB gives you up to 24 dB of cut (eight times the travel of boost) and automatically narrows the band into a surgical notch (Q 18.0) to clear resonances while leaving the surrounding music intact.
Locate the problem
Pull any band outward past the +3 dB boost edge to turn it into a temporary +24 dB search probe at a narrow width. Sweep the rim to find the offending frequency, then let go: the band moves to the frequency you found and cuts 12 dB at the highest Q (18.0), or pull back inside the arc before releasing to set your own cut depth. You can also press F to number likely problem frequencies on the arc (Tab steps through them, A auditions at +24 dB, C cuts by 6 dB, Shift+C cuts to the suggested depth, and X skips).
Check a cut you made
Hold V, or hold Command while pressing a node or the band's lettered disc, to hear that band played as a temporary 24 dB boost at the same frequency and width. Let go and the cut is exactly as you left it. Nothing is written to the project.
FINAL STAGE
Pop Top lifts the finish
Choose the reach
Pop Top sits at the top center of the unified well between Tenderize and Shape and offers a 10K / 20K / 40K frequency chip (10 kHz, 20 kHz and 40 kHz). Lower settings reach farther into the audible upper midrange and treble, while 40 kHz places more of the gentle shelf onset above the audible band.
Set the lift
Raise Lift while listening to the upper spectrum. Pop Top follows the radial equalizer, so judge it after the main EQ work is settled.
MIX DECISIONS
Compare complete sounds
A/B
A and B hold two complete Chicken EQ sounds. Copy the current sound to the other slot, change one decision, then switch between them.
Undo and redo
Use Undo to step back through edits and Redo to move forward again. These controls cover ordinary parameter changes made from the editor.
Automation
The processing controls are available to the host for automation. Record or draw automation using the parameter names shown by your DAW. When host automation holds a control against a recall or a cut, the display names that control.
Project recall
The plug-in saves its complete state with the host project, including both A/B sounds. Reopen the same plug-in format when moving a session between systems.
RECOVERY
When something feels wrong
No sound
Confirm that the track is routed to the output, then check Input Trim, Output Trim and the host bypass state. Check whether a solo or audition hold is still active.
A stage or band makes no difference
Check that the stage power button is switched on. For a single EQ band, check its lettered disc and M button in the Shape column to make sure the band is not resting.
A listen keeps playing
Release the mouse and any held key: A, B, V or Shift. Esc also ends a Find listen. If the host captured the pointer, click the plug-in once. Listening never changes a band's settings.
Installation or licence help
Chicken EQ stays free. For a licence notice or a missing plug-in, open the Vending Machine with the account you used to get it. Follow the action shown for Chicken EQ, then restart your DAW. Audio passes through until the licence is ready.
STILL STUCK?
Bring the useful details
Include your DAW, operating system, plug-in format and the shortest sequence that reproduces the problem.