Equalizer APO Fork with Native VST3 Support is out!

[Ezequiel Casas]

Hello everyone!

The great day has come...

I would like to share a restructured Windows fork of Equalizer APO that brings native VST3 support while preserving the familiar workflow. Below is a comprehensive overview of the project, its features, and installation safety guidelines.

Special thanks to Peter Verbeek for the detailed explanations regarding the APO architecture.

Project Links

• SourceForge Release

• GitHub Release

• Repository forked from

Core Features

• 64-bit internal double precision processing pipeline, ideal for precision and quality when applying multiple overlapping effects like convolution, complex parametric EQ setups, or GraphicEQs.

• Native VST3 hosting through the Steinberg VST3 SDK.

• Retained VST2 support for older plug-ins.

• Unaltered Configuration Editor workflow.

Out-of-Process VST Plugin Mode

A second method to load VST2 and VST3 plugins has been implemented to improve stability and compatibility.

• Runs plug-ins inside EqApoOutProcHost.exe, isolating them in a separate window and CPU thread from the main Equalizer APO audio engine and Configuration Editor.

• Supports live GUI animations for plug-ins that render animated meters, curves, or visual feedback.

• If a plug-in crashes, it only affects the isolated window, preventing audio corruption or the editor from crashing.

• How to use: Open editor.exe, add a VST filter named "out-of-process VST plugin", and load your VST2 or VST3 file.

Installer Details and Enhancements

The multilingual NSIS installer (English, Spanish, and German) has been bundled with safety and deployment checks:

• Attempts to create a Windows restore point named "EqualizerAPO__PreInstall" before installation. This is a best-effort process: Windows may reject or block it if System Protection is disabled or if another restore point was recently created.

• Bundles the required x64 Visual C++ runtime DLLs app-local.

• Verifies that EqualizerAPO.dll can be registered before making modifications to audio devices, and stops the process completely if the APO cannot be registered.

Compatibility and Troubleshooting Notes

• VST3 support is not universal. It is recommended to use simple, lightweight plug-ins, as complex ones may require parameters that the APO pipeline does not support.

• On Windows, VST3 plug-ins can be single files or bundle directories. Many store their actual binary under a path like: PluginName.vst3/Contents/x86_64-win/PluginName.vst3

• If a plug-in does not show its editor, lacks animations, produces audio artifacts, or crashes, test it first in a standard DAW. Some plug-ins require host features that Equalizer APO does not provide.

Safety and Recovery

This installer registers an Audio Processing Object with selected Windows audio devices. If the Windows Audio service becomes unstable or reports missing DLLs after installation, follow these recovery steps before uninstalling:

1. Open the Equalizer APO Device Selector from the Start menu.
2. Uncheck all selected playback and capture devices.
3. Apply changes and reboot Windows if requested.
4. Proceed to uninstall Equalizer APO normally.

[Peter Dirk]

Thats Awesome news :)

1. What is the upgrade process when you have the latest EQ-APO version 1.4.2? Can you just swap a file or is this a complete new installation from scratch?
2. As you have mentioned that not all VST3 plugins work, could you tell me if this plugin works as VST3? (it's a denoiser)
   https://github.com/Rygtx/DeepFilterNet-VST/releases/download/2026.4.2.1/DeepFilterNet-v2026.4.2.1-windows.zip

[Ezequiel Casas]

Hey! I didn't have any problems updating from the original version, or even from the various test versions and internal updates I was doing.
But just to be safe, I think it would be best to back up your config.txt file, uninstall the original version, and then install this version.

And as for your second question: yes, the VST you sent me works. That said, its VST3 version works better in the new loader, or its VST2 or 3 version in the original loader. It’s a resource-intensive plugin and can cause significant latency and strain on your computer’s CPU. If your CPU isn’t very powerful, you might hear some artifacts. That makes sense, since everything is handled by Windows Audio and not by ASIO like in a DAW, which takes a lot of the load off the CPU.

[Peter Dirk]

Ok thanks for the info. True, the native VST2 was causing various hitches, so I switched to the VST3 using BlueCat (bridge plugin) I was also wondering why EQ-Apo has these kind of glitching issues with heavy plugins but using the same plugins in a DAW like Fruity Loops or Cubase everythitng works smoothly.

[Ezequiel Casas]

Precisely because VSTs are designed to work properly in a DAW.
The DAW is optimized for low latency and efficiency through various audio protocols, such as ASIO.
EqAPO wasn't originally designed to load VSTs, but the community is doing its best to make them work.
EqAPO’s audio is controlled by Windows audio drivers, which have their limitations and delegate almost all processing power to the CPU—that’s why you get the issues you do with heavy plugins.

And in case you’re wondering: ASIO cannot be implemented natively in EqAPO because they are “opposites.” If you use ASIO, you cannot use APO, because ASIO bypasses all the Windows audio it needs to function.

[Peter Verbeek]

Besides what Ezequiel describes anything you do on the interface VST 2 plugin in the Configuration Editor will trigger a creation of the VST plugin (the mirror real-time processing one) in the Equalizer APO engine. You can imagine that a simple dialing of a knob ends up in constantly a sequence of removing the former plugin and creating a new one. This causes quite a delay, especially on large plugins.

[Ezequiel Casas]

Audio Tools And Convolution Update - June 3, 2026

The June 3, 2026 update adds native audio
tools, measurement features, FIR export and a safer convolution workflow. The
new filters use the same Equalizer APO pipeline as the existing filters and can
therefore be applied to both playback and capture devices when the APO is
installed on the selected endpoint.

Native DSP Filters

• Adds a channel-aware Pan: filter for positioning and stereo-width control.
• Adds a native Chorus: filter with adjustable rate, depth, mix and feedback.
• Adds a lightweight native Reverb: filter with room size, damping, wet/dry
  balance and width controls.
• Provides practical slider controls for these filters instead of
  requiring users to edit every parameter manually.
• Supports applying the filters to all available channels or selected channels,
  including common surround layouts.

Tone Generator

• Adds a native ToneGenerator: filter that generates audio directly inside
  the APO pipeline.
• Supports sine, white-noise, pink-noise, brown-noise and looping sine-sweep
  modes.
• Provides play/stop, level, frequency, sweep range, duration, channel
  selection and replace/mix controls.
• Can target all available channels or selected channels on playback and
  capture endpoints.

Professional VU Meter

• Adds a pass-through VUMeter: filter that measures the real audio stream at
  its exact position in the configuration.
• Provides a resizable floating DAW-style meter panel from the filter row.
• Displays per-channel peak, peak hold, RMS, clipping and dB scales together
  with LUFS momentary, short-term and integrated measurements.
• Supports reset and channel-aware metering without altering the audio signal.
• Can meter microphone or other capture-device audio when placed in a
  Stage: capture section. It measures only audio that actually passes through
  Equalizer APO; WASAPI exclusive and ASIO streams that bypass APO are not
  visible to the meter.

Convolution And FIR Workflow

• Fixes convolution memory handling and improves stability when audio block
  sizes change.
• Adds an internal HybridConv correctness benchmark covering 44.1, 48, 96 and
  192 kHz processing.
• Requires loaded IR/FIR files to match the current device sample rate. A
  mismatched IR/FIR is clearly reported and is not applied, preventing silent
  timbre changes caused by interpreting the impulse response at the wrong
  sample rate.
• Detects IR/FIR sample-rate mismatches immediately when a file is selected or
  its path is edited, using the live sample rate reported by the current audio
  endpoint.
• Adds a Regenerate / create a sample-rate-matched IR/FIR for the current
  device action beside the displayed sample rate. It extracts the loaded
  IR/FIR magnitude response and regenerates a new matched FIR for the current
  device sample rate.
• Adds FIR export from GraphicEQ at the selected device sample rate, providing
  the preferred path for creating native FIR files from custom EQ curves.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/eqapo64-with-vst3-support/

https://github.com/Mixomo/EqAPO64_with_VST3_support/releases/tag/2.0.1

[Eva Redwood]

Thanks for the update!
But with the new version, the editor freezes (Not responding) every time I add/remove/move effects and I eventually have to kill the process.

[Ezequiel Casas]

Let's see... is it with a specific VST? Are you using out-of-process mode?
Or does it crash with any, mode, effect or filter as well?

[Eva Redwood]

Every effect, even the stock parametric filters, etc.
I'm on Windows 10.

[Ezequiel Casas]

ok, I recommend that you go back and stick with version 2.0.0, which, according to tests, is currently the most stable version and is the one you need to load VST3.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/eqapo64-with-vst3-support/files/2.0.0/EqualizerAPO-x64-1.4.2-VST3-support-V2.exe/download

I’ll try to fix the next versions, but for your specific use case, I think you’ll be fine sticking with 2.0.0. The rest are minor features that you probably won’t use, and they may still be buggy and work differently depending on your Windows version.

I’ve already pinned version 2.0.0 as the stable release on the project’s main page here on SourceForge.

Reinstall it from scratch, just in case. Sorry for the inconveniences.

[Eva Redwood]

Don't apologize. It's ok. :)
I'll just use the 2.0.0 version and wait for the issue to be fixed, if happens.

[Peter Dirk]

@Eva Redwood
Hi, you should open an issue here. That is more helpfull for the project.
https://github.com/Mixomo/EqAPO64_with_VST3_support/issues

[Ezequiel Casas]

Well, version 2.0.2 is now available.

After exhaustive testing, I’m confident it’s stable, but just in case, version 2.0.0 is still available in the “Files” section on SourceForge.

It includes some useful small additions, such as the ability to clone modules in the editor.exe rack, all module buttons visible without hidden drop-downs or contextual menus, and a button to reload the VST in place in case it causes audio issues.