TDR - Nova | Free EQ VST Plugin

Tokyo Dawn Records are offering their excellent NOVA plug-in for free. On first glance it might not be obvious how deep the functionality of NOVA goes, but there is a lot packed in here.

TDR call it a 'parallel dynamic equaliser' and it performs a range of tasks; parametric equalisation, dynamic equalisation, frequency selective compression/expansion, multi-band compression and wideband compression.

As a parametric EQ, it is easy and intuitive to use, but in order to get the most out of it, you need to dig a little deeper. NOVA can expand or compress arbitrary areas of the frequency spectrum, and this is an incredibly useful tool. For example, if a vocal is particularly resonant on a certain note, you can use a dynamic EQ to compress the frequency when the singer hits that specific note – and to remain relatively inactive the rest of the time. This keeps the EQ transparent until you need it. 

What is a Parametric EQ?

A parametric equalizer (EQ) is a type of audio equalizer that lets you control the gain (volume) and frequency of specific frequency bands in a very precise way. In contrast to a graphic equalizer, which usually has a fixed number of "bands" with fixed frequencies whose levels the user can change, a parametric equalizer lets the user change the amplitude, frequency, and bandwidth of each band separately.

The compression settings in NOVA work in a fairly standard way, and are once more fairly intuitive to use. What's more NOVA comes with helpers and a full PDF manual that explain its feature set clearly – something of a luxury in the free plug-in world!

TDR Nova is available for Mac and PC in AAX, VST2, VST3 and AU versions. The Mac version is 64 bit only, while the VST Windows version is still available in 32 bit. You can download the plug-in from the Tokyo Dawn Records website for free.