iZotope FXEQ Review – A Creative Game-Changer for Mixing and Mastering
Every now and then, a plugin drops that makes you stop what you’re doing, lean in, and say, “OK… that’s new.” iZotope’s FXEQ is one of those. This isn’t just another vintage compressor emulation or a “warm” EQ that looks like every other EQ you own. This thing takes the concept of tone-shaping and flips it on its head — letting you boost effects themselves at specific frequencies.
For someone who spends most of their life inside a professional mixing and mastering studio (both in-person and online mixing sessions), this is the type of tool that sparks ideas. It’s fun, it’s creative, and it can also be subtle when you need it to be.
What is iZotope FXEQ?
At its core, FXEQ combines five effect modules — Saturation, Reverb, Delay, Modulation, and Lo-Fi — with a fully functional parametric EQ. But here’s the twist: instead of boosting or cutting the audio signal itself, the EQ boosts the effects. Want to add reverb only at 1 kHz? Or saturate just the low mids without touching the top end? FXEQ makes that possible.
Everything runs in parallel, meaning your dry signal stays intact while the processed signal is blended in. It’s almost like setting up multiple effect sends… except you’re doing it all in one interface.
The Five Modules
Saturation – Multiple flavors including Tape, “Create,” and others. Perfect for adding warmth, grit, or sparkle.
Reverb – Hall, Chamber, and Plate. Each can be shaped and timed to your track’s tempo.
Delay – Classic, Reverse, and Crunch modes for rhythmic or experimental textures.
Modulation – Four flavors, including a doubler for widening vocals and guitars.
Lo-Fi – Cassette, Radio, Vinyl, and Tape. Great for adding nostalgic character or deliberate imperfection.
The EQ That Boosts Effects
The EQ section works just like something from FabFilter Pro-Q3 or your favorite DAW EQ — drag points, adjust Q, boost or cut. But here’s the magic: the colors of the EQ nodes correspond to the effect modules, and each node applies its effect only to that part of the frequency spectrum.
For example, you could:
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Add Tape saturation only to the low mids.
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Apply reverb to the high end while leaving the low end dry.
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Combine two bands of delay at different frequencies for a rhythmic stereo spread.
Extra Features Worth Noting
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FX Only Mode – Hear only the processed signal. Great for using as a send/return or for “Delta” listening to see exactly what’s being added.
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Limiter – Tames extreme effects before they overload your mix bus.
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Presets & Lucky Dice – Quickly test creative ideas or stumble on something unexpected.
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Amount Control – Acts like a global wet/dry knob so you can dial things back if you get carried away.
In Action: Guitar
On a track from the band Red Moon (“Bad Days”), I started with a dry acoustic guitar and began stacking effects:
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Saturation for some harmonic lift.
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Reverb to add depth without washing out the clarity.
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Delay for subtle movement.
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Modulation for width.
The result? A livelier, more three-dimensional guitar that still sat perfectly in the mix. The bypass comparison made it clear: FXEQ took it from “good” to “can’t-stop-listening.”
In Action: Vocals
Vocals are where FXEQ’s frequency-specific approach shines. For the same song, I added:
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Saturation to bring forward the presence range.
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Plate reverb timed with the track’s tempo.
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Delay to fill space between phrases.
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Gentle modulation for width and polish.
The pre-delay and decay timing options are a nice touch — syncing those to the BPM made the reverb feel like part of the performance rather than a layer sitting on top.
Beyond Guitar and Vocals
I’ve also used FXEQ on:
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Acoustic guitars – a touch of sizzle and air with subtle reverb.
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Drums – parallel saturation on the snare while adding reverb only to overhead frequencies.
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Full mixes – creative Lo-Fi treatments during breakdown sections.
Final Thoughts
iZotope FXEQ is going straight into my go-to mixing and mastering toolkit. It’s rare to find a plugin that’s this fun, this flexible, and still genuinely useful in a professional workflow. Whether you’re working in a high-end studio or doing online mixing and online mastering from a home setup, this plugin opens creative doors you didn’t even know were there.
If you’re curious to hear what FXEQ can do in the context of a professionally finished track, or you need your own music taken from rough mix to release-ready master, you can always reach me at mixandmastermysong.com. I’ve been fortunate to work with artists like Kelly Clarkson, Travis Barker, and A$AP Rocky — but my passion is helping any artist get their music sounding like it belongs on today’s top playlists.
