"No complex bus routing and no endless plugin stacks": iZotopeʼs colourful new FXEQ multi-effects plugin lets you “paint” with saturation, reverb, and delay

New from iZotope comes an innovative multi-effects plugin that marks the next addition to its Catalyst series, a collection of easy-to-use plugins designed to help you quickly solve mix problems and remain in the creative flow.

Intriguingly, FXEQ allows users to “paint” reverb, delay, lo-fi and other effects directly onto sounds using an intuitive EQ-style interface, unlocking creative flexibility and sidestepping the "complex plugin routing and endless plugin stacks" required to achieve a similar effect.

In total, there are five creative effects on board, each with multiple modes and two central controls. Each effect module runs through its own six-band parametric EQ with four shapes and adjustable Q, giving you targeted control over its application across the frequency spectrum.

Those five effects are: Saturate, Reverb, Delay, Modulate, and Lo-Fi, with all of them accessible and tweakable through Catalyst’s familiar EQ-style interface.

FXEQ's Saturation module offers eight saturation modes designed to give your sounds "weight, bite and fizz", while the Reverb module features three distinct reverb algorithms, covering Hall, Plate and Chamber modes.

The plugin's Modulate module brings chorus, flanger, phaser and doubler modes to the table, while Delay delivers four delay types spanning Classic, Reverse, Crunch and Modulation, complemented by Time and Feedback controls. Finally, a Lo-Fi effect recreates the nostalgic tones of vinyl, cassette, tape and radio.

All five of FXEQ's modules has its own parallel signal path, processing the input signal independently before the results are combined and passed through a global zero-latency limiter at the output stage.

Compatible with macOS and Windows and available in AAX/AU/VST3 formats, iZotope's FXEQ is priced at $49/£49. Find out more at iZotope.com.