Passive Smoothness! Air For Days!
Control Real Gear. Reserve or Use On-Demand.
Control real analog gear straight from your DAW with the Analog Matrix. The Analog Matrix is not an emulation! It acts as a portal, connecting your digital audio workstation to actual physical gear in real time.
Reserve a session using the calendar below, or jump straight into the Analog Matrix plugin and use equipment on demand as it is available. Note: on-demand access requires credits or an active subscription.
Analog Matrix
Robotic Control
Overview
The Bettermaker PEQ_core takes everything engineers love about classic passive equalization – the smooth, forgiving curves, the musical low-end bloom, the top end that never bites – and packs it into a compact 1U chassis with a 100% analog signal path. Under the hood lives the same circuitry as Bettermaker’s acclaimed Stereo Passive Equalizer (SPE), a unit that’s earned rack space in serious mastering rooms worldwide. This is passive EQ royalty, direct from Warsaw, and it sounds every bit the part.
The frequency layout is built for finished-record moves. The low section offers boost points at 20, 30, 60, and 100 Hz with up to +15 dB of boost and -16 dB of cut. The classic passive trick of boosting and cutting simultaneously for that huge-but-tight low end is fully on the menu. Up top is where the PEQ_core truly earns its crown: ten boost frequencies from 3 kHz all the way to extended Air Bands at 20 kHz and 28 kHz, with up to +18 dB on tap, plus cut points at 5, 10, and 20 kHz. Those stratospheric air bands add openness, sparkle, and dimension that stays silky no matter how hard you push.
Because the Bettermaker PEQ_core is a digitally controlled analog design with precisely linked stereo operation and both stereo and dual mono modes, it’s a natural resident of the Access Analog rack. Dial it in from the Analog Matrix and hear the real hardware respond in real time. Perfect recall, perfect channel matching, and passive analog tone flowing through honest-to-goodness real circuits. Sweep a vocal into focus, anchor a mix bus, or float a master into the air. It’s not an emulation. It’s the real thing, on demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bettermaker PEQ_core?
The Bettermaker PEQ_core is a mastering-grade passive stereo equalizer with a 100% analog signal path and full digital recall. It delivers the smooth, musical tone-shaping of a classic passive EQ, while every parameter is controlled, automated, and instantly recalled from a dedicated DAW plugin. At Access Analog you run the real PEQ_core hardware straight from your DAW through the Analog Matrix, robotically controlled with full recall.
What is the PEQ_core best for?
The PEQ_core is best for mastering, mix-bus, and stem processing where you want broad, musical tone-shaping rather than surgical correction. Its passive design excels at adding weight to the low end, gently polishing a full mix, and opening up the top with its dedicated Air Bands. Because it runs in stereo or dual-mono, it’s equally at home gluing a stereo master or treating left and right independently.
Is the PEQ_core at Access Analog the real hardware, or an emulation?
It is the actual Bettermaker PEQ_core hardware, a real passive analog EQ, not a model of one. Real Gear. No Emulations. The signal path is 100% analog; the digital side is only control, recall, and metering. The Analog Matrix plugin robotically controls the physical unit in real time, so your audio passes through genuine passive analog circuitry and returns to your DAW.
Is the PEQ_core an analog or digital equalizer?
The PEQ_core’s audio signal path is 100% analog – the digital layer only handles control, recall, and metering. Your audio passes through a real passive EQ circuit via balanced connections, never through digital conversion in the EQ processing itself. That hybrid design is the whole point: classic passive analog tone with the speed, automation, and instant recall of a plugin.
What is a passive EQ, and how is it different from an active EQ?
A passive EQ shapes tone using only passive components, inductors, capacitors, and resistors, with no powered gain stage in the EQ itself, which is why it’s prized for smooth, musical, phase-friendly curves. Because passive filters are subtractive, a make-up amplifier restores level, and the broad, gentle response tends to flatter a mix rather than correct it surgically. Active EQs use powered circuitry for more precise, aggressive boosts and cuts; the PEQ_core deliberately keeps that classic passive character, which is what makes it so musical on a master.
What are the Air Bands on the PEQ_core?
The Air Bands are dedicated high-frequency boost points at 20 kHz and 28 kHz that add openness, detail, and a sense of space above where most EQs stop. Reaching that high extends the top end beyond a traditional passive EQ, letting you add sheen and dimension to a mix or master without making it sound harsh or brittle.
Can the PEQ_core run in stereo and dual-mono?
Yes. The PEQ_core operates in linked stereo or dual-mono mode. In stereo-linked mode a single control adjusts both channels together with precise matching, which keeps your stereo image consistent on a master. In dual-mono mode you can process the left and right channels independently, useful for correcting an unbalanced mix or shaping a stereo source.
How do you use the PEQ_core for mastering?
Use small, broad moves. Passive EQ rewards gentle shaping over surgical cuts. Add weight with the low-frequency section (selectable around 20, 30, 60, and 100 Hz), open the top with the 20 kHz and 28 kHz Air Bands, and lean on the band-audition function to solo a band while you dial it in. Keep boosts modest, use the output-level control to match levels for an honest A/B, and let the passive curves do the work.
Can I recall and automate my PEQ_core settings at Access Analog?
Yes. Full recall and automation are core to using the PEQ_core through Access Analog, so every setting is saved with your DAW session and restored exactly when you reopen it. It’s line-level processing of your DAW audio, ideal for a master, mix bus, or stems, and the hardware is calibrated daily for consistent results. Note that the mastering-grade high-pass and low-pass filters live in the plugin and do not run through the analog EQ circuit itself.
How much does it cost to use the PEQ_core at Access Analog?
Reservations for the Bettermaker PEQ_core start at [RESERVE FROM: confirm price on the live product page]. You can book a session on the calendar, or use it on demand from the Analog Matrix plugin when it’s available, on-demand access requires credits or an active subscription. New accounts receive a free hour (about 12 credits) to try real analog gear before committing.
More Information
Select Features of the Bettermaker PEQ_core:
- 100% analog audio signal path with classic passive EQ character and musicality.
- Identical core circuitry to Bettermaker’s flagship SPE in a rack-friendly 1U format.
- Stereo and dual mono operation- linked precision for mastering or independent L/R shaping.
- Low-frequency section at 20, 30, 60, and 100 Hz with up to +15 dB boost and -16 dB cut for simultaneous boost/cut low-end sculpting.
- High-frequency boost at 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, and 28 kHz with up to +18 dB, plus cut points at 5, 10, and 20 kHz.
- Extended Air Bands at 20 kHz and 28 kHz for openness, detail, and spatial lift without harshness.
- Digitally controlled analog circuitry with instant, precise recall – every setting lands exactly where you left it.
- Band Audition function for zeroing in on the perfect frequency.
- Ideal for mastering chains, mix bus duty, stem processing, and stereo sources.
Reviews of the Bettermaker PEQ_core:
The PEQ_core is a brand-new 2026 release, so early coverage is just landing. Here’s what’s out so far:
YouTube — Review + Audio Tests “Better Than The PULTEC? — Bettermaker PEQ_core Review + Audio Tests” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PToLWDwxsUc
YouTube — Eprom Sounds A hands-on review with audio examples of the PEQ_core https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwCQImPbFsA
Studio Economik (Blog) “Bettermaker Brings Passive EQ Into the Modern Rack” — notes the passive filtering is well-suited to broad tonal shaping and that the extended air bands offer options most passive EQs don’t https://www.economik.com/blogs/news/bettermaker-brings-passive-eq-into-the-modern-rack
Equipment Manual for the Bettermaker PEQ_core
https://www.bettermaker.com/_files/ugd/53367c_85a7a83c876a4d85910262cbef6fc9cf.pdf