Equalizer APO Download

A professional audio equalizer for Windows with unlimited filters, low latency and VST plugin support

Equalizer APO is a free, open-source graphical equalizer for Microsoft Windows. It was created by Jonas Thedering and can be downloaded at no cost. Equalizer APO is full of useful features, yet remarkably simple to use. It is also very lightweight and takes up almost no system resources, so you never have to worry about CPU load. This website is not affiliated with the original developer, and everything published here should be treated as a guide only.

Table of Contents

Equalizer APO Features

Equalizer APO offers unlimited filters, support for any number of channels, fast response times and a clean, easy-to-use interface that also works with VST plugins. This guide is written mainly for newcomers and is not aimed at advanced users. If you need more in-depth material, we recommend reading the official Equalizer APO configuration documentation.

Unlimited Filters

Stack as many audio filters as you like, with no limits at all.

Low Latency

Process audio in real time with practically no delay.

Low CPU Usage

A light footprint keeps the load on your system to a minimum.

Multichannel Support

Works with any number of audio channels.

VST Plugin Support

Plug in your favorite VST plugins without any hassle.

Modular UI

A simple graphical interface built from flexible modules.

Equalizer APO Installation

This installation guide walks you through setting up Equalizer APO on your PC. We will stick with the default pre-amplification settings that ship with the program, which are good enough for most users.

Download Equalizer APO

Download and Execute

Start by downloading Equalizer APO from this website or from Sourceforge. When the download is finished, run the file and the Equalizer APO installer will open.

Select Audio Devices

Halfway through the setup you will be asked which audio devices Equalizer APO should be installed on. It is better to look at your output devices first and pick only the ones you need rather than ticking every device. Once you have chosen, the installation continues as usual, and at the end you will be asked to restart your computer.

Using Equalizer APO

After installing Equalizer APO and restarting your computer, open it from the Program Files folder by finding Equalizer APO inside its app folder. You can also start it from the launch icons on your taskbar.

Main Interface

On launch you will see the main window of Equalizer APO. It may look complicated at first because of the number of features, but in practice Equalizer APO is very easy to work with.

Equalizer APO Basic Amplifier

Here is a quick demonstration of how to boost the volume of your microphone or speakers with Equalizer APO. We will not dig into the rest of the interface, since you are free to explore every setting on your own and the possibilities are endless.

The main window already contains three configuration tabs. Remove all of them so you can start with a clean, new configuration tab.

Next, press the small green plus button to open a drop-down menu. Choose Control, then Include, and a new tabbed item will appear in your interface.

It reads "No file is selected" because the actual file has not been created yet. Press the folder icon and you will be prompted to choose a text file.

Here you create a new file. Type any name you like (for this example I used Tutorial), then select the file you just made.

Back on the previous screen, press the up arrow icon and you will be taken to a new tab.

Now we add a device to Equalizer APO so that its sound output can be amplified. Press the green plus icon again and go to Control, then Devices.

In the device menu, untick the option that selects everything, then pick the devices you want to boost. I chose my speakers as the output device, but you can amplify whichever device you prefer.

With the device added, stay on the same screen and add the amplification preset. Press the plus icon once more, open Basic Filters and choose the Preamplification filter. A control will appear that lets you raise the output volume of the selected device.

The Analysis Panel sits at the bottom of the window. Your output is now amplified, so all that remains is to open File and choose Save.

Close the current tab to return to the main window, then press the power button icon to switch the filter on. You are ready to go, so play some music to check that it works. If you hear no change, delete all the filters and repeat the steps from the beginning.

Equalizer APO Troubleshooting

Equalizer APO is easy to use, but now and then something may not go smoothly. When that happens, we suggest going through the steps above a few times to get comfortable with the setup process. If your problem remains, feel free to contact us and we will gladly help, even though we are not the original developers. If the installation itself is giving you trouble, try downloading the setup file again. In rare, extreme cases you may need to wipe your computer and reinstall Windows with a tool such as Rufus or similar.

Developer Credits

Many thanks to Jonas Thedering and all the other contributors who built Equalizer APO.