CamillaDSP vs eqMac

CamillaDSP is a free, open-source family of tools for real-time audio processing, including active crossovers, room correction, and configurable DSP pipelines. Its engine runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with audio backends including ALSA, PulseAudio, JACK, WASAPI, and CoreAudio. Pipelines combine filters and mixers, with channel mixing, resampling, dynamic loudness, and chains of filter stages. Filtering includes IIR biquads and FIR filters processed through FFT/IFFT convolution; room correction can use FIR filters alongside EQ and delay adjustments. CamillaGUI is a browser interface for building and editing pipelines, monitoring levels, and applying changes live. It runs from a local backend and does not need an internet connection. For automation, pyCamillaDSP connects to a running engine over its WebSocket API, which must be enabled with the -p flag. The software is available under GPL version 3 or Mozilla Public License 2.0; an ASIO backend build is GPLv3 only. Major releases may require configuration updates, while minor releases preserve compatibility.

eqMac is a system-wide audio equalizer and volume mixer for macOS. The free tier includes basic bass, mids and treble controls and a fixed 10-band equalizer. AutoEQ provides automatic headphone equalization from frequency responses, with support listed for 4,600 headphone presets. Pro adds unlimited customizable bands, a real-time spectrum analyzer, separate left and right channel EQ, AudioUnit hosting, spatial audio and per-application volume mixing. The maker says its driver captures system audio and passes it to the app through a secure memory tunnel for processing; it also says the driver runs in user space rather than the kernel. Downloads are listed for macOS 10.13 or later on Intel and Apple Silicon. The maker lists a free HTTP API for controlling eqMac, and remote control from iOS, iPadOS or Android devices on the same local network as a Pro feature. The free plan has no Pro features. Paid access is listed from $1/mo, while the Pro subscription page does not state a yearly price. Public GitHub code corresponds to version 1.3.2 without Pro features; newer releases are developed on a private fork.