eqMini

A small equalizer for macOS. Shape all audio or just the apps you choose.

Ten-band EQ, simple tone controls, and a bass enhancer for small speakers. No virtual audio driver, account, analytics, or audio uploads. MIT licensed.

Install

Requires macOS 14.2+ and Apple silicon.

1. Download the DMG or ZIP from Releases.
2. Drag eqMini.app into Applications and open it.
3. Enable the equalizer and allow System Audio Recording when macOS asks.

Downloads are Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple. The app and DMG include stapled tickets and pass Gatekeeper assessment.

Use

• Choose Flat, Bass Boost, Warm, or your saved Custom curve.
• Adjust Bass, Voices, and Detail in Simple, or switch to 10 bands. Switching views preserves the sound.
• Speaker bass adds audible bass harmonics for small speakers. Keep volume compensates for EQ headroom; Output adds gain. Large boosts can cause compression.
• Choose All audio or Selected apps. Selected apps share one curve; other apps keep their normal sound.
• Reset clears the EQ, Custom curve, and Speaker bass. Double-click a band to reset it individually.

The first normal launch opens a welcome window; later startups stay in the menu bar. Use More → Open Equalizer Window for a regular window. Left-click the menu-bar icon for the panel; right-click for quick actions. Closing the window leaves eqMini in the menu bar; quitting stops processing. Settings… contains optional Launch at login and Restore EQ on launch, both off by default.

Shortcuts: ⌘O open window · ⌘1 / ⌘2 Simple / 10 bands · ⌘E enable / disable · ⌘, Settings · ⌘Q quit.

10-band view and Settings

Privacy

System Audio Recording permission is required to process other apps' sound. eqMini explains this before the first enable after an update, including when enabled from a menu. Its Core Audio tap captures audio only: no screen images, saved recordings, or uploads. If access was denied, allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security, then reopen eqMini.

Preferences stay on your Mac. The app makes no network requests; website links open your browser. Privacy policy · Terms.

Build

Requires Xcode's macOS SDK and command-line tools. No third-party runtime dependencies.

git clone https://github.com/elmsec/eqmini.git
cd eqmini
bash scripts/build.sh
open build/eqMini.app

Local builds are ad-hoc signed. Use ARCH=arm64 or ARCH=x86_64 to choose an architecture. CI builds and tests on both; downloadable releases currently target Apple silicon.

bash scripts/test.sh
SANITIZE=1 bash scripts/test.sh  # DSP with AddressSanitizer and UBSan

Tests use isolated preferences and do not request audio access or change login items.

Limits

eqMini processes the default output's first mono/stereo stream. Surround and multi-output setups are unsupported. Protected playback and shared audio services may limit per-app capture.

Small speakers cannot reproduce physical sub-bass; Speaker bass adds harmonics instead. Peak protection is a sample limiter, not a hearing or speaker protection guarantee.

Architecture · Testing · Contributing · Security · Distribution

Support and license

MIT, © 2026 Can Elma. Built with Apple's public frameworks.

Optional support: GitHub Sponsors · Buy Me a Coffee. Donations do not unlock features.