# Earware

Earware is a preset-based corrective EQ that flattens your headphones toward an uncolored target using linear-phase FIR convolution.  It was born out of frustration with bad gain staging and invasive DRM software in big-box corrective plugins, as well as my fatigue from manually inputting EQ values in every DAW I use on every system I use.

Throw it on your master and pick your cans from a searchable library of **6033 Headphone Models!** (6034 list entries including "No Model Selected").  No correction is applied until you choose your headphones.
 
 EQ data is sourced from [AutoEq](https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq)'s recommended results — the highest-accuracy correction measurement available for each headphone.  Earware uses linear-phase FIR convolution so all frequencies are delayed equally — no phase distortion.  The tradeoff is ~23 ms of latency.  A preamp matching the correction gain keeps your listening volume consistent, and bypass lets you A/B against the uncorrected signal.

 ![Earware plugin screenshot](docs/screenshot.png)






 This project was built with some amazing open-source software, most notably **Noizefield's** awesome [audio-plugin-coder](https://github.com/Noizefield/audio-plugin-coder) repository, an extensive skillset and context management system for building JUCE plugins.  It was utilized in combination with [OpenCode](https://opencode.ai/) and DeepSeek's highly efficient v4 flash model.

 





> **I need help!!!!** The macOS VST3/AU build is new and not yet field-tested.  Similarly, no DAWS have been tested extensively besides Reaper on any platform. Please try it in your DAW and [open an issue](https://github.com/AilaScott/Earware/issues/new), including which DAW/OS you're using.

## For Musicians and Engineers!

Download the build for your platform from the [Releases](https://github.com/AilaScott/Earware/releases) page:

| Platform | Formats | Files |
|----------|---------|-------|
| Linux x64 | VST3 | `Earware_Linux_x64_VST3.zip` |
| Windows x64 | VST3 | `Earware_Windows_x64_VST3.zip` |
| macOS (Universal) | VST3, AU | `Earware_macOS_Universal_VST3.zip`, `Earware_macOS_Universal_AU.zip` |

To install, unzip and copy the plugin folder into your audio plugin directory:

- **VST3** — `~/.vst3/` (Linux), `C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\` (Windows), `~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/` (macOS)
- **AU (macOS)** — `~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/`

See the [user manual](plugins/Earware/Documentation/USER_MANUAL.md) for full usage.

## For Devs

Building from source requires **CMake ≥ 3.22**, a **C++20 compiler**, and the **JUCE 8.0.12** git submodule (a vendored JSON-length fix is applied at configure time — see `patches/`). Platform tooling: WebKitGTK/GTK3/Jack/ALSA on Linux, Visual Studio 2022 + the WebView2 SDK (resolved via NuGet) on Windows, and the system WKWebView on macOS.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/AilaScott/Earware.git
cd Earware
git submodule update --init --recursive
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config Release
```

Targets: `Earware_VST3` (all platforms), `Earware_AU` (macOS), `earware_rendertest` (Linux only — render test suite: magnitude accuracy, output level match, DC gain, IR symmetry, group delay, phase linearity, latency).

Details: [Windows build notes](plugins/Earware/Documentation/WINDOWS_BUILD.md) and [build/CI reference](docs/BUILD_AND_CI_REFERENCE.md).

## License

GPL-3.0. Uses [JUCE](https://juce.com) (GPL-3.0) and headphone data from [jaakkopasanen/AutoEq](https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq)'s recommended results.