If you’re on the hunt for an advanced audio equaliser for Ubuntu, you’re definitely going to want to check the following app out.
It’s called PulseEffects and it’s an equalizer, limiter, reverb, and compressor that works with PulseAudio, the default sound server in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and earlier.
PulseEffects lets you adjust and modify sound output from any app on a global or per-app basis using (among others) GStreamer effects. You can use it to configure all audio, from the sound of YouTube and Netflix in your browser, to Skype chats, MPV movies, or the soundtrack in SuperTuxKart.
For example, if you’ve longed to have a Spotify equaliser, or apply compression and reverb to your Zoom calls (drab work colleagues sound 100% better when you make them sound like they’re lecturing form a cathedral), use PulseEffects to do it.
If a sound comes through PulseAudio, PulseEffects can alter it.
Igor, an OMG! Ubuntu reader, tipped me to the app, e-mailing me to say:
“Hello, few months ago i was searching for equalizer for linux, it was really hard to find something good, but then I found Pulseeffects equalizer, Im using it from the start of the development and It’s the best equalizer for linux I’ve used, It has a lot of features and is developed by very good dev who adds something new almost everyday and listens opinions of people. I like this project and i want It to gain popularity, please test It and maybe write about this excellent program.”
Now, IAMAST (that stands for ‘I am not a sound technician’, copyright me) so I won’t pretend I know exactly how to use this app to make audio sound good. But with a plethora of options, presets, limiters, gains, reverbs, sliders and switches, I’m certain it is capable of doing it.
A free, open-source app like this seems like a no-brainer add-in for audiophiles amongst you. But with audio quality a largely subjective topic I make no promises that you will like what you hear!
Fun fact, I remember playing around with the equaliser on the front of the family HiFi when I was younger. I never really paid attention to what each slider and toggle did, but I hate how, after adjusting things, nothing would sound “right” again, even when reset to normal — so if nothing sounds right after playing with this app, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Install PulseEffects on Ubuntu
You can install PulseEffects on Ubuntu as a Flatpak app from Flathub, if you have that setup.
Sadly, the latest version of PulseEffects is not (that I can find) packaged for Ubuntu in the repos you can download the source code from Github and compile it manually.
A much older version of the app is available for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS via an engorged third-party GNOME 3 PPA, but I recommend only downloading the PulseEffects package itself directly, rather than adding the PPA to your software sources.
Thanks Igor