mcfx – multichannel audio plug-in suite

mcfx is a suite of free multichannel plug-ins for macOS, Windows and Linux: convolution, EQ, filters, delay, gain calibration, metering, network audio and more – each one processing any number of channels in one go. That makes them handy wherever many channels belong together: loudspeaker arrays, Ambisonics (together with ambiX), microphone array recordings.

I first released mcfx in January 2014, alongside ambiX; in 2026 it got its largest update so far. As VST3, every plug-in adapts to the channel count of the track (up to 64); the installers also include fixed 128-channel VST2 versions for hosts that need more.

Download: github.com/kronihias/mcfx/releases – installers for macOS and Windows; on Linux they can be built from source. Source code: github.com/kronihias/mcfx (GPLv3).

The plug-ins

mcfx_convolver – a multichannel convolution matrix with a fast, non-uniformly partitioned convolution engine (SIMD on Intel and Apple Silicon). It reads jconvolver-style .conf files or .wav files directly – e.g. for room reverbs or to drive loudspeaker arrays such as the IKO.

mcfx_convolver with 16 inputs, 25 outputs and 400 impulse responses — 16 × 25 channels, 400 impulse responses

mcfx_mimoeq – a multichannel parametric EQ: per-channel EQ with up to 24 bands, dynamic EQ with lookahead, EQ on paths from any input to any output, crossovers and FIR filters.

mcfx_graph – a patchbay inside one plug-in: load VST2, VST3 and AU plug-ins as nodes and wire them together, with native gain, matrix mixer and delay nodes, subgraphs and latency compensation.

mcfx_anything – turns (almost) any audio plug-in into a multichannel plug-in: it runs as many instances of a stereo plug-in as the channel count needs and keeps their settings in sync.

mcfx_meter – level meters with RMS, peak and peak hold, in several views: classic bars, a ring that stays compact at any channel count, a 3D waterfall, a spectrogram and an oscilloscope. Every view except the bars can pop out into its own window or go full-screen, e.g. on a second screen.

mcfx_meter spectrogram view — Spectrogram

mcfx_meter oscilloscope view — Oscilloscope

mcfx_gain_delay – gain, delay, phase, solo and mute per channel, with a signal generator (noise, sine, square, Dirac, tone bursts) that can step through all channels – for calibrating loudspeaker setups.

mcfx_filter – the same filter settings on all channels (high/low pass, Linkwitz-Riley crossovers, peak and shelf filters), with an analyzer of all channels or a single one. mcfx_delay – the same delay on all channels.

mcfx_gain_delay with signal generator — mcfx_gain_delay

mcfx_filter editor with analyzer — mcfx_filter

mcfx_send / mcfx_receive – stream multichannel audio over the network between computers or DAWs, with automatic discovery: see mcfx_send and mcfx_receive.

Convolver presets

Some first-order B-format reverb presets for mcfx_convolver: mcfx_convolver_presets_v0.1.zip. This help file explains the .conf format. These impulse responses are in the older FuMa format: to use them with ambix_decoder or ambix_binaural, put ambix_converter with the preset .amb → ambix after the convolver.

Build instructions and the full changelog are in the README on GitHub.