Hi,

You’re about to obtain one of my bidirectional MaxForLive wrappers for Pro-Q4. I truly believe this will have a profoundly positive impact on your workflow in Ableton Live.

What can I do with this?!

These wrappers turn FabFilter’s Pro-Q4 into an analogue console EQ inside Ableton Live. Each model reproduces the exact response of classic studio hardware — its curves precisely measured and recreated in Pro-Q 4, and its interface designed in the spirit of the originals. Stepped versions are included wherever the hardware featured them, ensuring truly authentic operation.

You can, of course, still make full use of Pro-Q 4’s advanced features — simply click the yellow button to open the plugin window. Any changes you make inside the plugin are instantly mirrored in the wrapper, and vice versa.

Furthermore, all models include an experimental MIDI Connector device. Simply drop it onto any track in your Live set, map it once to your preferred MIDI controller, and you’re ready to go. From then on, your controller will automatically control whichever instance of the wrapper is currently selected. Go ahead — mix with your eyes closed!

Available models

• 4000 – British four-band EQ with fixed frequencies. All the detail you’ll ever need.
• 4000S – In style, a smaller version of my 4000 model, but offering Pro-Q 4’s complete frequency range.
• 550 – Three-band EQ with stepped frequencies. A desert-island EQ for many.
• 73 – Also a three-band EQ with stepped frequencies, but with fewer options and broader curves, for fast and bold decisions.

Installation

1. Move the downloaded .amxd file(s) into Live’s Max for Live folder:
   /Users/User/Music/Ableton/User Library/Presets/Audio Effects/Max Audio Effect/ProQ4-4000-Vst3.amxd
   
   (Tip: You can also open this folder by right-clicking any Max for Live device in Ableton’s browser and selecting “Open in Finder”.)
2. Move the ProQ4 preset that came with your download into FabFilter’s preset folder.
3. Load the wrapper onto any track.
4. When you first open the patch, Pro-Q4 will likely open in its default state. Open Pro-Q4’s plugin window and load the corresponding preset (e.g. channel_4000.ffp).
5. Now save the M4L patch as a preset under your preferred name by using the disk button in the upper-right corner. This will store Pro-Q’s state, so the next time you load your preset it will open with those settings by default.

MIDI CONNECT

1. Since version 1.2, all models include a MIDI Connect device.
   If you wish, install it into Live’s Max folder just as you did with the Wrapper.
2. Drop the patch anywhere in your set and map the designated dials and buttons to any MIDI controller.
3. That’s it — your MIDI device now takes command of every currently selected instance of the Wrapper.

Operation

• Unsure about a knob? Hover to read the Live info text.
• Pro-Q quality modes are fully supported; any latency changes are automatically reported to the wrapper.

Important Notes

• You must own Pro-Q4 to use these wrappers. (This is not a standalone EQ.)
• Currently, wrappers support only the VST3 version of Pro-Q4.
• I have only tested this with Ableton 12 on Mac.
• Please note that I only tested the "midi connect" function with my console 1 hardware and will not offer support for this feature.

Patch Notes

v1.0 – Initial release

v1.1 – GUI update. Wrapper now adapts better to different Live versions.

v1.1 – Now includes model "4000S", a smaller version of the wrapper.

v1.2 – Midi Connect Update.

v1.3 - The numboxes now function as intended, allowing direct entry of any frequency value.
Dragging within the numbox, however, cannot be implemented reliably. Please use the dial for dragging instead.

Both the low-cut and high-cut dials now include a convenient stepped button, enabling you to cycle through a set of relevant preset frequencies.

v1.4 - Model "4000" now not only reproduces the curves, but also the exact frequency range of it's hardware paragon. Alas, this means that frequency dials are no longer fully bidirectional. The correct value, however, is still displayed underneath the dial.

Model "4000S" stays as it was, offering control over ProQ4s full frequency spectrum!

Happy mixing!