EQ & Compressor
Every player and zone in MZAP has independent DSP processing.
Each effect section (EQ and Compressor) has an on/off toggle switch in its header. When an effect is bypassed the section body dims so its inactive state is clear at a glance. The bypass state is saved with the zone or player and restored after a reload or workspace switch, and the collapsed/expanded state of the EQ and Compressor sections is remembered too.
10-Band Equalizer
Section titled “10-Band Equalizer”Adjust gain (in dB) across 10 frequency bands:
| Band | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 1 | 32 Hz |
| 2 | 64 Hz |
| 3 | 125 Hz |
| 4 | 250 Hz |
| 5 | 500 Hz |
| 6 | 1 kHz |
| 7 | 2 kHz |
| 8 | 4 kHz |
| 9 | 8 kHz |
| 10 | 16 kHz |
Use the Reset to Flat button to set all bands back to 0 dB.
Compressor
Section titled “Compressor”Reduce the dynamic range of audio with these parameters:
- Threshold — Level (dB) above which compression starts
- Ratio — Compression ratio (e.g., 4:1)
- Attack — How quickly compression engages (ms)
- Release — How quickly compression releases (ms)
Auto level
Section titled “Auto level”Auto level evens out loudness between songs and streams, so nobody has to ride the volume when a quiet song follows a loud one. It is set per player and is off by default. The player's fader still sets the final volume.
Turn it on in the player detail's Auto level card:
| Setting | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Target loudness | −24 to −10 LUFS | −16 LUFS |
| Max boost | 0 to 18 dB | 12 dB |
| Reaction speed | Slow, Normal, Fast | Normal |
| Hold level during jingles | on / off | on |
Hold level during jingles freezes auto level while a jingle plays on this player, so the ducked music is not raised back up.
Under Advanced:
| Setting | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Limiter | on / off | on |
| Ceiling | −6 to 0 dBFS | −1 dBFS |
| Release | 20 to 500 ms | 100 ms |
Without the limiter, boosted peaks can distort at the zone output.
Things to know:
- The card header shows the gain auto level is applying right now.
- It works for every player type: files, streams, inputs, loopback, AirPlay and SoundMachine. When a stream fails over to backup files, the level carries over.
- Jingles are not leveled: a jingle played on an auto-leveled player plays at its own volume.
- Turning auto level off glides the player back to its normal level, without a jump.
Presets
Section titled “Presets”Save EQ and compressor configurations as named presets for quick recall. See Presets for details.