Mini EQ is a small system-wide parametric equalizer for PipeWire desktops. It uses GTK/Libadwaita for the UI, pipewire-gobject for app-facing PipeWire routing, metadata, and monitor streams, and PipeWire filter-chain with builtin biquad filters for the equalizer. When libebur128 is available, the monitor can also show live LUFS loudness.

• System-wide parametric EQ for PipeWire desktop playback.
• GTK/Libadwaita interface with a compact 10-band fader workflow.
• PipeWire routing and default-output tracking through pipewire-gobject.
• PipeWire filter-chain DSP using builtin biquad filters.
• Optional spectrum analyzer and LUFS loudness readout through a PipeWire monitor capture stream.
• Auto preset links can follow the detected PipeWire port when available and fall back to the selected EQ output when a port is not reported.
• Optional background mode keeps the EQ active after closing the window, with a separate Start at Login preference and optional active-at-login routing.
• Optional GNOME Shell extension for quick panel access to routing, EQ, analyzer status, presets, and auto preset links.
• Equalizer APO preset import from the UI or --import-apo, including compatible presets exported by AutoEq.

Mini EQ can import Equalizer APO-style parametric EQ text presets. This makes it usable with headphone correction presets exported by AutoEq: export an Equalizer APO/parametric EQ preset from AutoEq, then use Import Equalizer APO... in Mini EQ or start the app with mini-eq --import-apo path/to/ParametricEQ.txt. The AutoEq project provides the source, headphone measurement data, targets, and optimizer behind the web app.

Recommended install paths:

1. Flathub, the preferred desktop install path.
2. PyPI, after the system desktop/audio dependencies below are installed.
3. Source checkout, for development or testing unreleased changes.

Install from Flathub:

flatpak install flathub io.github.bhack.mini-eq
flatpak run io.github.bhack.mini-eq

Mini EQ depends on system desktop/audio packages that Python packaging cannot fully install: GTK 4.12+ and Libadwaita 1.7+ GI bindings, PyGObject, PipeWire, WirePlumber as the session manager, and the native libraries required by pipewire-gobject. Install PyGObject from your distro, such as python3-gi or python3-gobject, rather than adding a PyPI PyGObject dependency to Mini EQ.

If your distro ships older GTK or Libadwaita builds, prefer the Flatpak build.

Package names vary by distro release. If pip builds pipewire-gobject from its source distribution, install the GLib, GObject-Introspection, and PipeWire development packages first. Virtual environments that need distro GI bindings should use --system-site-packages; on Ubuntu/Debian, build the pipewire-gobject wheel in a plain venv first, then install that wheel into the system-site Mini EQ venv.

These are good starting points:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install \
  gir1.2-adw-1 \
  gir1.2-gtk-4.0 \
  gobject-introspection \
  libgirepository1.0-dev \
  libglib2.0-dev \
  libpipewire-0.3-dev \
  meson \
  ninja-build \
  pkg-config \
  pipewire \
  python3-cairo \
  python3-pip \
  python3-gi \
  python3-setuptools \
  python3-venv \
  wireplumber \
  libebur128-1

# Fedora
sudo dnf install \
  gtk4 \
  libadwaita \
  gobject-introspection-devel \
  glib2-devel \
  meson \
  ninja-build \
  pkgconf-pkg-config \
  pipewire \
  pipewire-devel \
  python3-cairo \
  python3-gobject \
  python3-pip \
  wireplumber \
  libebur128

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S \
  gtk4 \
  libadwaita \
  gobject-introspection \
  glib2 \
  meson \
  ninja \
  pkgconf \
  pipewire \
  python-cairo \
  python-gobject \
  python-pip \
  wireplumber \
  libebur128

Install the Python package after the system packages are present:

python3 -m venv /tmp/mini-eq-pwg-build
/tmp/mini-eq-pwg-build/bin/python -m pip install --upgrade pip
/tmp/mini-eq-pwg-build/bin/python -m pip wheel 'pipewire-gobject>=0.3.5,<0.4' -w /tmp/mini-eq-wheelhouse

python3 -m venv --system-site-packages ~/.local/share/mini-eq/venv
~/.local/share/mini-eq/venv/bin/python -m pip install --upgrade pip
~/.local/share/mini-eq/venv/bin/python -m pip install --no-index --find-links /tmp/mini-eq-wheelhouse 'pipewire-gobject>=0.3.5,<0.4'
~/.local/share/mini-eq/venv/bin/python -m pip install mini-eq
~/.local/share/mini-eq/venv/bin/mini-eq --check-deps
~/.local/share/mini-eq/venv/bin/mini-eq

For a source checkout:

python3 -m pip install -e .
mini-eq --check-deps
mini-eq

For a source checkout without installing the package:

PYTHONPATH=src python3 -m mini_eq --check-deps
PYTHONPATH=src python3 -m mini_eq

Install the desktop launcher and icon for the current user:

mini-eq --install-desktop

Mini EQ also has an optional GNOME Shell extension for quick panel access to routing, EQ, analyzer status, presets, and auto preset links.

Install it from GNOME Shell Extensions: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/9803/mini-eq-controls/

python3 -m pip install -e '.[dev]'
python3 -m ruff check .
python3 -m ruff format --check .
python3 -m pytest -q

Some integration tests are skipped automatically when optional PipeWire runtime tools are not installed.

Check the pipewire-gobject GI compatibility surface:

PYTHONPATH=src python3 tools/check_pipewire_gobject.py

The Flatpak manifest uses the GNOME runtime. It does not ship a full PipeWire daemon or session manager; it builds only the local PipeWire filter-chain module and SPA builtin filter-graph support that Mini EQ loads inside the app process. It also builds pipewire-gobject for Mini EQ's app-facing PipeWire access and bundles NumPy and libebur128 for analyzer and live LUFS support.

Install the local build tools:

flatpak --user install flathub org.flatpak.Builder org.gnome.Sdk//50

Build and install the local Flatpak:

flatpak run org.flatpak.Builder --user --install --force-clean --install-deps-from=flathub \
  flatpak-build io.github.bhack.mini-eq.yaml
flatpak run io.github.bhack.mini-eq --check-deps
flatpak run io.github.bhack.mini-eq

Runtime data is stored under ~/.config/mini-eq.

pip install mini-eq installs only the Python package. The system packages above are still required for the app to connect to GTK, PipeWire, and the host WirePlumber-managed session.

Mini EQ is inspired in part by EasyEffects and the broader PipeWire audio tooling ecosystem. Mini EQ is a separate project focused on a compact system-wide parametric EQ workflow.