Shape your sound, band by band, in the Steam overlay. A live equalizer, bass and treble, volume boost, your own presets and a sound per game, without leaving Gaming Mode.
Features · Requirements · Installation · Quick start · Using DeckyEQ · Troubleshooting · How it works · AI disclaimer
An equalizer makes some parts of the sound louder or quieter: the deep bass, the voices in the middle, or the bright detail at the top. DeckyEQ does this for everything your console plays, live while you listen. Steam's volume slider, the volume buttons and Steam's output choice keep working exactly as before. It uses the audio system already in SteamOS (PipeWire): there is nothing extra to install and it does not need root.
| Feature | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Main screen | Turn EQ on, raise the volume with Volume boost, pick a preset and set Bass, Treble and Stereo width |
| Equalizer | Ten band sliders from deep bass to treble, or Five sliders that each move two neighbouring bands |
| Curve editor | Drag the dots of the curve with touch or the controller, in the menu or full screen |
| Presets | Start from five built-in sounds, save up to 64 of your own, and import or export them as files |
| Per-game sound | Give a game its own sound that comes back whenever it runs |
| Output | Choose the output that gets EQ; Speakers only keeps it off headphones, HDMI and Bluetooth |
| About | See the version and download verified updates from GitHub |
A limiter always guards the output, so a boost turns loud peaks down smoothly instead of crackling. Your latest edits are kept when you close the menu or restart Decky.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | Built for SteamOS handhelds; tested on the Lenovo Legion Go 2 only |
| System | SteamOS in Gaming Mode with Decky Loader (tested on SteamOS 3.9.5 with Decky Loader 3.3.0) |
| Audio | PipeWire with WirePlumber 0.5 or newer, as in SteamOS 3.7 and newer (tested on PipeWire 1.6.8 and WirePlumber 0.5.18) |
| Extra packages | None: pipewire, pw-cli, pw-dump, pactl and python3 come with SteamOS; no EasyEffects or other audio plugins |
| Internet | Only to check for and download updates |
On the Legion Go 2 the audio routing, live changes, the untouched volume and output, the limiter, behaviour after a crash and the CPU use (none while nothing plays) were measured, and EQ was checked by ear in Gaming Mode. Headphone and Bluetooth changes, sleep and resume, longer listening and per-game sound have not been checked on the device yet. Other handhelds have not been tested. The validation record has the details.
- Install Decky Loader if you do not already have it.
- Download
DeckyEQ-<version>.zipfrom Releases. - In Gaming Mode, open Quick Access Menu → Decky → Settings and turn on Developer mode under General.
- Open Developer, choose Install Plugin from ZIP and select the archive.
- Open DeckyEQ in Decky and turn on Enable EQ.
No terminal commands are needed.
Rayek's store: About → Use Rayek's store sets Decky's store channel to Rayek's store
(https://decky.rayek.workers.dev) after you confirm, so Decky's Store tab lists Rayek's plugins and offers
their updates. Plugins from the official store stay installed, but get no update offers while it is selected;
switch back in Decky Settings → General → Store channel → Default.
- Open About → Check for updates.
- Choose Download <version>; the ZIP appears in your Downloads folder.
- Install it through Decky Settings → Developer → Install Plugin from ZIP.
DeckyEQ never installs anything by itself, and it contacts GitHub only when you press a button. If the repository has no release yet, About says No public release yet.
How updates are checked
Only stable releases are offered, and only a DeckyEQ-X.Y.Z.zip that a GitHub Actions run in
this repository uploaded to the release. Before the ZIP is saved,
DeckyEQ checks its SHA-256 digest, size, contents, plugin name and version. The digest proves
the file arrived intact, not who built it; gh attestation verify DeckyEQ-X.Y.Z.zip --repo Rayekkk/DeckyEQ
shows that GitHub Actions built it from this repository. A failed download never leaves a
half-written ZIP behind.
Updating from 1.0
- The Automatic headroom switch is gone: headroom is always on and now lowers the level only for EQ boosts above +6 dB. Most presets play louder than in 1.0; presets that had the switch off may play slightly quieter (the Go S preset by about 0.6 dB).
- A band's frequency can no longer be changed. A band you moved in 1.0 keeps its own frequency and is named by it; only its gain (in full screen also its width and type) changes.
- Going back to 1.0 later may fail to read settings that use stereo width or other 1.1-only settings. Export your presets first.
CHANGELOG.md lists everything that changed.
Remove DeckyEQ in Decky Settings → Plugins. Playback goes straight to your output again at
the same volume; nothing has to be restored. Exported preset files in ~/Documents/DeckyEQ/ stay.
Open DeckyEQ in Decky. The card at the top shows whether EQ is Live, which preset plays and on which output.
- Turn on Enable EQ. DeckyEQ picks your speakers; if it cannot, choose them under Output.
- Pick a Preset. On a Legion Go 2, start with Legion Go 2; elsewhere try Clear voices or More bass.
- Play something you know well and adjust Bass, Treble or the dots on the curve.
- If the speakers are too quiet at full volume, raise Volume boost.
- To keep your sound, choose Save (Save as new… for a built-in preset).
The screenshots in this guide show the Quick Access panel at full size: click one to open it.
The main screen holds what you use every day:
- Enable EQ turns the equalizer on and off.
- Volume boost (0 to +12 dB) makes everything louder, for every preset and game. Use it when the speakers are too quiet at full volume.
- Preset chooses the sound. The curve below it shows what the preset does, and you can edit it right there (see Curve editor).
- Bass (below 120 Hz) and Treble (above 6 kHz) go from -9 to +9 dB.
- Stereo width goes from 0% (mono) through 100% (unchanged) to 200% (twice as wide).
While the sound has unsaved changes, Save (Save as new… for a built-in preset) and Discard appear below the sliders. Under More, each row shows a short summary and opens a page; B goes back one page.
Equalizer has one slider per band: 31.5 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz and 16 kHz, each from -12 to +12 dB. Low numbers are bass, the middle is voices, high numbers are treble. Every preset uses the same ten bands, so the sliders stay the same whichever preset you pick.
- Input level raises or lowers the sound before the equalizer. When big boosts need room, the line under it says how much DeckyEQ lowered it.
- Five sliders shows five sliders instead of ten; each moves two neighbouring bands together. Switching never changes your sound, and the choice belongs to this console, not to a preset.
- Reset to flat returns the bands, bass, treble, stereo width and input level to their defaults; Volume boost stays.
The curve shows what all bands and the tone sliders do together. Its dots move only up and down: drag one with your finger, or move to the curve and press A.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| A | Start editing |
| D-pad left / right | Choose the band (or pair, with Five sliders) |
| D-pad up / down | Change its gain in 0.5 dB steps |
| X | Set it flat |
| LT / RT (full screen) | Make the band wider or narrower |
| Y (full screen) | Change its filter type |
| B | Finish editing |
Edit full screen on Equalizer shows the same curve larger, with the preset list, Five sliders, Save, Discard and Done.
Filter types and band details
A bell lifts or cuts the sound around its frequency, a low shelf everything below it and a high shelf everything above it. A wider band affects more of its neighbours. Above the graph you see the chosen band's frequency and gain, and while editing also its type and Q (its width).
A band's frequency cannot be changed. A band slightly off its usual frequency (the Go S file's 31.25 Hz) moves there when you edit it. A band that DeckyEQ 1.0 moved, or an imported one, keeps its own frequency and is named by it. In full screen a dashed line marks +6 dB: boosts above it lower the level (see How it works).
Presets shows the chosen preset with About this preset, and the actions for it: Save, Discard, Save as new…, and for your own presets Rename… and Delete. You can save up to 64 presets.
| Built-in preset | What it does |
|---|---|
| Flat | No change |
| Clear voices | Brings dialogue forward: a little less boom, more presence around 2–4 kHz |
| More bass | A fuller low end where small speakers can still play it, around 100–250 Hz |
| Legion Go S | GAZuOOT's community speaker preset for the Legion Go S, with its +8 dB input boost |
| Legion Go 2 | Speaker tuning for the Legion Go 2, made by ear from the Legion Go S preset; choosing it also sets Volume boost to 9 dB |
Built-in presets cannot be overwritten, but you can edit them and keep the result with Save as new…. The Legion Go S preset is community tuning, not a measured calibration; the preset notes list its exact settings. If it sounds squashed, lower Input level.
Show import or export offers:
- Import presets…: adds presets from a DeckyEQ JSON file in your home folder (up to 256 KiB). It never overwrites a preset or changes what plays. EasyEffects and Equalizer APO files need converting first.
- Export this sound: the sound playing now, including unsaved edits.
- Export your presets: all the presets you saved.
- Export this sound to…: the sound playing now, into a folder you choose.
Exports go to ~/Documents/DeckyEQ/ and never overwrite an existing file.
While a game runs, the main screen shows Own sound for <game>. Turn it on and the preset and slider changes you make from then on belong to that game only. When the game closes, your everyday sound returns; the game's sound comes back the next time it runs.
Volume boost and the output settings stay the same for every game. Presets → Games with their own sound lists the games, each with a Forget button. Up to 200 games are kept. Exports carry presets only, never game sounds.
Apply EQ to chooses the output that gets EQ, normally the speakers. Speakers only (on by default) leaves EQ off when that output plays through headphones, HDMI or Bluetooth. Turn it off to use EQ on a headset as well.
Show details shows Steam's current output and offers Reconnect EQ. While EQ is on, Steam also lists DeckyEQ as an output; choosing it is the same as choosing the output EQ applies to.
About shows the installed version, author and licence, and checks for updates as described in Updating.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Standby | Steam plays to another output, for example Bluetooth headphones. EQ waits; choose that output under Output if you want EQ there. |
| Bypassed | Speakers only is on and the output is not on its speakers, for example with headphones plugged in. Turn Speakers only off to use EQ there. |
| Waiting for output | The chosen output is gone. Reconnect it or choose another one under Output. |
| Paused | Read the reason, check Output, then use Reconnect EQ under Show details. |
| Unavailable | A system tool or the audio session is missing; the reason is shown. On the tested stock SteamOS every tool was already there. |
| The sound is too quiet | Raise Volume boost or Input level. Only EQ boosts above +6 dB lower the level. |
| The sound is squashed or pumps | The limiter is working hard. Lower Input level or Volume boost; more gain past that point only compresses the sound. |
| Steam lists DeckyEQ as an output | Normal while EQ is on. Choosing it is the same as choosing the output EQ applies to. |
| Own sound for is missing | It appears only while a game runs. |
| My edits are not in the exported presets | Export your presets contains saved presets. Save first, or use Export this sound. |
| A file from another equalizer is refused | Import accepts DeckyEQ JSON files only; convert EasyEffects or Equalizer APO files first. |
| Update check or download failed | Read the error and retry; GitHub may limit requests for a while. |
Reporting a problem: include the plugin version, SteamOS version, console, what the status card and Show details say, and what you did. CHANGELOG.md lists the changes in each version.
Audio routing, limiter and headroom
DeckyEQ runs its equalizer as a WirePlumber smart filter in front of the output you choose. WirePlumber sends whatever plays to that output through the filter first, so DeckyEQ never changes the default output, never moves streams and never touches a volume. When Steam plays to another output, EQ waits. If the filter stops for any reason, playback continues on the output directly at your volume. Disabling or unloading the plugin stops the filter and keeps your presets.
After PipeWire's built-in filters, DeckyEQ's own small audio stage (bin/deckyeq_dsp.so, built
from native/deckyeq_dsp.c) applies the input level, the volume boost and the stereo width,
then a two-band limiter. The bass below 150 Hz has its own limiter, so a loud bass note turns
down only the bass, not voices; a second limiter holds the whole signal at -1 dBFS. Below
those levels the limiter changes nothing. Automatic headroom lowers the level only by the part
of an EQ boost above +6 dB; it never takes back your Input level, Volume boost or
stereo width.
The limiter prevents digital clipping; it does not protect speakers from physical overload at high volume. DeckyEQ tunes the sound; it does not reproduce Windows or Nahimic processing. When nothing plays, the filter sleeps with its output and uses no CPU.
The usage and implementation guide covers filter ranges, preset formats, headroom and output recovery in detail.
Build, test and package from source
Requires Node.js 24, Python 3.14 (the version Decky Loader 3.3.1 and SteamOS use) and gcc
(on Windows: WSL with gcc and python3.14, which npm test also uses for the native-stage and
Linux-only tests).
npm ci
npm run typecheck # frontend types
npm test # Python backend tests (on Windows also in WSL)
npm run test:frontend # UI and lifecycle regressions
npm run build # compile and check the frontend
npm run package # build the native stage, then artifacts/DeckyEQ-<version>.zipnpm run check runs all of these in order. The ZIP and its SHA-256 sidecar land in
artifacts/; install the result through Decky's Install Plugin from ZIP. Tests use a
simulated audio backend; device checks are recorded in VALIDATION.md.
npm run dev starts a browser preview of the panel with simulated audio and update responses;
it does not process audio or contact GitHub. See USAGE.md for the code layout
and the release process.
- GAZuOOT's Legion Go S audio preset - the community preset included as Legion Go S
- PipeWire and WirePlumber - the audio graph, built-in filters and smart filters
- Decky Loader and Decky UI - the plugin platform and native controls
DeckyEQ is an independent project and is not affiliated with Lenovo. Component licenses are recorded in NOTICE.
BSD 3-Clause - see LICENSE and NOTICE. The bundled @decky/api is
LGPL-2.1; its license and source ship in the plugin ZIP.
This project was built with substantial help from AI coding assistants. Most of the code, tests and documentation were written by AI agents (Anthropic's Claude Code) working under my direction: I defined what each feature should do, made the design and sound decisions, reviewed the results and chose what was released.
The AI was used to:
- write and refactor the Python backend, the native audio stage and the Decky panel;
- build the automated test suites (about 560 tests run on Linux and Windows for every change);
- audit the code for bugs, security issues and wasted work, with every finding checked by independent review passes and, where possible, reproduced before it was fixed;
- research how PipeWire and WirePlumber filter, link and report audio, and write this documentation.
Nothing here is untested AI output. I tested the plugin on my own Legion Go 2 in Gaming Mode: levels measured with and without EQ, every sound change checked by ear (the Legion Go 2 preset was tuned there), plugin reloads and updates, PipeWire restarts and games with their own sound. Features were held back until they behaved correctly on the real device, and leaving Steam's volume and output untouched, with the sound going straight to the speakers whenever the filter stops, was kept as a hard requirement. What has not been checked on the device yet is listed under Requirements.
Even so, DeckyEQ changes the sound of your console and can make it louder. It is provided as is, without warranty (see License); use it at your own risk.