Blue Cat`s MB-5 Dynamix User Manual
Contents
1. This manual only covers the basics of Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Our website offers many additional resources for your Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in and is constantly updated so keep an eye on it You will find below a few examples of available resources Extra Skins We encourage our customers to propose their own skins for our products and we often propose alternative skins to let you choose the one that best suits your needs You can check Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix skins page to get the latest skins There were no extra skins for Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix when initially released Please check the skins page to see if new skins are now available Tutorials Many Tutorials are available on our website They cover a wide range of topics and host applications You will find below a list of tutorials that are related to the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in An updated list is also available online Tutorial Automation Envelopes Generation in MOTU s Digital Performer 7 This tutorial shows how to reuse the envelopes generated by our plugins with output parameters in MOTU s Digital Performer 7 host software As of today Digital Performer does not receive MIDI events f Read More Tutorial Connecting Plug ins with Groups in Cakewalk Sonar This tutorial shows how to reuse the envelopes generated by our plugins with output parameters in Cakewalk Sonar using groups Other techniques exist using MIDI or Automation curves but this2. Installation have installed my software and it is not listed as an application Why What can do How can I launch it Most software you can purchase on this website is plug ins for host applications It means you need another application to use it See the Plug ins Formats section in this FAQ for more information have installed my plug in and it does not show up in my host application What can I do First check that you application supports DirectX Audio Unit or VST plug ins If you are using the DirectX version check that your host application supports DXi plug ins MIDI enabled DirectX plug ins If it does not it may remove it from the DirectX plug ins list some applications such as Sony Vegas 5 and Cool Edit Pro are known to do this In this case use our DXi Manager free utility and disable the MIDI capabilities of the plug in You may need to reinstall the software again before it shows up into your host application For more information about this topic please read our DXi in Sony Vegas tutorial it is applicable to other applications than Sony Vegas If you are using the Direct X version and your host application supports DXi check that the plug in does not appear in the virtual synth or synthesizers category If you wish not to use the MIDI capabilities of the plug in and use it as a regular Direct X plug in you can download the freeware DXi Manager and disable the MIDI capabilities of the plug in
3. Upgrade When a new version of the plug in is released open the new image and copy the files over the previous ones The new version will replace the older one Uninstall To uninstall the plug in simply remove the plug in components from the folder where you have copied them during install move them to the trash Using Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Introduction Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix is an all in one multi band dynamics processor It may act as a multi band compressor limiter gate expander waveshaper or all at once All bands can interact with each other or be processed separately Dynamics The dynamics of a sound refers to the variations of its amplitude A track is said to have more dynamics than another if the volume difference between the louder and quieter sections of the track is higher For example classical music is known to have a larger dynamic range than most modern commercial pop music it usually alternates between very quiet sections with very few instruments and much louder sections when the entire orchestra plays at the same time The aim of Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix is to let you alter and precisely control this characteristic in many different ways you can either increase or reduce the amount of dynamics in your signal depending on its content The plug in offers up to 5 independent bands to process the dynamics of several parts of the spectrum separately For each selected band the principle is to detect
4. one ha Read More This tutorial will teach you how to use any DXi plug in in Sony Vegas Sony Vegas does not support MIDI automation so if your plug in supports the MIDI Dxi protocol it is removed from the pmi o is im a La e gem np ua ua ar plug ins l Read More Tutorial Export Plugin Presets to Share them with the Community mypreset This tutorial shows you how to export your presets in order to share them with the community on the Blue Cat Audio website This tutorial uses Blue Cat s Stereo Triple EQ for the demonstration Presets Files preset bu Read More Tutorial Getting Started with Plugins User Interface Set Preset Skin Preset Settings Get used to the user interface features of Blue Cat Audio products They have been designed for an optimal workflow so here are the tips and tricks to save time All these functionalities are explain Read More Global Settings Uzer Marial Check For Updates Tutorial Using MIDI Control in Sonar This tutorial will help you understand how to use parameters MIDI control in Cakewalk Sonar It is applicable to any DXi plug in MIDI enabled DirectX plug in Read More Tutorial Using MIDI Connectivity in a Modular Host Plogue Bidule This tutorial shows you how to use the MIDI connectivity of our plugins in a modular host such as Plogue Bidule We are using the Mac version of Bidule in this tuto
5. output parameter s to record it as automation curves e Play the track and record the automation envelope s on the source track e Copy paste the envelopes to the destination track e Assign the envelope s to Blue Cat s Gain plug in gain parameter s or to the destination track volume if provided by the host application e Play If you have issues performing the above tasks in your host application please visit our website and check our step by step tutorials http www bluecataudio com Tutorials Note in this mode the output limiter is not in use Extending to Advanced Side Chaining Techniques The usage of MIDI or automation for side chaining in Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix lets you extend the traditional usage of side chaining you can control any parameter of any automatable or MIDI controllable effect As a result you can use the dynamics response of a frequency range in a track to control any kind of effect on any other track You can for example link the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix output with the gain of an EQ plug in to instantly create a side chain dynamic EQ as shown in this tutorial with the Blue Cat s Dynamics plug in Possibilities are endless so we encourage you to experiment with your own effects If your host supports it it is also possible to control MIDI hardware with the plug in for example you can control the dynamics of an external synth with a track in your digital audio workstation Tips amp Tricks Bypass
6. the smoother gain control but also the less efficient and precise control over the volume Multi Band Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix is called a multi band processor because it splits the incoming signal into several frequency bands before processing them separately BAND 1 PROCESSING r eee Y i r3 SPLIT is MERGE It means that the dynamics of each band can be affected differently depending on the chosen settings You can for example compress the low end of the spectrum while expanding the mids and keep the highs unchanged The separation between bands is realized with crossover filters which let you control the separation between bands the higher the slope of the filter the sharper the separation One of the particularities of this plug in is that it lets you create cross band effects using the detected envelope of one band to trigger the dynamics effect on another Mid Side Processing Blue Cat s Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix offers mid side processing capability With this feature you can process the mid center and side sides channels instead of the usual left and right channels Concept Origin Mid Side Recording Mid Side recording is a famous recording technique that is preferred in some cases to the traditional left right recording Looking for mid side recording in an internet search engine will give you many tutorials about this technique The result of such a recording is a pair of mid side
7. you change the min and max values with more precision Global Automation Output Settings If your host application does not let you choose which parameters to record as automation curves you may need to choose the automation enabled parameters in the plug in itself In this pane you can decide which output parameters of the plug in will record automation for all instances of the plug in hr Jlug in Parameter Mame Enable Automation Qut Param 1 Out Param 2 Qut Param 3 Qut Param 4 Qut Param 5 Qut Param amp Qut Param 7 Qut Param 8 Qut Param 9 Out Param 10 3 3 E 3 9 E E91 E59 E E generic screen shot does not correspond to the actual plug in parameters All parameters are disabled by default Click on the check box to enable disable automation for a parameter The Current Preset Settings Window This window lets you change the settings for the current preset of the current plug in only Preset Skin You can choose to use the global skin setting or to change the skin for the current preset This way you can have different skins for different instances of the plug in in the same session in order to differentiate them E icum Use global skin Skin file path C Program FilessPlugans Blue Cat Audio Skins default xml Preset MIDI Input Settings Use the global settings or override them for the current preset The parameters are the same as for the global MIDI input settings Use
8. Logic Pro Garage Band Ableton Live Pro Tools in order to perform some MIDI and Or Audio real time Processing tasks To be more precise what we usually call directX plug ins is actually a DirectShow Filter VST is owned by Steinberg DirectX by Microsoft while Audio Units is the property of Apple Computers and RTAS is owned by Digidesign How can I use your plug ins Download and install a host software then download and install the plug ins from our page They will appear in the host effects menu If you are using a DirectX host with our MIDI controllable plug ins and they do not show up in you host list you might need to use our freeware DXi Manager Note that our plug ins are sometimes shown in the MIDI controllable audio effects or soft synths sections in some host applications Where can find a host There are many commercial or freeware hosts that will suit your needs You can find a long list of applications here You can also use demos of Cubase Wavelab Ableton Live Tracktion or Sonar software which are usually available on the companies websites On the Mac Garage Band is part of the system and can be also used to host our Audio Unit plug ins What are the main differences between DX VST RTAS and Audio Units VST is a protocol that works on several platforms Mainly Windows MacOS BeOS and some Linux platforms use it as well whereas DirectX is Microsoft Windows only and Audio Units are available only o
9. Ratio Bi Down Knee dB Bi Makeup Gain dB Freqi i t Hz Slope i i 1 dB Octave Output Stage Dry Wet Limiter On Hard Soft Release ms Post Gain dB Analysis Reset Max In Reset Max In Output Threshold for the lower part of the dynamics response curve Compression ratio for the lower part of the dynamics response curve Knee for the lower part of the dynamics response curve Gain Compensation at the output of the dynamics stage for this band Center frequency for the crossover between this band and the next one Slope for the crossover between this band and the next one Controls the separation between bands the higher the sharper the separation Mix between dry and wet signals global for all bands Enable or disable the output limiter Control the softness of the output limiter 0 is hard 100 soft Release time for the output limiter Output Gain after the brick wall limiter Enable or disable the spectrum analysis Reset the maximum input value displayed in the master section value changes for this parameter trigger reset Reset the maximum output value displayed in the master section value changes for this parameter trigger reset Mono and stereo versions of the plug in offer almost the same outputs The main difference is that the stereo version exposes the same value twice one of each channel except if not specified Name Unit General In Level dB For each band band index i B
10. both channels e min use the minimum of both envelopes to compute the dynamics response The same gain is applied to both channels e max use the maximum envelope to compute the dynamics response The same gain is applied to both channels e flip apply the computed gain of the opposite channel This enhances the stereo dynamics of the audio signal e ch 1 left or mid compute the gain only with the envelope from the first channel The same gain is applied to both channels e ch 2 right or side compute the gain only with the envelope from the second channel The same gain is applied to both channels Channels Activation In addition you can choose to activate or deactivate the entire dynamics processing chain for each channel See the little buttons on top of the band section L Enable R Stereo Link none F Itis possible for example to apply the effect only to the mid channel and use the side channel as a side chain source the source that triggers the effect Several presets use this technique to modify the stereo image Parallel Processing Thanks to the Dry Wet ratio available in the master section you can adjust the amount of wet signal available at the output of the plug in This can be particularly useful to create smooth effects with yet radical settings Cross band Side Chaining You can select a different band from the current one for envelope detection This lets you use another band to control the selecte
11. depending on mouse movement except button All control widgets support the following keys note that some of them are caught by the host and thus never forwarded to the control For example in Steinberg Cubase SX you cannot use the arrow keys to control the plug in Keys Common to All Controls Key Up Arrow Down Arrow Left Arrow Right Arrow Page Up Page Down SHIFT Keys Specific to Buttons Key Enter More Action Small increment of the position up or right Small increment of the position down or left Same as Down Arrow same as Up Arrow Large increment of the position up or right Large decrement of the position down or left Small increment of the value of the control Small decrement of the value of the control Set to default value same as mouse right click When the key is down the fine tuning mode is on and you can modify the value with better precision when moving the mouse the mouse wheel or using the keyboard Just release the key to get back to the normal mode Action Pushes the button Check our online tutorial for more screenshots and more examples of our plug ins user interfaces Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Parameters All parameters described below can be automated and controlled via MIDI if your host application supports it You can precisely define this behavior in the settings panels described later in this manual Input The input parameters of this plug in are the
12. instead The result sounds much more natural and is easier to control Side Chaining A common practice is to use a different signal than the processed signal in order to trigger the dynamics processor For example use the signal of the kick drums to control the dynamics of the bass or vice versa This practice is known as side chaining Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix provides this capability thanks to its advanced MIDI and automation communication features It also provides a way for internal side chaining you can choose any band to trigger the effect on any other band It is for example possible on a drums track to use the low end of the spectrum to detect kick hits to increase the volume of the high frequencies so that transients are louder for the kick drum only Signal Flow Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix includes components to perform all the techniques exposed above and more The complete signal flow in the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in is summarized below General Flow 1 Gain amplify the input signal M S Encoding for the stereo version rearranges the signal from left right to mid side if mid side option is selected Input metering is provided just after this initial stage Bands Split splits the signal into selected frequency bands applying the crossover filters Band 1 to band 5 processing applies dynamics processing to frequency ranges This section is detailed below Bands merge merges the signals from each ba
13. products you can skip this part User Interface Basics About Skins Like all Blue Cat Audio plug ins Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix uses a skinnable user interface It means that the appearance and behavior of the user interface can be entirely customized Especially with third party skins the experience may be very different from the one offered by the default skins that we provide and which are described later in this manual Our plug ins and our skinning engine however have several standard features that will be available whatever your favorite skin This is what this chapter will describe More information about custom skins can be found in the skins section Main Toolbar and Menu Menu If you right click on the background of the plug in the following pop up menu appears Factory Presets d Set Preset Skin vw Use Global Skin Undo Redo Load Preset Save Preset Preset Settings Global Settings User Manual Check for Updates Get More Skins Legal Information About The description of the commands associated to each menu item are available below Toolbar In some skins an optional toolbar gives you access to the some of the functionalities of the main menu Icon Name Function Menu Open the main menu La Undo Undo at Redo Redo j Load Load Preset Save Save Preset Manual User Manual m About About n Website Opens our website Commands The Commands available from the main menu or the toolbar a
14. so that the entire chain processes mid side signals instead of left right when mid side mode is on This also applies to level meters and response graphs The User Interface The dynamics processor is bundled with a single skin for each version Mono and Stereo and you may create your own and download new ones on www bluecataudio com Only the specific features of the included skins are discussed here The next section describes the other features that are common to all Blue Cat Audio plug ins Overview 9 Menu Am Undo 4 Redo n Load n Save Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Aiaia pay 2 3 bands 1 0 0 U Pre Gain l 7 Y i Hl 3 G0 Hz T60 Hz 24 0dB octe Z4 dB oct 4 T side Chain Source Band 3 5 4 B M none E d m Stereo Link Limiter Hard 5oft Upper Curve Threshold Ratio Knee E 36 0 dB 1 91 1 0 0 dB Lower Cure Threshold Ratio ost Gain 50 0 dB LM Copy from 5 Copy to Mode Makeup Rms Avg Peak Rms Gain d T n x PUPP Im Absolute Relative Master Section 1 The master section lets you manage the main in and out levels as well as the main modes of operation left right versus mid side for the stereo version It offers large input and output peak level meters and controls for the output brickwall limiter The bypass button deactivates any processing performed b
15. the volume of the incoming signal thanks to an envelope follower and then apply a gain reduction or increase on the input signal depending on the transfer curve set by the user Envelope Detection INPUT Volume Control OUTPUT Types of Dynamics Processing This leads us to quickly explain the various kinds of dynamics processing that you can produce with Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Compression A signal is said to be compressed when its dynamic range is reduced it consists in lowering the volume of the louder sections and increase the volume of quieter sections The main interest is to increase the overal loudness of a track but if overused it may also cause the track to sound flat lacking dynamics Limiting Limiting is the exact same as compression except that it refers to much higher compression ratios A typical example is brickwall limiting where the compression ratio is such that the volume cannot exceed a given threshold Expansion Expansion is the exact opposite from compression it is the fact of expanding the dynamic range of a sound making louder the already loud passages and quieter the already quiet ones Gating When applying a gate effect the idea is to decrease the gain for the sounds with lower volume with a specified ratio A typical application is the noise gate to get rid of background noise during silence The content below a given threshold will be silenced by the gate making sure no no
16. 14 ase Linas generic screen shot does not correspond to the actual plug in parameters Note if the Min value is higher than the Max value the response curve will be reversed increasing the MIDI controller value will decrease the parameter value Note if you double click on the parameter text control boxes for the max and min values a fine tuning edit box will appear and let you change the min and max values with more precision Global MIDI Output Settings You can set the same properties for the output parameters they may trigger MIDI CC messages when modified Since it s output you cannot set the channel to MIDI Omni you must choose a channel Parameter Mame Channel CC Enable 1 16 0 127 MIDI 5 d All Parameters 1 F Qut Param 1 60 dB 5 Out Param 2 60 dB 5 T 4 Qut Param 3 60 dB Qut Param 4 60 dB m Qut Param 5 60 dB Out Param amp 60 dB Qut Param 7 60 dB Qut Param 8 60 dB B dB m TITTIT Qut Param 9 ry Eg pg p ps p p pm a g 333333311 Out Param 10 5 d No Clip hot does not correspond to the actual plug in parameters generic screen s Note if the Min value is higher than the Max value the response curve will be reversed increasing the MIDI controller value will decrease the parameter value Note if you double click on the parameter text control boxes for the max and min values a fine tuning edit box will appear and let
17. Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix User Manual i Menu Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Undo P Redo l Load n Save Sbands LES Pre Gain AR H ri iua mal 24 dB oct 24 dB oct side Chain Source T Enable Stereo Link 2 Reset Limiter Hard 5oft AT max k Upper Curve Threshold Ratio 7g ul Knee 21 0 dB 2 00 1 Lower Curve Threshold Ratio Post Gain Copy from a Mode Envelope Hold Release Peak Rms Hms Avg T i if 7 s P Stereo Mode 0 0 ms 510 9 ms 700 0 ms stereo Relative Enable Absolute 24 d0B oct FC ares L DDy DOC Window Opacity 2900 Hz 11000 Hz 24 dB f oct BAND 2 Wakeup Gain Multiband dynamics processing revisited K up AY fd CZ RAS 0 DX Table Of Content e Introduction e Description e Features e System Requirements e Installation e Using Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix e Introduction e The User Interface e Operation e Side Chaining e Tips amp Tricks e Blue Cat Audio Plugins Basics e User Interface Basics e Controls e Keyboard e Mouse e More e Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix Parameters e Input e Output e Plug in Settings e The Global Settings Window e The Preset Settings Window e About Skins e Changing the Skin e Create a Custom Skin e Frequently Asked Questions e More e Extra Skins e Tutorials e Updates e Versions History Note An html version of this user manual is available onli
18. E2 enabled processor Pentium 4 or later e Microsoft Windows XP Vista or Windows 7 e Any DirectX VST RTAS compatible host software 32 or 64 bit e Available as Mac AU Mac RTAS Mac VST Win DX Win RTAS Win VST Win x64 DX Win x64 VST e Native DSP code for optimal performance e Skinnable user interface e Smooth Update silent zipper free parameters update e Full automation support e No CPU load on idle when the plug in is fed with silence the processing smoothly shuts down to optimize the CPU usage of your Digital Audio Workstation e Real time MIDI control with advanced settings and MIDI learn e Automation and MIDI output record output parameters as automation curves or send MIDI CC messages to other plug ins for powerful side chain effects e Smooth Bypass activate deactivate the plug in with absolutely no noise e Undo Redo e Import Export presets in a host independent format e Any sample rate supported Mac OS X e An Intel or PowerPC processor e Mac OS X Leopard 10 5 or Snow Leopard 10 6 e Any VST Audio Unit 32 64 bit RTAS compatible application For more intormation about supported platrorms see our FAW Installation Blue Cat Audio plug ins cannot be run standalone they require a host application see the System Requirements chapter for more information Depending on which host application you use you might need to install the plug ins in different locatio
19. M S channels instead of classic left right L R channels in an audio stream The mid channel is also often called Mono and side Stereo the mid channel contains the signal that is in the center of the stereo mix and the side channel contains the rest everything that is on the sides of the mix M S h 5 w o a LN LN Left Right Stereo Mid Side Stereo From Mid Side Recording to Processing The relationship between L R and M S channel can be computed so that you can transform any Mid Side recording to standard listenable left right stereo stream The reverse operation is also possible which means that you can artificially separate mid side information from your usual L R stereo tracks That s what is done by our mid side processing plug ins Mid Process amp rearrange Processing separately the mid side channels instead of left right channels offers more control over the stereo character of a sound Reducing the volume of the side channel makes it sound more mono and vice versa Mid Side and Dynamics Applied to dynamics processing this lets you dynamically control how stereo a track may sound depending on the content of this track It offers a much more flexible and intuitive way of managing stereo dynamics processing than the usual left right technique processing separately both channels does not alter the L R balance of the output signal but changes the ratio between the stereo and mono signals
20. Unused Bands In order to minimize the amount of CPU spent by the plug in you can bypass the bands that you do not use Use Solo and Mute to Tweak the Effect The Mute and Solo buttons are your friend they will help you find the hot spots in your signal and choose your frequency bands to apply the effect to the right part of the spectrum Protect your Ears with the Brickwall Limiter While tweaking the parameters of the plug in and learning to use the software you should always activate the output brickwall limiter It will prevent you from damaging your speakers or your ears You can always deactivate it afterwards when you are happy with the sound and you can see the limiter does not reduce the output volume Stereo Effects In order to create interesting stereo effects use the stereo link and mid side features They will let you create custom interactions between channels that produce interesting stereo field effects Cross Band Effects Use the side internal side chaining capability SC Input parameter to use different parts of the spectrum for envelope detection and gain changes For example if you want to add treble to the kick drum only you can use the low end of the spectrum to detect kick hits and send the envelope to a band set as an expander for the high end of the spectrum Blue Cat Audio Plug ins Basics This chapter describes the basic features that are common to all our plug ins If you are already familiar with our
21. a few minutes You can then share your skins on our website FAQ Automation Output When I use the plug in my host application is slowed down and get audio drop outs How can solve this problem If your host application does not let you select the parameters for which you want to record automation it might be doing some extra work for handling the output parameters generated by the plug in A solution is to disable the output parameters you do not use in the Preset or Global settings Automation Output pane When use the plug in my host application draws many automation curves on the current track and yet I have not touched any control on the plug in How can avoid that If your host application does not let you select the parameters for which you want to record automation it will record automation for all the output parameters generated by the plug in You can disable the output parameters you do not use in the Preset or Global settings Automation Output pane am trying to record automation curves as shown in the tutorials but it does not work What do have to do If your host application lets you select the parameters for which you want to record automation check that the parameters you want to record are enabled You also need to check that the plug in automation output is enabled for these parameters Check the Preset or Global settings Automation Output pane and select the parameters you want to record Whe
22. ant to create The graph displayed in the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix user interface shows the output level as a function of the input level in dB scale The controls offered to modify the shape of the dynamics response are explained below The up threshold and down threshold correspond to the upper part and lower part of the dynamics response curve They let you specify the upper part usually for compression and lower part usually for gating of the curve independently For each part of the curve above the up threshold and below the down threshold you can choose the ratio which corresponds to the ratio between the output and input levels In the example above an infinite to one ratio will be applied to the input signal as soon as it reaches 18 dB hard limiting and a 3 to 1 ratio will be applied as soon as it is below 40 dB gate Once you have chosen the ratio the knee parameter lets you soften the dynamics response The difference between the left and right graphs below is 70 dB up and down knees The effect is applied progressively whereas with no knee the ratio changes as soon as the threshold is reached Makeup gain When the shape of the dynamics response curve is changed the maximum peak level might increase or decrease That s the reason why the plug in offers a makeup gain right after the main dynamics processor This lets you compensate this difference Transfer Curve Shapes We exposed various dynamics processing
23. constants for the chosen band The selected band of the source track controls the effect applied to the destination track If you have issues performing the above tasks in your host application please visit our website and check our step by step tutorials http www bluecataudio com Tutorials Note in this mode the output limiter is not in use Offline Side Chaining Mode If your host does not support MIDI CC you can still use the side chaining capabilities of the plug in offline thanks to its automation support You will need to record the gain information as an automation curve and apply it to the other track You can either use Blue Cat s Gain Suite freeware plug ins or use your host gain automation feature Control audio signal Unchanged control audio signal um source Track Automation Curve Side Chain Control Audio signal Modified audio signal Destination Track The procedure if the following e Insert Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix on the audio source track the audio track used as control signal for the side chain mono or stereo e Setup the dry wet parameter to 0 all dry so that the signal on the source track is not affected by the plug in e Setup the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in response curve and time constants to obtain the desired effect e Insert Blue Cat s Gain on the destination track mono or stereo e Arm the Total Gain or Bi Total gain 1 and Bi Total Gain 2 where i is the band index
24. cts Product GainSuite for full multiband side chaining see the Blue Cat s MB 7 Mixer plug in The idea is that the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in is used to perform the envelope detection on the source track and sends the volume control change messages to the gain plug in that is instantiated on the destination track Control audio signal Unchanged control audio signal Source Track Real time side chain fase MIDI CC control MJI Audio signal Modified audio signal Destination Track In order to use the real time side chaining functionality of Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix the procedure is the following e Insert Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix on the audio source track the audio track used as control signal for the side chain mono or stereo e Setup the dry wet parameter to 0 all dry so that the signal on the source track is not affected by the plug in e Insert Blue Cat s Gain plug in on the destination track mono or stereo e Assign the Total Gain for the selected band or Bi Total gain 1 and Bi Total Gain 2 where i is the band index output parameter s to a given MIDI channel and CC number e Assign the Gain parameter of the Gain plug in to the same MIDI channel amp CC number as the Total Gain parameter e Route Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix MIDI output to Blue Cat s Gain usually using a MIDI track but this step depends on your host application e Setup the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in response curve and time
25. d dynamics response on another frequency range It is also possible to use the broadband unfiltered input signal for the envelope computation choose input This unique feature of the plug in goes beyond traditional multiband dynamics processing and adds a lot of flexibility to the type of effects you can achieve Controlling Bands Together The bands link section offers several ways of controlling the settings of all bands together To use this feature click on the enable button if you change a parameter in the current band all other bands will be affected as well e In relative mode the changes made to the value of the current band are applied to all other bands With this mode you can for example increase the makeup gain of all bands by the same amount with a single mouse move e In absolute mode the value for the current band is copied to all other bands With this mode you can for example reset the makeup gain of all bands to the same value with a single mouse move Brickwall Limiter The final stage of this plug in is a brick wall limiter soft clipper to avoid hard clipping at the output of your host software A common practice is to use a slow attack compression stage and then apply the brick wall limiter for harder limiting on remaining transients The pink meter on the left of the output level meter shows the amount of limiting applied The range of this meter is 60 dB You can also set the release tim
26. d 3 in the screen shot above 6 Global Response this curve represents the global dynamics response of the dynamics processing stage 7 Show Hide selector you can use the controls at the bottom of the screen to hide most of the components described above It can be helpful to reduce the amount of information simultaneously displayed or to reduce the cpu consumption of the user interface spectrum and response display are typically more cpu intensive Crossovers 3 The crossovers area displays controls for each band to modify either the frequency or the slope of the crossover filters 80 Hz 780 Hz 24 dBfoct 24 0dBfocte The slopes of the crossovers range from 6 to 60 dB Octave They can be controlled independenily thanks to the black drop down boxes Current Band and Links 4 The center of the user interface is dedicated to the current band Side Chain Source Band 3 T Enable R Stereo Link keset none Upper Curve Threshold Ratio Knee 35 0 dE 1 91 1 0 0 dB Lower Cure Threshold Ratio Knee a Copy from Rms Avg Peak Rms F E B da 0 0 ms F UO0 0ms 700 0 ms En able Absolu te I 1 You can change the band that is currently selected by clicking on the arrows on the left or right of the current band number or using other controls in the main display or the monitoring section The reset below the band number resets all parameters of the current band to default values 2 O
27. data We provide an installer for our customers convenience Our installers do not modify the system settings or the Windows registry except for the DirectX versions registration Our installers won t harm your system Software Version How do I know the version of the plug in am using You can see the version information in the about box right click on the background of the plug in user interface and select About The product version is also available in the Windows Add Remove Programs Window Why do newer versions of a plug in override older ones they have exact same name and IDs Because newer versions improve previous ones When a new version is released older versions are not supported anymore In some cases the new versions may be installed as new products compatibility reasons major changes but it is explicitly documented on the product page A new minor version of a product purchased some time ago is available Where can I download the update The new version can be downloaded from the same place where you downloaded the original version All information is contained in the email you received when you purchased the product Your registration number has not changed either Upgrade A new minor version of my plug in has been released Where can download it When you purchased the plug in an email containing the information to download and register your software has been sent to you You can download the new versi
28. detection has the usual attack and release parameters plus an additional hold time that lets you specify how long the detector waits before it starts decreasing The RMS envelope offers a single parameter corresponding to the time used to run the RMS average If you set all these parameters to 0 you obtain a wave shaper distortion unit envelope Hold time Stereo Control With the stereo plug in you can choose the way you want the stereo signal to be affected by the dynamics processing It offers several parameters to fine tune the stereo behavior of the plug in Stereo Mode Choose between mid side and left right processing for the entire plug in In the default stereo mode left right left and right channels are processed separately and in mid side mode the plug in processes the mid and side channels instead Mid side processing is described in the introduction section Later in this manual we will refer to channel 1 and channel 2 respectively left and right or mid and side channels depending on the chosen mode Stereo Link In order to keep the stereo balance coherent or on the contrary to modify the stereo perception of a track you can choose to link the effect applied to each channel in several ways for each band L Enable R e none no link Each channel is independent e average mix the left and right or mid and side envelopes to compute the dynamics response The same gain is applied to
29. e to zero In this case the limiter produces saturation You can adjust the saturation softness using the Hard Soft knob Tip it is strongly recommended to activate the brickwall limiter while experimenting with the parameters of the Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix plug in The plug in gives you great power to modify the dynamics of the incoming signal which may result in huge audio spikes in some rare cases The brickwall limiter protects your monitors and your ears against such mistakes Side Chaining Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix lets you use the signal from a track to control the volume or any other parameter of another This technique is called side chaining as explained in the introduction You can either use this side chaining feature to control the global volume of the destination track as shown below or perform full multi band side chaining as explained in this tutorial The methodology is the same only the target plug in and the number of parameters to connect differ There are two ways of performing this You can choose the appropriate method depending on the capabilities of your host application and your needs Real Time Side Chaining Mode Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix uses MIDI CC to perform real time side chaining In order to use this feature your host application has to support MIDI CC for the plug ins You will also need to download Blue Cat s Gain Suite free plug ins at the following address http www bluecataudio com Produ
30. eneral Skin file path C Program Files Plugins Blue Cat Audio Skins default xml Output data refresh rate 50 Hz Global MIDI Input Settings For each parameter you can define a default MIDI channel and CC number You can then control the plug in with an external MIDI controller or one of our plug ins that generate MIDI messages The following settings are available for each plug in parameter e Channel MIDI Channel for the parameter control If set to 0 the plug ins will accept Control Change Messages from all MIDI Channels MIDI Omni mode e CC Control Change Number e Learn click on this button to activate the MIDI learn functionality When it is activated you can move your MIDI controller and the plug in will automatically set the MIDI Channel and CC Number e Enable MIDI enable disable the MIDI control of the parameter e Response response curve of the MIDI control from very fast to slow control e Min minimal value of the parameter when MIDI controlled e Max Maximum value of the parameter when MIDI controlled Channel CC Enable 016 0127 MIDI m 5 d Bypass Of Oms 5 d Param 1 Param 7 Ums Param 3 Oms vue Param 4 1 ms OdB 5 T a 4 Param 5 Param 6 5 Param 7 5 d Param amp Param 9 Param 10 iL 4 4 4 Param 11 Param 12 5 4 iar Param 13 Linear iddiada 3 Eg E pg pg pg pm p p p p om p pm GA It Dees
31. ersion 1 and 2 for the stereo version 1 and 2 for the stereo version 1 and 2 for the stereo version 1 and 2 for the stereo version Plug in Settings In addition to the controls offered in the main user interface Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix has various settings that let you fine tune the behavior of the plug in You can choose to change these settings either for the current preset or globally for all instances of the plug in The Global Settings Window The settings available in this window apply to all instances of the plug in for all presets Consider these settings as default settings General You can change the default skin for all instances of the plug in write the skin file path in the text edit box or click on the button to open a file chooser dialog If you have several instances of the plug in opened in your session you will have to re open the user interfaces of these plug ins to see the skin change The output data refresh rate can also be customized for all instances of the plug in It controls the refresh rate of non audio data produced by the plug in parameters curves It also controls the refresh rate of output MIDI CC messages or output automation data The higher the refresh rate the better precision but also the higher cpu usage some host applications may also have trouble recording MIDI data at high refresh rates The default value is 50 Hz Jive Cars Plugin GE G
32. following Name Unit Description Comment General Bypass Bypass the effect Stereo Mode Choose between stereo left right and mid side modes stereo version only Pre Gain dB Input gain before the dynamics processing stage Bands Number of Bands For each band band index i Bi Bypass Bypass the effect for this band Bi Mute Mute this band Bi Solo Solo this band listen to the band Bi SC Input Internal side chain input for the current band choose the signal used for envelope detection any band or broadband input signal Bi Stereo Link Defines the link between the left right or mid side stereo channels 0 none 1 average 2 min 3 max 4 flip version 5 channel 1 6 channel 2 only Bi Enable Ch1 Enable dynamics processing for channel 1 stereo version only Bi Enable Ch2 Enable dynamics processing for channel 2 stereo version only Bi Peak RMS Proportion of peak and RMS envelope detection modes 0 is full Peak and 100 is full RMS Bi Attack ms Attack time for the peak detection Bi Hold ms Hold time for the peak detection Bi Release ms Release time for the peak detection Bi RMS average ms Time for the RMS average computation Bi Up Threshold dB Threshold for the upper part of the dynamics response curve Bi Up Ratio Compression ratio for the upper part of the dynamics response curve Bi Up Knee dB Knee for the upper part of the dynamics response curve Bi Down Threshold dB Bi Down
33. global setting Parameter Mame Channel CC Enable Response 016 0127 MIDI All Parameters 0 Linear Bypass a Linear Param 1 a Linear Oms Param 2 a Linear Oms Param 3 a Linear Oms Param 4 a T Linear 1 ms Param 5 a Linear OdB Param amp ez Linear ms Param 7 a Linear 0 dB s Param 8 a Linear Param 9 a Linear Normal Param 10 a Linear Param 11 a Linear Param 12 a Linear Param 11 inaar generic screen shot does not correspond to the actual plug in parameters Preset MIDI Output Settings Use the global settings or override them for the current preset The parameters are the same as for the global MIDI output settings Use global setting Parameter Mame Channel CC Enable 1 16 0 127 MIDI All Parameters 1 Out Param 1 Out Param 2 Out Param 3 Out Param 4 Out Param 5 Out Param 6 Out Param 7 Out Param amp Out Param 3 Out Param 10 generic screen shot does not correspond to the actual plug in parameters Preset Automation Output Settings Use the global settings or override them for the current preset The parameters are the same as for the global automation output settings 1 1ni MIDI Input MIDI Output Automation Output Use global setting Parameter Name Enable Automation Al Parameters Out Param 1 Qut Param 2 Qut Param 3 Qut Param 4 Qut Param 5 Qut Param amp Qut Param 7 Qut Param 8 Qut Param 3 Qut Param 10 generic screen shot does not correspo
34. have installed my plug in on windows 64 bit checked the items above and it still does not show up in my host application What can do You are probably running a 32 bit application If that s the case you need to install the 32 bit version of the plug in the choice for 32 or 64 bit is not determined by the operating system 64 bit windows can run both 32 and 64 bit applications but by the host application that you are using Why are there two plug ins called xxxx Mono and xxxx Stereo installed Mono effects which are effects that do not make any difference between left and right channels are bundled this way for performance reasons Some developers just deliver a stereo Version which also processes twice mono streams The Mono plug in is to be used with mono streams and the Stereo one with stereo streams The effect itself is the same in both cases but the number of processed channels is different this may drastically improve performance for CPU intensive plug ins How do uninstall my plug ins Open the Windows configuration panel Add Remove Programs and choose Remove on the corresponding plug in If you have installed the VST plug in zip file version just delete the corresponding dlls Why do your plug ins need an installer on Windows Do they modify the registry or system settings Why not providing just a dll Our plug ins require several additional files for default settings skins and miscellaneous
35. i In Level dB Bi Out Level dB Description Comment Audio input Level 1 and 2 for the stereo version Audio level at the input of the processing stage for this 1 and 2 band for the stereo version Audio level at the output of the processing stage for this 1 and 2 band for the stereo version Bi Comp Bi Total Gain Output Stage Limiter Gain Out Level Max In Level In Peak Hold Max Out Level Out Peak Hold dB dB dB dB dB dB dB dB Gain reduction or increase produced by the dynamics processing stage for this band This value does not include the makeup gain Total Gain reduction or increase produced by the dynamics processing stage for this band including the makeup gain Gain reduction applied by the output brickwall limiter Audio level at the output of the plug in Maximum value of the Audio level over time at the input of the plug in can be reset by Min Reset parameter changes for both channels Local Maximum value of the Audio level over time at the input of the plug in This value is automatically reset by the plug in on a regular basis Maximum value of the Audio level over time at the output of the plug in can be reset by Min Reset parameter changes for both channels Local Maximum value of the Audio level over time at the output of the plug in This value is automatically reset by the plug in on a regular basis 1 and 2 for the stereo v
36. ilities Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix is capable of advanced side chaining features you can control other plug ins with the output of the dynamics processing stage for simple side chain dynamics effects or more advanced signal dependent effects Check out our MB 5 Dynamix Tutorials for more details If you are looking for a broadband dynamics processor check out the Blue Cat s Dynamics plug in Typical applications Multiband dynamics correction and modeling mastering loudness maximizing dynamic equalization de essing pop removal multiband wave shaping spectrum based side chain effects Features Main Features Blue Cat Audio Standards e Full featured multiband dynamics processor compressor gate limiter expander waveshaper e Up to 5 bands with crossover filters from 6 to 60 dB Oct for optimal separation e Unique envelope routing capability for cross band dynamics effects one band may trigger another e Dry wet control for parallel processing New York Compression e Stereo or mid side processing with multiple channels linking options e Post brickwall limiter or waveshaper e Complete Visual feedback with real time response curves and levels display e Easy copy paste settings between bands e Side chaining made easy a unique way to perform multi band side chain compression ducking gating and much more e Plug in window transparency management e No latency System Requirements Windows e SS
37. ise can be heard alone When the music comes back with sufficient volume the gate will open and let the music go thru Wave shaping The previous examples use the volume envelope of the sound to trigger an effect If the volume control is based on the waveform instead of the shape of its envelope you transform the effect into a waveshaper which produces a great amount of distortion Technically speaking the idea here is to reduce the integration time of the envelope followers of the dynamics processing software to reach values that are close to the period of audible sounds 10 ms or below This allows you to shape the incoming waveform and completely transform its sound the gain reduction will depend on the shape of the waveform locally or at a microscopic scale instead of the volume of the sound globally or at a macroscopic scale The Effect of Time As described earlier the gain control is triggered by volume changes of the incoming signal based on parameters entered by the user Appart from determining the type of effect limiter gate compressor etc by choosing the shape of the response curve it is possible to choose how fast the dynamics processor reacts to volume changes up attack time down release time This also has a major influence on the sound and the perceived volume of the output waveform The shorter the attack and release time the closer to waveshaping and the more distortion The longer the time constants
38. n use the plug in in a project every time I save the project my application shows it as unsaved right away How can solve this issue This plug in produces automation output and some host applications consier that any change to one of the output parameters is a change for the project In order to solve this problem and if you do not use the automation output capability of this plug in you can disable automation output from the plug in settings panel Global or Preset Settings Automation Output pane uncheck all parameters MIDI Output How can enable the MIDI output of the plug in If your host application supports it you can choose to send MIDI CC messages based on the output parameters computed by the plug in The feature is not enabled by default so you need to go to the current preset settings of the global settings if you want to enbale this for all instances not recommended and open the MIDI output pane For each parameter you are interested in enable MIDI output and select the appropriate channel and CC number The plug in will then send MIDI messages to the host application Check our tutorials for a detailed explanation of MIDI output routing in your favorite host Plug ins Formats What are DirectX DX Audio Unit AU RTAS and VST plug ins VST Audio Unit RTAS and DirectX plug ins are software components than can be used in Host Software such as Cakewalk Sonar Steinberg Cubase or Wavelab Sony Vegas
39. n the Mac RTAS is available on Mac and PC but only for Pro Tools products Digidesign VST RTAS and Audio Units are dedicated to Audio processing whereas DirectX DirectShow enables you to manage any kind of streamed media audio video compressed data What is the difference between DXi and DX effects DXi effects are MIDI controllable DirectX plug ins It s the same as DX effects plus MIDI control Which version VST Audio Unit RTAS or DX should use in my host application Here is a list of host software and the version we recommend you to use Many other applications are supported check your application user manual to choose the best version AU stands for Audio Unit and DX for DirectX Host Application Plug in Version Cakewalk Products Sonar Projectd5 DX sony Products Vegas ACID Soundforge DX for old versions VST for new Steinberg Products Cubase Nuendo Wavelab VST Mac or PC Ableton Live VST Mac or PC Adobe Audition any EnergyXT VST Magix Samplitude VST Avid Digidesign Pro Tools RTAS Apple applications Logic Pro Logic Express Garage Band AU Cockos Reaper VST Mac or PC In general we recommend using VST over Audio Unit on Mac when both are supported particularly for the plug ins that can output automation or MIDI CC messages Where can find more information about this topic e www steinberg net e WWW microsoft com e WWW kvraudio com e WWW apple com e www digidesign com
40. n the stereo version several additional controls are available e The Land R or M and S in mid side mode buttons let you deactivate any processing applied to any of the channels e Choose the type of link between channels for the dynamics response 3 The the upper curve and lower curve sub sections control the shape of the dynamics response 4 The graph displays the dynamics response of all bands and shows as an overlay below this response the computed envelope for the current band computed after the side chain source signal which is by default the current band This lets you see exactly how the gain of the dynamics stage is computed 5 The envelope and mode sub section let you control the time response of the dynamics processor 6 Makeup gain to compensate volume changes 7 Copy to and copy from links you can copy the settings for the current band to any other copy to or on the contrary import the settings from another band copy from Note that the side chain source setting is not copied during these operations 8 Side chain source select the source band for envelope computation This setting lets you trigger the effect on the current band using another band as a source for envelope computation 9 Bands link link the controls of all bands together Monitoring Section 5 The Monitoring section gives an overview of the dynamics processing stage with a set of controls and level meters for each band 1 Click on the band
41. nd into a broadband signal Limit brick wall limiter Post Gain amplification stage right before the output meter M S Decoding the mid side to left right conversion for the stereo version when the plug in runs in mid side mode NO CO NO Of CO Band Processing The main processing occurs for each band as described below DU i 1 Side Chain Selector selects the signal to compute the envelopes You can choose the current band or any other band to control the dynamics processor for cross band effects 2 Envelope Detection detects the envelope of the chosen incoming signal 3 Stereo Link for the stereo version controls how both channels envelopes should be linked together Lets you define the relationship between the effect applied on the left right or mid side channels 4 Transfer Curve determines the gain to apply to the signal depending on the incoming envelope s and the ratios gains set by the user 5 Gain Control this module applies the gain determined by the transfer curve on the incoming signal 6 Makeup Gain gain applied to the signal to compensate the perceived changed in volume due to the dynamics processing stage 7 Dry Wet Mix mix the dry and wet signals to perform parallel compression The Dry Wet control is common to all bands it can t be set separately Note that for the stereo version mid side splitting and re arranging is performed at the input and output of the plug in
42. nd to the actual plug in parameters About Skins Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix integrates Blue Cat s skinning engine that allows you to customize the user interface You can download new skins for your plug in at the following address http www bluecataudio com Skins Product MB5Dynamix If you don t find a skin that fits your need or if you want a really custom one you can choose to create your own skin Changing the Skin You have two ways to change the skin of your plug in you can change the default or global skin in the global settings or change the skin for the current preset only either in the preset settings page or from the main menu The global skin applies to all plug in instances whereas the current preset skin only applies to the current preset of the current plug in instance See the main menu for more information about how to access these options On some hosts the plug in window won t resize automatically when you choose a skin with a different size In this case just close the window and re open it it will be displayed with the right size Create a Custom Skin You can create custom skins for your plug in in order to adapt it to your exact needs You can change its look and feel and make it completely integrated in your virtual studio Just read the Blue Cat s Skinning Language manual and download the samples for the tutorial on http www bluecataudio com Skins You can get ready to create your own skins in
43. ne here Introduction Description Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix is an extremely powerful all in one multiband dynamics processor it can be used as a multiband compressor limiter gate expander waveshaper or all combined at once on any part of the spectrum The unique dynamics processing section of the Blue Cat s Dynamics plug in has been streamlined and integrated in this plug in to process each one of the 5 bands separately The plug in provides unique envelope detection capabilities that let one band trigger the dynamics response on others internal side chain Combined with the advanced stereo features including mid side processing and independent channels activation it gives you full control over the dynamics of the signal for a wide range of effects An additional brick wall limiter clipper protects the output for complete control over the dynamics response The plug in provides comprehensive visual feedback to let you know what s exactly going on at every step of the dynamics processor for each channel monitor the spectrum the in out levels dynamics response compression ratio and in out level of each band The user interface has been designed to streamline the workflow and despite the wide range of functionalities offered by the plug in it is extremely easy to use Inter bands controls copy paste link lets you create complex treatments with a few clicks Thanks to its advanced MIDI and automation output capab
44. ns Windows Install All versions of the plug in provide an install program Follow the steps of the wizard to install the plug in on your machine During the installation you will be asked where you want the plug in s to be installed For the VST version you should install the plug in inside the VST plug ins folder used by your host application s The default path set in the installer should work for most applications but you should check your host software documentation to know where it looks for VST plug ins Some applications will not automatically rescan the new plug ins so you might have to force a refresh of the plug ins list Upgrade When a new version of the plug in is released just launch the new installer it will update the current installation Uninstall To uninstall the plug in simply launch the Uninstall program that is available in the start menu or in the configuration panel Mac Install On Mac the plug ins are available as drive images After download double click on the file to open it You can then drag and drop the plug in file s to the shortcut that is provided within the image It will install the plug in s for all users on the machine In case you do not have admin rights on your Mac or if you want to install the plug in s to another directory just copy the files to the appropriate location If required more information is available in the README txt file that is included in the package
45. ntrols you will encounter in the user interface of our plug ins slider slider knob button Text control Interacting with Controls You can interact with the controls of the plug in interface either with the mouse or the keyboard Setting the keyboard focus on a control so that it responds to key strokes may be automatic when you pass the mouse over it it gets focus or manual you have to click on the control to set the focus on it Note that all host applications behave differently regarding keyboard handling In some applications you may not be able to use all keys described later in this manual to interact with our plug ins It is usually made obvious to you to know the active surfaces of the skin the places where you can click with the mouse the mouse cursor usually changes when you can do something on a control In the default skins delivered with the plug in the cursor changes to a small hand or an arrow to tell you when your mouse is over an active control Mouse Various mouse movements will let you interact with the controls Mouse Interaction Left Click Left Click Alt Key Left Double Click Right Click Mouse Wheel Mouse Drag Keyboard Action Acquire focus and start dragging or push button Set the value to default Acquire focus and launch the fine tuning edit box except button Set the value to default Increment or decrement the position focus required Change the control position
46. number at the top to select the corresponding band This control is underlined for the selected band 2 Bypass Mute Solo each band can be bypassed no processing muted silent or soloed other non soloed bands are muted 3 Level meters the level meters display both the input and output levels and the amount of compression or expansion of the dynamics processing stage The levels shown do not take the makeup gain into account so that the actual dynamics treatment applied to the band is clearly visible The meter that shows the difference between the output and input becomes red for gain reduction and green for gain increase 4 You can respectively adjust the lower and upper thresholds with the appropriate blue and pink sliders The controls for inactive bands are grayed out disabled Additional Features The opacity feature lets you change the opacity of the window containing the plug in so that it becomes transparent you can modify the processing parameters while having a look at what s happening behind the plug in The various elements of the user interface knobs sliders buttons are simple and intuitive to operate but more information about how to interact with them is available in the Plug ins Basics chapter of this manual Operation This section will progressively dive deeper into the details of the plug in explaining the specificity of each module A complete list of the parameters exposed by
47. on from the exact same location as the first time I have downloaded a new version do I need to uninstall the previous version No you don t except if it s specified on the product page in the history section Just run the installer and it will upgrade your software Automation What is Parameters Automation The parameters of an effect can be automated in most host software It means that you can record the changes you do during playback or recording so that it s replayed when playing back again It s a way of sequencing parameters changes the same way you do with Audio or MIDI data What is Smooth Update When changing parameter values in real time or replaying a song where parameters have been automated our plug ins compute intermediate values between parameter changes in order to avoid clicks and pops that may occur otherwise It results in a non audible smooth parameters update and lets you freely use automation or MIDI control to change the effects in a song Do your plug ins support MIDI Control Yes they do They offer precise control over the mapping of MIDI Control Change CC messages to parameter values you can adjust both the channel and CC number as well as the response curve of the control Since some of our plug ins are also capable of creating MIDI CC from the audio signal they can all be connected for real time signal dependent audio effects See our MIDI Control in Sonar tutorial for an example More
48. products in order to provide you with the latest technology available Please visit often our website to check if Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix has been updated or subscribe to our Newsletter to keep you informed with the latest news about our products Versions History V1 2 2011 08 31 e Output data rate MIDI CC or automation can now be customized from 20 to 500 Hz e Increased the default output data rate from 20 to 50 Hz for smoother side chaining and more precise spectrum display e Windows improved settings dialog loading time e Mac user interface performance improvement up to 20 lighter on cpu V1 11 2011 02 10 e Fixed keyboard focus stealing issue in Pro Tools and several other host applications V1 1 2010 12 14 e Improved the precision of the crossover filters especially in the low end of the spectrum e Zoom animation is no longer triggered when opening the user interface of the plug in V1 0 2010 09 06 First release Thanks again for choosing our solutions See you soon on www bluecataudio com BLUE CAT AUDIO
49. re e Factory Presets browse factory presets if any e Set Preset Skin change the skin for the current preset e Use Global Skin use the skin defined in the global settings for the current preset This item is enabled only if a skin has been defined for the current preset e Undo Redo undo or redo the latest modifications This includes all changes made to the current preset settings e Load Preset load preset from file e Save Preset save current preset to file e Presets Settings open the presets settings window It enables you to change the skin and MIDI settings for the current preset e Global Settings open the global settings window It enables you to change the skin and MIDI settings that are used by default in all instances of the plug in e User Manual open this user manual e Check Updates check the updates for this software on our website e Get More Skins get more skins for this software e Legal Information browse licensing and misc legal documents e About displays the about dialog box MIDI control Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix can also be remotely controlled via MIDI using MIDI CC Control Change messages if your host application supports it It is possible to customize the channel control numbers and range used for each parameter in the MIDI settings panel available from the main menu see the Plug in Settings chapter for more details Controls Examples Here are a few examples of typical co
50. rial The scenario here is very sim Read More Tutorial Real Time Side Chain Multiband Dynamics This tutorial shows how to perform multi band side chain compression ducking or gating with Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix and Blue Cat s MB 7 Mixer Side chaining consists in using the Si Read More Tutorial Using Blue Cat Audio plugins connectivity in Reaper This tutorial shows how to use our plugins MIDI connectivity within Reaper We use Blue Cat s Dynamics plugin as an example but you can use any other audio plugin which provides output parameters Su Read More This tutorial shows how to use the connectivity capabilities of our plugins within Logic We use Blue Cat s Peak Meter Pro plugin DPMP as an example but you can use any other audio plugin which pro Read More This tutorial shows how to use the MIDI connectivity of our plugins within Pro Tools We use Blue Cat s Peak Meter Pro plugin as an example but you can use any other audio plugin which provides outpu Read More Tutorial How to Use the Free Presets Available on this Website ET 53 eee EE This tutorial shows you how to get and load free presets for your favorite Blue Cat Audio plugin T iction This tutorial uses Blue Cat s Dynamics for the demonstration but is applicable to all our plugins HEN EN EN Read More Updates As you can see in the history log below we care about constantly updating our
51. techniques in the previous chapter Here are example of dynamics response curves for these techniques Upper Curve Changing the upper curve ratio and threshold lets you create a compressor limiter or an expander Lower Curve With the lower curve controls it is possible to create a gate or an upward compressor The upward compressor can create interesting effects but can be problematic in the case of noisy input signals because it will magnify background noise In this case you should first apply a gate in your signal chain to get rid of this noise before Custom Shapes One of the interests of Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix is to create your own shapes that mix these usual behaviors to create custom dynamics effects For example a combination of a gate and a compressor that can be used to increase the loudness of a noisy signal Envelope Parameters Now that you have chosen the shape of the transfer curve you can adjust the parameters that drive the envelope follower the component that computes the input level Blue Cat s MB 5 Dynamix offers several envelope detection modes Unlike most dynamics processors it lets you choose to work in intermediate modes it is possible to use half RMS half peak envelope computation for example Peak versus RMS The Peak mode will detect transients spikes in the signal whereas the RMS mode will measure the loudness of the incoming signal Time Parameters The peak envelope
52. the plug in is available in the next section Setting up the Bands and Crossover Frequencies How many bands The first step is to choose the number of bands This choice depends on the type of material and the kind of effect you are looking for If you are not very familiar with multiband dynamics processing we advise you to start with 3 bands and increase the number of bands later if necessary Thanks to the available copy paste commands you can easily transfer your settings to another band Setting up the Crossover Points Be it on a full mix or a single track at this step your aim is to isolate particular frequencies to apply a specific treatment to it The best way to adjust the frequency ranges Is to use the Solo button of the monitoring section to hear the signal processed by each band This method also applies to selecting the appropriate filters slopes You will usually avoid very steep filters artifacts at the crossover points may be more prominent but they can be useful to isolate very particular frequencies Tranfer Curve Parameters Changing the shape of the curve thresholds ratios and knees At the heart of the dynamics processor is the transfer curve which shape can be controlled by the usual threshold ratio and knee parameters This curve describes the relationship ratio between the desired output level and the detected input level This is where you choose what kind of effect compression limiting gating you w
53. y the plug in so that you can compare to the dry signal Above the master section you can select the number of bands for the plug in It ranges from one broadband to five Main Graph Display 2 The main graph display occupies a central spot at the top of the user interface It shows a lot of information about what is happening inside the plug in ha Ls laua 1 Zoom there are three ways to zoom You can either select a part of the display with the mouse or use the sliders which are available at the top left of the display or click on one of the three shortcuts below Please note that the vertical zoom does not apply to the spectrum analyzer 2 Crossover frequencies the vertical lines can be dragged left and right to modify the crossover points 3 Spectrum the built in spectrum analyzer shows the spectrum of the signal at the output of the plug in For the stereo version the left or mid channel is represented with a blue curve and the right or side channel with a pink curve 4 Makeup gain control you can drag the blue cat logos vertically to change the makeup gain for each band Clicking on this control also modifies the current band 5 he frequency response of the crossover filters is displayed with a different color for each band The curve displayed is the actual curve of the filter not a theoretical or simplified representation of it The response curve of the selected band is filled with the associated color ban
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