Using Blue Cat's Dynamics

Introduction

Blue Cat's Dynamics is an all-in-one dynamics processor which lets you modify many aspects of the dynamics of your audio signal. It may act as a compressor, limiter, gate, expander or waveshaper. Before we go into the details of the plugin, let's see what all these words mean.

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 Dynamics 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 of its content.

The principle to is to detect 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:

Types of Dynamics Processing

This leads us to quickly explain the various kinds of dynamics processing that you can produce with Blue Cat's Dynamics:

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 noise 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, the smoother gain control, but also the less efficient and precise control over the volume.

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 Dynamics provides this capability thanks to its advanced MIDI and automation communication features. It also provides a way for "internal side chaining": you can filter the incoming signal and use this filtered version of the input to trigger the dynamics processor. You can for example choose to use only an appropriate range of frequencies to trigger compression on a drums track, reducing the volume only when the snare drums is hit.

Mid/Side Processing

Blue Cat's Dynamics 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 (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):

(The triangles above represent the listener’s head)

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.

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 instead. The result sounds much more natural and is easier to control.

Signal Flow

Blue Cat's Dynamics includes components to perform all the techniques exposed above and more. The complete signal flow in the Blue Cat's Dynamics plugin is summarized below:

1. Preamp: amplify and filter the input signal. This stage also proposes oversampling so that the signal is internally processed at a higher sampling rate, to reduce the potential artefacts.
2. Side Chain Fiter: filter the signal that is driven to the envelpe detection for internal side chain control.
3. Envelope Detection: detect the envelope of the incoming signal.
4. 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.
5. Transfer Curve: determins the gain to apply to the signal, depending on the incoming envelope and the ratios/gains set by the user.
6. Volume Control: this module applies the gain determined by th etransfer curve on the incoming signal.
7. Dry/Wet Mix: mix the dry and wet signals to perform parallel compression.
8. Brickwall Limiter: right after the main dynamics section a brickwall limiter (limiter with infinite ratio) proposes to limit the output volume to 0 dB for output protection or creative limiting effects.
9. Output Gain: controls the final gain after the brickwall limiter. When the limiter is on, this stage determins the maximum value for the peak level of the output signal.

For the stereo version, mid/side splitting and re-arranging is performed at the input and output of the plugin so that the entire chain processes mid/side signals instead of left/right when mid/side mode is on.

The User Interface

Note: The main toolbar, menus and basic features available with all our plug-ins are detailed in the Blue Cat Audio Plug-ins Basics section.

The dynamics processor is bundled with several skins for each version (Mono and Stereo). But you may create your own and download new ones from http://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 plugins.

Main Skin Overview

The skins offered by default with the Blue Cat's Dynamics plugin are composed of several modules corresponding to the various stages available in the plugin. All modules are available in the default skin that is described in this paragraph. Other skins consist in streamlined interfaces with less controls so that you can focus on your current task.

Default skin for the stereo version of the plugin.

As you can see on the screen shot above, the skin is structured from left to right, top to bottom, and follows the signal path (see the signal flow in the previous chapter):

1. On the left are the main input preamp controls (gain, filtering and oversampling).
2. The side chain and envelope detection controls, followed by the stereo link and mode controls let you modify how the envelope is computed, before it is transformed into gain reduction by the next section.
3. Now come the main dynamics processing controls that specify the transfer curve, which transforms the computed envelope in volume control.
4. You can find on top of it the graphs and meters which provide visual feedback on the signal and the processing applied to it. It includes input meters (below the graph), output meters (blue meters on the right), and dynamics stage gain meters (red when compressing, green when expanding). You can see the detected envelope on the response curve graph: it is represented by the blue-colored surface below the response curve. the graph can also show the evolution of the input and output signals over time (more on this below).
5. Finally, on the right is the output stage, with the dry/wet control followed by the brick wall limiter and the output gain.

Clicking on the “Transfer Function” title switches to the envelopes view (see below), where you can follow the input (blue) and output (orange) envelopes. It helps you monitor what happens on your audio signal and manage the envelope detection times.

Dynamics Response		Envelopes View

switching between graph views

To come back to the transfer function view, click on the “Envelopes” title.

Additional Features

The “opacity” feature lets you change the opacity of the window containing the plugin so that it becomes transparent: you can modify the processing parameters while having a look at what's happening behind the plugin.

The graph and meters can be zoomed in order to have a more precise feedback on the signal and the dynamics processing applied by the plugin. To do so, click on the figures showing the scale of the response curve. It shows a menu to choose the desired scale.

Note that zooming also changes the range of the meters: in the example below, the input and output meters range from 0 to 30 dB, and the range of the compression meters is also 30 dB.

It is also possible to zoom/unzoom by using the mouse wheel when on the graph. Once zoomed, you can return to the default zoom with a single right click, and drag the graph with the mouse to reach the region you are interested in.

On the right of the input meters and top of the output meters are displayed the maximum value of the peak signal level (up to +10dB). Clicking on the value resets it.

Other Skins

The other skins delivered with the plug-in let you choose which functionalities you want to use and streamline the user interface of this advanced dynamics processor:

You can choose between compressor, gate, brickwall limiter, compressor/limiter combination, with or without the graph. Pick up the right skin for the right usage! All these skins are based on the same modules as the main skin, so that you should easily find you way to the right controls.

Please read the Skins section for more information about how to load a new skin.

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 plugin, explaining the specificity of each module. A complete list of the parameters exposed by the plugin is available in the next section.

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 want to create.

The graph displayed in the Blue Cat's Dynamics user interface shows the ouput 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 10 dB up and down knees:

Default response (no knee)		Response with large knee values

The effect is applied progressively, whereas with no knee the ratio changes as soon as the threshold is reached.

Makeup and auto 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 plugin offers a makeup gain, right after the main dynamics processor. This lets you compensate this difference.

To make this task easier, the auto-gain feature ensures the reponse curve is normalized (0dB input produces 0dB output). The make-up gain is applied after the normalization occurs. So beware that activating/deactivating the auto gain feature when make-up is used might result in a very large volume increase. Be sure to use the output limiter to avoid to damage your speakers or your ears.

Tranfer Curve Shapes

We exposed various dynamics processing 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:

Compressor		Expander

Lower Curve

With the lower curve controls, it is possible to create a gate or an upward compressor.

Gate		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 Dynamics 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):

Combined upper and lower curve settings

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 Dynamics offers several envelope detection modes. Unlike most dynamics processors, it lets you choose to work in intermediate modes: using a bit of Opto-style envelope detection only is possible, as well as working with half RMS / half peak envelope computation.

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.

VCA versus Opto

For the peak level, two modes are available: "VCA", the most usual one, mimics the Voltage Controlled Amplifiers behavior, whereas the "Opto" mode is similar to opto-electronic detectors with feedback (basically re-injecting the output signal for level detection).

The Opto mode is usually smoother than the full VCA mode: it sounds a bit like the VCA mode with a longer release time. When you use very low attack and release times, you can smoothen the dynamics response by pushing the VCA-Opto knob.

Note: when setting up the processor for a gate with high ratio, the 100% Opto mode won't produce any sound.

Time Parameters

The Peak envelope detection has the usual attack and decay 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. We advise you to add a low-pass filter after the unit if you wish to keep a pleasant sound, and use at least 2x oversampling (1 stage) to avoid aliasing.

example of peak envelope response for a step input

Filters

The plug-in also includes two filters: one for the input signal, and one for the envelope detection (“side chain filter”).

Input Filter

The input filter is applied to the signal before entering the dynamics processing stage. A typical application is to cut lower frequencies before applying compression, to minimize distortion (lower frequencies will offset the input signal level). Another is to apply the dynamics effect to a selected range of frequencies and remix it with the incoming signal thanks to the Dry/Wet mixer in the output section.

This module lets you activate the filter and select the low cut and high cut frequencies.

Side Chain Filter

The side chain filter is used to choose which frequencies in the audio content trigger the effect. It is applied after the input filter and is not directly audible because it processes the side chain signal, only used to trigger the volume control.

Click on the “Filter On” button to enable filtering, and “Listen” to hear the filtered signal. You can manage the low and high cut frequencies with the low cut and high cut knobs. It can be particularly interesting when working with sounds that have a wide spectrum, such as drums: you can trigger compression on the kick, cymbals or snare drum only by choosing the right cut-off frequencies, without affecting the input signal.

Stereo Control

With the stereo plugin, you can choose the way you want the stereo signal to be affected by the dynamics processing. This section offers several parameters to fine tune the stereo behavior of the plugin.

Stereo Mode

Choose between mid/side and left/right processing. In the default stereo mode (left/right) left and right channels are processed separately, and in mid/side mode, the plugin processes the mid and side channels instead. Mid/side processing is decribed 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:

• none: no link. Each channel is independent.
• average: mix the left and right (or mid and side) envelopes to compute the dynamics response. The same gain is applied to both channels.
• min: use the minimum of both envelopes to compute the dynamics response. The same gain is applied to both channels.
• max: use the maximum envelope to compute the dynamics response. The same gain is applied to both channels.
• flip: apply the computed gain of the opposite channel. This enhances the stereo dynamics of the audio signal.
• ch 1: compute the gain only with the envelope from the first channel. The same gain is applied to both channels.
• ch 2: 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 (from preamp module to the dry/wet module) for each channel. See the little blue buttons on top of the stereo section.

It is 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.

Oversampling

You can use Oversampling to reduce the aliasing artifacts that can be produced by the non-linearities of the dynamics processor. It can be particularly useful for audio content with higher frequencies, or if you use large compression ratios with short attack and release times. It is applicable if you work with lower sample rates (such as 44.1 or 48 kHz). With higher sampling rates you usually do not need to work with an oversampled signal.

Beware that each oversampling stage consumes a lot of CPU (more than double CPU usage). You should use 4x oversampling with the stereo version for mastering purposes only, or with very low attack/release times in Peak mode. This is typically a feature you don't want to activate on every single track of a project.

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 blue meter on the right of the limiter shows the amount of limiting applied. The range of this meter is 60 dB.

You can also set the release time 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 Dynamics plugin. The plugin 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 Dynamics lets you use the signal from a track to control the volume of another. This technique is called "side chaining" as explained in the introduction. 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 Dynamics 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/Products/Product_GainSuite.

The idea is that the Blue Cat's Dynamics plugin is used to perform the envelope detection on the source track, and sends the volume control change messages to the gain plugin that is instantiated on the destination track:

In order to use the real time side chaining functionality of Blue Cat's Dynamics, the procedure is the following:

• Insert Blue Cat's Dynamics on the audio source track (the audio track used as control signal for the side chain) (mono or stereo).
• Setup the dry/wet parameter to 0% (all dry) so that the signal on the source track is not affected by the plugin.
• Insert Blue Cat's Gain on the destination track (mono or stereo).
• Assign the Total Gain (or Total gain(1) and Total Gain(2)) output parameter(s) to a given MIDI channel and CC number.
• Assign the Gain parameter of the Gain plug-in to the same MIDI channel & CC number as the Total Gain parameter.
• Route Blue Cat's Dynamics MIDI output to Blue Cat's Gain (usually using a MIDI track, but this step depends on your host application).
• Setup the Blue Cat's Dynamics plugin response curve and time constants. 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/

One of them describes in details how to setup Blue Cat's Dynamics for real time side chaining in Sonar.

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 plugin 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.

The procedure if the following:

• Insert Blue Cat's Dynamics on the audio source track (the audio track used as control signal for the side chain) (mono or stereo).
• Setup the dry/wet parameter to 0% (all dry) so that the signal on the source track is not affected by the plugin.
• Setup the Blue Cat's Dynamics plugin response curve and time constants to obtain the desired effect.
• Insert Blue Cat's Gain on the destination track (mono or stereo).
• Arm the Total Gain (or Total gain(1) and Total Gain(2)) output parameter(s) to record it as automation curves.
• Play the track and record the automation envelope(s) on the source track.
• Copy/paste the envelopes to the destination track.
• Assign the envelope(s) to Blue Cat's Gain plugin gain parameter(s) or to the destination track volume if provided by the host application.
• 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 Dynamics 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 track to control any kind of effect on any other track.

A very simple and practical example: link the Blue Cat's Dynamics output with the gain of an EQ plugin to instantly create a side chain dynamic EQ, as shown in this tutorial. 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 plugin: for example you can control the dynamics of an external synth with a track in your digital audio workstation.

Tips & Tricks

Use Output Automation to Tweak the Effect

You can also use automation to record the total gain output parameter (see the Side Chaining chapter), and assign it to the volume of the track. You can then tweak the recorded automation to obtain the desired effect. It is a good way to speed up your process: instead of manually draw your automation curves to perform custom manual dynamics processing, the plugin can generate the basic envelope for you and you can then optimize it for your needs.

Protect your Ears with the Brickwall Limiter

While tweaking the parameters of the plugin 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.

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 products, you can skip this part.

User Interface Basics

About Skins

Like all Blue Cat Audio plug-ins, Blue Cat's Dynamics 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 quite different from the one offered by the default skins that we provide. However, our plug-ins and our skinning engine have several standard features that will be available whatever your favorite skin. This is what is described in this chapter.

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:

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
	Undo	Undo
	Redo	Redo
	Load	Load Preset
	Save	Save Preset
	Manual	User Manual
	About	About
	Website	Opens our website

Commands

The Commands available from the main menu or the toolbar are:

• Set Preset Skin: change the skin for the current preset.
• 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.
• Undo/Redo: undo or redo the latest modifications. This includes all changes made to the current preset settings.
• Load Preset: load preset from file.
• Save Preset: save current preset to file.
• Presets Settings: open the presets settings window. It enables you to change the skin and MIDI settings for the current preset.
• 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.
• User Manual: open this user manual.
• Check Updates: check the updates for this software on our website.
• Get More Skins: get more skins for this software.
• About: displays the “about” dialog box.

MIDI control

Blue Cat's Dynamics 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 controls 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	Action
Left Click	Acquire focus and start dragging or push (button)
Left Click + Alt Key	Set the value to default
Left Double Click	Acquire focus and launch the “fine tuning” edit box (except button):
Right Click	Set the value to default
Mouse Wheel	Increment or decrement the position (focus required)
Mouse Drag	Change the control position depending on mouse movement (except button)

Keyboard

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	Action
Up Arrow	Small increment of the position (up or right)
Down Arrow	Small increment of the position (down or left)
Left Arrow	Same as Down Arrow
Right Arrow	Same as Up Arrow
Page Up	Large increment of the position (up or right)
Page Down	Large decrement of the position (down or left)
+	Small increment of the value of the control
-	Small decrement of the value of the control
d	Set to default value (same as mouse right click)
e	Opens the 'fine tuning' window to precisely set the parameter:
SHIFT	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.

Keys Specific to Buttons

Key	Action
Enter	Pushes the button

More

Check our online tutorial for more screenshots and more examples of our plug-ins user interfaces.

Blue Cat's Dynamics 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 following:

Param id	Name	Unit	Description
General
dsp.input0	Bypass		Bypass the effect.
dsp.input1	Dry-Wet		Amount of wet (processed) signal compared to the dry input signal. Set this value to 0 for side-chaining.
dsp.input2	Pre-gain	dB	Input gain, before the dynamics processing stage.
Input Filter
dsp.input3	Filter On		Activate the input filter.
dsp.input4	Low Cut	Hz	Low cut frequency for the input filter.
dsp.input5	High Cut	Hz	High cut frequency for the input filter.
Side Chain Filter
dsp.input6	Listen SC		Listen to the side chain signal.
dsp.input7	SC Filter On	Hz	Activate the side chain filter.
dsp.input8	SC Low Cut		Low cut frequency for the side chain filter.
dsp.input9	SC High Cut	Hz	High cut frequency for the side chain filter.
Envelope modes and parameters
dsp.input10	VCA-Opto	%	Proportion of VCA and Opto envelope detection modes. 0% is full VCA, and 100% is full Opto.
dsp.input11	Peak-RMS	%	Proportion of Peak and RMS envelope detection modes. 0% is full Peak, and 100% is full RMS.
dsp.input12	Attack	ms	Attack time for the peak detection.
dsp.input13	Hold	ms	Hold time for the peak detection.
dsp.input14	Release	ms	Release time for the peak detection.
dsp.input15	Rms Average	ms	Time for the RMS average computation.
Response Curve
dsp.input16	Up Threshold	dB	Threshold for the upper part of the dynamics response curve.
dsp.input17	Up Ratio		Compression ratio for the upper part of the dynamics response curve.
dsp.input18	Up Knee	dB	Knee for the upper part of the dynamics response curve.
dsp.input19	Down Threshold	dB	Threshold for the lower part of the dynamics response curve.
dsp.input20	Down Ratio		Compression ratio for the lower part of the dynamics response curve.
dsp.input21	Down Knee	dB	Knee for the lower part of the dynamics response curve.
Other
dsp.input22	Makeup Gain	dB	Gain after the dynamics processing stage and before the output brick wall limiter.
dsp.input23	Auto-Gain		Auto compute gain for the dynamics processing stage so that output is 0 dB for 0dB input (due to attack time, audio output may be louder than 0dB though). This extra gain is added to the manual makeup gain.
dsp.input24	Reset Max Input		Reset maximum audio input display.
dsp.input25	Reset Max Output		Reset maximum audio output display.
dsp.input26	Oversampling	stages	Number of oversampling stages. Each stage is x2 oversampling: 1 stage is 2x oversampling, and 2 stages is 4x.
dsp.input27	Limiter On		enable/disable the output brick wall limiter.
dsp.input28	Hard-Soft	%	Type of the brick wall limiter/clipper. 0% is for a hard knee limiter and 100% is for a very soft knee limiter. When release time is set to 0 for the brick wall limiter, this parameter controls the softness of the saturation/clipping.
dsp.input29	Release	ms	Release time for the output limiter. Set this value to zero to transform the limiter into a clipper.
dsp.input30	Post Gain	dB	Gain at the output of the plug-in, after the brick wall limiter.
Stereo version only
dsp.input31	Stereo Link		Defines the link between the left/right or mid/side channels. 0:none, 1:average, 2:min, 3:max, 4:flip, 5:channel 1, 6: channel 2
dsp.input32	Enable (1)		Enable dynamics processing for channel 1
dsp.input33	Enable (2)		Enable dynamics processing for channel 2
dsp.input34	Stereo Mode		Choose between Stereo (left/right) and mid/side processing.

Output

Mono and stereo versions of the plugin do not offer the same outputs. For the mono version, the output parameters are:

Param id	Name	Unit	Description
General
dsp.output0	Input	dB	Audio input level.
dsp.output1	Max Input	dB	Maximum audio input level (is reset when the 'Reset Max Input' parameter changes)
dsp.output2	Envelope	dB	Measured envelope (depends on the envelope detection mode and parameters)
dsp.output3	Output	dB	Audio output level.
dsp.output4	Max Output	dB	Maximum audio output level (is reset when the 'Reset Max Input' parameter changes)
dsp.output5	Comp	dB	Compression applied at the compression stage.
dsp.output6	Limiter Gain	dB	Compression applied at the brick wall limiter stage.
dsp.output7	Total Gain	dB	Total Gain (Output/Input ratio). Use this output parameter for side chaining.

And for the stereo version:

Param id	Name	Unit	Description
Channel 1 (left or mid)
dsp.output0	Input(1)	dB	Audio input level for the Channel 1 (left or mid).
dsp.output1	Max Input(1)	dB	Maximum audio input level for the left channel (is reset when the 'Reset Max Input' parameter changes)
dsp.output2	Envelope(1)	dB	Measured envelope for the Channel 1 (left or mid) (depends on the envelope detection mode and parameters)
dsp.output3	Output(1)	dB	Audio output level for the Channel 1 (left or mid).
dsp.output4	Max Output(1)	dB	Maximum audio output level for the first channel (is reset when the 'Reset Max Input' parameter changes)
dsp.output5	Comp(1)	dB	Compression applied at the compression stage for the first channel (left or mid).
dsp.output6	Total Gain(1)	dB	Total Gain (Output/Input ratio) for the fist channel. Use this output parameter for side chaining.
Channel 2 (right or side)
dsp.output7	Input(2)	dB	Audio input level for the second channel (right or side).
dsp.output8	Max Input(2)	dB	Maximum audio input level for the second channel (is reset when the 'Reset Max Input' parameter changes)
dsp.output9	Envelope(2)	dB	Measured envelope for the second channel (depends on envelope detection mode and parameters)
dsp.output10	Output(2)	dB	Audio output level for the second channel (right or side).
dsp.output11	Max Output(2)	dB	Maximum audio output level for the second channel (is reset when the 'Reset Max Input' parameter changes)
dsp.output12	Comp(2)	dB	Compression applied at the compression stage for the second channel (right or side).
dsp.output13	Total Gain(2)	dB	Total Gain (Output/Input ratio) for the second channel. Use this output parameter for side chaining.
Both Channels
dsp.output14	Limiter Gain	dB	Compression applied at the brick wall limiter stage for both channels.

Blue Cat's Dynamics Curves

The Blue Cat's Dynamics plug-in also provides visual feedback about the response curve of the dynamics processor with output curves:

Mono version

Curve id	Name	Description
dsp.output_curve0	Dynamics Response	Global dynamics response of the processor.
dsp.output_curve1	Current Response	Dynamics response of the processor limited to the current detected envelope.

Stereo version

Curve id	Name	Description
dsp.output_curve0	Dynamics Response	Global dynamics response of the processor.
dsp.output_curve1	Current Response(1)	Dynamics response of the processor limited to the current detected envelope for the first channel.
dsp.output_curve2	Current Response(2)	Dynamics response of the processor limited to the current detected envelope for the second channel.

Plug-in Settings

In addition to the controls offered in the main user interface, Blue Cat's Dynamics 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, if not overriden in the presets settings. Consider these settings as “default” settings.

Global Skin

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.

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:

• 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).
• CC: Control Change Number.
• 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.
• Enable MIDI: enable/disable the MIDI control of the parameter.
• Response: response curve of the MIDI control: from very fast to slow control.
• Min: minimal value of the parameter when MIDI controlled.
• Max: Maximum value of the parameter when MIDI controlled.

(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 control 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 as for the input parameters: in this case, they may trigger MIDI CC messages or generate automation curves when modified. Since it's output, you cannot set the channel to MIDI Omni, so you must choose a channel.

(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 control 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 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:

(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

In this window you can change the settings for the current preset of the current instance of the 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.

Preset MIDI Input Settings

Use the global settings or override them for the current preset. The parameters are the same as for the global input settings.

(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 output settings.

(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:

(generic screen shot, does not correspond to the actual plug-in parameters)

About Skins

Blue Cat's Dynamics 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_Dynamics

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 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 I get audio drop-outs. How can I 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 I 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 I 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.

I am trying to record automation curves as shown in the tutorials but it does not work. What do I 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.

When I use the plug-in in a project, every time I save the project, my application shows it as unsaved right away. How can I 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 I 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, AAX and VST plug-ins?

VST, Audio Unit, RTAS, AAX and DirectX plug-ins are software components than can be used in "Host" Software (such as Cakewalk Sonar, Steinberg Cubase or Wavelab, Sony Vegas, 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 and AAX are owned by AVID.

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 I 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, AAX 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 on the Mac. RTAS and AAX are available on Mac and PC, but only for Pro Tools products (AVID). AAX plug-ins are compatible with Pro Tools 10 and higher, whereas RTAS versions are compatible for Pro Tools 10 and lower versions.

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 I 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, Project5...)	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 I find more information about this topic?

• www.steinberg.net
• www.microsoft.com
• www.kvraudio.com
• www.apple.com
• www.digidesign.com

Installation

I have installed my software and it is not listed as an application. Why? What can I 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.

I 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.

I 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 I 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 I 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 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 I 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 I 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 I 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 version 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...

This manual only covers the basics of Blue Cat's Dynamics. Our website offers many additional resources for your Blue Cat's Dynamics 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 Dynamics skins page to get the latest skins.

Black Baby

Product: Dynamics Description: An amazing 4 skins package (Modeler/Compressor/Gate/Limiter) for Blue Cat's Dynamics. More screenshots are available in this forum thread. Author: Stephan Windus Download: Skin_BlackBaby.zip

Bronze

Product: Dynamics Description: A complete redesign of the original "Modeler" user interface for the stereo version of the plugin. Author: Limeflavour (www.flavoursoflime.blogspot.com) Download: Skin_LimeFlavourBronze.zip

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 Dynamics 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 this one ha...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Using DXi plug-ins in Sony Vegas

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 plug-ins l...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Real Time (Side Chain) Dynamic Equalizing

This tutorial shows how to perform side chain dynamic equalizing with the Dynamics plugin product and the Stereo Parametr'EQ stereo equalizer plugin. The destination track can of course be the same ...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Dynamics Processing and Monitoring

You will learn how to monitor the dynamics processing of an audio track thanks to the automation output capabilities of the Dynamics plugin. The interest of monitoring the compression or gating appl...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Real Time Side Chain Dynamics Processing

This tutorial shows how to perform side chain compression, ducking or gating with the Dynamics plugin and the Gain Suite free plugins. Side Chaining consists in using a track signal to control an ef...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Blue Cat's Dynamics Video

This video tutorial by Streamworks Audio covers all features of the Blue Cat's Dynamics plugin. The three first minutes of the video, covering the basics of the plugin, are free. To see the whole vi...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Export Plugin Presets to Share them with the Community

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 bu...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Mixing Session With Blue Cat Audio Plugins

This video tutorial shows how to use Blue Cat Audio plugins in a simple mixing session. The gearwire.com team demonstrates the use of Blue Cat's Dynamics, Parametr'EQ and Widening Parametr'EQ. ...[Read More...]

Tutorial - Getting Started with Plug-ins User Interface

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...]

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 tutorial. The scenario here is very sim...[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...]

Tutorial - Connecting plug-ins together in Logic for advanced side chain effects

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...]

Tutorial - Using Blue Cat Audio plug-ins connectivity in Pro Tools

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

This tutorial shows you how to get and load free presets for your favorite Blue Cat Audio plugin. This tutorial uses Blue Cat's Dynamics for the demonstration but is applicable to all our plugins...[Read More...]

Updates

As you can see in the history log below, we care about constantly updating our products in order to give you the latest technology available. Please visit our website often to check if Blue Cat's Dynamics has been updated, or subscribe to our Newsletter to be informed of the latest news about our products.

Versions History

V3.31 (2011/02/10)

Fixed keyboard focus stealing issue in Pro Tools and several other host applications. 64-bit Mac VST support.

V3.1 (2010/04/13)

RTAS plugin format support for Pro Tools (Mac and Windows). 64-bit applications support for Windows DX and VST under Windows x64. Mac AU 64-bit format support (compatible with 64-bit Logic 9.1 on Snow Leopard) Space bar does not trigger plug-in buttons anymore (avoids conflict with transport control in most applications). Demo version now displays a nag screen only once per session, and only when opening the user interface of the plug-in. Fixed MIDI learn issues. Windows 7: fixed hand cursor that displayed a green square under the hand symbol. Mac: fixed user interface crashes in some hosts under Snow Leopard. Mac: fixed keyboard/mouse focus issues in some hosts. Mac: fixed multiple screens issue. Mac-AU: fixed user interface resizing issue when changing skin in some hosts (Logic). Mac-AU: fixed settings lost issue when doing offline rendering in some applications. Mac AU: output parameters routing now works for more than one instance in Logic Pro's Environment. Mac AU: fixed output parameters that could exceed defined range and not record properly as automation curves.

V3.01 (2009/05/05)

Mac VST update: fixed incompatibility issues with Cubase 5 on Mac.

V3.0 (2009/04/27)

Mac VST support. Mac Audio Unit support. Mid/Side processing capability. New stereo linking options. Enable/disable processing on each channel. Customize the range of the meters and zoom/navigate in the display. Automation output can now be disabled for hosts that do not propose automated parameters choice. Improved accuracy of MIDI output. New Presets. New installer (much faster install, improved upgrades). Brand new documentation.

V2.1 (2007/10/18)

Improved skin loading speed. Improved user interface performance. Improved the display of parameters values in the MIDI settings panel and the host application.

V2.0 (2007/08/30)

Smooth Bypass: activate/deactivate the plugin with absolutely no noise. Undo/Redo. Load/Save presets in a host-independent format: you can now share presets between the directX and VST versions. New toolbar to access main functionalities. Ratio is now displayed in a standard way. Blue Cat's Skinning Language 1.3.4 support.

V1.4 (2007/03/21)

New user interface design. Several ergonomics improvements. Skin loading performance improvement (up to 80% faster). Reduced memory consumption when using several instances. Compression graph clarity and rendering performance enhancements. Window Opacity Management: make the plugin window transparent and see behind. Blue Cat's Skinning Language 1.3 support. (Bug fix): on the stereo version the sidechain filter did not work as expected in some situations.

V1.3 (2006/12/19)

(Bug fix): the frequency and time values were not accurate when using oversampling.

V1.2 (2006/12/11)

(Bug fix): the preset MIDI output settings were not restored correctly when re-opening a project or changing a preset.

V1.1 (2006/11/29)

(Bug fix): in some plug-in adapters (such as FxPansion's VST to RTAS adapter) the GUI did not display properly when first loaded.

V1.0 (2006/11/15)

First release.

Thanks again for choosing our solutions!
See you soon on www.bluecataudio.com!