Using Blue Cat's Protector

The User Interface

Blue Cat's Protector is bundled with a single skin, but you may create your own and download new ones on our web site: Blue Cat's Protector skins. The main controls offered by the plugin are the following:

Main parameters control: pre and post gain, stereo link and release time. Bypass: activate or deactivate the effect. Knee: controls how soft the limiting is, starting to compress before the 0dB threshold. As soon as the input signal is above the arrows the plug-in progressively starts limiting. Input Level: these meters show the audio input level, after the pre-gain and before the limiting stage. Attenuation: These meters show the attenuation of the limiting stage for each channel. Output Level: these meters show the audio levels after the post gain stage. Window Opacity: change the opacity of the plug-in window to make it transparent (the actual behavior may change depending on your host application).

The various elements of the user interface (knobs, sliders, button...) are simple and intuitive to operate, but more information about how to interact with them is available in the "Plugins Basics" chapter of this manual.

Operation

The limiter has very few parameters but they let you precisely control the dynamics response if you understand them well. Short descriptions of these parameters are available in the parameters section. We will give you here more details about their influence on the sound and the way it is processed.

Controlling the Limiting Effect

By default, the limiter has a fixed input threshold of 0dB. You can control the input level with the Pre-Gain knob to adjust the input if it is too loud or quiet. Every peak above 0dB will trigger a gain reduction to reach the 0 dB peak level. You can then adjust the output gain to the desired level: the the output peak level is guaranteed to be maintained below the chosen output level.

The “knee” parameter offers a way to obtain a smoother limiting effect: it adjusts the shape of the gain reduction curve. The limiter will start its gain reduction before the signal reaches 0dB (precisely at 0dB minus the knee value), with a smooth and continuous curve:

Default response (no knee)		Response with large knee value

(the graphs above show the output level as a function of the input level, both in dB scales)

When the knee is set to its maximum value (30 dB), the limiter offers an extra 6dB overhead to the input level. This means that the input signal can reach +6dB before it actually hits the final brick wall. On the other hand, limiting will occur before the audio level reaches 0dB, as you can see on the graph above.

Reaching Distortion

When the release time reaches very low values (less than 10 ms), a great amount of distortion will occur. At 0 ms Blue Cat's Protector acts as a wave shaper and clips the audio signal.

Again, with the knee parameter you can adjust the shape of the wave shaper from digital hard -clipping (knee=0dB) to soft analog-like saturation (knee=30 dB).

True distortion can be achieved by increasing the input level to force continuous clipping of the audio signal over time (instead of only clipping the peaks). The larger the input gain, the larger the distortion. It is possible to cascade several instances of the plugin in order to achieve a very large amount of distortion.

Level Maximizing

A common task for a brickwall limiter is level maximizing: you can increase the perceived loudness of an audio recording without changing its peak level.

Depending on the type of media your recording is targeted to (mp3, CD, ...) and your host application, you might need to adjust the output level to less than 0dB (typically -0.1 dB) in order to avoid peak distortion.

Once the output level has been set, start with a 0dB knee value. Increase the input gain until you can hear artifacts on the output (typically a few clicks on heavy transients). Increase the knee value until you cannot hear the artifacts anymore: you have reached the optimum settings!

Another important setting for this task is the release time: you will typically keep it quite high to avoid too fast volume variations.

Note that you can also cascade several instances of the plugin in order to increase further the perceived loudness.

Side Chain Capabilities

Thanks to its MIDI CC output, Blue Cat's Protector will let you perform side chain limiting and create your own volume controlled effects in a few mouse clicks. For side chain limiting, you will also need to download Blue Cat's freeware gain plug-ins.

In order to use the real time side chaining functionality of Blue Cat's Protector, do the following:

1. Create a new bus in your project and send the audio source track (the audio track used as control signal for the side chain)on it.
2. Insert Blue Cat's Protector on this bus.
3. Insert Blue Cat's Gain on the destination track (mono or stereo).
4. Assign the Comp (Comp(L) and/or Comp(R)) output parameter to a given MIDI channel and CC number.
5. Assign the Gain parameter of the Gain plug-in to the same MIDI channel & CC number as the Total Gain.
6. Route Blue Cat's Protector MIDI output to Blue Cat's Gain MIDI Input.

Blue Cat's Protector will now control the Blue Cat's Gain plugin depending on the audio source input level.

If you have issues performing the above tasks in your host application, please visit our website and check our step by step tutorials that explain how to use the MIDI CC i/o features in various host applications.

Blue Cat Audio Plugins Basics

This chapter describes the basic features that are common to all our plugins. If you are already familiar with our products, you can skip this part.

User Interface Basics

About Skins

Like all Blue Cat Audio plugins, Blue Cat's Protector 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 plugins 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:

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 plugin.
• 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 Protector 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 Plugin Settings chapter for more details).

Controls

Examples

Here are a few examples of typical controls you will encounter in the user interface of our plugins:

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 reponds 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 plugins. 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 plugin):

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 plugins user interfaces.

Blue Cat's Protector 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.

The plugin exposes both input and output parameters to let you both control and monitor the behavior of the plugin:

Input

Param id	Name	Unit	Description
dsp.input0	Bypass		Bypass the effect.
dsp.input1	Pre	dB	Input gain, before the limiting stage.
dsp.input2	Release	ms	Release time for the limiter. Controls how fast the limiter reacts to volume drops. Set the release parameter to 0 for distortion.
dsp.input3	Knee	dB	Controls the softness of the limiting: the higher the value, the softer the limiting. Limiting starts at 0dB minus the knee value. See the usage section for more details.
dsp.input4	Link	%	Link the left and right channels gain. At 0% both channels work independently, and a 100% the same gain reduction is applied to both channels. This lets you control how the stereo balance is affected by the limiter.
dsp.input5	Max Reset		Reset the max compression values (see output parameters).
dsp.input6	Post		Output gain, after the limiting stage

Output

Param id	Name	Unit	Description
dsp.output0	Pre Peak (L)	dB	Audio input level for the left channel.
dsp.output1	Post Peak (L)	dB	Audio output level for the left channel.
dsp.output2	Comp(L)	dB	Amount of compression (instant) for the left channel.
dsp.output3	Max Comp(L)	dB	Maximum amount of compression for the left channel. Can be reset by changing the “Reset Max” parameter.
dsp.output4	Pre Peak (R)	dB	Audio input level for the right channel.
dsp.output5	Post Peak (R)	dB	Audio output level for the right channel.
dsp.output6	Comp(R)	dB	Amount of compression (instant) for the right channel.
dsp.output7	Max Comp(R)	dB	Maximum amount of compression for the right channel. Can be reset by changing the “Reset Max” parameter.

Note: the param id field is used when designing a new skin. See the skins section of this manual for more information.

Plugin Settings

In addition to the controls offered in the main user interface, Blue Cat's Protector has various settings that let you fine tune the behavior of the plugin. You can choose to change these settings either for the current preset or globally for all instances of the plugin.

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.

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 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:

(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 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 plugin itself. In this pane you can decide which output parameters of the plugin will record automation, for all instances of the plugin:

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

All parameters are enabled 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.

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.

(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.

(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 Protector 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_Protector

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 abour 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 plugin, 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 plugin. 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 plugin, my host application draws many automation curves on the current track and yet I have not touched any control on the plugin. 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 plugin. 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 plugin 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 plugin in a project, every time I save the project, my application shows it as unsaved right away. How can I solve this issue?

This plugin 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 plugin, you can disable automation output from the plugin settings panel (Global or Preset Settings/ Automation Output pane: uncheck all parameters).

MIDI Output

How can I enable the MIDI output of the plugin?

If your host application supports it, you can choose to send MIDI CC messages based on the output parameters computed by the plugin. 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 plugin 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 plugins?

VST, Audio Unit, RTAS and DirectX plugins 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 plugins 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 plugins?

Download and install a host software, then download and install the plugins from our page. They will appear in the host "effects" menu. If you are using a DirectX host with our MIDI controllable plugins 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 plugins.

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 on 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 plugins. 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
Digidesign Pro Tools	RTAS if available, any otherwise (RTAS adapter required)
Apple applications (Logic Pro, Logic Express, Garage Band...)	AU
...

In general, we recommend using VST over Audio Unit on Mac (when both are supported), particularly for the plugins 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 plugins for host applications. It means you need another application to use it. See the "Plugin 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.

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 plugins need an installer on Windows? Do they modify the registry or system settings? Why not providing just a dll?

Our plugins require several additional files for default settings, skins and miscalleanous data. We provide an installer for our customers convinience. Our installers do not modify the system settings 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 plugin has been released. Where can I download it?

When you purchased the plugin, 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 plugins compute intermediate values between parameter changes in order to avoid "clics" 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 Protector. Our website offers many additional resources for your Blue Cat's Protector plugin 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 Protector skins page to get the latest skins.

Landscape

Product: Protector Description: A landscape layout skin for those who prefer horizontals to verticals. Author: Blue Cat Audio Download: Skin_Landscape.zip

Bronze

Product: Protector Description: An alternative design with a layout close to the original skin. 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 Protector plugin. An updated list is also available online.

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 - 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 - Getting Started with Plugins 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 plugins 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 provide you with the latest technology available. Please visit often our website to check if Blue Cat's Protector has been updated, or subscribe to our Newsletter to keep you informed with the latest news about our products.

Versions History

2009/05/05	V1.11
	Mac VST update: fixed incompatibility issues with Cubase 5 on Mac.
2009/01/26	V1.1
	Mac Audio Unit and VST support. PC DirectX and VST improvements: New installer (much faster install, improved upgrades). Automation output can now be disabled for hosts that do not propose automated parameters choice. (Bug Fix): fixed MIDI learn issues. (Bug Fix): window opacity is now properly reset when selecting factory presets.
2008/06/30	V1.0
	First version.

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