








Table Of Content
Introduction
Description
Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi is a unique tool to compare the stereo image of several tracks in real time. It is the ideal solution for mixing: you can actually see which part of the stereo field every single instrument uses. It can also be used to analyze an effect chain and see how audio effects influence the stereo image of your content.
This plugin is based on the same stereo analysis algorithms as Blue Cat's StereoScope Pro analysis plugin, and the instant, peak or average responses of several audio tracks can be displayed on the same graph (the plugin supports up to 16 curves). The same zooming capabilities and coordinates display let you exactly measure the characteristics of the stereo image for each audio track. The advanced routing capabilities let you can define different settings for each track and thus adapt the parameters for each audio signal you want to analyze. Our multiple tracks audio analysis tutorial shows you how to use this multitrack analysis feature.
Thanks to Blue Cat's skinning language support and the included window opacity management feature, you can adapt the plug-in user interface to your personal needs and enhance your workflow: work faster and more efficiently.
If you are looking for a stereo field analyzer specialized in single track analysis with audio to MIDI capabilities, check our Blue Cat's StereoScope Pro plugin.
Main Features
- Multiple tracks real time stereo field analyzer: visualize and compare the stereo image of several audio tracks on the same screen.
- Unique data sharing technology with multi-core processors support.
- Compute and display the difference between curves for easy response curve measurement.
- Zoomable display with precise measurement capabilities.
- Easy phase cancelation and mono compatibility issues detection on multiple tracks or within an effect chain.
- Instant, peak and average curves display for each track.
- Save the curves for easy A/B comparison.
- Opacity control for the user interface.
- Custom absolute and relative threshold control.
- Supported platforms: Mac-AU, Mac-RTAS, Mac-VST, Windows-DX, Windows-RTAS, Windows-VST, Win x64-DX, Win x64-VST.
- Native DSP code for optimal performance.
- Skinnable user interface.
- Smooth Update: silent (zipper-free) parameters update.
- Full automation support (all parameters can be automated, with smooth and continuous update)
- No CPU load on idle: when the plugin is fed with silence, the processing smoothly shuts down, to optimize the CPU usage of your Digital Audio Workstation.
- Real time MIDI control with advanced settings (MIDI channel and CC numbers, with complete response curve control) and MIDI learn.
- Smooth Bypass: activate/deactivate the plugin with absolutely no noise.
- Undo/Redo.
- Import/Export presets in a host independent format.
- Any sample rate supported.
System Requirements
PC
- Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.
- Any DirectX / VST / RTAS compatible host software - 32 or 64 bit.
Mac
- An Intel or PowerPC processor.
- Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) or Snow Leopard (10.6).
- Any VST / Audio Unit (32/64-bit) / RTAS compatible application.
For more information about supported platforms, see our FAQ.
Installation
Blue Cat Audio plugins cannot be run standalone, they require a host application (see the System Requirements chapter for more information). Depending on which host application you use, you might need to install the plugins in different locations.
Windows
Install
Both DirectX and VST versions provide an install program. Follow the steps of the wizard to install the plugin on your machine. During the installation you will be asked where you want the plugin(s) to be installed. For the VST version you should install the plugin inside the VST plugins folder used by your host application(s). The default path set in the installer should work for most applications, but you should check your host software documentation to know where it looks for VST plugins.
Some applications will not automatically rescan the new plugins, so you might have to force a refresh of the plugins list.
Upgrade
When a new version of the plugin is released, just launch the new installer: it will update the current installation.
Mac
Install
On Mac the plugins are available as drive images. After download, double click on the file to open it. You can then drag and drop the plugin file(s) to the shortcut that is provided within the image. It will install the plugin(s) for all users on the machine.
In case you do not have admin rights on your Mac or if you want to install the plugin(s) to another directory, just copy the files to the appropriate location. If required, more information is available in the README.txt file that is included in the package.
Upgrade
When a new version of the plugin is released, open the new image and copy the files over the previous ones. The new version will replace the older one.
Using Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi
The User Interface
The StereoScope Multi plugin is bundled with a single skin. You may want to create your own or download new ones from www.bluecataudio.com. The included skin is composed of three panels:
The main view where you can see the stereo image of the curves shared by all the instances of the plug-in.
The diff pane when you can compare several curves by visualizing their difference.
The routing pane where you can choose which analysis curve you want to display and share with other plug-in instances.
Main Display

Open the diff pane (differences view) or routing pane (to route the analysis curves).
You can modify the opacity of the window that contains the plug-in user interface. Note that the result depends on the host application you are using.
Two functions are available for the mouse on the graph view: either drag the graph when zoomed or display the coordinates of the graph below the mouse pointer and zoom by selecting an area of the screen:
At any time, right click on the graph to unzoom.
Select the shared curves to display. No curve will be shown on this view until you select the curves you want to share in the routing pane. The curve names can be customized (see the routing pane).
The four “A B C D” buttons let you store the curve to one of the proposed memory slots. The curves stored into these slots can be shown/hidden with the buttons available in (6).
Show/Hide curves stored in memory.
Reset the average or peak curves for ALL instances of the plugin.
These two sliders let you control the x and y zoom for the graph. When the zoom factor is greater than one, you can drag the graph with the mouse (click on the graph when the cursor is a small hand and drag to move in the graph).
Options for the curves display. Uncheck both options for best performance in case your graphics card is slow.
Freeze button: when clicked, the graph is freeze for all instances of the plugin, to let you analyze in details a snapshot of the stereo image.
Diff View
This view shows differences between selected curves. It is very handy to compare several stereo field measurements in real time. For example you can have an instance compute the average stereo spread of a reference commercial track and compute its difference with the average stereo field of your current mix. The resulting difference curve will show you how you need to modify the stereo distribution of your mix so that it “sounds like” your commercial reference, as far as stereo repartition is concerned.

Open the Stereo Field or Routing panes.
Show/Hide a difference curve.
Select first curve for the difference.
Select second curve for the difference.
The resulting curve shows the difference between the first and the second curves. This means that when the difference curve is above 0, the first curve is greater than the second.
For a more accurate visualization it is recommended to compare curves that have similar precision settings. When comparing different tracks you will usually not be interested in absolute values but in the shape of the curve: both tracks may have different absolute levels.
Routing Pane
In order to route curves to the display and share them among instances, you need to open the routing pane (by clicking on the “Routing” button).

List of available curves for the current instance. These are the curves you can route to a shared curve numbered from 1 to 16.
Select a shared curve slot to display and share the curve corresponding to the row.
When a slot is not available it means that it is already in use by this instance or another instance. You can click on the 'X' button to free the slot occupied by the curve corresponding to the row.
Use this button to reset all curves affectations for this instance of the plugin.
You can assign a name to each analysis curve. It will be displayed in the main pane when the curve is connected to a bus:
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 Principle
Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi uses our unique data sharing technology to share complex information between several instances of the plugin. This lets you visualize the stereo spread of several audio tracks in the same plugin instance:

Each analyzer is both able to produce and display shared curves. With the 'Diff' view it is now possible to compute and display the difference between several curves:

Procedure
In order to see and compare the stereo contents of several instances you should follow these steps:
Insert the plugin on one or several audio tracks in your sequencer
For each instance, open the routing pane and select the curves you want to see and share.
Adjust the settings for the audio analysis in each instance.
Open the user interface of an instance of the plugin and select the shared curves you want to see.
Watch the result!
For more information about how to use this plugin in your host application, have a look at the Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi Tutorials.
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 StereoScope Multi 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 |
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Undo | Undo |
|
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Redo | Redo |
|
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Load | Load Preset |
|
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Save | Save Preset |
|
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Manual | User Manual |
|
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About | About |
|
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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 StereoScope Multi 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 |
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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 StereoScope Multi 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 input parameters of this plug-in are described below. They affect the audio analysis for the current instance of the plugin. Each instance has independent parameters for the audio analysis.
|
Param id |
Name |
Unit |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
dsp.input0 |
Bypass |
|
Bypass the plugin. |
|
dsp.input1 |
Precision |
% |
Precision of the stereo field analysis. The higher the setting, the higher the resolution, and the higher the CPU consumption |
|
dsp.input2 |
Attack |
ms |
Attack time for the stereo image envelope follower. |
|
dsp.input3 |
Release |
ms |
Release time for the stereo image envelope follower. |
|
dsp.input4 |
Peak Reset |
Hz |
Rate of the peak curve reset. If set to 0, the peaks will never decrease and will represent the maximum value. |
|
dsp.input5 |
Abs Threshold |
|
Absolute threshold for stereo image display. The values below this threshold are set to 0 |
|
dsp.input6 |
Rel threshold |
% |
Relative threshold for stereo image display (percentage of the maximum value). The values below this threshold are set to 0. |
|
dsp.input7 |
Gain |
dB |
Gain applied to the audio signal before the analysis takes place. Can be useful when analyzing signals with low levels. |
|
dsp.input8 |
Reset Peak |
|
Command to reset peak curves (value changes are considered as reset commands) |
|
dsp.input9 |
Reset Average |
|
Command to reset average curves (value changes are considered as reset commands) |
Note: the param id field is used when designing a new skin. See the skins section of this manual for more information.
Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi Curves
The StereoScope Multi plug-in provides visual feedback about the stereo image of the audio signal thanks to output curves that can be routed to one of the 16 display curves.
|
Curve id |
Name |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
dsp.output_curve0 |
Instant Stereo Image |
Instant stereo content of the audio signal. |
|
dsp.output_curve1 |
Peak Stereo image |
Maximum value of the stereo image over time. |
|
dsp.output_curve2 |
Average Stereo Image |
Average value of the stereo image over time. |
Note: the curve id field is used when designing a new skin. See the skins section section for more information.
Plugin Settings
In addition to the controls offered in the main user interface, Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi 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.

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:

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.

About Skins
Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi 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:
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
Troubleshooting
Before any curve may appear on the display you need to open the “Routing” panel and route a curve to the shared curves bus. To do so, choose a source curve and destination curve in the routing matrix.
If nothing appears, check that the audio engine of your host application is running and that the plugin is fed with a non silent audio signal. Another cause of seeing nothing on the display is that you may have unselected the curves on the right of the main view. Click on the “show all” link to activate the display.
Plug-ins Formats
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 |
| ... |
Installation
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.
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.
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
Upgrade
Automation
More...
This manual only covers the basics of Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi. Our website offers many additional resources for your Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi 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 StereoScope Multi skins page to get the latest skins.There were no extra skins for Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi when initially released, please check the skins page to see if new skins are now available.
Tutorials
Many Tutorials are available on our website. They cover a wide range of topics and host applications. You will find below a list of tutorials that are related to the Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi plugin. An updated list is also available online.
Tutorial - Customize the Colors of your Plugins
![]() | This tutorial shows how to customize the FreqAnalyst Pro plugin's user interface by changing the color of the displayed curves. It is a very basic skinning tutorial. All you need to know is how to exp...[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 - Monitoring an effect chain with the 'Multi' Series
![]() | The 'Multi' analysis plugins series offer the ability to compare the measurements made by several instances within an audio project. In this tutorial you will learn how to use this capability to mon...[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 - Multiple Tracks Real Time Spectrum Analysis
![]() | In this tutorial you will learn how to use the multiple instances features of the FreqAnalyst Multi spectrum analysis plugin to provide you with visual help for mixing. This tutorial is based on a ver...[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 StereoScope Multi has been updated, or subscribe to our Newsletter to keep you informed with the latest news about our products.
Versions History
See you soon on www.bluecataudio.com!







