Blue Cat's Tutorials

Tutorial - Blue Cat's Digital Peak Meter Pro In Ableton Live

In this tutorial you will learn how to use the DP Meter Pro plugin (DPMP)'s real time capabilities in Ableton Live: use it to let any instrument influence the parameters of any effect for any other instrument. This tutorial shows these capabilities with Blue Cat's free effect.

Note: if you are on Mac, you have to use the VST version, because Live does not support MIDI output for Audio Units nor VST3.

Tutorial - Blue Cat's Digital Peak Meter Pro In Cubase (Live)

In this tutorial you will learn how to use the DP Meter Pro plugin (DPMP)'s real time capabilities in Steinberg Cubase: use it to let any instrument influence the parameters on any effect for any other instrument in a 'live' context. This tutorial shows these capabilities with Blue Cat's free audio effect.

Tutorial - Real Time Ducking: the DPMP as a Voice Over Tool.

This tutorial shows how to perform real time ducking in your favorite host, using the DP Meter Pro plugin (DPMP). The following example is a typical "Voice Over" situation where you want to add a voice over a musical content, and you want the music to get quieter when the person is speaking, and the music louder when nobody is speaking. It's a typical radio station or movie making use case.

To do so we will use the DP Meter Pro analysis tool to control the volume of the music track with the freeware Gain Suite tools: the gain applied to the music track will be inversely proportional to the speach (voice) track volume.

This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar, but you can transpose it to any other DirectX or VST host such as Sony Vegas, Ableton live, Cubase... See our other Tutorials to learn the basics of the DPMP in these hosts.

Tutorial - Blue Cat's Digital Peak Meter Pro In Samplitude

This tutorial shows how to use the DP Meter Pro audio analysis plugin (DPMP) in MAGIX Samplitude, in order to modify the parameters of an effect on a track according to the envelope of an other track. This example shows a simple ducking application, using the envelope of a source track to modify the gain of a destination track. Note that Samplitude does not support VST MIDI output routing, so this tutorial uses automation curves for the control of parameters.

Tutorial - Blue Cat's Digital Peak Meter Pro & Automation In Sonar

This tutorial shows how to use the DP Meter Pro plugin (DPMP) in Cakewalk Sonar, in order to record the peak envelope of the audio signal as an automation curve.

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 track as the source track so that you perform dynamic EQ on a given audio track. The goal is to apply dynamics processing (expansion, compression, gating...) to one or several given frequency bands only.

This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar as a host, but you can use any other host provided it supports MIDI CC. For more information, check our other Tutorials for other hosts (the Digital Peak Meter Pro tutorials explain how to use MIDI I/O in many hosts).

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 applied to an audio track is to know where it occurs and adjust the parameters to fit the audio material with perfection.

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 effect on another track:

In our case, the envelope detection is performed on the source signal, and the gain computed by the dynamics processor is applied to the destination track.

Tutorial - Spectral Response (EQ Curve) Matching with Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst Multi

In this tutorial you will learn how to match the frequency response of a third party piece of software or hardware with a standard EQ or spectrum manipulation plug-in. For this purpose, we will use the Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst Multi plugin to measure the spectral response, and then Blue Cat's MB-7 Mixer to match it, with the analyzer providing visual feedback to perform the match.

Of course, you can also use any EQ of your choice to do the matching. The MB-7 Mixer plugin is just more flexible for this task.

In this tutorial we will try to match the frequency response of a guitar cabinet simulator (plug-in) so that we can then tweak it easily (it is usually not possible with cabinet simulators because they reproduce existing hardware with few controls over the spectral response). If your host application supports external hardware inserts, you can also match the spectral response of any hardware: speakers, microphones, EQs, rooms...

It is important to understand that you can measure only static and linear processors. Typically, with this technique you cannot measure and emulate compression, distortion etc.

Note: this tutorial has been written using Reaper, but any host application supporting our plug-ins will work.

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 monitor an effects chain and see the influence of an effect on the audio signal. In this example we will study the effect of Blue Cat's Widening Gain as a stereo widening/narrowing effect. We will use Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi multiple instances analysis plugin for our measurements.

This tutorial uses Steinberg Wavelab as a host application, but you can use any other VST or DirectX compatible host application.

Tutorial - Compare the Audio Spectrum in Several Projects

This tutorial shows how to use the FreqAnalyst Pro spectrum analysis plugin to compare the spectrum of several tracks in different projects, using the save/restore capabilities of the plugin.

The following example uses Steinberg Wavelab as a host application and the VST version of the plugin. This scenario is also applicable to any other host with the DirectX, Audio Unit or VST versions of the plugin (it works for example within Cakewalk Sonar for the DirectX version). Presets sharing will also work between PC and Mac platforms.

Tutorial - Create an original MIDI Controlled Stereo Wah Pedal

In this tutorial you will learn how to create an original Wah pedal-like stereo effect: the wah effect will move from the sides of the stereo field to the center when you push your foot controller. As a prerequisite, you should read our Wah Pedal tutorial so that you are familiar with the basics of MIDI control. This effect is of course suitable for a guitar track, but can be as well used for keyboards, organs, or even voices.

This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar 5, but it is applicable to any other VST or DirectX host software. If you have issues setting up your host software to control MIDI parameters, please refer to our other Tutorials.

Tutorial - Create your Own MIDI Controlled Wah Pedal

This tutorial will help you create your own MIDI controlled Wah pedal and customize its parameters to match an existing Wah pedal or create a brand new virtual one: yours. You can use this custom wah pedal with your guitar, but it is also very useful with an organ or a synthesizer (remember: in the good old days, many hammond organ players had fun with Wah pedals). This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar 5, but it is applicable to any other VST or DirectX host software. If you have issues setting up your host software to control MIDI parameters, please refer to our other Tutorials.

Tutorial - Mid Side Processing

Mid / Side processing explained.

Download this tutorial as a pdf file

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 simple: we will be using a first audio source (Audio Source 1) to modulate the volume of another one (Audio Source 2). It can typically be used for side chain compression, ducking, automatic voice over etc. We will be using the DP Meter Pro plugin, but the tutorial is applicable to any of our plugins with MIDI output.

Tutorial - Monitor Mid-Side Channels, Mono Compatibility and Phase Inversion

This tutorial shows how to use the analysis plugin to monitor the Mid and Side channels on a mix. It allows you to check the mono compatibility of a mix, as well as its "stereoness". This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar 6 as a host application, but any directX or VST compatible host that supports automation will work.

Tutorial - Real Time Side Chain Multiband Dynamics

This tutorial shows how to perform multi band side chain compression, ducking or gating with Blue Cat's MB-5 Dynamix and Blue Cat's MB-7 Mixer.

"Side chaining" consists in using the signal of a track to control an effect on another track.

In our case, we will use the Blue Cat's MB-5 Dynamix plug-in on the source track (a Hip Hop drums track). It will compute gain values that we want to apply to multiple bands thanks to its multiband dynamics processing algorithms. But the effect won't be applied to the source track (we'll set the dry/wet mix to full dry). These gain values will be applied to multiple bands on the destination track (a hip hop fat bass synth track), thanks to the Blue Cat's MB-7 Mixer plug-in:

We will also show in this tutorial how to monitor both the source and destination frequency bands to tweak the effect.

Note: this tutorial uses Cockos Reaper as a host, but you can use any other host provided that it supports either MIDI CC or parameters routing. For more information, check our other Tutorials to understand how to connect our plug-ins together in other hosts.

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 very simple project with bass, drums and vocal tracks. It is of course applicable to much more complex audio projects. We will be using FL Studio as a host application, but you can use any DirectX or VST plugins host application. Note that this tutorial is also applicable to other 'Multi' analysis tools such as the Blue Cat's StereoScope Multi plugin.

The Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst Multi multiple instances analysis plugin is based on the following principle (click for full size):

We will thus instanciate a plugin on each track we are interested in and then choose the source and destination curves in the routing panel.

Tutorial - Real Time MIDI CC Mapping with Blue Cat's Remote Control

This tutorial shows how to use the Remote Control plugin to map a given MIDI controller on a given channel to a different one, and change its response curve at the same time.

The principle is to use the Remote Control control surface as a MIDI CC mapper:

This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar 6 as a host application, but any directX or VST compatible host that supports MIDI routing will work.

Tutorial - Level Monitoring with Blue Cat's Remote Control

This tutorial shows how to use the Remote Control MIDI control surface and Blue Cat's DP Meter Pro analysis plugin (DPMP) to monitor several tracks in a same screen, on graphs or meters you can customize the way you wish.

The principle is to use the DPMP to generate envelopes which are then displayed all at once in the Remote Control user interface:

This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar 6 as a host application, but any directX or VST compatible host that supports MIDI routing will work. See our DP Meter Pro Tutorials for more information about how to use MIDI routing in other applications such as Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, Energy XT etc.

Tutorial - Remote Monitoring and Control with Blue Cat's Remote Control

This tutorial shows how to use the Remote Control MIDI control surface and DP Meter Pro audio analysis plugin (DPMP) to monitor and control several tracks in a same screen. Before you read this tutorial, please read the Remote Monitor tutorial first and reuse the same project as a basis for this tutorial.

The principle is to add gain plugins from the freeware Gain Suite and control them with the Remote Control user interface which we already used to monitor the same tracks:

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, such as our audio analysis plugins.

These capabilities let you use any characteristic of a source audio signal to perform a side chain on any parameter of the destination signal. Our example shows how to perform side chain compression with this system.

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 DP Meter Pro plugin (DPMP) as an example, but you can use any other audio plugin which provides output parameters, such as our audio analysis plugins.

These capabilities let you use any characteristic of a source audio signal to perform a side chain on any parameter of the destination track. Our example shows how to perform side chain filtering with this system: the DP Meter Pro plugin (aka DPMP) is used to generate an envelope based on this source track amplitude to control the band pass filter gain of the Triple EQ free plugin on another track.

Our Logic session is initially composed of two audio tracks: a source and destination track. We then use Logic's powerful environment to route the side chain control data from the source to the destination.

As of today (Logic Pro 9.1), Logic does not support MIDI routing between plug-ins, so the solution we propose here is based on Logic's environment. It requires a bit more learning if you are not familiar with it, but it is also more powerful than what some other hosts provide.

Most recent versions of Logic have a bug regarding this capability. It can be avoided using this trick explained on the forum.

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 DP Meter Pro plugin as an example, but you can use any other audio plugin which provides output parameters, such as our audio analysis plugins.

These capabilities let you use any characteristic of a source audio signal to perform a side chain on any parameter of the destination track. Our example shows how to perform side chain filtering with this system: the DP Meter Pro plugin is used to generate an envelope based on this source track amplitude to control the low pass filter gain of the Triple EQ free plugin on another track.

Our Pro Tools session is initially composed of two audio tracks: a source and destination track. We then add a MIDI track to carry the MIDI side chain control data.

Tutorial - Using Grouping Capabilities of Blue Cat's Gain Suite Plugins

The Blue Cat's Gain Suite free volume control plugins offer the ability to link several instances of the same plugin to control them with a single slider. This tutorial shows how to use this capability to control the balance between two tracks (the drums and bass tracks in this example) with a single slider.

This tutorial uses Cakewalk Sonar as a host, but you can use any other VST or DirectX compatible host application.