Blue Cat's PatchWork is a universal plug-ins patchbay and multi FX that can host up to 64 VST, VST3, Audio Unit or built-in plug-ins into any Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) in a single instance, with both serial and parallel routing options.
It is possible to chain effects inseriesor create up to8 parallel chainsthat can be activated independently. This lets you create your favorite effects or instruments configurations within the plug-in, without the need for multiple busses. These configurations can be saved as presets and recalled instantly, orshared with multiple DAWs, using any plug-in format (full list below). Use the built-in audio effects to add color to your own plug-in chains.
Despite the name, you can forget about wires or cables: configuring plug-ins routing is as simple as adding or removing a row or a column in the rack's matrix. All plug-ins can also communicate with each other or with the host application using the virtual MIDI ports offered by the plug-in.
For each plug-in slot, latency compensation, presets management, undo/redo integration, audio i/o selection and individual plug-in bypass are included for optimal operation. The plug-in also stores the position of the window for each plug-in so that the layout is restored with your session or saved with presets.
Also, sub plug-ins can be automated or controlled with external control surfaces using Blue Cat's PatchWork parameters mapping capabilities.
This product is available as anaudio plug-in(effect or a virtual instrument) andstandalone application, so that it can used alone or inserted on any type of track in your favorite DAW, with up to 16 audio channels.
Input and output level meters are also available to monitor the signal that is dispatched to inserted plug-ins, including side chain and aux channels.
If you are looking for a multiband plug-ins host for multiband processing, check out the Blue Cat'sMB-7 Mixer plug-in. Also, anyBlue Cat Audio plug-inis compatible and can be hosted by this software.
Looking for more advanced audio routing within PatchWork? Check out Blue Cat'sConnector!
Copyright Note: VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
Main Features:
Configurable VST, VST3 or Audio Unit plug-ins rack: host up to 64 third party plug-ins or instruments in series or parallel.
30 built-in effects: Reverb, EQ, filters, pitch & frequency shifter, delays, modulation effects, compressor, gate, bit crusher, wave shaper and more.
Available as an effect, virtual instrument or standalone application.
Build your own effects chains: up to 8 "pre" and "post" plug-ins slots to chain plug-ins in series.
Parallel processing made easy: up to 8 parallel plug-ins chains, with phase flip, solo and gain controls.
Multicore processingsupport for parallel chains.
Plug-ins Oversampling: select oversampling ratio and quality for each plug-in.
Host up to 8 virtual instruments in parallel and mix them within the plug-in.
Global Dry/Wet control ("Mix").
Macro controls & parameters mapping: map plug-ins parameters to automate them or use a control surface.
Flexible MIDI routing: connect sub plug-ins together or with the host application.
Flexible Audio routing: connect sub plug-ins i/o to any audio channel.
External side chain and multiple outputs support.
Link pre and post gains for automatic gain compensation.
Drag and drop or cut, copy and paste plug-ins with their settings between slots.
Recall complex processing setups and plug-ins layouts with one click and share them between your DAWs.
Input and output levels monitoring, built-in CPU meter.
Plug-ins Latency compensation.
Network audio/MIDI processing server for theConnectorplug-in.
Supports VST Shell plug-ins.
Integrated undo/redo.
Blue Cat Audio Standards:
Available as a standalone application and in most plug-in formats for Mac and Windows.
Full MIDI control and automation support, MIDI Learn.
No CPU load on idle: processing shuts down when fed with silence (optimal CPU usage).
Customizable user interface with transparency & zoom.
Copy/paste the state of the plug-in between instances.
Any sample rate supported.
Typical applications:Plug-ins host, custom channel strip, parallel processing, effects chainer, virtual bussing, virtual instrument, share bus and plug-ins configurations between DAWs, VST or Audio Unit to AAX, Audio Unit, effect chains A/B comparison, standalone audio processing application, multi effects processor.
Great idea, but the execution is just not musical enough
I really want to love this for my daughter. She loves playing with my Synthstrom Deluge and my Push 2 when it's plugged in and she sits in my lap.
On paper this is perfect. A tiny-hand friendly 'groovebox' that my 2yo (and myself) can fiddle with and watch the pretty lights change and hear the parameters sculpt the synth tone.
The problem is all the synth patches are decidedly in the acid and squelch realm. For the life of me I can't get a decent, lush patch. I understand the point is to let my child explore and just find and discover sounds but it all sounds so abrasive. If I zero out all the depth and LFO dials and listen to what I assume is an unmodulated, relatively clean patch it's still really atonal. There's none of the sweet subtractive sound I was expecting. Perhaps that's on me and my expectations.
There are no parameter clamps so your LFOs range from what sounds like .01hz to way up to 240hz. When these values are applied to modulation it's either unnoticeable or so full on that it mangles the sound. Yep, you need to keep the dial in the sweet spot, but clamping would solve this and keep the parameters in a much more musical range.
Speaking of modulation, by ear I often can't tell what the two mod dials are doing. That's partially on me, I need to do some manual diving, but I'm pretty experienced with synths and can usually tell the modulation in effect. And even then adjusting the depth usually doesn't do anything except make the sound even more abrasive. Sometimes it feels like it's delayed and only applies your modulation changes at the next sequence start, other times it's clearly real time.
So yeah. I love the idea of this and I'll keep it and see if I can't get any palatable sound out of it via MIDI, but as it stands I really don't think my daughter - who again, loves playing with other synths/devices when there's a decent sounding patch loaded - will be getting much use our of it.
There is one “small” problem with the Artiphon Orba travel case: the Artiphon Orba does not fit in it if you have dressed your Orba in the Artiphon Orba silicone skin. Otherwise it’s fine
