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Blue Cat Audioby Paul Evans

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We have all heard the saying "mixwith your ears." Now, I don't disagree at allbut a good visualization can be priceless inhelping to make it all work, especially whenyou have been holed up in a studio withmusic thumping all day and into the night.Your ears can and will get tired, sometimesto the point that you can't trust them. Thisis when audio analysis tools are essential.

There are many analysis tools, butBlue Cat Audio is quickly becoming theleader in this field. Over the last few monthsthey have been releasing an onslaught ofupdates and new analysis tools - all with thehandy interconnected features that maketheir plug-ins so useful and special. Not onlydo they analyse but they also can becomeinternal controllers. These very well couldbe what you need to precisely deliver theperfectly shaped mix.

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Blue Cat Audio (BCA)has six top-class analysis toolsfor use as a visual aid in yourmixing environment: StereoScope Pro, Stereo Scope Multi,Freq Analyst Pro, Freq AnalystMulti, Widening Meter Pro, andPeak Meter Pro. Between thesesix tools you can measure anyand nearly every aspect of youraudio. All except Peak MeterPro have similar parameters fordefining and fine tuning themeasurement and display ofthe analysed audio signal(s).They offer simple click-and-drag zooming capabilities toprecisely zone in on areas ofanalysis. With ultra slick visual

feedback and super slickresponse, these are second tonone. Unique analysing, suchas the mid/side meter, enablesyou to see all aspects of youraudio.

The multi versions are,in my opinion, the most uniqueof the tools. They offer up to 16curves that are user definable.This gives you multi-trackanalysis on one screen. It isvery simple to set up as well.For example, if you have fourtracks to analyse, you simplyload up an instance of the multion each track.

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They also have a routing bussthat you can go into and click on thecurves 1 through 16. Now you canview all signals at once from one ofthe four instances. The routing busoffers four different ways to analysethe audio. Even more outstanding isthe fact that each of the 16 curvescan be named so that on the analysisview you know exactly which is

which. This is extremely helpful.Imagine having 16 curves withoutnames. It would be very difficult todifferentiate between them. Themulti versions alone are enough toplace them a cut above the rest. Withcontrol over the precision, and thespeed of the display, you will notmiss anything.

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The stereo scopes show exactly how a signalis spread across the stereo field. This is an amazingaid in keeping sounds and mixes balanced. Anotherkey use for the Stereo Scopes is for uncoveringphase issues. A lot of effects can cause phaseproblems. With the scopes, you are able to see howeach effect is affecting the stereo field. This allowsyou to deal with phase issues at the root of theproblem.

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The pro versions of the Stereo Scope andFreq Analyst offer three different views: spectrum(this is the multi view), spectrogram, and an outputview. Forget the saying "mix with your ears," BlueCat audio gives you the ability to mix with your eyes.

All of the BCA plug-ins can be connectedwith one another and in different ways. With these,you can use the audio signals’ output for ducking,side-chaining, and controlling other effects. This ispossible since the analysers generate an envelopethat can be routed via midi.

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Each analyser has envelopecontrols which allow you to adjust howyour signal will control the other effects.An example (used on their website) iscontrolling a filter using the pitch from astudio signal. Ducking, for instance, canbe achieved by simply using one of theanalysers and BCA's freeware Gain Suite!

This is a remarkable set of plug-insform BCA. This company impresses memore and more with each update andrelease. I believe these tools shoulddefine the standard for audio analysis.They are totally worth demoing to see ifthey can be of use to you. Before you saythere are free alternatives, try the demoto see how precise and feature rich theseare. I know of no free or payware plugsthat achieve some of the unique thingsthese particular analysers can. >>

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They are not onlyanalysers but internal controllersthat can bring side-chaining toany host that does not supportmultiple input plug-ins. Theypresent the ultimate visualperspective on audio - hands

down. Among the great qualityand features is BCA's willingnessto listen to customers. Themid/side analyser was born fromcustomer requests, as was as thenaming of curves for theanalysers.

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All are available in VST and DXformat and are priced fairly. They can bepurchased separately or in packs. Trustme - if you find one useful, you will findthem all useful. In my experience,analysers are hit and miss. But theextreme control of the visual feedback andthe smoothness of what you see, coupledwith a multitude of ways to analyse asignal, make these a huge hit.

This company is quicklyapproaching the pinnacle of digital effectsfor musicians. >>

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Their site also has a slew oftutorials on offer for all of their plug-ins.These, as well as their other products,have so much potential but it could bewasted if you are not so sure how to usethem. Thankfully, they are upfront andvery understandable, and explain theadvanced midi capabilities and envelopgeneration for controlling other effects andworking together with their own plugs.

Head over towww.bluecataudio.com. There you will findpricing and very detailed and informativeproduct information from Blue Cat Audio.