Blue Cat Audio - Dynamics

Dynamics is Blue Cat Audio's all-in-one dynamics processor: compressor, limiter, gate, expander and waveshaper in a single plugin, or all of them at once. It's for engineers who like to see exactly what their dynamics processing is doing and shape it precisely.

How it works

The heart of it is a two-threshold system, which lets you build response curves a standard single-threshold compressor can't, such as compressing the middle of the range while expanding below it. Envelope detection is continuously variable between Peak and RMS and between VCA-style and Opto-style behaviour, so you can choose how snappy or smooth it reacts rather than picking one of two modes. Lookahead, a depth control to limit the gain range, input and side chain filters, dry/wet for parallel compression and a post brickwall limiter or clipper round it out, with up to 4x oversampling.

Where it fits

Drums, vocals, buses and creative side chain work: ducking, gating and pumping from an external signal. The real-time response and gain reduction displays make it a good teaching tool too. It's a flexible workhorse rather than a characterful vintage box.

Features

• Compressor, gate, limiter, expander and waveshaper with two thresholds
• Continuous Peak/RMS and Opto/VCA detection
• Lookahead and depth control
• Dry/wet for parallel compression
• Input and side chain filters, multiple side chain modes
• Stereo or mid/side processing with channel linking options
• Post brickwall limiter or clipper
• Up to 4x oversampling
• Real-time response, envelope and gain reduction displays

System requirements

• Mac: macOS 10.9 or later, Intel or Apple Silicon
• Windows: Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11, SSE2 processor
• VST, VST3, AU (Mac only) and AAX

SOUND7 is an authorised Blue Cat Audio reseller.
Digital delivery: licence activation code sent by email.