Blue Cat Audio Blue Cat Patchwork

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 in series or create up to 8 parallel chains that 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, or shared 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 an audio plug-in (effect or a virtual instrument) and standalone 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.

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.
• Smooth Bypass: noiseless plug-in activation / deactivation.
• Undo/Redo.
• Full featured integrated presets manager.
• Copy/paste the state of the plug-in between instances.
• Any sample rate supported.

Version 2.75

• Select Macro params control style: knob or switch.
• Set macro params default/neutral value (the value set upon right click or alt-click).
• Improved synchronization of hosted plug-ins to host transport when using plug-ins with latency.
• Built-in plug-ins can now follow host zoom.
• Future updates of Blue Cat Audio VST, VST3 and Audio Unit plug-ins will be able to follow PatchWork's zoom like built-in plug-ins (previews available).
• Plug-in format is now displayed in the title bar of the plug-in window.
• Recording status is now reported to Audio Units that support it.
• It is now possible to use different oversampling options for realtime and offline rendering (experimental).
• Added recording status support for Audio Unit format.
• Improved undo management with built-in and VST3 plug-ins, now detecting non-parameter changes.
• Hosted VST3 plug-ins can now use up to 16 channels per bus (instead of 8 before).
• Fixed two memory leaks in VST3 plug-ins host (causing potential crashes upon VST3 plug-in unload too).
• Fixed plug-in latency not always fully compensated when using plug-ins with latencies of more than 1024 samples.
• Fixed built-in multitap delay high DSP usage upon first load when syncing delay to host BPM.
• Fixed offline rendering mode not always reported to hosted plug-ins.
• Fixed some VST3 plug-ins taking several minutes to load (HALion and several other plug-ins with multiple audio busses).
• Fixed built-in harmonizer crashing when manually forcing more audio outputs than inputs.
• Fixed Audio Unit bypass control odd behavior with some plug-ins.
• Application can now record PatchWork's output to wav files (up to 16 audio channels).
• Recorded audio files contain current transport position to help synchronizing recordings when imported into a DAW (BWF format).
• Fixed mp3 files loaded in audio player not always in sync with transport.
• Individual plug-ins bypass can now be controlled via automation, MIDI or Macro parameters.
• Show/Hide plug-ins user interfaces can now be controlled via automation, MIDI or Macro parameters.
• All plug-in parameters can now be controlled with MIDI notes, pitch bend, NRPN, 14-bit CCs, aftertouch or channel pressure, in addition to existing MIDI CC.
• MIDI settings window can now be resized to display more parameters.
• Optimized MIDI settings window display on Windows (load time and scroll).
• MIDI Settings window now splits parameters into multiple pages for faster access.
• MIDI Settings window now shows custom display names if any.
• Optimized preset load upon MIDI messages when using several hundreds of user presets.
• Fixed plug-in sending Bank number 0 when loading a preset that is not located in a bank.
• Fixed audio dropouts when navigating presets via next/previous and plug-in set to send MIDI Program Change messages.
• Chain presets: Save/Load and Copy/Paste full plug-in chains (PRE/POST or parallel). Fully compatible with Axiom, Late Replies, MB-7 Mixer or Fader Hub FX strips.
• Minor graphics optimizations for Hi resolution displays.
• Fixed window opacity changes not shown in plug-in when host application modifies it.
• Fixed selected text in text edit box sometimes not easy to read on Mac depending on the color scheme.
• Fixed text edit boxes sometimes loosing focus when hovering mouse over other controls.
• Improved skin loading time on slow hard drives.
• Optimized size of image resources for PatchWork and built-in plug-ins user interfaces.
• Misc graphics rendering optimizations.
• Fixed Mac installers not showing brand image in dark mode.

Features:

1. Configurable VST, VST3 or Audio Unit plug-ins rack: host up to 64 third party plug-ins or instruments in series or parallel.
2. 30 built-in effects: Reverb, EQ, filters, pitch & frequency shifter, delays, modulation effects, compressor, gate, bit crusher, wave shaper and more.
3. Available as an effect, virtual instrument or standalone application.
4. Build your own effects chains: up to 8 "pre" and "post" plug-ins slots to chain plug-ins in series.
5. Parallel processing made easy: up to 8 parallel plug-ins chains, with phase flip, solo and gain controls.
6. Multicore processing support for parallel chains.
7. Host up to 8 virtual instruments in parallel and mix them within the plug-in.
8. Global Dry/Wet control ("Mix").
9. Macro controls & parameters mapping: map sub plug-ins parameters to automate them or use a control surface.
10. Flexible MIDI routing: connect sub plug-ins together or with the host application.
11. Flexible Audio routing: connect sub plug-ins i/o to any audio channel.
12. External side chain and multiple outputs support.
13. Link pre and post gains for automatic gain compensation.
14. Drag and drop or cut, copy and paste plug-ins with their settings between slots.
15. Recall complex processing setups and plug-ins layouts with one click and share them between your DAWs.
16. Input and output levels monitoring, built-in CPU meter.
17. Plug-ins Latency compensation.
18. Network audio/MIDI processing server for the Connector plug-in.
19. Supports VST Shell plug-ins.
20. Integrated undo/redo.

Requirements:

• mac
  • ram:0
  • disk:0
  • version:Mac OS 10.9 or newer.
  • notes: An Intel or Apple Silicon processor.
  • additional_requirements:For the standalone application, a Core Audio compatible audio interface.
    
  • audio_card:For the standalone application, a Core Audio compatible audio interface.
  • support:
    • 64_bit
  • plugins:
    • VST-2
    • VST-3
    • AU
    • AAX
• windows
  • ram:0
  • disk:0
  • version:Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10.
  • notes: An SSE2-enabled processor (Pentium 4 or newer).
  • additional_requirements:For the standalone application, an ASIO, MME or WASAPI compatible audio interface (ASIO recommended).
    
  • audio_card:For the standalone application, an ASIO, MME or WASAPI compatible audio interface (ASIO recommended).
  • support:
    • 32_bit
    • 64_bit
  • plugins:
    • VST-2
    • VST-3
    • AAX

Videos: