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1.2.2

Features

  • Automixer audio plugin (VST3 & AU formats)
  • Standalone operation including ASIO and CoreAudio driver support, e.g. for external hardware or network drivers
  • For podcasting, streaming, events, broadcast, game, film & TV sound and audio drama
  • Live and post-production
  • Multi-channel and multi-instance modes
  • Up to 64 input channels and groups
  • Gain sharing and adaptive gating algorithms
  • Gain automation and/or MIDI output (VST3/Standalone) e.g. to remote control multi-cam cut or external mixer
  • Gain metering
  • Dynamic channel colour on supported hosts
  • Fast and transparent response
  • Input gain and weight adjustments
  • Automatic weight adjustment
  • Multi-channel output in multi-channel mode

atkAutomixer is a classic audio automixer (sometimes called auto-gate or auto-expander). It operates by comparing input levels from multiple sources, attenuating low level inputs and preserving gain on sources with higher input levels. This results in a transparent and effective attenuation of inactive source mic levels, and reduction of combined noise floor and comb filtering effects without typical unwanted gating or spectral filtering artefacts. Or, in practice, automatically mixing the source mics. atkAutomixer can handle a variety of situations from properly conducted interviews to full event days of heated long form debates. It can help maintaining consistent quality over long live sessions, or save hours of manual labor in post-production with level automation.

Automixers are commonly used to process multiple input channels in podcasts and broadcasts, dialogue, panel discussions, debates, multi-mic’ed sports and combat, lectures, houses of worship, audio drama and books, TV and film sound, game audio, theater productions, courtrooms and public hearings, and so on. atkAutomixer can also be used to automatically ‘track’ active speaker on a stage with multiple static mics. In music production automixer can be used e.g. with small choirs or vocal ensembles using handheld microphones or sections of close mic’d instruments. When used in combination with stage ambience (or ‘spill’) mics, atkAutomixer can be used as a primary source mic expander e.g. for lead vocal microphone on a loud stage.

Multi-channel mode: One automixer plugin instance is placed into multi-channel bus (or aux/group) in host DAW software. Each channel operates as input and output for this automixer plugin instance. Multi-channel mode is recommended for critical applications, and for better overall performance. All plugin instances with 3 or more channels operate in multi-channel mode.

Multi-instance mode: Each plugin instance operates as input and output for one shared automixer system. This is easy and fast to setup, but might not be compatible with all audio plugin host software. Mono and stereo plugin instances operate in multi-instance mode. Multi-instance mode introduces latency depending on buffer size.

Standalone software can be used directly with audio drivers and hardware, such as network audio drivers or USB audio devices.

GSA: The default algorithm. It is a classic type gain sharing algorithm (or constant gain) based automixer.

ATG: Adaptive threshold gating. aims to keep high input level channel gains fully open, and lower input level channel gains at fixed attenuation level.

Weight adjustment: Allows adjusting the level of internal sidechain detection per channel. Channel with higher weight behaves as if it were higher level, without actually changing the audible level. This can be useful e.g. when giving priority to debate host.

Groups: Source channels discrete groups. Channels in different groups have no effect on each other.

Automation and MIDI writing: Record gain and active channel changes as automation curves into host software or to control other parameters or devices. MIDI CC#0 value is active channel number. MIDI CC#1..#64 are channels 1..64 gains, value 127 is unity gain. MIDI output only in VST3/Standalone mode.

Output1-2: Sums output into channels 1-2.

Gain meters: Linear range between <-24 .. 0 dB.

‘Pilot tone’ trick: Create a channel with e.g. sine wave generator. Set sine wave level just above noise and ambience of individual mics. Feed this ‘pilot tone’ into one discrete atkAutomixer channel. Now atkAutomixer attenuates all channels during silent moments except the ‘pilot tone’; mute the output of this ‘pilot tone’ channel after atkAutomixer processing to prevent it from reaching audible mix.

Multi-instance mode tips

  • Generally same limitations/restrictions as with hardware-based processors
  • Instances require synchronous audio input
  • Each instance should be preceded by same amount of plug-in delay
  • Disable multi-threading/multi-processing for live inputs
  • Turn off any adaptive/pre-emptive/etc audio processing, buffering or dynamic loading in host software
  • Place instances in separate auxes/buses/groups/stacks/folders
  • Modified playback rates may have unexpected results
  • Host software with multiple open projects, project tabs/pages or subprojects may have unexpected results
  • Connect dummy sidechain inputs to a common source.
  • Turn off multi-threaded/multi-core audio processing
  • Try using multichannel plug-in instance