Effects and mixing

Build an effect chain #

Select the track and use an effect insertion point in the device panel to open the effect browser. Choose an effect, then edit its device controls. Effects process in chain order, so a distortion before a delay produces a different result from distortion after the delay.

Use the browser search, category, and collection choices to narrow the list. All Donuts shows the first-party collection. All Airwindows shows the Airwindows choices allowed by the current browser tier and enabled add-ons. Plugin results come from successful scans.

Check track volume, mute, solo, pan, and output routing before adding another processor to solve silence. Compare effects at similar listening levels so louder output does not hide the change in tone.

Draft: the add-effect chooser has All VST3/2 Effects, Effect Grid and Native Effects choices. These open the browser with initial family filters. The family controls can combine several groups, and All clears the selection. Native chooser interactions and effect loading remain unverified.

Effect Grid results still require the existing active grid add-on. A family filter changes what the browser lists; it does not activate an add-on or purchase a license.

Arranger audio clips currently bypass track and group effect chains. Adding an effect to their track does not put that clip through the chain. This is a source-reviewed limitation; native playback and export verification remain open.

Master effect chain #

In the standalone app, show the timeline and Device Panel if hidden. Click Master in the output strip to select the master chain. If Post FX is collapsed, expand it with the chevron at the right edge of the Device Panel. Open its three-dot menu and choose Add Effect. Choose an available effect, then edit its controls in the chain.

The master chain processes the combined track mix before the master volume. Effects process in chain order. Available choices depend on enabled add-ons and successful plug-in scans.

Master selection, the Post FX menu, DonutDelay insertion and adjustment of its Feedback control have been checked in the Linux standalone app. Combined-output listening, other effects and other platforms remain unverified.

Bypass an effect #

Click the power button on an effect device to toggle bypass. A dim power icon marks the bypassed state. Click the same button again to re-enable the effect.

The Airwindows and hosted VST3 effect paths provide this bypass control. Bypassed processing passes the incoming audio through while leaving the effect in the chain.

These controls are source-reviewed. Native audition remains unverified for this draft.

The 20 built-in Donut effects #

The built-in DonutFX collection appears as Donut Effects in the add-on controls and All Donuts in the effect browser. It contains 20 registered effects. These are available in Free when the add-on is enabled.

• DCOffset, LatencyTrim, Timeshift, ChannelSwap, and PolarityInvert provide offset, alignment, and channel utilities.
• BitCrusher reduces bit depth. SidechainCompressor compresses or ducks a signal.
• DonutChorus, DonutFlanger, DonutPhaser, and DonutDelay provide modulation and delay.
• DonutLimiter, DonutGate, and DonutClipper control peaks or level thresholds.
• DonutTremolo, DonutAutoPan, DonutDecimator, DonutRingMod, DonutWobble, and DonutEnvFilter provide amplitude, stereo, rate, modulation, and filter effects.

Airwindows and device mix controls #

Airwindows effect names and available parameters come from the installed effect registry. The list can vary with build content, enabled add-ons, and the browser tier. Search for the exact effect name instead of relying on a fixed effect count.

The effect device has wet/dry and gain handling around the processor. Some effects map the native wet/dry parameter into the device control. Listen after changing both gain and mix; a gain change can alter the level entering later processors.

Sidechains and time alignment #

For SidechainCompressor, right-click the device and choose an Aux source track. That track drives the compressor while the selected track remains the processed signal. With no Aux selected, the compressor uses its own signal. DonutGate also accepts sidechain input.

LatencyTrim delays by whole samples up to 4096 samples. Timeshift provides up to 2000 ms of positive or negative track offset. A negative Timeshift affects timeline playback by delaying other tracks through compensation; it cannot move live or armed audio into the past.

Check the audible timing of parallel or sidechain routes. Choosing an Aux source does not by itself prove that the source is playing or routed as intended.

Effect Grids and output racks #

Factory Effect Grids can be used in Free. Opening and editing their graph or making a custom Effect Grid require Pro Instrument & Effect Grids. The add-on is beta.

Track, bus, and master processing have different scopes. A track effect changes that track before downstream mixing; bus and master racks affect combined audio. Check the selected destination before editing a shared rack. The project-level routing workspace is Patch Bay.

Save and load Post FX presets #

Draft: source-reviewed controls; native walkthrough not yet verified.

Open the track's Device Panel and use the Post FX actions button (...). Choose Save Post FX as Preset..., enter a name, and save. Choose a name under Load User Preset... to replace the Post FX rack. These presets contain the Post FX rack, rather than the full track effect chain.

Use the rename or delete menu to manage a saved preset. Reusing a name asks before overwriting it, and deleting a preset asks for confirmation. User presets are saved locally. Presets that require Airwindows effects may be absent while that add-on is inactive.

These actions depend on access to the Device Panel and are unavailable while the panel is showing a sample device. Check the controls in your installed version before following this draft.

Copy one effect #

Draft: source-reviewed controls; native walkthrough not yet verified.

Right-click an effect tile and choose Copy. In the same Device Panel, use your configured Paste shortcut to insert the copied effect. The default is Ctrl+V, with Command treated as Ctrl on macOS by the shortcut matcher. Your configured binding may differ.

Paste inserts after the last touched valid effect. If no effect was touched, or the instrument was touched, it inserts first in the ordinary effect chain. Instrument and sample tiles are not chain effects that can be copied this way.

The panel keeps its own effect clipboard. This draft describes copying within that panel; transferring effects between windows or through the system clipboard has not been verified.