Turn complex effect chains into a spectrum map you can understand and control.

1. 01

   Load a preset that is close to your target

   For vocals, start with R&B Vocal or Warm Vocal . Default is an empty rack for building your own setup.

2. 02

   Adjust the eight Macros in Simple

   The first six controls vary from preset to preset, and the last two are typically used for Echo and Space. Decide on the overall direction first, then go to Advanced.

3. 03

   Play the loudest passage and press AG

   By default, AG measures three seconds of active audio and locks the loudness compensation. This helps prevent louder playback from biasing your judgement. Continuous automatic mode is available in Settings.

4. 04

   Use B and Δ to make judgments

   B compares the processed signal with rack bypass;Δ lets you hear the difference introduced by processing. Send reverb and delay tails remain audible.

5. 05

   Enter Advanced when needed

   Check out frequency bands, effects order, single-slot mixes, target channels, and macro mapping. Solve one listening problem at a time.

Top toolbar guide

These controls operate at the rack level. Global B and Δ affect the entire rack; slot B and Δ affect one effect instance.

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1. 1
   100% zoom: Change the display ratio of the MB Rack main interface; the audio will not be changed.
2. 2
   Light / dark theme: Switch between light and dark appearance.
3. 3
   AG: Measures three seconds of active audio after playing a representative clip and locks loudness compensation; click again to cancel.
4. 4
   Plugin Manager: Scan, enable and manage loadable third-party effects.
5. 5
   B: Bypass the entire MB Rack and listen to the original input directly.
6. 6
   Δ: Hear only the differences caused by processing; Send's reverb and delay tails will still be retained.
7. 7
   Settings: Open processing, oversampling, CPU, signal flow and interface related settings.

Add new effects from the plug-in library

Press and hold the effect name in the plug-in library to start dragging. This interface only accepts three types of placement targets: specific slots on the left, top band Ribbon, and category labels. Release the target after a highlighted border appears; it will not load when there is no highlight.

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1. 1
   Effect name row: Drag the starting point. Press and hold the name to move and release when you see the target highlighted.
2. 2
   Specific slot on the left: Load the new effect to the exact position of the current chain; the slot number determines the concatenation order.
3. 3
   Top Band Ribbon: Send the new effect to the specified frequency band, and the rack selects the next available slot in the frequency band.
4. 4
   Category tabs: Sort the plug-in into the EQ, Dynamics, Color, Reverb, Delay or Modulation categories to make it easier to find later; it will not be loaded into the audio chain.

Move or copy a loaded effect

Start dragging from the name of a loaded effect in the left-hand slot list. Drag normally to move it; hold Option / Alt while dragging to copy it. Copies retain plug-in state, slot Mix, target, Bypass and editor zoom. Valid destinations are indicated by a dashed outline, highlighted border or downward arrow.

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1. 1
   Source slot and target slot: Drag from the effect name; drop it to another slot on the left to rearrange or move it to the specified order.
2. 2
   Band title/down arrow: Change the frequency range of processing; the column where the arrow is located is the actual receiving frequency band.
3. 3
   Full / Transient / Tonal: After Split is turned on, the structure partition can be changed and the corresponding Insert / Send type can be maintained.
4. 4
   LR / M / S and Insert / Send: The top dotted label can move across routing pages or between direct links and auxiliary chains; when crossing pages, match the target frequency band according to the center frequency of the source band.

Set up independent M and S crossovers

Click the M or S at the top to enter the corresponding page. Double-click the spectrum blank like LR or use the + at the bottom of the band to add a new band and drag the white crossover line to change the boundary. The number of frequency bands and crossover frequencies of M and S are independent of each other: for example, M can maintain a single segment of stable vocals and low frequencies, while S is divided into low/mid-high segments and only handles the side space. Page switching will not copy the LR crossover point.

Page-level M/S gives you a complete mid-side chain with independent monitoring. On the LR page, the small LR / M / S buttons beside each slot determine which component of the previous slot’s output that effect processes. For example, one LR chain can contain a full-stereo EQ, a Mid-only compressor and a Side-only Width effect. On the M and S pages, slot targets remain fixed to that page to avoid repeated encoding.

Click Split Off to change it to Split On . The current LR / M / S page now offers Full, Transient and Tonal editing tabs. Full processes the complete band before separation. Transient focuses on attacks, percussion and rapid changes; Tonal contains the non-transient sustain, resonance and tails. Full Insert processes the signal before separation, so its EQ, compression and coloration also influence the separation result.

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1. 1
   Full / Transient / Tonal: Selects the chain currently being edited; switching tags will not automatically copy effects.
2. 2
   Split On: Enable structural separation for the current LR/M/S page; after turning it off, only the Full chain will be retained for processing.
3. 3
   Top Solo T / Solo N: Listen to the transient or non-transient (Tonal) sum across all frequency bands on the current page.
4. 4
   Left Solo T / Solo N: Only listen to the transient or Tonal branch of the currently selected frequency band.
5. 5
   Frequency bands and zones: Each frequency band has its own Full, Transient, Tonal Insert/Send; select the label first, then select the frequency band to establish the chain.

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1. 1
   Select branch: Transient is suitable for very short peaks, attack and percussion; Tonal is suitable for sustain, resonance, space and sustained textures.
2. 2
   Listen button: Solo is only used to locate the separation results. It is not new audio routing, nor should it be relied upon as a final sonic judgment.

Buttons and monitoring

FEATURE GUIDE

Global processing range

The white handles set the lower and upper processing limits for the entire Rack. Full FX, Insert and Send share these settings.

Hover over either handle for guidance below the spectrum. Drag horizontally to adjust its frequency, or double-click to enter a precise value. Processing changes gradually diminish outside the range, returning towards the original signal. Low / High Cut instead removes frequencies from the output.

The white gain guide illustrates band gain settings and their range, with a smooth return towards 0 dB. It is not a measurement of hosted plug-ins or the complete effect chain. With all band gains at 0 dB and cuts disabled, the guide stays flat. Pre / Post spectra continue to display actual audio.

Changing the range adds no fixed processing latency. Isolated band and M/S auditions temporarily bypass it; normal output restores it. Judge the result using listening and the actual spectrum.

Simple for creativity and quick decision-making

Each preset can have a custom name for the Macro, such as Warm, Comp, Focus, Air. A Macro can drive multiple parameters of different frequency bands and different effects at the same time. Each target has independent range, direction and curve. Simple retains the top bar dimensions with the Simple / Advanced toggle position, and the main body is about the compact height of Advanced.

The default Macro does not have a forced starting point

Unmapped macros in Default remain blank, waiting for you to build an action. When creating a mapping, establish a relationship with the current value of the target to avoid jumping to the default value just after binding.

A Macro describes an auditory action

For example, “Closer” can increase Presence and compression while reducing Space. “Bigger” can increase low-band Clip input and drum Transient Mix while slightly reducing Output. Check peaks, tone and loudness at 0%, 50% and 100%.

Drag and drop to create mapping

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1. 1
   Top-bar Macro chip: Press and drag out. A short press will open the corresponding Macro workspace; dragging will start mapping.
2. 2
   Currently visible parameters: Drop onto a built-in parameter card, knob, value or a supported third-party control. A valid target highlights; wait for that indication before releasing.

Macro workspace

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1. 1
   Eight Macro cards: Select the Macro to edit; the name should describe the auditory action.
2. 2
   Up / Down and + Add mapping: Scroll through the mapping list, or add targets manually without dragging.
3. 3
   Complete target location: Display the processor, parameters, LR/M/S, FULL FX/Insert/Send, frequency range and slot, making it easy to check whether it is tied correctly.
4. 4
   Range / Forward–Reverse / Curve / Remove: Limit the safety range, set the direction and response curve, or remove the current mapping.

Click the bottom View button to reopen the last-used sidebar. Use the dropdown in the sidebar title to switch between Overview, History and Signal Flow . Click × at the upper right to close the sidebar and restore the original window width.

Buttons common to all slots

01

Budgie EQ

Twelve-point static / dynamic EQ with band audition and transformer coloration

EQ

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1. 1
   EQ points 1–12: Drag horizontally for frequency and vertically for gain. Hover over a point and scroll to adjust Q. Right-click for the compact editor and Spectrum dynamic processing.
2. 2
   Spectrum and dynamic range: Spectrum makes the selected point respond dynamically to input energy. Threshold, Range, Attack and Release set the trigger level, maximum reduction and timing.
3. 3
   Filter shapes and OCT: Choose bell, shelf, cut and other filter shapes in the compact editor. OCT sets the filter slope.
4. 4
   XFRM: Enables a transformer-style harmonic coloration path; it changes density and harmonics, not equal to another EQ curve.
5. 5
   ±9 dB / RESET: Switch the chart gain display range; RESET clears the current EQ settings.

Low, Warmth, Presence and Air are four fixed musical bands for broad shaping; eight additional points provide precise correction. The free points support Bell, Low Cut, High Cut, Tilt and Shelf. Available slopes are 6 / 12 / 18 / 24 / 30 / 36 / 48 / 72 / 96 dB/oct. Switch the display between ±9 dB and ±18 dB.

Parameters/Operations	Function	Practical usage
Freq / Gain / Q	Centre frequency, boost / cut and bandwidth. Higher Q produces a narrower response.	Drag left and right to change the frequency and up and down to change the gain; stop the mouse on the frequency point and adjust the Q directly with the scroll wheel, which is suitable for narrowing while sweeping the frequency.
Shape/OCT	Select Bell, Cut, Tilt, Shelf; Cut's OCT determines the roll-off speed.	Extremely steep slopes are used for isolation or sound design; natural trim usually starts at 12–24 dB/oct.
Headphone audition	Press and hold to temporarily listen to the affected area of the frequency point.	Press and drag horizontally to sweep the frequency; release after finding a problem, and you must return to the complete mix for confirmation.
Right click → Spectrum	Turns the current point into a dynamic EQ working downwards.	Range limits the maximum reduction amount, and Threshold determines when to act. Right click again to close.
XFRM	Enable transformer-style coloration for gentle saturation, low-order harmonics and added density.	It's not another EQ curve; the higher the level, the more obvious the coloration. It is suitable for lightly densifying the bus. After turning it on, make equal loudness comparison again.

Control vocal harshness dynamically

Set the Bell at 2.5–5 kHz, right-click to turn on Spectrum; set the Range to −2 to −4 dB, and adjust the Threshold to only drop off sharp words. If every sentence is suppressed, first increase the threshold.

Only listen to problem frequencies

Press and hold the earphone and swipe left or right to confirm the resonance position; release it and make a narrow cut. Don't decide the amount of reduction based on solo listening status.

Bus tone

Use fixed Warmth/Presence to make small wide movements, and then turn on XFRM. If the low frequencies are muddy, it's more straightforward to reduce the level going into the EQ or turn off XFRM than to continue layering high cuts.

02

Budgie Clip

Six curves for peak reduction, loudness and harmonic shaping

DYNAMICS

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1. 1
   Input: Push the signal into the clipping curve and determine how much peaks to clip.
2. 2
   Type: Switch between six clipping curves; soft curves are more rounded and hard curves are more direct.
3. 3
   Ceiling: Set the upper limit of the peak value after clipping.
4. 4
   Output / Mix: Output performs equal loudness trimming; Mix restores the original transient state in parallel.
5. 5
   Link: Linked input and output, automatically reverse compensation level when pushing up the drive.

Input drives the signal into the clipping curve, Ceiling sets its peak limit and Output matches the level. Clip acts directly on very short peaks, making it useful before a limiter to reduce the load on the final stage.

Input	−36 to +36 dB, determines the amount of drive into the curve and is the primary control for the amount of distortion and clipping.	Ceiling	−36 to 0 dB, sets the upper limit of the allowed output peak value.
Type	Hard is the most direct; Quintic / Cubic is rounder; Tangent, Algebraic, and Arctangent provide different knees and harmonic growth.	Shape	Change the transition shape within the current curve; it should be judged based on drum beats and low-frequency tails.
Mix	Wet and dry in parallel. Lowering the Mix restores some of the original transients.	Output / Link	Output does the final compensation; the linkage button allows the output to be adjusted in reverse when pushing Input, making it easier to hear distortion rather than volume.

Clip low-frequency peaks when mastering

Surround the LR low frequency band around 20–120 Hz, preferably with a Clip on the Transient branch of the Split. Ceiling First set a safety margin and slowly push the input. The goal is to shorten the kick drum peak but not collapse the bass sustain.

drum kit loudness

Start with a smoother curve to control occasional peaks, then use Mix to retain attack. If the snare image collapses, reduce Input or choose a smoother Type.

Parallel roughness

Put in Send, use Return to mix back after strong driving; you can send only the mid-frequency to avoid sub-low frequency intermodulation and top glitches from occupying the full frequency range.

03

Budgie Compressor Family

Three architectures: precise general-purpose compression, coloured feedback compression and fast vocal control

3 EDITIONS

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1. 1
   Transfer curve / GR: Displays threshold, ratio, knee point and real-time gain reduction.
2. 2
   Tight / Punch / Smooth / Glue: Four detector and envelope characters.
3. 3
   Threshold、Ratio、Attack、Release: Set the trigger level, compression ratio, attack and recovery time.
4. 4
   Knee、Range、Make Up、Mix: Set knee softness, maximum gain reduction, makeup gain and parallel mix.
5. 5
   SC HPF / Listen / AG: Side chain high pass reduces low-frequency false triggering; Listen audition detection signal; AG does output compensation.

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1. 1
   Threshold、Ratio、Attack、Release: Constitutes the main compression envelope.
2. 2
   Input、Makeup、GR Range: Determines entry level, compensation and maximum compression.
3. 3
   Saturation、Tape、Colour HPF: Add harmonics and tape character, and limit low frequencies entering the coloration path.
4. 4
   SC HPF / SC Listen / slope: Set to detect high pass, listen to side chain and select slope.
5. 5
   Mix / Output / Feedback: Set parallel mix, final level and feedback compression behaviour.

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1. 1
   Natural / Forward / Dense: Three vocal characters: natural balance, forward clarity and dense stability.
2. 2
   Comp: Control the amount of compression; judge the action based on the GR on the left.
3. 3
   Gate: Set the gate threshold for pauses and background sound. Excessively high settings can cut off word endings.
4. 4
   Output / Mix: Matches final levels and determines how much of the original dynamics is retained.

Compressor

The general-purpose edition offers the most complete parameter set. Tight uses fast peak-oriented behaviour for low-end and brief peaks; Punch preserves attack with more character; Smooth uses gentler detection for sustained material; Glue provides feedback-style bus cohesion. Threshold sets where compression starts; Ratio sets its strength above threshold; Attack / Release set onset and recovery; Knee controls the transition; Range caps gain reduction; Make Up compensates the level.

Compressor Velvet

Velvet emphasizes slower movement, texture and feedback behaviour. Threshold, Ratio, Attack and Release form the compression envelope. GR Range caps attenuation. Saturation and Tape add nonlinearity. SC HPF / Slope reduce excessive low-frequency triggering; SC Listen auditions the detector signal. Mix Color determines how coloration participates in the parallel Mix. Try it on vocals, bass, drum buses or gentle mastering.

Compressor Vox

Vox is designed for fast vocal control. Comp sets compression strength; Gate controls noise and breaths between phrases; Output matches the level; Mix blends dry and processed signals. Natural preserves the original articulation, Forward emphasizes presence and stability, and Dense increases density. Establish a usable lead-vocal level quickly, then refine the tone with EQ and DeEsser.

Control	Audible effect	Judgment method
Attack	The faster it is, the more it can capture the peak, and the more likely it is to weaken the attack; the slower it is, the more impact it has.	First exaggerate the Ratio, find the position where the attack is just preserved, and then return to the normal Ratio.
Release	Too fast can cause pumping or distortion; too slow can carry gain reduction into the next phrase or beat.	Let the gain reduction resume roughly before the next major event.
SC HPF / Listen	Only changes the detector, not low-cutting the audio.	Use Listen to find the low frequency that causes false triggering, and then turn off listening comparison.
Auto Gain / Makeup / Output	Responsible for loudness compensation, not dynamic control.	When comparing, make the bypass and processed sound the same; don't use compensation to cover up over-compression.

Selection suggestions:Choose Compressor for precise control; Velvet for feedback behaviour, slower movement and coloration; Vox for quick control of lead or backing vocals. All three compress, but their detectors, timing ranges and tonal behaviour differ.

04

Budgie Color

Six circuit characters for harmonic density and tonal balance

COLOR

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1. 1
   Clean / Warm / DAC / Mic Pre / Tube / Console: Choose from six harmonic and dynamic characters.
2. 2
   Drive: Controls the level and harmonic density fed into the nonlinear path.
3. 3
   Tone: Shift the tonal emphasis of the coloration; this is not a conventional shelving EQ.
4. 4
   Output / Mix: Match levels and preserve original transients in parallel.
5. 5
   Harmonics display: Observe the relative changes of each order of harmonics to understand the mode differences.

Drive sets nonlinear intensity; Tone shifts its emphasis toward dark or bright; Output matches loudness; Mix blends the processed signal in parallel. Clean is restrained, Warm adds body, DAC offers a digital-conversion texture, Mic Pre adds preamp density, Tube is rounder, and Console suits bus cohesion.

Drive	Determines harmonics and compression, with low-level material requiring more Drive to be noticeable.	Tone	−100 to +100: shifts the spectral emphasis of coloration rather than applying a conventional shelf.
Output	Final trim from −18 to +18 dB.	Mix	0–100%, preserving original transients and clarity simultaneously.

There is no independent AG button on the Color page. Please use Output or Rack AG for a fair comparison. Low frequencies often start with Clean/Warm; Mic Pre, Tube, and Console are used for mid-frequency vocals or drum kits to make it easier to hear the character. If the sound is just louder, you should lower the Output first and then judge the mode difference.

05

Budgie Width

Stereo width, centre balance, image rotation and low-frequency protection

STEREO

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1. 1
   Vectorscope/Correlation: Shows the panning direction and left and right compatibility.
2. 2
   Natural / Wide / Focus: Three ways: natural expansion, strengthening the sides, and highlighting the center.
3. 3
   Width / Center: Control the Side amount and central weight.
4. 4
   Rotate / Mix: Rotate the stereo image and set the parallel processing amount.
5. 5
   Safe: Protect the low-frequency center and reduce mono channel loss when widening.

Width	0% collapses to mono; 100% preserves the original width; 100–200% increases Side.	Center	Shifts the listening center of gravity between Mid and Side weights.
Rotate	−90° to +90° Rotate stereo direction to correct skew or create movement.	Mono Safe	Widths above 100% protect the low frequency center below approximately 110 Hz.
Mode	Natural; Wide expands more obviously; Focus tightens the sides and highlights the center.	Mix	Parallel control throughput.

Try Wide above 1.5 kHz on the S page for backing vocals, or Focus to narrow the sides around a lead vocal. Check correlation and mono whenever widening beyond 100%. If the main sound disappears in mono, reduce Width / Rotate before considering Mono Safe.

06

Budgie Limit

Final peak protection, true-peak checking and loudness control

LIMITER

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1. 1
   Gain: Drive the limiter; the meter and graph on the left show its gain reduction.
2. 2
   Clean / Punch / Loud: Choose transparent limiting, attack preservation or higher density.
3. 3
   Ceiling / Release: Set the maximum output and recovery speed.
4. 4
   Output / Mix: Set final output trim and parallel limiting.
5. 5
   1:1 / TP: 1:1 linkage gain compensation; TP turns on true peak check.

Gain	0–18 dB, pushing the signal into limits.	Ceiling	−12 to 0 dB, sets the output upper limit.
Release	20–1000 ms, determines the recovery speed after limiting.	Style	Clean is transparent; Punch is more reserved for attack; Loud is more aggressive in pursuing density.
True Peak	Taking into account the peak value between sampling points, it is suitable for the final output to be safe.	1:1 Gain Compensation	Push the input and reverse the output at the same time, making it easier to compare the texture of the limit.
Mix / Output	Parallel processing amount and final output trim from −18 to +12 dB.	Final bus is usually 100% mix; creative parallel mix can reduce mix.

Normally place Limit last in FULL FX POST. Set Ceiling first, then increase Gain during the loudest passage. If drums flatten, the low end pumps or the image narrows, reduce Gain, lengthen Release or try Punch. Limit protects peaks; it cannot correct excessive bass, distortion or an unbalanced mix upstream.

07

Budgie Space

An integrated reverb and delay processor with routing, filters and ducking

REVERB + DELAY

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1. 1
   Reverb Type / Time / Pre / Color / Depth: Select the reverb model and set decay, pre-delay, tone and depth.
2. 2
   Reverb Low Cut / High Cut: Limit the bandwidth of the reverberation return to avoid low-frequency muddiness and high-frequency sibilance.
3. 3
   Balance / Routing / Mix: Balance reverb and delay, and select series direction or parallel connection.
4. 4
   Delay type / Ping Pong / Sync: Select echo character, left and right alternation and beat or millisecond time.
5. 5
   Rate / Feedback / Width / Drive and Delay Filters: Set repeat timing, feedback, stereo width, coloration and return bandwidth.

Reverb types include Hall, Chamber, Room, Plate 140, Plate 240, Vintage, and Progenitor; delays provide Mellow, Clean, Tape, and Analog. Balance determines the ratio of reverberation and delay, and Routing determines the connection relationship between the two.

Time / Pre	Reverb decay 0.1–10 s; predelay 0–250 ms to separate the original sound from the tail.	Depth / Color	Reverb depth and tonal brightness.
Rate / Sync / BPM / ms	Delay time in milliseconds or tempo-synced note values.	Feedback	0–92%, determines the number of repetitions; for high values, attention should be paid to self-excitation and peak values.
Duck	Reduces the wet signal while the source is active, allowing tails to emerge in pauses.	Low / Mid / High Tone	Shape the tone of the wet return separately.
Filters	Reverb and delay each have low cut/high cut, limiting the frequencies that enter or return.	Width / Ping Pong / Drive	Control delay width, left-right alternation, and echo coloration.
Routing	Rev → Delay: The reverb tail enters the echo; Delay → Rev: Repeats are wrapped in space; Parallel: Both are clear.	Mix	Insert is balanced by Mix; Send is usually set to full wet, and the amount is determined by Send / Return.

High-frequency vocal reverb

Put Space on the Send above about 4 kHz, select Plate or Chamber, and make it 100% wet; use Low Cut to clear the main body, High Cut to suppress the hiss, and add Duck to let the tail expand only at the end of the word.

Mid-frequency rhythm Delay

Only sends about 250 Hz–3 kHz, Sync is set to 1/8 or a dotted value, feedback starts low, and cuts high to make it darker. The main body remains clear and repetitions do not occupy low frequencies and airy areas.

Diffuse clouds

Delay→Rev, higher Feedback, longer Time; put it on Tonal Send, allowing sustained sounds to enter the space and transients to stay close.

08

Budgie Lofi

Five media, fifteen scenes and repeatable random textures

LO-FI

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1. 1
   Radio / Vinyl / Cassette / VHS / Digital: Select five types of media.
2. 2
   Scene buttons: Each category contains three characters, and their own parameters are saved respectively.
3. 3
   Drive / Color: Control medium saturation and spectral balance.
4. 4
   Wear / Noise or Bits / Rate: Analog wear noise, or digital bit depth and sample rate degradation.
5. 5
   Seed / Mix: Replace repeatable textures and blend back to original clarity.

Radio: Pocket AM / FM Air / Shortwave; Vinyl: Clean LP / Worn / Dusty; Cassette: Chrome / Normal / Micro; VHS: HiFi / Home / Tracking; Digital: 12-bit / Digital / Codec. When switching Mode, each scene saves its own parameter status.

Drive	Medium saturation and density.	Color	Spectral shading and bandwidth character.
Wear / Bits	Simulates media wear, or bit depth degradation in Digital mode.	Noise / Rate	Amount of noise, or digital sample rate/rate texture.
Texture Seed	Vary the random noise and texture patterns; the same value can be repeated to get the same tone.	Mix	How much of the original clarity is retained.

Telephone sounds can be Radio-only in the 300 Hz–4 kHz mid-band; old samples can be Cassette/Vinyl on the Tonal branch to keep transients fresh; fills can be Macro-mapped to Wear, Color, and Mix for playable transitions from clean to damaged.

09

Budgie DeEsser

Sibilance control with split-band or wideband attenuation

DE-ESS

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1. 1
   Spectrum/Target Line: Observe the sibilance area and drag the target frequency.
2. 2
   Amount: Determines detection and suppression intensity.
3. 3
   Frequency / Range: Locks the sibilance center and limits the maximum attenuation.
4. 4
   Split / Wide: Only suppress the target high frequency, or trigger the entire attenuation due to sibilance.
5. 5
   Mix: Restore part of the original brightness in parallel.

Amount	0–100%, detection and processing intensity.	Frequency	1–18 kHz, locks on sibilance/harsh center.
Range	0–24 dB, limits maximum cutback, preventing sudden collapse.	Mix	Parallel restoration of part of the original brightness.
Split	By reducing only the target high frequencies, the subject level is more stable and often more transparent.	Wide	The entire broadband attenuation is triggered by the sibilance, making it sound more like a singer naturally holding back the syllable.

Temporarily raise Amount and sweep Frequency to locate the harshest sibilance. Then reduce Amount and Range until processing acts only on problem syllables. Female voices often require a higher target than male voices, but listen rather than relying on a fixed frequency. DeEsser → Air is a useful starting order. If Air adds high frequencies that also need control, follow it with gentle dynamic EQ.

10

Budgie Air

Integrated shaping of presence, air and high-frequency taming

AIR

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1. 1
   response curve: Displays the combined high-frequency trend of Presence, Air and Tame.
2. 2
   Clean / Fresh / Silk: Three high-frequency characters: direct, distinct, and supple.
3. 3
   Presence: Adjust the forward feeling and clear outline.
4. 4
   Air / Tame: Extend the top end and control hardness, thinness and harshness.
5. 5
   Mix: Parallel control of overall processing volume.

Presence brings vocals and instruments forward; Air opens the top end; Tame controls the hardness, thinness and harshness that brightening can expose. Clean is direct, Fresh is more vivid, and Silk is smoother. Start from Soft Air, Vocal Forward, Drum Shine, Dark Mix Lift, Silky Master or Fresh Pop.

usage:Set Presence for clear articulation, slowly add Air, then use Tame to control harshness. Processing only a high band offers more control than processing the full signal. Use subtle settings for mastering; darker vocals may need more. Tame handles persistent hardness, while DeEsser targets specific sibilant consonants.

11

Budgie Modulation

Doubling, chorus, phasing, ensemble and tremolo

MODULATION

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1. 1
   Doubler / Chorus / Phaser / Ensemble / Tremolo: Select Doubler, Chorus, Phaser, Ensemble or Tremolo.
2. 2
   Rate: Control the movement speed.
3. 3
   Depth: Control the modulation amplitude.
4. 4
   Process / Width: Change the current mode’s internal intensity or waveform, and set stereo separation.
5. 5
   Mix: Control the dry-wet ratio.

Rate	0.05–12 Hz, motion speed.	Depth	modulation amplitude.
Process	Changes the selected mode’s internal intensity, feedback or waveform. In Tremolo, lower settings approach a sine wave, middle settings a triangle, and higher settings a square wave.	Width	Stereo separation; Tremolo produces more noticeable side-to-side motion past the midpoint.
Doubler	A small time change of about 16 ms, suitable for vocal thickening.	Chorus	Tighter chorus around 9 ms.
Ensemble	Approximately 22 ms multi-voice drift, wider range.	Phaser / Tremolo	Eight levels of phase-shifting motion/periodic volume changes.

The lead vocal only needs a small amount of Doubler; the background harmony can use Ensemble on the S page or the mid-to-high frequency band; if the bass needs movement, it can only modulate the high-frequency harmonics and retain the low-frequency center. By mapping the Modulation Mix and Space Send of the Tonal branch to the same Macro, you can perform continuous actions of "from close to drift".

12

Budgie Tape

Tape models, drive calibration, character and bandwidth control

TAPE

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1. 1
   Transparent / Bright / Warm / Vintage: Select the tape model.
2. 2
   Balanced / Body / Dense / Bloom / Focus: Select the processing focus.
3. 3
   Process / Input / Output / Mix: Set processing intensity, drive level, output compensation and parallel mix.
4. 4
   Calibration / Charge / Tone: Set the drive reference, energy and tonal balance.
5. 5
   Low Cut / High Cut / Post Filters / Vintage Options: Restrict the coloration bandwidth and configure Vintage Curve, Scale and HOT behaviour.

Transparent, Bright, Warm, and Vintage determine the overall model; Balanced, Body, Dense, Bloom, and Focus determine the focus of processing. First select the model and Character, then use Process to determine the effect amount, and finally do input and output matching.

Process	0–100% overall tape processing amount.	Drive Calibration	50–150%: adjusts the reference at which the model begins to saturate noticeably.
Input / Output	±24 dB each. Input sets how hard the tape is driven; Output compensates the resulting level.	Mix	Original clarity and attack are preserved in parallel.
Low / High Cut	Limits the bandwidth into the tape color path; Post Filters determine filter placement.	Charge / Tone	Adjust energy and tonal brightness.
Vintage Curve	Classic / Tight / Thick。	Vintage Scale	Classic / Guard / Push, change the drive scale and protection level of Vintage.
Vintage Character / HOT	Enable stronger vintage behaviour and additional drive.	Beginning at low volumes, pay special attention to low-frequency bloating and high-frequency blunting.

Vocal thickness

Warm + Body with modest Process. Use Low Cut to keep plosives from overdriving the tape, and Output to match bypass loudness.

Drum bus glue

Transparent / Vintage + Balanced, lowers the spike before pushing Input; Mix retains part of the original attack.

Old-tape atmosphere

Try Vintage with Thick / Push and a lower High Cut. Combine Tape with Lofi Cassette: let Tape provide compression and harmonics while Lofi supplies wear and noise.

1. 01

   Define your goal in one sentence

   Define a result such as “steady, forward lead vocals with spacious endings”, “a louder master without shortening the kick”, or “wider backing vocals with a stable centre”. Describe the sound and its limits before choosing processors.

2. 02

   Choose the smallest route

   Use LR single segment first. If only a certain frequency range needs to be processed independently, add another frequency band; enter M/S only if the center and sides require different actions; turn on Split only if attack and sustain require different chains. This makes it easier to hear the cause and effect of each step.

3. 03

   Decide Insert, Send or FULL FX

   Use Insert to directly change the main body; use Send if you need parallel mix, tail or feedback network; use FULL FX if you must observe the complete spectrum, unified ending or final protection. Nonlinear effects placed in PRE and POST will get different driving results.

4. 04

   First correct, then shape, then space

   A typical sequence is EQ / DeEsser → Compressor / Clip → Color / Tape / Air → Modulation / Space → Limit. It's not a hard rule: for example, tape first and then compressor will make the compressor respond to added harmonics, while compressing first and then tape will be more stable.

5. 05

   Establish a gain baseline

   Each additional processor matches bypass loudness; the loudest segments check for peaks; space and feedback check for tails after playback is stopped. Finally, use rack AG to measure and lock for three seconds, and then use B and Δ to judge.

6. 06

   Do the Macro last

   Combine multiple established parameters into an auditory action. Set the safe range and forward and reverse directions, check 0%, 50%, 100%; do not use Macro to remedy multiple unresolved issues at the same time.

When loading a new version of Factory, the old factory presets with the same name will be backed up first; effects and parameters already saved in the project will not be automatically overwritten.

1. Quit a running DAW.
2. Open the installation package and select the desired AU, VST3 and/or standalone program.
3. Reopen the DAW after installation; if the plug-in does not appear, perform a plug-in rescan on the host.
4. Open MB Rack and follow the authorization page prompts to log in to Budgie Hub or start a trial.