This is the very first plugin I've ever made, and I'm entering it in the KVR Developer Challenge.
What I built is a plugin that takes gain staging — important, but tedious, and so easy to neglect — and turns it into a natural starting line for everyone.
With MAKINE, the mascot who lives inside the plugin, I hope it gives beginners a real understanding of gain staging, and gives experienced folks back the time they would have spent on it.
First, don't overthink it — just try it!
Switch CRAYON Gainer to AUTO mode, and it automatically adjusts your source toward −18 dBFS RMS. AUTO mode uses its own measurement method designed to resist clipping even on high-crest-factor sources like drums, so it sets your levels safely.
Once it has measured for about 5 seconds — or when the DAW goes silent and the plugin sleeps — it switches back to MANUAL mode and locks the value in place. That means you can gain-stage a session full of tracks really quickly. The workflow might feel a little unfamiliar at first, but give it a few tries. I think you'll feel how easy it makes things.
And the biggest feature of this plugin: my beloved mascot MAKINE, a child of the Wind-Up Folk. She explains the plugin's features and how gain staging works, so even if you've never done gain staging before, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.
Also — AUTO mode is just really cute. Please try it. Even I think it turned out dangerously cute!!
Why did I make this? Well, I never had much natural talent for music, so I was slow to learn a lot of things. Gain staging especially — I couldn't understand why it mattered, so I ignored it for a long time. Much later, I finally realized how important it was, and I wished someone had told me sooner. That's why I decided to make a plugin that could pass that on. And honestly? Gain staging is tedious, and I wanted to make it easier for myself too.
Come on, you feel like skipping it sometimes too, right?
Specs:
・VST3 / AU, Windows + macOS (Universal Binary, notarized)
・AUTO / MANUAL gain modes, gated RMS measurement targeting −18 dBFS
・Free
Download (KVR): [https://www.kvraudio.com/product/crayon ... maki-audio]
More info: [https://nejimakiaudio.com/crayon-gainer.html]
One last thing. I'm a complete beginner at plugin development — I only just started learning — and that's exactly why I packed this plugin full of dreams. Every day, I was thinking about how to make it better right up until the moment I fell asleep. At work, during meals, in the bath — I was completely absorbed the whole time.
Because of that, I love every plugin in the world even more than before, and I want to understand them more deeply.
I want to keep making lots of plugins, and I hope you'll use them.
So please — advice, bug reports, and of course compliments are all very welcome!
Thank you for reading this far.
And my heartfelt thanks to KVR for hosting such a fun festival!
—NEJIMAKI AUDIO
