We are thrilled to unveil Blue Cat's Fader Hub 1.3 "Multitrack", a significant upgrade our network mixing, streaming and recording console software available as an application and plug-in. A free update for Blue Cat's Connector, our universal connection plug-in, has been released too.
Fader Hub acts as a low latency hub and personal mixer for multiple musicians or multiple computers connected thru a network, with built-in remote multitrack recording, audio effects, third party plug-ins support, and automatic latency compensation and anticipation.
With Fader Hub 1.3, is now possible to access individual remote audio inputs instead of only stereo mixes: you can aggregate up to 128 audio channels from up to 8 different computers on a local network or thru the Internet, and even more if loading Fader Hub into itself as a plug-in. It gives direct access to individual audio streams to apply effects, mix them together, or record them locally.
In addition to this major upgrade, the new version is packed with new features: multi-touch support, recorded files synchronization, major performance improvements, new MIDI control features, many plug-ins hosting enhancements, and much more (full list below).
The Connector 1.43 free update brings a couple of improvements and fixes, as well as a few optimizations to support Fader Hub's new multitrack streaming capability (full list below).
To celebrate the launch, Fader Hub 1.3 is available at 20% discount until February 10th. Existing customers will receive an even more attractive offer via email. Demo versions of the application (and plug-in) are accessible for download on www.bluecataudio.com.
***NEW IN FADER HUB 1.3***
New Network Audio Multi-Channel Mode (Multitrack):
- Send individual input signals (instead of just the stereo mix) to other Fader Hub or Connector instances, thru the network, the Internet or on the same machine.
- Visualize and remix individual channels from remote instances in the LLAN Mixer, which gets automatically upated upon remote changes.
- Aggregate, mix and record up to 64 stereo inputs (128 audio channels) from up to 8 different computers (and even more by loading Fader Hub inside itself).
Performance:
- Major audio processing performance improvements.
- Major user interface perforamnce improvements on Windows.
User Interface:
- Windows multitouch support (manipulate multiple controls at the same time with several fingers).
- Changed Mute button color to yellow to avoid confusion with record buttons.
- Improved skin loading time on slow hard drives.
- Optimized size of image resources for GUIs.
- Fixed factory FX strips not listed in FX Strip menu.
- 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.
- Minor Graphics resources optimizations for Hi resolution displays.
- Fixed Mac installers not showing brand image in dark mode.
- Windows: fixed context menu not always displayed in the right position when the window spans across several screens with different DPI.
- Windows accessibility: native system widgets are now scaled according to text size settings on Windows 8 and newer in settings windows.
- Windows: fixed return key sometimes unexpectedly forwarded to host while typing in a text edit box.
Macros Parameters:
- Select Macro params control style: knob or switch.
- Set macro params default/neutral value (the value set upon right click or alt-click).
Plug-ins Hosting:
- A missing plug-ins report is now displayed in case plug-ins are missing upon loading a session or presets.
- 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 Fader Hub'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.
- 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.
- Improved undo management with built-in and VST3 plug-ins, now detecting non-parameter changes (for Axiom: Destructor skin changes etc.).
- 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 unexpected bypass control behavior with some Audio Unit plug-ins.
- Fixed VST3 plug-ins not loading when moved to a directory with the same name as the original .vst3 library file.
- Fixed revert current preset not always triggering undo properly
Audio Recording/Playback:
- Recorded audio files now contain current transport position to help synchronizing recordings when imported into a DAW (BF format).
- Audio file recorder now switches automatically to RF64 file format for files larger than 2 GB.
- Fixed mp3 files loaded in audio player not always in sync with transport.
- Audio recording and playback now take plug-ins latency into account (with latency compensation).
- Improved playback and recording synchronization (locally and remotely).
MIDI Control:
- 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.
StandAlone Application:
- Windows: ASIO driver now keeps running when ASIO Control panel is opened from the app audio preferences.
- Windows: the application now follows ASIO driver buffer changes made in the ASIO control panel or external ASIO configuration app.
- Performance: application now automatically selects the minimum number of I/O required from the driver.
- Fixed audio dropouts when selecting MIDI output devices in preferences when using many MIDI devices.
***NEW IN CONNECTOR 1.43***
- ASIO driver now only sends the minimal number of audio channels requested by the app, instead of all possible channels accepted by the destination.
- Lossless audio compression is now the default option for network audio.
- Multiple performance improvements (user interface and audio processing).
User Interface:
- Windows: multitouch support (manipulate multiple controls at the same time with sevral fingers).
- 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.
- Fixed revert current preset not always triggering undo properly.
- Fixed Mac installers not showing brand image in dark mode.
- Windows: fixed context menu not always displayed in the right position when the window spans across several screens with different DPI.
- Windows accessibility: native system widgets are now scaled according to text size settings on Windows 8 and newer in settings windows.
- Windows: fixed return key sometimes unexpectedly forwarded to host while typing in a text edit box.
MIDI Control:
- 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.
- 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.
System requirements:
- Apple Silicon or Intel Mac running Mac OS 10.9 or newer.
- PC running Windows Vista or newer.
Introduction Pricing until February 10th:
- Blue Cat's Fader Hub: 79 USD/EUR (instead of 99)
Enjoy!
