PatchWork

Blue Cat PatchWork is a universal plug-in patchbay and multi-effects processor capable of hosting up to 64 VST, VST3, or Audio Unit (AU) plug-ins within a single instance of a digital audio workstation (DAW). Operating as both an audio effect and a virtual instrument, it provides users with configurable serial and parallel routing configurations. This utility allows for the creation of complex signal processing chains and instrument layers without requiring external routing utilities inside the host DAW.

The software functions via a structured routing grid consisting of input ("Pre") and output ("Post") stages that process plug-ins in series, alongside an intermediary stage containing up to eight parallel chains. Signals can be routed to individual sub-plug-ins with independent gain, solo, phase inversion, and dry/wet balancing controls. For instrument hosting, multiple synthesizers or samplers can be summed or averaged into a single stereo or multichannel output stream (up to 16 audio channels), depending on whether the configuration requires volume aggregation or gain compensation.

Advanced automation and parameters mapping allow internal sub-plug-in parameters to be mapped directly to the host DAW or automated via external hardware MIDI control surfaces. Built-in latency compensation ensures phase alignment across all sub-hosted software, while multicore processing support distributes the computational load of parallel chains across available CPU cores. Additionally, the software acts as a network audio and MIDI processing server when paired with Blue Cat Audio's Connector utility.

Key Features

• Flexible Signal Routing: Links up to 64 third-party or built-in plug-ins per instance across serial and parallel topologies.
• Parallel Processing Optimization: Features up to 8 parallel chains with dedicated phase flip, solo, mute, and gain controls.
• Virtual Instrument Layering: Hosts up to 8 virtual instruments simultaneously with flexible channel routing and multi-output bus support.
• Macro Control & Parameter Mapping: Maps parameters from nested plug-ins to the host DAW for automation or external surface control.
• Multicore Engine Processing: Distributes parallel plug-in processing across multiple CPU threads to optimize performance.
• Advanced Audio I/O Matrix: Supports mono, stereo, and multichannel surround formats up to 8 channels with customizable physical pin configurations.
• MIDI Management: Flexible internal MIDI routing allows sub-plug-ins to pass MIDI data to each other or back out to the host DAW.

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