CRAYON Gainer

This plugin is just a web page? In Reaper: VST3: CRAYON Gainer (NEJIMAKI AUDIO) =.

Can't reach this page.

Make sure the web address https://juce.backend is correct.

Navigation to the webpage was canceled.

What you can try:

Refresh the page.Refresh the page.

Hi, thanks for the report! CRAYON Gainer's UI is rendered with an embedded WebView, and that error means the WebView failed to load on your system — not that the plugin is a web page. The DSP runs fully native and offline.

On Windows 10, this usually happens when the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is missing or outdated. Could you try installing it from Microsoft's official page and reloading the plugin?

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/.

If that doesn't fix it, could you let me know your Windows version (10 or 11) and Reaper version? I'd love to get this sorted for you.

Hi Jeffery, following up on this: the issue you reported is now fixed in version 1.0.1, released today. It turned out to be exactly what you ran into — the UI component failed to load in REAPER specifically (your report was the first clue that led to finding it, so thank you!).

Please re-download 1.0.1 and replace the entire "CRAYON Gainer.vst3" folder, then clear the plugin cache and re-scan in REAPER. The UI should now open normally.

I can confirm that I have had exactly the same problem on my system. When the plugin is first added, this error message is displayed: " Navigation to web page was cancelled. What you can try: Refresh the page."

If you click on Refresh the page, the following error is displayed: "Can't reach this page.

Make sure the web address https://juce.backend is correct.

Search for this site on Bing.

Refresh the page"

I have checked that Webview2 is correctly installed (even tried a new install, but OS won't let you as it is already installed).

I am on Windows 11 Home 25H2 fully up to date. Reaper is version 7.73.

Hi, thank you for the detailed report — the Windows/REAPER versions and the exact error text really helped.

Good news: this exact issue has just been fixed in version 1.0.1, released today. The cause was that the plugin's UI component depended on a file that some hosts (like Cubase) ship themselves, but REAPER doesn't — so it failed in REAPER no matter how WebView2 was installed on your system. The component is now embedded directly in the plugin.

Please re-download 1.0.1 from this page and replace the entire "CRAYON Gainer.vst3" folder in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3. Then in REAPER, run Options → Preferences → Plug-ins → VST → "Clear cache/re-scan" once.

Let me know if it works on your system.

Many thanks for the quick response. That fix worked perfectly. I have used the plugin on a dummy project just to test it out and everything works now.

I did deliberately try it out on a track which had been mastered and adjusted to -18.00 dB RMS-I. The plugin did still adjust the track down by about -2.0 dB when "Auto" mode was used, but I would say this is mostly be due to the dynamic nature of the volume variations in the track. It is a song with varying sections of quieter and louder bits with heavy guitars and drums.

CPU use is pretty low at about 0.02% when the UI is not open and 0.06% when UI is visible.

Perhaps in future versions it may be useful to allow users to set the 0 point on the VU meter to levels other than -18 dB. For example, my personal preference for gain staging is -16 dB. Maybe it could be variable within a small range that would not be too much higher or lower than -18 dB (to avoid causing problems). Just a thought.

I should also mention that when I first used the plugin, I had a bit of trouble moving the gain knob to exactly the position I wanted, but I soon found that using the "Shift" key whilst moving the knob (a common plugin feature) did allow me to make much smaller adjustments for fine tuning. For those users who are not familiar with this technique, it may perhaps be worth mentioning this in the user guide that Makine provides.

Overall, this seems to be a helpful plugin for quickly controlling/leveling gain on tracks. It is also probably the cutest plugin I have used and maybe the only one that has ever "talked" to me about how to use it and what it has done! I quite liked that, and also the fact that you can turn the feature off if you don't want it any more. Having said that, I have a funny feeling that not everyone will fully appreciate your lighthearted design if they don't see it as "professional" enough. So, maybe at some stage you could add a more traditional/boring UI layout that users can switch too if they feel like it. Personally, I am quite happy with it as it is! :).

Best of luck with it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to test it this thoroughly — this is incredibly valuable feedback.

Great to hear the fix works and that CPU usage stays low. And your observation about AUTO on the mastered track deserves a proper answer: what you saw is actually intentional behavior. AUTO aims for around -18 dBFS, but it deliberately keeps a safety margin for peaks — so dynamic material like a full mix with heavy drums and guitars will land a little below the target to protect headroom. Steadier sources settle closer to -18. So your track behaved exactly as designed, and your instinct about the dynamics was spot on.

About the traditional UI option: you actually read my mind — a switchable "simple mode" has been part of the plan from early on, and your comment confirms it's worth prioritizing. I'll aim to implement it as soon as I reasonably can.

Your other suggestions are excellent too. A variable reference level fits the concept really well, and you're right that the Shift fine-tune tip belongs in MAKINE's guidance — she should definitely be the one to teach it! Both are now on my list for consideration in upcoming versions.

And thank you for the kind words about MAKINE — "the only plugin that talked to me" might be my favorite review so far. :).

Thanks again for the thoughtful report and the good wishes — feedback like this genuinely shapes where CRAYON Gainer goes next.

Happy to have been of some help. Best of luck with your future development efforts.