HoRNet SpectraDuck

HoRNet SpectraDuck is a spectral sidechain ducker plugin that analyses audio in the frequency domain and automatically reduces the level of a target channel only in the frequency ranges where a sidechain signal is present.

Unlike traditional sidechain compressors that cut the entire signal when the trigger is loud, SpectraDuck examines the spectrum of the sidechain input and applies gain reduction only in the frequency bands where masking is detected. The rest of the signal passes through untouched — no crossovers, no fixed bands, no phase issues between bands.

The plugin sits on the channel to be ducked (bass bus, drum bus, music bed). The user routes a trigger signal (kick, vocal, or any other source) as the sidechain input. SpectraDuck continuously analyses the sidechain spectrum, detects the dominant frequency range of the trigger, and applies ducking only in those frequency regions.

Three main controls cover the majority of use cases: Amount (0-100%, ducking strength), Range (0-24 dB, maximum attenuation ceiling), and Sharpness (0-100%, how surgical or musical the cut is). With a factory preset and these three knobs, users can achieve a musical result in under two minutes.

Advanced controls include HP/LP Detector filters (tell the plugin exactly which frequencies to listen to in the sidechain), Auto Time (automatically estimates Attack and Release from the sidechain material), Lookahead (anticipates transients for click-free operation), MS Mode (Linked / Mid Only / Side Only for stereo bus work), and Listen Mode (hear the sidechain or hear only the cut frequencies).

The interface displays the real-time spectrum in cyan, the post-ducking spectrum in yellow, and the gain-reduction curve in magenta. A dedicated SC indicator lights up when the sidechain is active. Latency is approximately 5 ms, automatically compensated by the host DAW via PDC.

Key Features:

• FFT-based real-time spectral analysis — detects frequency masking between sidechain and target signals automatically.
• Three-knob workflow: Amount (0-100%), Range (0-24 dB), Sharpness (0-100%) — covers 90% of use cases without additional setup.
• No crossovers, no fixed EQ bands — pure frequency-domain ducking with no phase issues between bands.
• HP/LP Detector filter: tell the plugin exactly which frequencies to listen to in the sidechain (e.g., 35-220 Hz for kick, 180 Hz-5.5 kHz for voice).
• Auto Time: automatically estimates Attack and Release from sidechain content — dry kick gets short times, sustained voice gets longer ones.
• Lookahead: short buffer that anticipates transients for click-free operation on percussive sources.
• MS Mode: Linked (both channels ducked equally), Mid Only (mono center ducked), Side Only (stereo sides ducked — ideal for removing wide pads around a centered lead).
• Listen Mode: Off (normal output), Sidechain (hear what the detector is listening to), Delta (hear only what is being cut — teaching mode).
• Real-time visual feedback: cyan = input spectrum, yellow = post-ducking spectrum, magenta = gain- reduction curve.
• SC indicator: shows active/inactive sidechain status.
• Approximately 5 ms latency, DAW-compensated (PDC).
• Formats: VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit).
• Platforms: macOS 10.15+ (Intel + Apple Silicon M1-M4), Windows 10/11 (64-bit).

System Requirements Mac:

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or higher.
• Intel or Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4 native).

Windows:

• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).
• Intel Core i5 or AMD equivalent.

Audio:

• 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz sample rate.
• 16/24/32-bit (internal 64-bit floating point processing).
• Stereo input/output.

DAW Compatibility:

• VST3, AU, AAX — any compatible host supported.
• Tested with Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, Bitwig, FL Studio.

Latency: approximately 5 ms (DAW-compensated via PDC).