MOscilloscope

Channel mode
Channel mode button shows the current processing channel mode, e.g. Left+Right (L+R) indicates the processing of left and right
channels. This is the default mode for mono and stereo audio material and effectively processes the incoming signal as expected. However
the plugin also provides additional modes, of which you may take advantage as described below. Mastering this feature will give you
unbelievable options for controlling the stereo field.

Note that this is not relevant for mono audio tracks, because the host supplies only one input and output channel.
Left (L) mode and Right (R) mode allow the plugin to process just one channel, only the left or only the right. This feature has a
number of simple uses. Equalizing only one channel allows you to fix spectral inconsistencies, when mids are lower in one channel for
example. A kind of stereo expander can be produced by equalizing each side differently. Stereo expansion could also be produced by using a
modulation effect, such as a vibrato or flanger, on one of these channels. Note however that the results would not be fully mono compatible.

Left and right channels can be processed separately with different settings, by creating two instances of the plugin in series, one set to 'L'
mode and the other to 'R' mode. The instance in 'L' mode will not touch the right channel and vice versa. This approach is perfectly safe and
is even advantageous, as both sides can be configured completely independently with both settings visible next to each other.

Mid (M) mode allows the plugin to process the so-called mid (or mono) signal. Any stereo signal can be transformed from left and right, to
mid and side, and back again, with minimal CPU usage and no loss of audio quality. The mid channel contains the mono sum (or centre),
which is the signal present in both left and right channels (in phase). The side channel contains the difference between the left and right
channels, which is the "stereo" part. In 'M mode' the plugin performs the conversion into mid and side channels, processes mid, leaves side
intact and converts the results back into the left and right channels expected by the host.
To understand what a mid signal is, consider using a simple gain feature, available in many plugins. Setting the plugin to M mode and
decreasing gain, will actually lower or attenuate the mono content and the signal will appear "wider". There must be some stereo content
present, this will not work for monophonic audio material placed in stereo tracks of course. Similarly amplifying the mono content by
increasing the gain, will make the mono content dominant and the stereo image will become "narrower".

As well as a simple gain control there are various creative uses for this channel mode.
Using a compressor on the mid channel can widen the stereo image, because in louder parts the mid part gets attenuated and the stereo
becomes more prominent. This is a good trick to make the listener focus on an instrument whenever it is louder, because a wider stereo
image makes the listener feel that the origin of the sound is closer to, or even around them.
A reverb on the mid part makes the room appear thin and distant. It is a good way to make the track wide due to the existing stereo
content, yet spacey and centered at the same time. Note that since this effect does not occur naturally, the result may sound artificial on its
own, however it may help you fit a dominant track into a mix.
An equalizer gives many possibilities - for example, the removal of frequencies that are colliding with those on another track. By processing
only the mid channel you can keep the problematic frequencies in the stereo channel. This way it is possible to actually fit both tracks into
the same part of the spectrum - one occupying the mid (centre) part of the signal, physically appearing further away from the listener, the
other occupying the side part of the signal, appearing closer to the listener.
Using various modulation effects can vary the mid signal, to make the stereo signal less correlated. This creates a wider stereo image and
makes the audio appear closer to the listener.

Side (S) mode is complementary to M mode, and allows processing of only the side (stereo) part of the signal leaving the mid intact. The
same techniques as described for M mode can also be applied here, giving the opposite results.
Using a gain control with positive gain will increase the width of the stereo image.
A compressor can attenuate the side part in louder sections making it more monophonic and centered, placing the origin a little further
away and in front of the listener.
A reverb may extend the stereo width and provide some natural space without affecting the mid content. This creates an interesting side-
effect - the reverb gets completely cancelled out when played on a monophonic device (on a mono radio for example). With stereo
processing you have much more space to place different sounds in the mix. However when the audio is played on a monophonic system it
becomes too crowded, because what was originally in two channels is now in just one and mono has a very limited capability for 2D
placement. Therefore getting rid of the reverb in mono may be advantageous, because it frees some space for other instruments.
An equalizer can amplify some frequencies in the stereo content making them more apparent and since they psycho acoustically become
closer to the listener, the listener will be focused on them. Conversely, frequencies can be removed to free space for other instruments in
stereo.
A saturator / exciter may make the stereo richer and more appealing by creating higher harmonics without affecting the mid channel,
which could otherwise become crowded.
Modulation effects can achieve the same results as in mid mode, but this will vary a lot depending on the effect and the audio material. It
can be used in a wide variety of creative ways.

Mid+Side (M+S) lets the plugin process both mid and side channels together using the same settings. In many cases there is no
difference to L+R mode, but there are exceptions.
A reverb applied in M+S mode will result in minimal changes to the width of the stereo field (unless it is true-stereo, in which case mid will
affect side and vice versa), it can be used therefore, to add depth without altering the width.
A compressor in M+S mode can be a little harder to understand. It basically stabilizes the levels of the mid and side channels. When
channel linking is disabled in the compressor, you can expect some variations in the sound field, because the compressor will attenuate the
louder channel (usually the mid), changing the stereo width depending on the audio level. When channel linking is enabled, a compressor
will usually react similarly to the L+R channel mode.
Exciters or saturators are both nonlinear processors, their outputs depend on the level of the input, so the dominant channel (usually
mid) will be saturated more. This will usually make the stereo image slightly thinner and can be used as a creative effect.
How to modify mid and side with different settings? The answer is the same as for the L and R channels. Use two instances of the
plugin one after another, one in M mode, the other in S mode. The instance in M mode will not change the side channel and vice versa.

Left+Right(neg) (L+R-) mode is the same as L+R mode, but the the right channel's phase will be inverted. This may come in handy if
the L and R channels seem out of phase. When used on a normal track, it will force the channels out of phase. This may sound like an
extreme stereo expansion, but is usually extremely fatiguing on the ears. It is also not mono compatible - on a mono device the track will
probably become almost silent. Therefore be advised to use this only if the channels are actually out of phase or if you have some creative
intent.
There are also 4 subsidiary modes: Left & zero Right (L(R0)), Right & zero Left (R(L0)), Mid & zero Side (M(S0)) and Side & zero
Mid (S(M0)). Each of these processes one channel and silences the other.
Surround mode is not related to stereo processing but lets the plugin process up to 8 channels, depending on how many the host supplies.
For VST2 plugins you have to first activate surround processing using the Activate surround item in the bottom. This is a global switch for
all MeldaProduction plugins, which configures them to report 8in-8out capabilities to the host, on loading. It is disabled by default, because
some hosts have trouble dealing with such plugins. After activation, restart your host to start using the surround capabilities of the plugins.
Deactivation is done in the same way. Please note that all input and output busses will be multi-channel, that includes side-chain for
example. For VST3/AU/AAX plugins the activation is not necessary.
First place the plugin on a surround track - a track that has more than 2 channels. Then select Surround from the plug-in's Channel Mode
menu. The plugins will regard this mode as a natural extension of 2 channel processing. For example, a compressor will process each
channel separately or measure the level by combining the levels of all of the inputs provided. Further surround processing properties, to
enable/disable each channel or adjust its level, can be accessed via the Surround settings in the menu.
Ambisonics mode provides support for the modern 3D systems (mostly cinema and VR) with up to 64 channels (ambisonics 7th order).
Support for this is still quite rare among the DAWs, so this needs to be activated in all DAWs using the Activate ambisonics item in the
bottom. This is a global switch for all MeldaProduction plugins, which configures them to report 64in-64out capabilities to the host, on
loading. After activation, restart your host to start using the ambisonics capabilities of the plugins. Deactivation is done in the same way.
Please note that all input and output busses will be multi-channel, that includes side-chain for example.

First place the plugin on an ambisonics track, supported are all orders from 1st (4 channels) to 7th (64 channels). Then select Ambisonics
from the plug-in's Channel Mode menu. Finally select the Ambisonics settings in the menu and configure the Ambisonics order and other
settings if needed. The plugins will regard this mode as a natural extension of 2 channel processing. For example, a compressor will process
each channel separately or measure the level by combining the levels of all of the inputs provided.

Panic
Panic button resets the plugin state. You can use it to force the plugin to report latency to the host again and to avoid any audio problems.
For example, some plugins, having a look-ahead feature, report the size of the look-ahead delay as latency, but it is inconvenient to do that
every time the look-ahead changes as it usually causes the playback to stop. After you tweak the latency to the correct value, just click this
button to sync the track in time with the others, minimizing phasing artifacts caused by the look-ahead delay mixing with undelayed audio
signals in your host. It may also be necessary to restart playback in your host.
Another example is if some malfunctioning plugin generates extremely high values for the input of this plugin. A potential filter may start
generating very high values as well and as a result the playback will stop. You can just click this button to reset the plugin and the playback
will start again.

Settings
Settings button shows a menu with additional settings of the plugin. Here is a brief description of the separate items.
Activate lets you activate the plugin if the drag & drop activation method does not work in your host. In this case either click this button
and browse to the licence file on your computer and select it. Or open the licence file in any text editor, copy its contents to the system
clipboard and click this button. The plugin will then perform the activation using the data in the clipboard, if possible.
There are 4 groups of settings, each section has its own detailed help information: GUI & Style enables you to pick the GUI style for the
plug-in and the main colours used for the background, the title bars of the windows and panels, the text and graphs area and the
highlighting (used for enabled buttons, sliders, knobs etc).
Advanced settings configures several processing options for the plug-in.

Dry/wet affects determines, for Multiband plug-ins, which multiband parameters are affected by the Global dry/wet control.
Smart interpolation adjusts the interpolation algorithm used when changing parameter values; the higher the setting the higher the audio
quality and the lower the chance of zippering noise, but more CPU will be used.

WWW
WWW button shows a menu with additional information about the plugin. You can check for updates, get easy access to support,
MeldaProduction web page, video tutorials, Facebook/Twitter/YouTube channels and more.

Detector panel

Detector panel contains the parameters of the pitch detector, which drives the oscilloscope.

Min frequency
Min frequency controls the minimum frequency the pitch detector can calculate. Most signals contain lots of noise, low-frequency
rumble, high frequency harmonics and other components, which may make the detector report incorrect fundamental pitch. This limit
helps the detector ignore the irrelevant components and ensure the processor works quickly with maximum accuracy with all reasonable
signals.
Range: 20.00 Hz to 20.0 kHz, default 20.00 Hz
 Max frequency
Max frequency controls the maximum frequency the pitch detector can calculate. Most signals contain lots of noise, low-frequency
rumble, high frequency harmonics and other components, which may make the detector report incorrect fundamental pitch. This limit
helps the detector ignore the irrelevant components and ensure the processor works quickly with maximum accuracy with all reasonable
signals.
Range: 20.00 Hz to 20.0 kHz, default 1000 Hz

Normalize
Normalize activates level normalization, which ensures the graph will always fill the whole area vertically. This can be handy if you don't care
about level and just want to see the wave shape.

Normalize above 0dB

Normalize above 0dB activates level normalization for signals that are above 0dB, which would make the output graph clipped. This is
enabled by default as it makes sure you always see the waveform even if its level is too high and you might then incorrectly consider it
clipped.

Global meter view

Global meter view provides a powerful metering system. If you do not see it in the plug-in, click the Meters or Meters & Utilities button to
the right of the main controls. The display can work as either a classical level indicator or, in time graph mode, show one or more values in
time. Use the first button to the left of the display to switch between the 2 modes and to control additional settings, including pause, disable
and pop up the display into a floating window. The meter always shows the actual channels being processed, thus in M/S mode, it shows
mid and side channels.
In the classical level indicators mode each of the meters also shows the recent maximum value. Click on any one of these values boxes to
reset them all.
In meter indicates the total input level. The input meter shows the audio level before any specific processing (except potential upsampling
and other pre-processing). It is always recommended to keep the input level under 0dB. You may need to adjust the previous processing
plugins, track levels or gain stages to ensure that it is achieved.
As the levels approach 0dB, that part of the meters is displayed with red bars. And recent peak levels are indicated by single bars.
 Time graph
Time graph button switches between the metering view and the time-graphs. The metering view provides an immediate view of the current
values including a text representation. The time-graphs provide the same information over a period of time. Since different time-graphs
often need different units, only the most important units are provided.

Pause
Pause button pauses the processing.

Popup
Popup button shows a pop-up window and moves the whole metering / time-graph system into it. This is especially useful in cases where
you cannot enlarge the meters within the main window or such a task is too complicated. The pop-up window can be arbitrarily resized. In
metering mode it is useful for easier reading from a distance for example. In time-graph mode it is useful for getting higher accuracy and a
longer time perspective.

Enable
Enable button enables or disables the metering system. You can disable it to save system resources.

Collapse
Collapse button minimizes or enlarges the panel to release space for other editors.

Collapse
Collapse button minimizes or enlarges the panel to release space for other editors.