BRAINWORX Bx_Aura Plug In Alliance Instruction Manual

BRAINWORX Bx_Aura Plug In Alliance

Specifications

• Product Name: bx_aura plugin
• Manufacturer: Brainworx
• Reverb Algorithms: Room, Space, Soft, Echoes, Reverse
• Features: Top Toolbar, Main Display Section, Main Controls, Drive Section, Gate [Ducker] Section, Bottom Toolbar

FAQ

Q: How can I access the modulation settings in bx_aura?

A: Modulation settings are available within the main display section of the plugin interface. Refer to the Algorithm section for more details.

Q: Can I use bx_aura with external MIDI controllers?

A: Yes, bx_aura can be mapped to external MIDI controllers for real-time parameter adjustments. Consult the user manual for mapping instructions.

Welcome to bx_aura

Elevate your music production and sound design with the Brainworx bx_aura plugin, a remarkable reverb effect that delivers an unparalleled level of lush, immersive sound. Whether you’re a musician, sound designer, or audio enthusiast, this plugin is designed to take your audio to new heights with its rich features and carefully crafted reverb algorithms.

Download and install your plugin using our Installation Manager:  https://www .plugin-alliance.com/en/installation-manager.html

Thank you for choosing bx_aura. We hope you enjoy it!

Key features

The following list gives you an overview of bx_aura’s key features:

• Creative reverb plugin created by Brainworx, featuring five meticulously crafted algorithms as well as modulation and many other tricks.
• Five Reverb Algorithms: Brainworx’s experienced team has crafted distinct reverb algorithms, each with its own character: Room, Space, Soft, Echoes and Reverse.
• Drive: Give your reverb a unique character by adding a touch of harmonically rich saturation. Create warm, vintage-style reverbs or push the boundaries of creativity with bold, distorted texture.
• Ducking and gating to ensure that the reverb complements your sound rather than fighting it.
• Pre-Delay with sync options to ensure it perfectly fits the reverb in your music and tempo.
• High- and Low-Cut Filters to shape your reverb precisely, ensuring that it fits seamlessly into your mix.
• Advanced modulation features.
• All the sparkle! Unlike many classic reverbs, bx_aura is voiced to better preserve the top end of your signal, resulting in an airy, lush and wide reverb sound.

bx_aura overview

bx_aura is a reverb plugin featuring five algorithms (Room, Space, Soft, Echoes and Reverse) to help musicians and producers achieve their creative vision and serve as a go-to reverb for synthesizers and sample-based music.
This plugin features Drive to add harmonic richness, allowing users to achieve warm vintage tones or bold saturated textures. Ducking and gating ensure the reverb complements the original audio without overpowering it.
Using pre-delay tempo sync and high- as well as low-cut filters you can precisely shape your reverb to seamlessly blend in with your mix. Advanced modulation features add movement and depth to your reverbs, while keeping artifacts at a minimum, ensuring an airy and lush sound.

1. Top Toolbar: Additional global controls relevant to the plugin’s processing. For more information, refer to Top toolbar.
2. Main Display Section: Contains a selection of algorithms, modulation settings, and filter settings. For more information, refer to Algorithm as well as MOD and EQ.
3. Main Controls: Reverb-specific parameters for timing and damping are found here. For more information, refer to Main controls.
4. Drive Section: Gives your signal a unique character by adding harmonic distortion. For more information, refer to Drive section.
5. Gate [Ducker] Section: Create classic “gated verb,” push grooves, and unleash creativity. For more information, refer to Gate [Ducker] section.
6. Bottom Toolbar: Preferences, license information, and documentation. For more information, refer to Bottom toolbar.

Algorithm

A selection of algorithms, modulation settings, and filter settings are located in the main display area of  bx_aura.
This section consists of the following controls:

1. Algorithm: bx_aura offers five different algorithms, Room, Space, Soft, Echoes and Reverse. For more information, refer to Available algorithms.
2. Freeze: When the reverb is frozen, the input to the reverb core is muted and an endless reverb tail is created from the current audio material without altering its timbre.
   • Every parameter of the plugin remains active during the frozen state.
   • Elements that sit in front of the reverb core (see Signal Flow) won’t have any audible effect since no new input is passed through. This is especially relevant for the filters and Drive since they can be switched between Pre and Post position.
   • Be aware that a frozen signal degrades over time when using Modulation or adjusting the Size.
     Note that Freeze is just a normal parameter that doesn’t deactivate itself when the reverb core (see Signal Flow diagram) is silent. This can happen when you freeze during silence in your DAW, when you change algorithms, presets, etc., or when you recall a session where the reverb was frozen. If you are experiencing issues, please make sure to un-freeze your plugin.

Available algorithms

Echoes and Reverse are constant density algorithms; introduce diffusion to create a proper reverb sound that doesn’t sound like distinct echoes/delays.
When using the Reverse algorithm, the decay is only applied to the reverb after each reverse swell. Therefore, if you set the decay time to its minimum value, the reverb will still complete at least one full reverse swell, no matter what the current Size setting is. You can use this to create single- swell reverse effects.

MOD and EQ

Apply modulation to enrich the reverb and use the cut filters to cleanup your reverb signal. This section consists of the following controls:

1.  Mod.Amount: Modulation can break up unwanted resonances and introduces a pleasant dynamic low pass filtering to the reverb. High amounts of modulation can lead to chorusing and pitch-drifting effects.
   If you want to fully preserve the top end you need to turn Mod.Amount all the way down to 0%.

2. Mod.Rate: Sets the overall rate of the modulation. Higher rates tend to have a more noticeable effect than lower rates.

3. [EQ] Pre | Post: When set to Pre, the filters are located before the drive and reverb process and are inaudible if Freeze is active. When switched to Post, the filter works behind the reverb and drive sections and will be audible when Freeze is activated.

4. Low Cut: Cutoff frequency of the -12dB/oct low-cut filter.

5. High Cut: Cutoff frequency of the -12dB/oct high-cut filter.

Main controls

Adjust the reverb size, length, and damping characteristics in the Main Control section of bx_aura.

1. [Pre-Delay] Sync: When activated, the timing of the Pre-Delay changes from manual time-based to synchronized tempo-related values.

2. Pre-Delay: Offsets the input signal before entering the reverb to add depth and emulate psychoacoustic distance.
   Manual Timing: By default, synchronization is disabled. Values are shown in milliseconds.
   Synchronized Timing: When [Pre-Delay] Sync is enabled, the scale switches to note values instead of milliseconds, allowing you to create rhythmic effects.

3. Diffusion: Creates a dense “blob” of echoes at the input of the reverb to increase the initial echo density and smoothen sparse reverb tail onsets.
   Echoes and Reverse are constant density algorithms; introduce diffusion to create a proper reverb sound that doesn’t sound like distinct echoes/delays.

4. Size: Scales the delay lengths of the reverb. This affects the early reflection pattern, initial echo density as well as the echo density build up over time. Larger Size values are equal to larger spaces.
   Changing the Size knob introduces pitch-shifting effects to the reverb core. This is a great feature for using bx_aura to generate transitional effects or for sound design.

5. Width: Width controls the distance of the left and right channels from the center position determined by the Pan knob. Negative Width values reverse the left and right channels.

6. Mix: Set the mix and balance between the direct signal and the processed signal.

7. [Lock Icon]: Locks the current Mix value so it doesn’t change when switching presets. It is always off when you initially instantiate the plugin in a session.

8. Pan: Defines the position around which the left and right channels are centered in the stereo field. The further you turn the Pan knob away from the center, the more the Width range is restricted, as the left and right channels are always symmetrically centered around the Pan position.

Possible use cases for Pan and Width:

• Correction of asymmetric reverbs
• Narrowing and focusing the reverb in the stereo field
• Modulating the reverb’s stereo image
• Creating more extreme stereo effects, e.g., Haas-type effects

1. Decay: Sets the time it takes for the reverb to decay by 60 dB.
   Manual Timing: By default, synchronization is disabled. Values are shown in seconds.
   Synchronized Timing: When [Decay] Sync is enabled, all available options are note values instead of seconds and allow you to create rhythmic effects.

2. [Decay] Sync: When activated, the timing of the Decay changes from manual time-based to synchronized tempo-related values.

3. [Low-Frequency Crossover]: Sets the lower cross-over frequency, which defines the low range of the reverb.

4. Low Mult. (low multiplier) shortens the reverb tail below the low cross-over frequency. The decay time of low frequencies is determined by the current overall Decay value multiplied by the current Low Mult. value.

5. [High-Frequency Crossover]: Sets the high cross-over frequency to define the high range of the reverb.

6. High Mult. (high multiplier) shortens the reverb tail above the high crossover frequency.
   In the automation parameters, Decay and Pre-Delay are always present for manual (ms) and synchronized (synced) timing, no matter which synchronization state is active. It’s sometimes helpful to automate the decay time changing between note values and milliseconds when creating swells and other epic scenes.

Drive section

The Drive section adds light to extreme amounts of odd harmonics and saturation to the reverb’s input or output.
This section consists of the following controls:

1. Drive [On]: Enables/disables odd harmonic distortion and saturation.

2. [Drive] Pre | Post: Set to Pre, the input feed will get driven to increase the density of the reverb generated from its origin. Set to Post, the generated reverb tail will benefit from additional saturation to appeal in the mix.

3. Drive: Sets the amount of odd harmonics and saturation to add.

4. Mode: Select between three varying distortion modes to establish best fitting tonality.

   • A – Allround distortion with presence that keeps the lower frequencies mostly intact.
   • B – A more lo-fi, noisy drive mode that pronounces higher frequencies.
   • C – Focused on bass and can lead to more chaotic results.
     The difference between the modes gets more pronounced the harder the signal is driven.

5. LED Meter: The LED meter is a visual aid that indicates the amount of distortion applied to the signal.

Gate [Ducker] section

Use the built-in Gate [Ducker] to create classic gated reverb effects, to unmask signals or build intricate rhythmic patterns.
This section consists of the following controls:

1. Gate [On]: Switches the Gate [Ducker] module on and off.

2. Ext.SC.: This allows the Gate [Ducker] to react to an external sidechain signal, such as rhythm tracks, adding creative sound design capabilities.

3. Gate | Duck: Switches between Gate and Duck mode. In Duck mode, the module reacts opposite to the Gate (inverted).

4. Gain Reduction [History]: Here, you can monitor how the gate affects the wet signal and set your parameters appropriately.
   The darker signal in the back shows the detected envelope that triggers the gate. It is calculated from the gate’s sidechain input and can be used as a reference to set the threshold.
   The lighter signal in the front shows the gated output signal.

5. Gain Reduction Meter: The gain reduction meter shows the gate’s current gain reduction.

6. Threshold: Sets the threshold of the Gate [Ducker]. The sidechain is fed by the dry input or Ext.SC. signal, but gain changes are applied to the wet output.

7. Floor: Sets the noise “Floor” of the Gate [Ducker]. No more than the given value will be attenuated by the Gate [Ducker].

8. Attack: Controls the time it takes for the Gate [Ducker] to take full effect.

9. Hold: Controls the time it takes for the Gate [Ducker] to start its release phase once the signal has dropped below the threshold. This lets you shape reverb tails and form gated reverb effects.

10. Release: Controls the time it takes for the Gate [Ducker] to return to its original state.

Top toolbar

Additional global controls related to plugin settings and processing are available in the top toolbar.

1. Power: Bypasses the processor when disengaged.
2. UI Size: Sets the size of the plugin‘s user interface.
3. : Undo and redo changes made to controls up to 32 steps.
4. Bank A B C D: Each preset allows you to switch between four banks (A, B, C, D) of controls.
5. Copy: Copy the active settings to memory.
6. Paste: Paste the copied settings to the active bank.
7. Reset: Reset the current bank.
8. Wet Gain: Adjusts the level of the wet signal (before it hits the Gate). This allows you to compensate for any gain changes while adjusting your reverb sound.
9. View Mode: Toggles between different view modes, with smaller UI views containing fewer controls. This allows you to hide settings that you’re not using.
   Clicking the Brainworx logo or the plugin name below the top toolbar will open a splash screen containing team credits and the UI color default setting.

Bottom toolbar

Preferences, license information, and documentation are available in the bottom toolbar.

1. Plugin Alliance Logo: If your computer is online, clicking the Plugin Alliance logo will take you to the Plugin Alliance website via your web browser.
2. License Info: The toolbar displays information about the type of license you’re running. Trial licenses are displayed along with the number of days until expiration; there is no note for full licenses, as these are unlimited.
3. Dollar Icon: If you are using a demo/trial version of a Brainworx product, you can click this icon to open a browser that redirects you to the respective product page in the Plugin Alliance store. Here, you can purchase a product without searching for it on the Plugin Alliance website.
4. Key Icon: Clicking on the key icon brings up the activation dialog, allowing you to manually reauthorize a device in the event of a license upgrade or addition. You can also use this feature to activate additional computers or USB flash drives.
5. Help Icon: Clicking the help icon opens a context menu that links to the product manual PDF and other helpful links, such as checking for product updates online. You must have a PDF reader installed on your computer to read the manual.

Signal flow

The internal signal flow of bx_aura is built around the reverbs core engine and structured as shown below:

Additional information

Modifier keys
You can use the following keyboard commands to control bx_aura.

Online resources

• System requirements & supported platforms:
  https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/systemrequirements.html

• Details about your product:

  • https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/bx_aura.html
  • Installation, activation, authorisation and FAQ:
  • https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/support.html

Credits

• Programming and Algorithms: Matthias Heinz, Josue Partida, Florian Göbel, Joscha S. Rieber UI-Design: Nico Lezim
• Product Management: André Frauenstein, David Stoll
• Presets: André Frauenstein, David Stoll, Zacch Davies, Albert Gabriel

References

• Installation Manager - Plugin Alliance
• Plugin Alliance
• System Requirements - Plugin Alliance

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