Techivation’s latest M-series plug-in has been designed to create space within a mix by resolving frequency clashes between tracks. M-Blender takes a side-chain input signal from another track and uses spectral compression to address the relevant frequencies in the input signal and ensure that the two can be balanced alongside each other without any frequency masking issues.
The GUI offers a simple set of parameters, with a large central Sensitivity dial controlling the amount of spectral processing applied to the input signal — increasing the value will cause the plug-in to ‘carve out’ more space for the signal arriving at the side-chain input. A softness dial then controls how much smoothing is applied during the spectral compression process, as well as affecting the compression knee, whilst a Mix control offers built-in parallel processing capabilities. A central display provides a visual indication of the processing that takes place, and is equipped with a pair of Min and Max value controls that make it possible to target a specific frequency range.
Stereo material can be processed in either left/right or mid-side modes, and users can focus the processing on either channel thanks to a continuous slider placed at the bottom of the GUI. Input and output levels are displayed on a pair of meters that sit either side of the main visual display, and a pair of Diff and Sidechain buttons make it possible to audition the difference between processed and unprocessed signals and the signal present at the side-chain input, respectively.
As is always the case with Techivation’s plug-ins, M-Blender comes with a selection of handy tools including a built-in A/B comparison feature, undo and redo functions, a scaleable GUI and a Tooltips feature that provides an explanation of any parameter whilst the mouse cursor is held over it.
Compatibility
M-Blender is supported on PCs running Windows 7 and above, and Macs running macOS 10.9 or higher. It is available in VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in formats.
Pricing & Availability
M-Blender is available now, and is being offered for an introductory price of $45 until 7 December 2023, after which it will cost $90.
