McPlugins — User Manual

Professional Compressor Suite — v1.7.0

All 4 plugins share the same compression engine with 7 emulation types (vari-mu Tube, opto Optical, solid-state VCA, JFET, auto-release Bus, clean Digital, and the new DBR diode-bridge type introduced in v1.3.0) and are sold as a single bundle.

Installation

System Requirements

Plugin Formats

• VST3 — Universal format supported by most DAWs (Windows, Linux, macOS)
• Audio Unit (AU) — Native macOS plugin format. Logic Pro, GarageBand, MainStage, Live, Studio One, Reaper and any other AU host (macOS only)
• CLAP — Modern plugin format (REAPER, Bitwig, etc.) (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Installing

Windows

1. Download the XeniAudio-Installer.exe from your purchase confirmation email
2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions
3. The installer will place plugins in:
   • VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
   • CLAP: C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\
4. Restart your DAW and scan for new plugins

Linux

1. Download the XeniAudio-Linux.tar.gz archive
2. Extract it and run the install script:

   tar xzf XeniAudio-Linux.tar.gz
   cd XeniAudio-Linux
   ./install.sh

3. Plugins are installed to:
   • VST3: ~/.vst3/
   • CLAP: ~/.clap/
4. Rescan plugins in your DAW

macOS

1. Download McPlugins-<version>-macOS.dmg
2. Double-click the DMG, then double-click McPlugins-<version>-Installer.pkg
3. By default, the installer places plugins for the current user only (~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/). To install for all users of the Mac (/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/), click Customize or Change Install Location... and pick Install for all users of this computer
4. Choose which formats to install (VST3, Audio Unit, CLAP — all three selected by default) and finish the installer
5. Restart your DAW and rescan for new plugins. If Logic Pro / GarageBand doesn't see the AU plugins after install, force an AU re-validation by running in Terminal: killall -9 AudioComponentRegistrar

macOS Gatekeeper

Nothing to do. Since v1.7.0 the disk image, the installer and all plugin bundles are signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, with the ticket stapled into the files so they open even on a Mac that is offline. macOS lets them through without a warning and without any right-click trick.

The publisher shows as Tony Cuny — that is the legal name behind Xeni Audio, and the name Apple puts on the certificate.

Windows. The Windows installer is not code-signed. SmartScreen may say the publisher is unknown, and a brand-new installer occasionally trips an antivirus heuristic. Neither is a detection — it is a reputation score that every unsigned release starts from zero. Click More info → Run anyway, or skip the installer and copy the VST3 and CLAP folders from the .zip into C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ and C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\.

Verifying Installation

After installation, search for "XeniAudio" or the plugin names in your DAW's plugin browser. You should see:

• XeniAudio Mc
• XeniAudio MbMc
• XeniAudio McMsc
• XeniAudio MbMcMsc

License Activation

Demo Mode

Without a license, all plugins operate in demo mode: audio is briefly muted every 60 seconds with a smooth fade-out/fade-in. This lets you fully test the plugins before purchasing.

Activating Your License

All 4 plugins share a single license — activate once and all plugins are unlocked.

Activation Steps

1. Purchase the McPlugins bundle from Gumroad or your authorized reseller
2. You will receive a license key by email in the format: XENI-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX
3. In any XeniAudio plugin, click the "DEMO" badge in the plugin header
4. Enter your license key in the dialog and press Enter or click Unlock
5. The plugin confirms activation and the "DEMO" badge disappears
6. All 4 plugins on this computer are now unlocked (they share the same license file)

License Storage

The license key is stored locally on your computer:

• Linux: ~/.config/XeniAudio/license.key
• Windows: %APPDATA%\XeniAudio\license.key
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/XeniAudio/license.key

Troubleshooting

• "Invalid key" — Make sure you typed the key exactly as provided (case-insensitive, dashes are optional)
• Key not persisting — Check that the license directory is writable
• Moving to a new computer — Copy the license.key file to the same path on the new machine, or re-enter the key

Compression Engine

All 4 plugins share the same compression engine with 7 distinct emulation types, each modeling a different analog topology. Starting in v1.3.0, every type has been recalibrated against measurements of real analog hardware (see the DSP Refinement v1.3.0 section below for details).

Key Features

• Mid/Side Processing — Compress the mid (center) and side (stereo) channels independently
• Stereo Unlink — Control how much L/R channels are linked (0% = fully linked, 100% = independent)
• Auto Makeup — Automatically compensates gain reduction
• High-Pass Filter — Sidechain high-pass filter to avoid low-frequency triggering
• Wet/Dry Mix — Parallel compression via independent wet and dry controls. The Link toggle ties them so Wet + Dry always sum to 100 % (classic "Mix knob" behaviour); leave it off for free, independent parallel compression.
• Hardware range indicators — Each Attack/Release/Ratio rail shows a subtle tinted band marking where the real hardware operated for the selected compressor type (a dashed marker indicates a control that is fixed on the hardware, such as Optical attack).
• Knee — Adjust the compression curve from hard knee (0%) to soft knee (100%)
• Saturation & Harmonics (Tube) — Add analog warmth. The amount scales with the gain reduction: as the compressor engages more, the harmonic content blooms — replicating the natural behavior of a vari-mu tube being driven into its non-linear region.
• Character (VCA/FET) — Shape the compression personality.

DSP Refinement v1.3.0

In v1.3.0, every compression type was profiled against measurements of real analog hardware via a remote-access platform. Hundreds of test signals (steps, bursts, sweeps, pure tones) were captured and analyzed for transfer curve, attack/release dynamics, harmonic content, and frequency response. The findings were translated directly into the DSP:

• Tube transfer curve uses a power-law that gives a true vari-mu behavior. The saturation amount is now modulated by the live gain reduction so the tube character intensifies under heavier compression, exactly as a real tube biases.
• Optical release uses two parallel exponential decays (mix 60% fast / 40% slow) instead of a single time-varying decay — closer to the measured photocell behavior.
• FET attack is now genuinely program-dependent: the same instance reacts much faster on a transient at 0 dBFS than on a sustained signal at –20 dBFS, with a ratio of about 700:1 between the two. The ratio knob is also mapped non-linearly to match the hard, non-linear ratios of vintage transistor units.
• VCA knee width adapts to the ratio (softer at 2:1, harder at 10:1) — a behavior measured in classic solid-state designs.
• Bus auto-release behavior was inverted: it now holds long on transients and releases quickly on sustained content, eliminating the pumping artifact present in older versions.
• DBR is a brand new type: a diode-bridge model with transformer warmth and a low-shelf lift, intended for bus and master applications.

Note — Projects saved with v1.2.x or earlier will sound slightly different when reopened in v1.3.0 because of these changes. Visit each instance and verify the result. The new behavior is musically more accurate but is not a one-to-one match with the previous DSP.

DSP Refinement v1.6.0 — Tube Mode

The Tube mode was reworked against the vari-mu captures, addressing two issues:

• Flat high end. The previous oversampling chain rolled the top octave off by several dB, which read as a "dynamic-EQ"-like dulling whenever the tube effects engaged. The decimation stage is now a linear-phase windowed-sinc FIR oversampler with a genuinely flat passband (within 0.06 dB to 18 kHz), so the frequency response stays flat at every level — like the hardware.
• 2nd-harmonic-dominant saturation. The waveshaper was recalibrated to a gentle, asymmetric (biased-tanh) curve that is even-harmonic dominant (H2 >> H3), matching the measured vari-mu signature, instead of the previous over-driven, odd-harmonic character.
• Usable Vari-Mu gain reduction. The compression onset was previously so gentle that the GR meter barely moved. Gain reduction now engages from a few dB over threshold and rises progressively while keeping the soft, programme- dependent Vari-Mu character (still gentler than VCA).

Mc — Single-Band Compressor

Parameters

Display Modes (not automatable)

McMsc — Single-Band Compressor + SHM Sidechain

McMsc has identical compression parameters to Mc (see Mc chapter). The additional features are:

Shared Memory (SHM) Sidechain

McMsc can send and receive audio sidechain between plugin instances across tracks using shared memory — no extra routing cables needed.

SC Dropdown

Click the SC badge in the header to open the sidechain source selector:

Send Toggle

Enable Send in the footer to broadcast this plugin's output to other SHM-connected plugins.

Latency Compensation

Enable Lat.Comp to align the timing of received SHM audio with the main signal. This compensates for block-size differences between sender and receiver. Lat.Comp state propagates across all connected SHM plugins — enabling it on one plugin enables it on all.

Instance Name

Double-click the instance name (e.g., "McMsc #1") in the footer to rename it. This name appears in other plugins' SC dropdown, making it easy to identify sources.

MbMc — Multiband Compressor

Band Configuration

The Bands parameter (1–6) controls how many compression bands are active. Each band is separated by Linkwitz-Riley 4th-order crossover filters.

Crossover Frequencies

Up to 5 crossover points between bands:

Band Labels

Per-Band Parameters

Each active band has its own independent compressor with the same parameters as Mc:

Global Controls

These affect all bands simultaneously:

Zoomed Band View

Click on any band in the main view to open the zoomed band view, which shows detailed controls for that band including a larger spectrum display.

MbMcMsc — Multiband Compressor + SHM Sidechain

MbMcMsc has identical multiband compression parameters to MbMc (see MbMc chapter). The additional SHM features are:

Per-Band SHM Sidechain

Each band can independently receive SHM sidechain audio from a different source plugin. In the zoomed band view, click the SC dropdown to select:

Send Toggle

When Send is enabled, this plugin's full mixed output is broadcast to all connected SHM plugins. Other plugins can then select this as a sidechain source for any band.

Latency Compensation

Same as McMsc — enabling Lat.Comp on one plugin propagates to all connected plugins.

Instance Name

Double-click the instance name in the header to rename it for easy identification in other plugins' SC dropdowns.

SHM Sidechain — Detailed Guide

How It Works

The Shared Memory (SHM) sidechain system allows XeniAudio plugins to exchange audio data in real-time without additional DAW routing:

1. Automatic Discovery — When multiple SHM-capable plugins are loaded in the same DAW session, they automatically discover each other
2. Direct Audio Routing — Audio is transferred via lock-free ring buffers in shared memory, with minimal latency
3. No Extra Cables — No need to create additional buses or sidechain routing in your DAW

Connection Status

Each SHM plugin shows a connection status indicator:

Typical Use Cases

Vocal Ducking (McMsc → MbMcMsc)

1. Load McMsc on a vocal track
2. Load MbMcMsc on a bass/music track
3. Enable Send on the vocal McMsc
4. In MbMcMsc, open a band's SC dropdown and select SHM: McMsc #1
5. The vocal now sidechains the bass compression

Multi-Band Ducking

1. Load MbMcMsc on a bass track
2. Load MbMcMsc on a kick track
3. Enable Send on the kick plugin
4. In the bass plugin, set the low band's SC to SHM: MbMcMsc Kick
5. Only the low frequencies of the bass are ducked by the kick

Latency Compensation

When plugins run at different buffer sizes or have processing latency, enable Lat.Comp to align the sidechain audio with the main signal. This propagates across all connected plugins — enable it once and all plugins follow.

Presets

All 4 plugins include factory presets accessible from the header preset selector. Presets include:

• General purpose compressors for vocals, drums, bass, mix bus
• SHM-specific presets for ducking and sidechain workflows
• Character presets showcasing each emulation type

Saving User Presets

Click the preset name in the header to open the preset browser, then click Save to create a user preset. User presets are stored in:

• Linux: ~/.config/XeniAudio/<PluginName>/Presets/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\XeniAudio\<PluginName>\Presets\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/XeniAudio/<PluginName>/Presets/

A/B Comparison

Use the A/B buttons in the header to compare two different settings:

1. A — Current settings are saved to slot A
2. B — Switch to slot B with default or copied settings
3. Toggle between A and B to compare
4. Click Copy A→B or Copy B→A to copy settings between slots

Undo/Redo

• Ctrl+Z — Undo the last parameter change
• Ctrl+Shift+Z — Redo
• Up to 20 undo steps are stored

Tips & Troubleshooting

Performance Tips

• Lower band count — Using 2–3 bands instead of 6 reduces CPU usage significantly
• Disable unused bands — Set band Type to "Disabled" for bands you don't need
• Spectrum display — The spectrum analyzer adds CPU load; switch to "Off" mode for lowest latency

Common Issues

Keyboard Shortcuts

Contact & Support

• Website: xeni-audio.com
• Email: support@xeni-audio.com
• Documentation: xeni-audio.com/docs

Something unclear, or missing from this manual? Write to support@xeni-audio.com.