1.6x Blue Cat Axiom

Windows

• An SSE2-enabled processor (Pentium 4 or newer).
• Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10.
• For the plug-in, any VST / AAX compatible host software (32 or 64 bit).
• For the standalone application, an ASIO, MME or WASAPI compatible audio interface (ASIO recommended).

Mac OS X

• An Intel or Apple Silicon processor.
• Mac OS 10.9 or newer.
• For the plug-in, any VST / Audio Unit / AAX compatible application (64-bit) .
• For the standalone application, a Core Audio compatible audio interface.

For more information about supported platforms, see our FAQ.

Demo Limitations

• 5 instances of the plug-in allowed per session.
• The effect is bypassed for half a second every minute.

V1.65 (2022/12/12)

• New macro controls editor to edit plug-in parameters mapping.
• Assign multiple parameters from multiple plug-ins to a single macro control, and adjust the range for each parameter.
• Assign a name to each macro control, that is now displayed in automation lanes in most host applications (may require a session reload in some cases).
• Parameters names for existing sessions will be automatically updated upon load.
• Select macro knobs appearance among 18 predefined styles.
• New learn modes to quickly assign plug-in parameters.
• MIDI output is now enabled in standalone application.
• Select individual MIDI I/O in standalone application.
• Added an option in global & preset input settings to send MIDI events when MIDI-enabled parameters are modified in the plug-in (to update control surfaces accordingly).
• In most plug-in formats, internal audio I/O configuration can now be selected regardless of the configuration defined by the host (you can for example force “mono to stereo” instead of full stereo to save CPU).
• Axiom App now uses Apple’s Hardened Runtime and the installer has been notarized to avoid security warnings on Mac.
• New transport toolbar in Axiom app, including pause, rewind and tempo selection (with tap tempo).
• Improved performance to load the user interface.
• Improved VST parameter value display in some host applications.
• Fixed bypass that did not let MIDI messages go thru for some MIDI plug-ins.
• Fixed some GUI resizing issues with some VST3 plug-ins.
• Includes Late Replies 1.6 and updated presets.
• Includes Hot Tuna 1.2 with improved tuning precision.
• Built-in Late Replies delay/reverb plug-in now opens in guitarist-friendly “EZ” mode by default.
• Added Apple Silicon support for AAX Plug-in Format.
• Mac: installers and plug-ins have been notarized to avoid security warnings on Mac OS Catalina and newer.

V1.62 (2022/03/28)

• Native Apple Silicon (M1) version can now load 64-bit Audio Units that are not compatible with Apple Silicon (via the MacOS bridge).
• New “network slave” mode to run as an audio/MIDI processing server for the Connector plug-in.
• Presets can now be loaded via MIDI even when the user interface is closed.
• Improved MIDI events timing precision in the application.
• Windows: ASIO Control panel can now be launched from the audio settings window in the application.
• Audio engine can now be restarted from the audio settings window in the application.
• Fixed MPC Beat plug-in not loading.
• Fixed VST3 version not always loading properly in Ableton Live 11.
• Fixed latency compensation changes not always picked up by host applications.
• VST3: Fixed parameters update issues in Studio One when bouncing tracks.

V1.61 (2021/11/02)

• Single Installer on Mac (App and all plug-ins formats).
• Fixed issue with amp volume knob and Destructor pedals in EZ mode not using the right parameter in some cases.
• Fixed issues with Wah and Pitch Bender effects when using cheap MIDI controllers not updating values fast enough.
• VST3: Fixed random crash in Ableton Live 11 upon load.
• Fixed a crash when loading some VST3 plug-ins that define a bypass parameter beyond the last automatable parameter.
• Fixed an issue with built-in Looper which saved audio loops only as mono.

V1.6 (2021/06/29)

New Features & Improvements

• Up to 5 times more processing power with the new multicore engine that processes each channel and each tool on a separate core.
• Multicore engine also available for the built-in Late Replies plug-in (Pattern module).
• Improved Tone Maps navigation, with updated user interface (for amp simulation and 9 built-in effects).
• Includes Destructor 1.6 and Late Replies 1.5.
• Updated all 452 factory presets with appropriate drive range for all simulated amps.
• New built-in looper plug-in (in the “Utils” category).
• New built-in distortion and dynamics pedals based on Destructor with new pedal GUI.
• New built-in delay models based on Late Replies 1.5 with new “EZ mode” GUI.
• New DSP workload meter that displays the DSP activity and CPU load.
• Added MIDI control support (MIDI CC messages) for Next and Previous Preset commands, with MIDI learn.
• Improved MIDI & automation control settings with lock, reset and “save as global setting” capabilities.
• Tap Tempo with MIDI CC to set BPM in the application with a footswitch.
• Lock effects bypass switches to match the state of MIDI foot controllers when changing presets.
• Preset files can now be dropped onto the preset LCD area to be loaded.
• Improved buffer management in standalone application on Mac, reducing both latency and CPU usage.
• Level meters, spectrum analyzers and tuner stop processing when the user interface is closed, reducing CPU usage.
• reverted default preset to empty preset to improv performance upon load (the preset is still available as “Default Clean”)
• Reduced time to load Axiom or any built-in plug-in.
• Multiple DSP performance improvements.
• Reduced the number of threads used by the plug-in.
• Improved global and preset settings window loading time on Windows.
• Added ability to select the plug-in to load when a shell plug-in file is dragged and dropped onto a slot.
• Full unicode support.

Compatibility:

• Native Apple Silicon (M1 processor) support.
• Dropped 32-bit support on Mac.
• Now requires MacOS 10.9 and newer.

Fixes:

• Fixed standalone app not always asking for Microphone access on most recent MacOS systems.
• Fixed host loop end value not properly passed to hosted plug-ins, for the VST2 version.
• Fixed several crashes upon load for multiple third party plug-ins (mostly VST3).
• Fixed display issues with Waves plug-ins V12 in Mac standalone application.
• Fixed MIDI control for hosted plug-ins not always working when fed with silence.
• Fixed VST3 (and sometimes VST) version freezing Ableton Live upon save on Windows.
• Fixed harmonizer and Pitch Shifter built-in plug-ins that did not always flush their buffer upon bypass (short sounds could be heard when getting out of bypass)

v1.5 (2020/10/09)

• Tail spillover: activate tail spillover from the toolbar to play effects tail when bypassed (available for the plug-in itself, sub-sections or built-in delays and reverbs).
• Arrow keys can now be used to navigate presets, in the main view or in the presets browser.
• The opacity of the tone map window can now be adjusted for built-in effects.
• Smoother presets switching.
• Improved smooth plug-in bypass (faster and smoother transition).
• Fixed: the state of some VST2 plug-ins (which do not save their state as chunks) were not be restored properly if their number of parameters had been changed (e.g. FabFilter Pro-Q’s latest update).
• Mac: fixed GUI performance issues on native P3 displays and improved performance on other displays (details here: bluecataudio.com/…/slow-mac-how-to-fix-mac-gui-performance-issues).
• Mac: fixed mouse wheel that required large movements to change parameter values.
• Mac: fixed mouse cursor flickering issues.
• Mac: fixed Esc key not closing fine edit parameter dialog.
• Mac: fixed keyboard not responding in registration panel in some host applications (LUNA, Garage Band…).
• Mac Audio Unit: fixed plug-in listing in some host applications (Plogue Bidule, …).
• New hi gain presets using custom impulse responses (IR).
• New responsive clean and crunch presets.
• Reduced loudness and spectral balance discrepancies between presets.
• Adjusted effects levels to preserve loudness when bypassed.
• Adjusted reverb levels on all presets.
• Most presets now support input overload gracefully (like “real world” amps): feel free to push the input gain by a few dBs.
• New default preset to get started quickly with the software.
• Fixed: built-in Late Replies sometimes cut delay tail when using plug-ins in the feedback loops.
• Fixed: output was mono when both A and B are off and I/O configuration is mono to stereo.
• New high resolution graphics for knobs and sliders.

V1.41 (2020/05/28)

• New high-resolution graphics for knobs and sliders.
• Updated Re-Guitar built-in plug-in to version 1.1.
• Reduced disk footprint.
• Fixed several issues with hosted plug-ins bypass (graphical glitches, untriggered bypass…).
• Mac: Fixed keyboard not responding in registration panel in some host applications (LUNA, Garage Band…).
• Mac: Fixed demo version that could hang Logic when reloading projects using the plug-in.

V1.4 (2020/02/03)

• New “stomp box” look & feel for built-in effects.
• New built-in effect: Hot Tuna high-performance tuner.
• The tone maps explorer for the amp simulation is now accessible directly from the main user interface.
• Mac application now fully supports dark mode on Mac OS Mojave and newer.