Pitchblade

Pitchblade is a vocal multi-tool audio plugin built with C++23 and the JUCE framework. It is designed for comprehensive vocal processing, and it combines many tools into a singular, modular interface.

The plugin features a dynamic "Daisy Chain" signal flow, allowing users to reorder effects on the fly, alongside real-time visualizers for precise monitoring.

Features

Pitchblade includes several processing modules tailored for vocals:

• Pitch Correction and Shifting: Real-time pitch detection and correction (powered by RubberBand)
• Formant Manipulation: Formant detection and shifting for altering vocal timbre without affecting pitch (powered by RubberBand)
• Gain: Increase or decrease volume.
• Auto Gain: Automatically adjusts the volume to maintain a consistent target level.
• Compressor: Controls dynamic range, making louder sounds quieter. Also includes a limiter.
• BandPass Compressor: Compresses audio only within a specific frequency range.
• Noise Gate: Eliminates sounds below a certain level.
• De-Esser: Reduces harsh sibilance.
• De-Noiser: Learns what sounds are present in the background to reduce them. Recommended to be used with the Noise Gate for full noise reduction.
• Saturation: Adds harmonic saturation and warmth to the signal.
• Equalizer: Increases or reduces amplitude at specific frequencies to shape the sound of a voice.
• VST3 Hosting: Allows loading external VST3 plugins anywhere in the signal chain.

Pitchblade also includes a few quality-of-life features to make the user experience better:

• Visualizers: Each panel has its own specialized visualizer based on two visualizer template classes.
• Preset Management: Save and load custom effect chains.

Prerequisites

Before building, ensure you have the following installed:

• CMake: Version 3.22 or higher (Can be found at https://cmake.org/download/)
• C++ Compiler: Must support C++23 (e.g., Visual Studio 2022 v17.x on Windows).
• Git: For version control.
• NSIS: Version 3.11 for installation script creation (https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Main_Page)
• Note: JUCE and GoogleTest dependencies are automatically handled via the specific CMake configuration.

Build Instructions

Windows

You can build the project using the provided helper script.

To generate the project files and build the solution completely (Debug mode):

.\configure_windows.bat

To run the test cases (Debug mode):

.\configure_windows_test.bat

To generate the project files and build the solution completely with an installer exe (Release mode):

.\configure_windows_release.bat

After compilation is complete, the compiled VST3 and Standalone executable can be found in ./build/plugin/Pitchblade_artefacts/. Alternatively, the installer script can be found in the root folder.

Linux

You can build the project using the provided helper set.

To generate the project files and build the solution completely (Debug mode):

sh ./configure_linux.sh

To generate the project files and build the solution completely (Release mode):

sh ./configure_linux_release.sh

To run the test cases (Debug mode):

sh ./configure_linux_test.sh

After compilation is complete, the compiled VST3 and Standalone executable can be found in ./build/plugin/Pitchblade_artefacts/Debug/ (or RelWithDebInfo/ if you built in Release mode).

For the Standalone App:

./build/plugin/Pitchblade_artefacts/Debug/Standalone/Pitchblade

For the VST3 Plugin: Copy the .vst3 directory to your user VST3 folder:

mkdir -p ~/.vst3
cp -r build/plugin/Pitchblade_artefacts/Debug/VST3/Pitchblade.vst3 ~/.vst3/

For specific instructions on the use of the plugin, please view the User Manual present in "Pitchblade User Manual.pdf".