Blue Cat Audio have released an update for PatchWork. Described by the company as a universal plug-in patchbay, PatchWork is capable of hosting VST, VST3 and AU plug-ins, where they can be combined with its own 31 built-in effects using a range of serial and parallel routing options. With the release of version 2.65, Blue Cat Audio have introduced a number of visual and operational improvements, as well as tackling some known bugs.
New Additions
PatchWork now has the ability to employ oversampling for individual plug-ins, with rates of up to 16x available, and resampling performance has also been improved when the application is used to stream audio as a network server using the company’s Connector software. Macro capability has also been expanded, with PatchWorks’ own parameters now able to be assigned to macro controls alongside hosted plug-in parameters.
In terms of visual improvements, each individual plug-in instance can now be assigned a custom colour, with 120 of the factory presets and all of the built-in processors being updated with custom colouring. Refresh performance for the GUI has also been improved, particularly on Mac computers.
Fixes
A range of fixes and improvements have also been implemented. An issue where tone map presets were not being saved correctly for some of the built-in processors has been resolved, along with a bug that was causing stuck notes in some VST3 instruments, and another issue that was causing some VST3 instruments to not produce any sound (Toontrack plug-ins in particular were affected) has been fixed. For Ableton Live 11 users, problems with PatchWork’s VST3 MIDI input not being detected and the VST3 version of PatchWork Synth not loading have both been tackled.
Compatibility
PatchWork 2.65 is supported on PCs running Windows Vista and above, and both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 10.9 and later. VST, VST3, AU and AAX versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
The update is available now, and is free to existing users. For those wishing to purchase the plug-in, Blue Cat Audio are currently offering PatchWork for €89 (reduced from its usual cost of €99) until 14 April 2023.