Cyanide

Audio visualization is a practical method, especially if used with different processors, and audio editors. Sound can bend, and interactive pads allow you to visually edit audio input. In this regard, Cyanide is a small VST plugin which helps you modulate sound through an interactive tab, as well as input, and output knobs for effects.

With no installation required, all you need to do is load it inside the host you’re using, such as VSTHost. It needs to be properly connected to components you want it to affect, but can also be tested on speaker sound through default routing either to system sound, or a connected MIDI input device.

The only downside is that the plugin doesn’t actually let you visualize the sound it processes, not even in a simple graph. However, you do get to adjust the beat graph, and is the primary method of processing sound. An additional preview area shows sound shape on input and output, but again, with no relation to the actual audio layer.

By default, the graph comes with an upward line configuration. You’re free to interact with it in order to adjust frequency bending. Multiple bend points can be added, each having considerable effects on output, with real time feedback both in the preview area, as well as sound you hear. For better channeling and sound interpretation, oversampling can be enabled at the press of a button.

On the other hand, effects don’t count as many, with only a few knobs for input, and output signal. Both channels benefit from amplification, low/high pass filter, and frequency knobs. A small display area shows intensity in numbers, to get a better idea. Sound can be oriented either towards dry or wet mixture.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Cyanide is an alternative way to process live audio, or during recording sessions, by letting you work directly on the frequency graph. It takes little time to get to know the general set of features, but it could have used a better preview area to also include incoming sound.