Overview 

The PlugIn StationÖ includes a sophisticated .WAV and mp3 player, the AlgoPlayerÖ, with advanced functions like differing playback speed, reverse playback, loop mode, and real-time playback files compressed with AlgoPressÖ. For achieving the highest audio quality the Sound LaundryÖ accepts also standard 32-bit IEEE float input audio files and can also create output files in this format. For the enhanced audio quality, if using 16-bit audio files and if monitoring audio over 16-bit sound card, dither has been added to the output. It can be optionally switched off in the in the I/O Options window.

The PlugIn Center I & II allows to load up to 10 PlugIns in the audio processing chain of the Sound LaundryÖ. They can be individually bypassed with check-box "use", closed and opened with the check-box "open" without taking them out from the processing chain, and removed with the "X" check-box.

The CPU Load display allows permanent monitoring of the CPU usage for all currently activated PlugIns and help to prevent system overloads. The bargraph Input/Output Level Meter helps you to check the input level and avoid potential overloads after processing. The numeric fields on the right hold the peak playback level in every input and output channel. They can be reset by clicking inside the field.

Due to Sound LaundryÖ extra internal headroom, the level meter allows the display levels above 0 dB. With standard 16 bit wave files, however, the final output level must never exceed 0 dB to avoid annoying distortions. Use the SignalControl PlugIn to reduce output levels if they peak above 0 dB.

One of the main features of the Sound LaundryÖ is the handling of temporary presets. You can store up to six temporary presets containing all parameters and positions of loaded PlugIns. The noise profile is also stored giving you opportunity to easily compare different setups in your project. The active preset is marked red, loaded but unused preset slots green and empty preset slots white. You may store or reload the active presets to hard disk for later use. If your preset does not change the PlugIn configuration, but only the parameters, you can usually change the temporary presets in real time without audible distortion.

The four mode buttons at the bottom of the PlugIn StationÖ invoke four different real-time processing modes:

1. Live Processing û input of the sound card live processed and sent to its output
2. Recording û input of the sound card live processed and sent to wave file
3. Playback û wave file processed and sent to the output of the sound card
4. Off-line Processing û input wave file processed and sent to an output file (faster than real-time)

The PlugIn StationÖ can also playback mp3 files, just for compatibility reasons. However, we do not recommend to use restoration processing on mp3 coded files. They are so strongly preprocessed that sometimes quite strange results are to expect.