Midway – A Unique Median Filter
Welcome to the world of unusual sound transformations! Meet Midway by sleepyCat – a plugin that brings a breath of fresh air to your effects palette with an innovative implementation of a median filter. If you’re looking for something truly original to give your tracks a resonant, bitcrusher-like character, Midway will be your faithful experimental tool.
What is a Median Filter?
In essence, a median filter, as described in Will Pirkle’s respected book “Designing Audio Effect Plug-Ins in C++,” operates on the principle of analyzing a group of input samples. Instead of traditional filtering methods that rely on averaging or weighting, the median filter selects the median value among the buffered samples. This process creates a unique sound effect.
How the median filter works in Midway:
- The plugin temporarily stores (buffers) a certain number of input audio samples.
- Among the accumulated samples, the median value is determined – this is the value that is exactly in the middle if all samples are sorted by magnitude.
- This defined median value is fed to the audio output signal.
This unusual approach to signal processing is radically different from conventional linear filters (such as equalizers) and results in very interesting and unique sonic outcomes, far removed from standard processing.
Midway’s Sound and Capabilities
The result of the median filter’s operation in Midway is a special resonant sound, often associated with bitcrusher effects, but with its own distinct, more organic and textured nature. It’s not just a rough reduction of bit depth or sample rate, but rather a complex transformation that adds graininess, a peculiar “stepped” quality, and an unpredictable, but musical, harmonic component to the signal. The sound becomes denser, takes on interesting artifacts that can work great in electronic music, lo-fi genres, or for creating experimental soundscapes.
The Midway plugin is not limited to basic filtering. To expand creative possibilities and add dynamics to your sound, the developer sleepyCat has integrated a routed modulation system. This means you can dynamically control certain parameters of the median filter itself, changing, for example, the buffer size or other key characteristics, and also affecting the output signal using internal modulation generators (if provided by the interface, although modulation details are not specified, its presence is a significant plus) or external sources (e.g., LFOs or envelopes from your DAW). This opens the door to creating moving, evolving textures and rhythmic effects.
Key Features and Advantages of Midway:
- Unique filtering: Application of a median algorithm for audio processing.
- Original sound: Creates a resonant, textured sound, similar to a bitcrusher, but with a different philosophy.
- Flexible modulation: Ability to route modulation sources for control over the filter and output.
- Experimental tool: Perfect for sound designers and musicians looking for new colors.
- Adds character: Able to transform ordinary sound into something special and memorable.
Whether you’re processing drums to make them punchier and grainier, synth parts to create interesting textures, vocals for a “radio” effect with an unusual hue, or guitars for futuristic distortion – Midway can give them a completely new, fresh character that will distinguish your mix from others. It’s a tool for those who aren’t afraid to go beyond the familiar and are looking for new sonic horizons for their compositions.
Plugin Compatibility
The Midway plugin by sleepyCat is available in the most common VST and AU formats, ensuring its wide compatibility with most modern digital audio workstations (DAWs) on Windows operating systems (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions are supported) and macOS.
Try Midway and discover the power of median filtering in your music projects. Add a unique resonant bitcrusher-like hue to your tracks and experiment with the possibilities of modulation to create truly unique sounds. Midway by sleepyCat – your step towards original and expressive sound design.
