Plugins user manual

Welcome to Spy-da Audio#

Spy-da Audio is the in-house plugin range from Spy-da Productions, the West London recording, mixing and mastering studio. Every tool here was built for the studio's own records and runs in Logic Pro X 10.4.8 on macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later, on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

This manual covers all fourteen products: what each one is for, how to set it up, and what every control does. Each chapter opens with a quick start so you can get sound out of it in a minute, then goes deeper.

The line-up#

The six mixing plugins are sold together as the Mix Suite. Spy-da Complete includes every product in this manual.

Getting started#

Installing takes about two minutes: download from My Plugins, run the installer, open Logic.

What you need#

1. Download#

1. Sign in at My Plugins. There's no password: enter your email and click the sign-in link we send you.
2. Under My Plugins you'll see every product you subscribe to or own, its licence key, and a Download button.
3. Download the installer zip for each product.

2. Install#

1. Quit Logic.
2. Unzip the download.
3. Right-click the installer file (ending in .command or .pkg) and choose Open. The right-click is only needed the first time, because macOS asks before running new installers.
4. The installer copies the Audio Unit to Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components and the VST3 to Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3. Products with a standalone app also put it in Applications.
5. It then clears Logic's plugin cache so Logic finds the new plugin on its next start.

Have a second studio Mac? Copy the whole Spy-da Plugins folder to it and run install.command there. One installer puts every Spy-da plugin in the folder onto that Mac.

3. Open in Logic#

1. Start Logic. It scans and validates the new plugins, which takes a few seconds per plugin the first time.
2. Click an Audio FX slot and choose Audio Units › Spy-da Audio › [plugin name].
3. Spy-da Mash Up is an instrument: create a Software Instrument track and pick it from AU Instruments.

If a plugin doesn't appear, see Troubleshooting.

4. Your licence#

Your licence key looks like SPYDA-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX and is shown in My Plugins. When a plugin asks for it, paste it in. One key covers everything in your plan. Keep the key private: it is tied to your account and the number of Macs you can use it on.

Working with any Spy-da plugin#

The range shares one design language: black and charcoal panels, Spy-da red, the spider logo and the same control gestures. Learn them once and every plugin feels familiar.

Knobs and sliders#

Every control can be automated in Logic: set the track's automation mode to Latch or Touch and move the control.

Presets and A/B#

• Factory presets load from the preset menu in the plugin header. Most also appear in Logic's own preset menu at the top of the plugin window.
• A/B compare keeps two complete settings in memory. Click A or B to switch; Copy duplicates the current side to the other.
• Save stores your own preset. User presets are kept per plugin and show below the factory list.

Window size and power#

• Most plugins resize from 75% to 150%, or 100/125/150% on Spy-da VU. The size is saved with the project.
• The power button in the header bypasses the plugin, the same as Logic's bypass.

Latency#

Some plugins need to look ahead: the Limiter, AutoTuner, Spy-da 432 and SPL Mastering Chain at higher oversampling. Each reports its delay to Logic, which compensates automatically on playback. When recording through one of them, switch on Logic's Low Latency Mode or use the plugin's own low-latency setting.

Saving#

All settings, presets in use and edits (such as Spy-da Pitch notes or AutoTuner Graph edits) are saved inside your Logic project. Nothing needs saving separately.

The Mix Suite#

Six plugins cover a full mix: Channel Strip for every track, EQ and Compressor for detail, Reverb and Delay for space, and the Limiter to finish. Each has its own accent colour so you can tell them apart at a glance.

Spy-da Channel Strip#

A complete console channel in one insert. Put it first on every recorded track for clean-up, tone and control.

Quick start: high-pass around 80 Hz on vocals, gate only if there's spill, 2–4 dB of compression, then drive to taste.

Spy-da EQ#

An 8-band parametric EQ for surgical cuts and broad tone shaping.

• Bands: bell, low and high shelf, high and low cut (6, 12, 18, 24, 36 or 48 dB/octave), notch and band-pass.
• Drag the nodes on the curve: left/right for frequency, up/down for gain, scroll for width (Q).
• Stereo / Mid / Side per band. Example: a Side-only boost at 10 kHz widens the top without touching a centred vocal.
• Clean / Analog character. Analog adds gentle curve interaction and colour.
• Analyser shows the signal before and after the EQ.

Quick start: sweep a narrow boost to find a harsh frequency, then flip it to a cut.

Spy-da Compressor#

Five compressor characters in one plugin.

Also: threshold, ratio, attack, release, soft knee, sidechain high-pass (stops bass pumping the compressor), Mix for parallel compression and Auto makeup. The transfer curve and scrolling gain-reduction history show exactly what it's doing.

Quick start: Opto at 3:1 on a lead vocal, aiming for 3–6 dB of gain reduction on the loudest words.

Spy-da Limiter#

A look-ahead brickwall limiter for the end of the master bus. Nothing passes the ceiling.

The meter shows momentary, short-term and integrated LUFS, plus the highest true peak. Factory presets include Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Club masters.

Quick start: set ceiling to −1 dB, pick your target, raise Gain until the integrated reading matches it.

Spy-da Reverb#

An algorithmic reverb with four spaces: Room, Chamber, Hall and Plate.

• Pre-delay in milliseconds, or synced to tempo.
• Size, Decay, Damping shape the space; Modulation adds movement to the tail.
• Early sets the level of the first reflections.
• Low cut and High cut EQ the tail so it sits behind the mix.
• Width from mono to wide stereo.
• Ducking pulls the tail down by up to about 11 dB while the vocal is singing, then lets it bloom in the gaps.
• Freeze holds the current tail indefinitely for pads and transitions.

Quick start: on an aux send, Plate, pre-delay at 1/16 note, low cut at 200 Hz, ducking on.

Spy-da Delay#

A stereo delay with three characters: Digital (clean), Tape (warm, with wow and flutter) and Analog (darker repeats).

• Time in ms or synced: straight, dotted or triplet.
• Ping-pong bounces repeats left and right; Offset pushes one side later for width.
• Feedback with low/high filters and saturation inside the loop, so each repeat gets darker and dirtier.
• Wow & flutter for tape-style pitch wobble.
• Ducking keeps repeats quiet while the vocal sings.
• Width and Mix.

Quick start: Tape, 1/4 dotted, feedback 30%, high cut at 4 kHz, ducking on.

Vocal tools#

Use Spy-da AutoTuner for real-time tuning and the hard-tune effect, and Spy-da Pitch for detailed, note-by-note editing of a finished take. Both work on one voice at a time: lead, backing vocal or bass, not chords.

Spy-da AutoTuner#

Pitch correction laid out the way Auto-Tune users expect, with three ways to work: Auto mode for real-time correction, Graph mode for hand-editing notes, and a four-voice Harmony section.

Quick start

1. Insert it as the first plugin on the vocal track.
2. Set Input Type closest to the singer (Soprano, Alto/Tenor, Low Male, Bass).
3. Set Key and Scale, or press Detect key and play the song.
4. Retune Speed around 20–40 ms sounds natural; 0 ms gives the classic hard-tuned effect.

The window

Auto mode controls

• Retune Speed: how fast notes are pulled to pitch. 0 ms is the hard effect.
• Humanize: relaxes correction on long, held notes so they don't sound frozen.
• Flex-Tune: only corrects notes that are already near the target, keeping the singer's expression.
• Natural Vibrato: 0–200% of the singer's own vibrato.
• Classic: a harder, stepped character. Flex-Tune and Humanize switch off while it's on.
• Ignore vibrato: picks the note from the overall pitch so a wide vibrato doesn't flip between notes.
• Scales: 31, including major and minor modes, pentatonics, blues, Hijaz, Maqam Rast and Bayati (quarter tones), Slendro, Pelog and historical tunings.

Graph mode

Graph mode uses ARA, the same link Melodyne uses in Logic (Logic Pro X 10.4.2 and later), so your regions appear without recording them in first.

1. Switch to Graph. The track's regions appear and are analysed in a second or two.
2. Make Notes turns the singing into notes snapped to your key; Make Curve turns it into an editable line.
3. Edit with the tools:

With notes selected, the inspector sets Retune, Vibrato and Formant for just those notes. Shortcuts: Delete, Cmd+Z / Shift+Cmd+Z, Cmd+A, Up/Down to nudge, Space to play. Edits save in the Logic project and are included when you bounce or freeze.

In the standalone app, use Open file in Graph mode to tune a WAV, AIFF, FLAC or MP3, then Export the tuned WAV.

Harmony

• Scale: intervals stay in key, so a 3rd above is major or minor as the key needs.
• Semitones: fixed intervals.
• MIDI: each note you hold becomes a harmony voice. Route a MIDI track to the plugin with the Side Chain menu in the plugin header.

Harmonies follow the corrected lead, including its scoops and vibrato. Humanize gives each voice its own slight drift so they sound like separate takes.

MIDI control

Create a software instrument track, play or draw the notes you want, choose that track in the plugin's Side Chain menu, then set MIDI mode to Target notes or Learn scale.

Latency

Switch on Low Latency when the singer is recording through the plugin.

Spy-da Pitch#

A note-by-note vocal editor in the style of Melodyne. Sung notes appear as blobs on a piano roll; you can move them, straighten them, reshape them and retime them.

Quick start

1. On the vocal track, add Audio Units › Spy-da Audio › Spy-da Pitch.
2. Click TRANSFER (it turns red), put the playhead before the vocal, press Play and let the part play through. Press Stop. TRANSFER switches itself off.
3. The notes appear a moment later. From then on, Logic plays the edited vocal.

The captured audio for each transfer is kept in Music › Spy-da Pitch › Transfers. Don't delete those files while a project still uses them.

Tools (keys 1–7)

Other controls

• Correct Pitch… tunes the selected notes (or all notes) in one go. Pitch centre pulls each note to the nearest semitone; Pitch drift straightens it. Start around 80% / 40% for natural, 100% / 100% for hard-tuned. Leave notes within skips notes that are already close.
• Key / Scale / Snap: with Snap: Key / scale, dragged notes only land in key. Out-of-key notes are shaded darker.
• Original: compare against the untouched vocal.
• Follow: scroll with Logic's playhead.
• Zoom: Fit, +, –. Shift+scroll moves left/right, Cmd+scroll zooms time, Alt+scroll zooms pitch.
• Clear… removes all transfers in this instance.

Keys: Cmd+A select all · Up/Down transpose a semitone (Alt: 10 cents) · Left/Right next note · Delete mutes · Esc deselects · Cmd+Z / Shift+Cmd+Z undo and redo. With Logic stopped, click a note with the Main tool to hear it.

Backing vocals: use one Spy-da Pitch per backing track and set Snap to Key / scale to tighten harmonies quickly. If you re-record, comp or move a region, transfer that part again; edits on unchanged audio are kept.

Mastering tools#

A typical Spy-da master bus runs SPL Mastering Chain → Spy-da Limiter → Spy-da 432 (if you want 432 Hz), with Spy-da VU last to watch levels and loudness.

SPL Mastering Chain#

The Spy-da Productions mastering rack in one plugin: seven units in the studio's own order, each with its own IN switch.

Across the whole plugin: input and output trim, Analogue Colour (0% is fully clean), oversampling 1x/2x/4x, A/B compare, presets and a loudness meter.

Presets: 50 genre presets in menus: Hip-Hop & Rap, R&B / Soul & Gospel, Pop, Electronic & Dance, Afro / Caribbean & Latin, Rock & Metal, Acoustic / Jazz & Orchestral, and More (including Spoken Word & Podcast). They are level-matched to within about 3 LU and peak near −1 dBFS, so switching presets compares tone, not loudness.

Quick start: load the genre preset closest to the track, switch units in and out with their IN buttons to hear what each adds, then trim to taste. With every unit out, the output is identical to the input.

Spy-da 432#

Retunes finished masters from A = 440 Hz to A = 432 Hz (−31.77 cents), or to any pitch you choose.

Live tab

Put it last on the Stereo Out. It retunes the whole mix in real time without changing tempo.

• Target: 432 Hz by default, or anything from 400 to 480 Hz.
• Semitones (±12) and cents (±100) for further pitch up or down.
• Source reference: if the master wasn't tuned to 440, set what it was.
• Loudness match keeps the level the same so you compare fairly.
• At zero shift it passes audio untouched. Latency is about 150 ms, which Logic compensates.

Batch tab

Drop in finished masters or whole folders and press Render. You get Song (432Hz).wav copies in a Spy-da 432 folder next to the originals, with the same sample rate, bit depth and format. Originals are never changed.

Peaks: re-pitching a loud, limited master can push a few peaks over the original ceiling. Batch catches this automatically. If a very hot master needs more than 3 dB of protection, it's flagged in red; Tape mode avoids the issue.

Spy-da VU#

Twin analogue VU meters on the Spy-da spider-web face, with a loudness strip underneath. Use it on any track, bus or the master.

Accuracy: VU ballistics follow IEC 60268-17; loudness follows ITU-R BS.1770 / EBU R128; true peak is 4x oversampled.

Creative tools#

SPL FX#

A multi-effect with 262 factory patches: delays, reverbs, vocal effects, stutters, gates, filters, modulation and lo-fi. New patch packs arrive straight from the Spy-da server.

The signal chain

Seven modules run in this order. Each has its own on/off switch, and every control can be automated.

Master: Input, Width, Mix and Output, plus a safety stage so feedback-heavy patches can't clip.

Patches

The browser on the left has search, categories, favourites (★) and < > to step through patches. Right-click a patch for more options.

Your own patches and packs

• SAVE stores the current settings under My Patches.
• EXPORT writes My Patches to a .splfx pack file to share.
• IMPORT, or drag a .splfx onto the window, adds a pack under its own name. Packs contain settings only, never code; anything invalid is rejected with a message.

Updates

The UPDATES button checks the Spy-da server once a day (you can switch this off) or on demand with CHECK NOW. It lists new patch packs with INSTALL / UPDATE buttons, offers new versions of SPL FX, and shows news from Spy-da. A red dot on the button means something new is waiting. Packs and your patches are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Spy-da/SPL FX/.

Spy-da Mash Up#

Drop in any audio and hear it back as any sound. Mash Up finds the melody, chords, bassline and beats, turns them into editable MIDI and plays them on 555 instruments.

Quick start

1. Create a Software Instrument track and choose AU Instruments › Spy-da Audio › Spy-da Mash Up.
2. Choose Single part or Full song.
3. Click Load audio, or drag a WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A or FLAC onto the window.
4. Press play in Logic. Mash Up plays in time with your session.

STARTS AT BAR: if the original audio starts later than bar 1, set that bar so the notes line up.

Changing the sound

• Instruments panel: 555 sounds in 22 categories, with search, category filter, favourites and Surprise me. 484 are sampled (pianos, keys, guitars, basses, strings, choirs, brass, woodwind, world, percussion, drum kits) and 71 are built-in Spy-da Synths (leads, basses, pads, plucks, keys, bells, brass, FX).
• Layer A / Layer B stacks two sounds on a track; A / B blend mixes them.
• Track sound: octave shift, pan, volume, mute and solo per track.
• Original blends the source audio back in so you can check the line-up.
• Reverb and Output for the overall sound.

Editing the notes

• Piano roll: Select mode moves and resizes notes (double-click empty space to add one); Draw mode draws notes. Press D to switch. The bottom lane edits velocity.
• Quantize to the Grid at a strength you set (100% is tight).
• Snap to key moves out-of-key notes into the detected key and scale.
• −12, −1, +1, +12 transpose the selection. More has humanize, legato, melody only, remove short notes, velocity tools and duplicate.
• Tempo is detected for you; use /2 or x2 if it read half or double time, or Tap.
• Note detection (left panel) re-runs on the selected track: Sensitivity, Note split, Shortest note and Melody only. Re-detecting replaces your edits on that track; Undo brings them back.
• Undo / Redo: Cmd+Z and Shift+Cmd+Z.

Getting MIDI and audio out

Drag Drag MIDI (all tracks) or Drag track (selected track) onto Logic's arrange window. The Export menu also writes a MIDI file of all tracks, the selected track, or a WAV of the new sounds.

Tips: a single vocal or instrument converts most accurately. For vocals, turn on Melody only and lower Sensitivity if you get stray notes. Drums become kick, snare and hi-hat MIDI on a drum kit.

Spy-da Album Builder#

Type what you need, such as "an album of hip-hop tracks like Nipsey Hussle", and Album Builder makes the whole album from your own sound library: arranged tracks with stems, rough mixes, MIDI, a beat-store sheet and mood tags. It's a Mac app that runs entirely offline, with no accounts or online services.

Install#

1. If Python 3 isn't on your Mac, install the Python 3.12 macOS installer from python.org.
2. Unzip the download, then in Terminal:

cd ~/Downloads/spyda-album-builder
bash install.sh "/path/to/your sound library"

The library path is optional; you can choose it later. Spy-da Album Builder appears in Applications and opens. Run bash install.sh again any time to update; your settings, library scan and albums are kept.

Build an album in three steps#

1. Library: choose your sound library folder and press Scan library. It works out each sound's instrument, loop or one-shot, BPM, key and root note. Instruments shown in amber were guessed from the audio; correct any wrong ones in the table and the fix sticks.
2. Build: write the brief and press Build album. Override the number of tracks or the style if you like.
3. Listen: audition tracks in the player. New take replaces one track with a fresh version in the same style. Show stems opens the folder in Finder.

What a brief understands#

Artist names only set the vibe: tempo, groove, instruments and harmony. Nothing copies anyone's songs, samples or voice.

Teach it a style (References)#

1. Put 3 to 30 tracks in a folder (MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF or FLAC).
2. On the References page, click Add a reference folder and name the style, e.g. "Late Night Vibes".
3. It listens to every track and shows what it learned: tempo range, swing, closest style, keys, mood, low end, hi-hat rolls, track length, drum grooves and chord loops.
4. Press Build with this, pick it from the Style menu, or type its name in a brief.

Only measurements are kept; no audio from the reference tracks is stored or used. Clean, grid-made hip-hop is read best. Listen again re-reads the folder after you add tracks.

What you get#

Everything is saved in Music › Spy-da Album Builder. Each album has its own folder with album.json, a beatstore.csv sheet and a README, and one folder per track containing:

• Stems: 24-bit WAVs, all starting at bar 1 (Kick, Snare, … Melody – Keys …)
• Rough Mix WAV, and a Tagged Preview if you've set a producer tag in Settings
• MIDI file with drums, 808/bass, chords and lead
• track.json with BPM, key, Camelot key, moods, energy and the samples used

Into Logic: set the project tempo to the track's BPM, drag the Stems folder contents in at bar 1 and choose Create new tracks.

Plans, licences and your account#

Every plugin can be rented monthly or bought outright; bundles are subscription only. Launch prices are 50% off until 31 December 2026, and anyone who subscribes before then keeps their price.

Single plugins#

From 1 January 2027 these prices double. SPL FX and Spy-da Mash Up are included in Spy-da Complete and come to the shop as single products soon.

Bundles#

Paying yearly works out at about two months free.

How licences work#

• One key per account. Your key unlocks everything in your plan, and new plugins appear automatically when your plan includes them.
• Up to 3 Macs can use your licence at once. To move to a new Mac, ask us to sign out an old one.
• Subscriptions stay active while payments go through. If a payment fails, update your card and access continues.
• Owned licences never expire.

Managing your account#

At My Plugins you can see your keys, download installers and click Manage billing to update your card or cancel. Cancelling stops the next payment; you keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.

Questions about orders or licences: shop@spy-daproductions.com.

Troubleshooting#

Most problems are fixed by making Logic rescan its plugins. Start there.

Still stuck? Email shop@spy-daproductions.com with your Mac model, macOS version, Logic version and a description or screenshot of the problem.

Credits and legal notices#

Spy-da Audio plugins are designed and built in-house by Spy-da Productions. The spider logo, product names and artwork belong to Spy-da Productions.

Open-source and licensed components#

Full licence texts ship inside each plugin bundle.

Trademarks#

Logic Pro and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Auto-Tune is a trademark of Antares Audio Technologies, and Melodyne is a trademark of Celemony Software GmbH. Spy-da AutoTuner and Spy-da Pitch are independent products: they work in a familiar way but contain no code, names or artwork from those companies. Artist names in Album Builder briefs describe a style only. Unit names in SPL Mastering Chain describe the character of each stage; Spy-da Productions is not affiliated with any hardware manufacturer.