Effect Reference

This page lists every effect currently available in Miao, what it is for, and what each parameter changes.

Where Effects Live

Miao has two effect surfaces:

Surface	Where to open it	What it affects
Track Effects	Select an audio or MIDI track, open Track, then Mix.	The selected source track before it reaches routing, sends, buses, and the master output.
Master Effects	Select the Master track, open Track, then Master Effects.	The final summed mix before Master track-head volume, balance, mute, realtime playback, and export.

Bus and master tracks do not use Track Effects. Track Effects are for audio and MIDI tracks. Master Effects are for the final output chain.

Track Effects run as a real serial insert chain in the order shown in the rack. Duplicate inserts of the same type are allowed and stack as separate processors. Bypass keeps the insert, settings, position, and automation identity while disabling processing; remove deletes the insert from the chain.

The full mix path is source region or MIDI instrument, Track Effects, track controls, sends/routing, bus returns, Master Effects, then Master track-head mute/volume/balance. Stems are source-track based and do not include final Master Effects or final Master track-head controls.

Effect Screenshots

These screenshots are captured from the current Master Effects UI. Track Effects use the same compact module visual style. The shared Output screenshot covers Limiter controls, and Filter / EQ covers the EQ and Auto-filter controls that are combined on the master surface.

Output / Limiter

Meter

Utility

Parametric EQ

Filter / EQ / Auto-filter

Gate

Transient

Compressor

Multiband Dynamics

De-esser

Dynamic EQ

Saturation

Amp / Cab

Pedal

Clipper

Bitcrusher

Chorus

Flanger

Phaser

Tremolo

Auto-pan

Delay

Reverb

Room

Pitch

Shifter

Resonator

Vocoder

Visual Language

Effects have compact visual skins in the app. The visuals are diagnostic and help you recognize the module quickly; the sliders, switches, select boxes, and presets control the sound.

Visual	Used by	Meaning
Meter bars and spectrum	Meter, Master Meter	Peak/RMS level, stereo correlation, LUFS-style loudness, and frequency energy.
EQ curve	EQ, Parametric EQ	Tone shaping, filter slope, shelf/bell/notch moves, and spectrum overlay on the master Parametric EQ.
Threshold curve	Gate, Compressor, De-esser, Dynamic EQ, Multiband Dynamics	Where dynamics start acting and how strongly they reduce level.
Transfer curve	Saturation, Pedal, Clipper, Amp / Cab, Bitcrusher	Nonlinear drive, clipping, tone, and digital reduction character.
Modulation waves	Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Auto-pan, Auto-filter	LFO movement, depth, sync, and rate.
Taps and tails	Delay, Reverb, Room	Echo timing, feedback, predelay, reverb tail, room size, and width.
Pitch and modal views	Pitch, Shifter, Resonator, Vocoder	Pitch offsets, frequency shifting, tuned resonances, or carrier bands.

Shared Controls

Several parameters repeat across effects:

Control	What it means
Mix	Wet/dry blend. At 0%, you hear the original signal. At 100%, you hear the processed signal.
Gain / Output	Level trim before or after the processor. Use this to level-match when an effect makes a track louder or quieter.
Threshold	Level where a dynamics processor starts acting. Lower thresholds catch more signal.
Ratio	Strength of compression or dynamic EQ after the threshold. Higher ratios reduce level more aggressively.
Attack	How quickly a dynamics processor reacts after the signal crosses the threshold.
Release	How quickly gain returns after the signal falls back.
Rate	Free-running LFO speed in Hz when sync is off.
Sync	Locks the effect movement or delay timing to the project tempo.
Division	Musical timing value used when sync is on: 1/16, 1/8T, 1/8, 1/8D, 1/4, 1/4D, 1/2, or 1 bar.
Frequency	The target frequency for filters, resonators, pitch/frequency shifting, or detection bands.
Q	Bandwidth. Higher Q is narrower and more surgical. Lower Q is broader and smoother.

Common Starting Points and Mistakes

Goal	Start with	Watch for
Fix tone quickly	EQ or Parametric EQ. Cut before boosting.	Narrow boosts can sound harsh. Level-match after large moves.
Control dynamics	Compressor, Gate, Transient, Multiband Dynamics, De-esser, or Dynamic EQ.	Too-low thresholds can flatten the part or remove transients.
Duck one track from another	Compressor on the target track with Sidechain Source set to the key track.	Route the key to None for silent triggering instead of muting it.
Add loudness	Clipper for peak shaving, then Limiter for final control.	Distortion and pumping are signs to back off drive, threshold, or release.
Add width	Utility, Chorus, Reverb, or Delay.	Check mono and avoid widening low bass too much.
Add space	Reverb, Room, or tempo-synced Delay.	High Mix or long decay can hide the dry sound.
Sound design	Pitch, Shifter, Resonator, Vocoder, Bitcrusher, Pedal, or Amp / Cab.	Creative processors can change level and phase dramatically.

If an inserted effect is not audible, confirm the insert is enabled, Mix is not 0%, the track is routed to an audible output, automation is not forcing a neutral value, and the effect is placed before or after other inserts as intended.

Meter

What it does: An analyzer-only module. It does not change audio.

Use it for: Checking track level, master peak, RMS, stereo correlation, LUFS-style loudness, and broad frequency balance.

Parameter	What it changes
None	Meter has no sound-shaping parameters.

On the Master Effects surface, Meter shows peak, RMS, correlation, momentary LUFS, short-term LUFS, integrated LUFS, and spectrum. As a Track Effect, Meter is a lightweight analyzer for that track.

Output and Limiter

What it does: Controls master output level and final peak control. The Limiter can also be used as a simple maximizer by increasing input drive into the ceiling.

Use it for: Final loudness, export headroom, and preventing peaks from exceeding the selected ceiling.

Parameter	What it changes
Gain	Overall master effect-chain gain.
Limiter Enabled	Master switch for the limiter on the Master Effects output module.
Limit Input	Drive into the limiter. Higher values increase loudness and gain reduction.
Limit Ceiling	Maximum output peak target. Lower values leave more headroom.
Soft Knee	Smoothness of the limiter transition near the ceiling.
Limit Release	How quickly limiting recovers after peaks.

The Master track-head volume, balance, and mute sit after Master Effects and affect realtime playback and export. The Track Effect named Limiter uses the limiter controls from this section without the Master-only output gain and mute controls.

Utility

What it does: Practical gain and stereo utility processor.

Use it for: Gain staging, mono checks, stereo width, balance fixes, phase inversion, and left/right swaps.

Parameter	What it changes
Utility Gain	Adds or removes level in dB.
Width	Narrows, preserves, or widens stereo image.
Balance	Moves level toward left or right.
Mono	Sums left and right to mono.
Invert L / Invert R	Flips polarity of the selected channel.
Swap L/R	Exchanges left and right channels.

EQ

What it does: Simple tone shaping with high-pass, low-pass, and low/mid/high gain controls.

Use it for: Fast cleanup and broad tonal moves.

Parameter	What it changes
High-pass	Removes low frequencies below the selected cutoff.
Low-pass	Removes high frequencies above the selected cutoff.
EQ Low	Boosts or cuts the low band.
EQ Mid	Boosts or cuts the mid band.
EQ High	Boosts or cuts the high band.

The Master Filter / EQ module also includes Auto Filter controls listed below.

Parametric EQ

What it does: Four-band parametric EQ with switchable filter types.

Use it for: Surgical cuts, resonant cleanup, broad shelves, presence boosts, and tonal balancing.

Parameter	What it changes
Band 1-4	Enables or bypasses the band.
Band Type	Bell, Low shelf, High shelf, or Notch.
Band Freq	Center or cutoff frequency.
Band Gain	Boost or cut amount. Notch uses the selected frequency as a removal point.
Band Q	Bandwidth. Higher Q is narrower.

The Master Parametric EQ visualizer overlays the live spectrum so you can compare EQ moves against audible energy.

Gate

What it does: Reduces signal below a threshold.

Use it for: Cleaning noise between phrases, tightening drums, and muting quiet bleed.

Parameter	What it changes
Gate Thresh	Level below which the gate closes.
Gate Release	How quickly the gate returns after the signal falls below the threshold.

Transient

What it does: Shapes the front and body of a sound.

Use it for: Making drums punchier, softening clicks, or changing sustain without full compression.

Parameter	What it changes
Transient Attack	Positive values emphasize attack; negative values soften attack.
Transient Sustain	Positive values extend body; negative values tighten decay.

Compressor

What it does: Reduces dynamic range when signal crosses the threshold. Track compressors can use another audio or MIDI track as a sidechain key input.

Use it for: Glue, punch, vocal control, bass consistency, and ducking.

Parameter	What it changes
Comp Thresh	Level where compression begins.
Comp Ratio	Strength of compression above the threshold.
Comp Attack	How quickly compression clamps down.
Comp Release	How quickly compression lets go.
Comp Makeup	Output gain after compression.
Sidechain Source	Track Effects only. Chooses another audio or MIDI track to trigger compression.

For ducking, put Compressor on the track you want to lower, then set Sidechain Source to the track that should trigger the lowering.

Multiband Dynamics

What it does: Splits the signal into low, mid, and high bands and compresses each band separately.

Use it for: Bass control, bright top-end taming, mix glue, and frequency-specific dynamics.

Parameter	What it changes
MB Mix	Wet/dry blend for the multiband processor.
Low Xover	Boundary between low and mid bands.
High Xover	Boundary between mid and high bands.
Low / Mid / High Thresh	Compression threshold per band.
Low / Mid / High Ratio	Compression strength per band.
MB Attack	How quickly all bands react.
MB Release	How quickly all bands recover.
MB Output	Output gain after multiband processing.

De-esser

What it does: Dynamically turns down harsh high-frequency content around the selected frequency.

Use it for: Vocal sibilance, sharp hi-hats, brittle cymbals, and harsh consonants.

Parameter	What it changes
Ess Freq	High-frequency area to watch.
Ess Thresh	Level where de-essing begins.
Ess Amount	How much high-band reduction is applied.
Ess Release	Recovery time after sibilance passes.
Ess Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Dynamic EQ

What it does: Watches one EQ band and reduces it dynamically when that band gets too loud.

Use it for: Resonances, nasal vocal peaks, harsh guitars, boxy drums, or sibilance that should only be cut when active.

Parameter	What it changes
DynEQ Freq	Frequency being detected and reduced.
DynEQ Q	Width of the detection/reduction band.
DynEQ Thresh	Level where reduction starts.
DynEQ Ratio	Strength of dynamic reduction.
DynEQ Range	Maximum allowed gain reduction.
DynEQ Attack	Reaction time.
DynEQ Release	Recovery time.
DynEQ Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Saturation

What it does: Adds harmonic drive with soft nonlinear shaping.

Use it for: Warmth, thickness, audible presence, or gentle grit.

Parameter	What it changes
Sat Drive	Amount of drive into the saturation curve.
Sat Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Amp / Cab

What it does: Guitar/bass-style amp drive with a tone stack and cabinet voicing.

Use it for: Guitar, bass, synth leads, drum distortion, and re-amping clean sounds.

Parameter	What it changes
Amp Drive	Amount of pre-cabinet distortion.
Amp Bass	Low tone-stack gain.
Amp Mid	Mid tone-stack gain.
Amp Treble	High tone-stack gain.
Cabinet	Open, Combo, or Stack cabinet voicing.
Amp Mix	Wet/dry blend.
Amp Output	Output level after amp and cabinet.

Pedal

What it does: Stompbox-style distortion before heavier amp shaping.

Use it for: Overdrive, distortion, fuzz, synth grit, and drum edge.

Parameter	What it changes
Pedal Mode	Overdrive, Distortion, or Fuzz.
Pedal Drive	Input drive into the pedal.
Pedal Tone	Brightness and tone filtering.
Pedal Bias	Shifts the distortion curve for asymmetry.
Pedal Mix	Wet/dry blend.
Pedal Output	Output trim after the pedal.

Clipper

What it does: Limits peaks by soft or hard clipping.

Use it for: Peak shaving, loud drums, aggressive buses, and pre-limiter control.

Parameter	What it changes
Clip Drive	Pushes signal into clipping.
Clip Ceiling	Maximum clipping level.
Clip Mix	Wet/dry blend.
Clip Mode	Soft or Hard clipping.

Bitcrusher

What it does: Reduces bit depth and sample-rate detail.

Use it for: Lo-fi drums, retro digital texture, robotic artifacts, and harsh sound design.

Parameter	What it changes
Bit Depth	Resolution of the quantized signal. Lower is rougher.
Rate Reduce	Sample-rate reduction factor. Higher is more aliased.
Crusher Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Chorus

What it does: Adds short modulated delays for detuned width.

Use it for: Wider vocals, synth pads, guitars, and subtle stereo movement.

Parameter	What it changes
Chorus	Wet/dry blend.
Chorus Sync	Locks modulation to project tempo.
Chorus Division	Musical LFO cycle length when sync is on.
Chorus Rate	Free-rate LFO speed when sync is off.
Chorus Depth	Delay modulation depth.

Flanger

What it does: Adds a very short modulated delay with feedback for comb-filter sweeps.

Use it for: Sweeping metallic motion, jet-like transitions, and dramatic modulation.

Parameter	What it changes
Flanger	Wet/dry blend.
Flanger Sync	Locks modulation to project tempo.
Flanger Division	Musical LFO cycle length when sync is on.
Flanger Rate	Free-rate LFO speed when sync is off.
Flanger Depth	Delay modulation depth.
Flanger FB	Feedback amount and polarity.

Phaser

What it does: Moves phase notches through the signal.

Use it for: Swirling guitars, pads, keys, percussion movement, and gentle animation.

Parameter	What it changes
Phaser	Wet/dry blend.
Phaser Sync	Locks modulation to project tempo.
Phaser Division	Musical LFO cycle length when sync is on.
Phaser Rate	Free-rate LFO speed when sync is off.
Phaser Depth	Notch sweep depth.
Phaser FB	Feedback around the phase network.

Tremolo

What it does: Modulates volume over time.

Use it for: Pulsing guitars, rhythmic synths, transitions, and tempo-locked level movement.

Parameter	What it changes
Tremolo Sync	Locks movement to project tempo.
Tremolo Division	Musical LFO cycle length when sync is on.
Move Rate	Free-rate LFO speed when sync is off.
Tremolo	Volume modulation depth.

Auto-pan

What it does: Moves signal left and right over time.

Use it for: Stereo motion, rhythmic ear candy, and widening repeated parts.

Parameter	What it changes
Pan Sync	Locks movement to project tempo.
Pan Division	Musical LFO cycle length when sync is on.
Move Rate	Free-rate LFO speed when sync is off.
Auto-pan	Stereo movement depth.

Auto-filter

What it does: Sweeps the low-pass filter cutoff over time.

Use it for: Filter movement, transitions, rhythmic dull/bright motion, and build-ups.

Parameter	What it changes
Low-pass	Highest allowed cutoff for the sweep.
Auto Filter	Sweep depth.
Filter Sync	Locks the sweep to project tempo.
Filter Division	Musical LFO cycle length when sync is on.
Filter Rate	Free-rate LFO speed when sync is off.

On the Master Effects surface, Auto-filter is inside Filter / EQ. As a Track Effect, it appears as Auto-filter.

Delay

What it does: Adds echoes using free time or project-tempo divisions.

Use it for: Slapback, rhythmic repeats, dub throws, stereo echoes, and transitions.

Parameter	What it changes
Delay	Wet/dry blend.
Delay Sync	Uses project tempo instead of seconds.
Delay Division	Musical delay time when sync is on.
Delay Time	Delay time in seconds when sync is off.
Delay FB	Echo feedback amount.
Ping-pong	Cross-channel echo movement.

Reverb

What it does: Adds algorithmic space.

Use it for: Room, hall, or plate ambience, depth, and tails.

Parameter	What it changes
Reverb	Wet/dry blend.
Reverb Style	Room, Hall, or Plate.
Pre-delay	Delay before the reverb tail begins.
Decay	Tail length.
Damping	High-frequency absorption in the tail.
Reverb Width	Stereo width of the wet signal.

Room

What it does: Adds convolution-style early room reflections.

Use it for: Small-room glue, realistic reflections, and short ambience.

Parameter	What it changes
Conv Room	Wet/dry blend.
Room Size	Reflection spacing and perceived room size.

Pitch

What it does: Adds a parallel pitch-shifted voice.

Use it for: Octaves, fifths, harmonized layers, and special effects.

Parameter	What it changes
Pitch	Semitone shift from -12 to +12.
Pitch Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Shifter

What it does: Frequency shifting or ring modulation, with optional stereo spread and drive.

Use it for: Metallic tones, sidebands, unusual motion, tremolo-like effects, and sound design.

Parameter	What it changes
Shift Mode	Frequency or Ring mode.
Shift Freq	Shift/modulation frequency.
Shift Spread	Difference between left and right shift amounts.
Shift Drive	Drive before the shifter output.
Shift Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Resonator

What it does: Adds tuned modal ringing at harmonically related frequencies.

Use it for: Making drums, noise, or loops feel pitched; adding body; metallic ringing; chord-like resonance.

Parameter	What it changes
Res Mode	Harmonic, Chord, or Metal resonance pattern.
Res Freq	Root resonance frequency.
Res Decay	Ring length.
Res Tone	Brightness and harmonic emphasis.
Res Width	Stereo spread of resonance modes.
Res Mix	Wet/dry blend.

Vocoder

What it does: Uses the track signal as a modulator and an internal carrier to create robotic or synthetic textures.

Use it for: Robotic voice, synth speech, drum vocoding, noise textures, and rhythmic carrier effects.

Parameter	What it changes
Vocoder Mix	Wet/dry blend.
Carrier	Synth, Noise, or Hybrid internal carrier.
Carrier Freq	Pitch/frequency of the internal synth carrier.
Bands	Number of analysis bands.
Formant	Shifts the perceived vocal/formant character.
Tone	Carrier brightness and band tilt.
Release	How quickly band envelopes recover.
Voc Output	Output trim after vocoding.

Automation

Most sound-shaping parameters in Track Effects and Master Effects can be automated. Click the A button beside a parameter to open its automation lane. Automation supports linear and stepped interpolation.

Good starting points:

Goal	Automate
Transition build	Low-pass, Auto Filter depth, Delay mix, Reverb mix.
Rhythmic movement	Tremolo depth, Auto-pan depth, Phaser mix, synced divisions.
Ducking	Compressor sidechain source and compressor threshold.
Vocal cleanup	De-esser threshold, Dynamic EQ threshold, Parametric EQ gain.
Master finish	Gain, Limit Input, Limit Ceiling, Reverb mix.