Zynaptiq INTENSITY Manual

INTENSITY
User Manual V1.2.0

Welcome to INTENSITY 4
System Requirements 5
Mac Requirements 5
Windows Requirements 5
Installation & Authorization 6
Installation 6
Activation (Demo and full version) 6
The Parameters 12
Control Types & Behavior 12
Controls – Details 16
Header Bar Meta Functions: Tooltips, Manual & MIDI Learn 16
Toggle Tooltips On/Off 16
Open Manual 16
Show/Hide MIDI Control Setup 16
Main Parameters 18
OUTPUT MONITOR SOURCE 22
Presets 23
The Plug-In Preset Manager 23
Storage Locations Plug-In Presets 23
The “About” Screen 24
UPDATE CHECK & DOWNLOAD 24
FAQ 25
INTENSITY
2
! User Manual v 1.2.0
Questions & Answers 25
Getting Support 29
INTENSITY
3
! User Manual v 1.2.0
Welcome to
INTENSITY
INTENSITY is a new kind of audio processor for mixing, mastering and sound design. It
makes use of techniques typically found in facial recognition algorithms to bring out a sound’s
inherent detail, increase its perceived loudness and density, and add insane amounts of clarity.
Also, it can make sounds sound more like themselves. And last, but not least, INTENSITY is an
incredible tool for attaining maximum loudness and a beautifully aggressive tone.
You can think of it like an infinite-band compressor that threshold-less-ly operates relative to
the input, whose time constants are zero and which is controlled by an artificial intelligence at
audio rate, making it possible to adjust the process with essentially just one knob.
Well, except that this description would be completely inaccurate, as INTENSITY is
absolutely NOT a compressor, and works in a completely different way. But you get an idea of
what you might use it for, what it can do – what applications you might find for it.
Or in plain English: INTENSITY is the closest thing to an AWESOME!-Knob we’ve come up with
so far. Put it on everything, all the time. Be careful not to over-use it, it is quite addictive.
We sincerely hope you will enjoy using INTENSITY as much as we do!
Yours,
the zynaptiq team
zynaptiq headquarters
Hannover, Germany
June 2018
INTENSITY
4
! User Manual v1.2.0
System
Requirements
Mac Requirements • Intel-based Apple Mac computer

• Minimum of 2 CPU cores running at 2.4 gHz or faster
• 1 GB of available RAM
• Mac OS X 10.8 or newer
• Apple AU (AudioUnits), Steinberg VST or Avid RTAS/AAX compatible host software
• AAX requires Pro Tools version 10.3.6 or newer
• Internet Connection for Activation (though not necessarily on the Computer used for audio)
• iLok.com account for activation
• iLok 2 if you want to activate to a dongle (iLok 1 not supported)
Windows Requirements • Minimum of 2 CPU cores running at 2.4 gHz or faster

• 1 GB of available RAM
• Microsoft Windows 7 or newer
• Steinberg VST or Avid RTAS/AAX compatible host software
• AAX requires Pro Tools 10.3.6 or newer
• Internet Connection for Activation (though not necessarily on the Computer used for audio)
• iLok.com account for activation
• iLok 2 if you want to activate to a dongle (iLok 1 not supported)
Note: it is not possible to activate a trial license on a machine that has no internet
! access without using an iLok2!
INTENSITY
5
Installation &
Authorization
Installation Installation is very easy. On Mac, simply unpack the ZIP archive using the Mac OS X Archive
Utility (third party ZIP tools may cause issues), then launch the installer contained. It will
guide you through the process. On Windows, unpack the ZIP and choose whether to install
32bit or 64bit plugins (the bit depth of your OS does not matter here).
To authorize your plugin, you can use one of the two methods described below. Please note
that the trial version also needs to be activated, the difference being that you do not need an
activation code.
Activation (Demo and full version) 1) Authorization Wizard. The authorization wizard will open if the plugin is not yet authorized
when you insert the plugin, or when it is scanned by your host application. You can choose
to start a trial (“Try”), cancel (“Quit”) or Activate:
INTENSITY
6
1) A) TRY. Clicking this brings up the iLok account login screen, where you may enter existing
credentials, or create a new account. Creating an account with iLok.com is free and easy.
Please note that iLok.com is used for many different plugins by many different manufacturers
and that one account will work for all of those. After creating the account, you can log in in the
activation wizard:
INTENSITY
7
Upon clicking NEXT & successful login, you will be presented with the following options:
Choose whether to activate to your Computer or to an iLok 2. Please note that first generation
iLoks are not supported and will be shown “grayed out” as in the image above. Click next &
you’re good to go!
INTENSITY
8
1) B) ACTIVATE. Should you already have an activation code for the plugin, choose ACTIVATE.
You will then be presented with the following window, where you may enter your code:
After entering your code, click NEXT.
INTENSITY
9
Clicking this brings up the iLok account login screen, where you may enter existing credentials,
or create a new account. Creating an account with iLok.com is free and easy. Please note that
iLok.com is used for many different plugins by many different manufacturers and that one
account will work for all of those. After creating the account, you can log in in the activation
wizard:
INTENSITY
10
Upon clicking NEXT & successful login, you will be presented with the following options:
Choose whether to activate to your Computer or to an iLok 2. Please note that first generation
iLoks are not supported and will be shown “grayed out” as in the image above. Click next &
you’ll see a progress bar, and once it completes, you’re good to go!
INTENSITY
11
The Parameters
Control Types & Behavior INTENSITY sports several control types, which have a variety of usability features. We will
describe the ones with extra functionality here.
“Trackball” Slider
This control is a unique Zynaptiq type - it is essentially a vertical fader, that looks like a knob.
The benefits of this configuration are that it is simple to control with a mouse like a fader, yet
conserves GUI space like a rotary control. Also, the combination of the horizontal marking on
the “Trackball” and the circular “halo” value display make it very easy to tell the current value
of the parameter. While the mouse is over the control, the parameter name underneath the
Trackball will change to display the parameter value numerically.
• Drag up/down to change the parameter value.
• Hold shift while dragging for finer resolution.
• When the control has focus, the up/down arrow keys and the mouse scroll-wheel can be
used to increment or decrement the value. The control has focus whenever the mouse
hovers over it.
• CTRL-click or right-click on the control to reset it to default.
• Double-click on the control opens a text box for numerical entry of the value.
INTENSITY
12
Slider
This is a straight-forward slider control, which comes in regular as well as bipolar
configurations, both horizontally as well as vertically oriented. Essentially, it follows the same
rules as the “Trackball”:
• Drag the thumb along the slider axis to adjust the value
• Click anywhere in the slider groove to set the value directly
• Hold shift while dragging for finer resolution; resolution depends on the specific slider.
• When the control has focus, the up/down arrow keys and mouse scroll-wheel can be
used to increment or decrement the value. This control type has focus after it was
clicked on AND the mouse hovers over it.
• CTRL-click or right-click on the control to reset it to default.
• Double-click on the control opens a text box for numerical entry of the value.
• The parameter label will change to display the parameter value when the mouse hovers
over the control.
Horizontal bipolar sliders have a “-“ and a “+” displayed at the ends of the slider groove, and
when set exactly to zero, a little grid line appears in the middle of the image.
Sliders may have a non-linear parameter mapping, like increment values changing over the
slider’s travel etc.
INTENSITY
13
Toggle Switch
A latching switch that activates a function or switches between two different functions. CTRL-
click resets it to default.
Selector/Radio Switch
A switch for selecting between multiple values or modes. To adjust the value, simply click on
the label of the value you want to set.
Momentary Button
A momentary switch that triggers an action, such as a reset/clear. This control type comes in
several sizes and styles.
INTENSITY
14
Visual Menu
Clicking this kind of button/icon opens up a menu of icons that represent the different
selectable options for a parameter; like a hybrid of a “radio group” and a pull-down menu:
Hovering the mouse over an icon will preview that setting; clicking on an icon will select that
setting and close the menu; clicking on CANCEL will cancel the menu and retrieve the previous
setting.
INTENSITY
15
Controls – Details
Header Bar Meta Functions:

Tooltips, Manual & MIDI Learn
POWER (aka BYPASS)

Switches all processing in or out.
Toggle Tooltips On/Off

This button toggles tool tips on or off.
Open Manual
Opens the manual.
Show/Hide MIDI Control Setup

All main parameters of INTENSITY can be controlled via MIDI, provided your host software is
capable of relaying MIDI data to the plugin. This button toggles visibility of the MIDI control UI
widgets. When on, a small disclosure triangle will be displayed next to or underneath the name
of all parameters that can be MIDI controlled:
INTENSITY
16
Clicking on this disclosure triangle opens the MIDI Learn menu for the associated parameter:
- Click on MIDI Learn to activate learning of MIDI control changes for this parameter
- Click on MIDI Learn again when done
- Select MIDI Unlearn to disable MIDI control of the parameter
- Select Settings… to open the advanced MIDI Control window for the current parameter:
In this window, you can manually select the MIDI channel and control change number, adjust
the response curve as well as limit the parameter range that the MIDI controller is mapped to.
Note: MIDI control assignment is per preset, rather than global – switching
to another preset may cause you to loose your controller assignments, so
! please save your work! If you need global assignments, please use your host
application’s mapping functionality.
INTENSITY
17
Main Parameters
INTENSITY
This is the main control of the plugin. Increasing
INTENSITY brings up the level of those signal components
that the algorithm classifies as details. As a result, the
sound becomes clearer, more dense, louder.
If you set this control too high, you may start noticing what
sounds like a “lisp” on vocals or hi-hats; in that case,
simply dial INTENSITY back slightly.
INTENSITY is the base value for the BIAS

circuit. Also, INTENSITY (and bias) are
! controlled by the DRY-WET MIX – so if

you’re not hearing the sound change when
increasing INTENSITY, most likely you have
either set DRY-WET MIX to too low a value,
or BIAS is counteracting your settings.
LVL COMP (LEVEL COMPENSATION)

When LEVEL COMPENSATION is on, the plugin attempts to
compensate for level changes introduced by the INTENSITY circuit.
This doesn’t include the effects of the BIAS, DRY/WET mix and
OUTPUT GAIN/SATURATE circuits! LVL COMP was calibrated using
stereo mixes normalized to 0 dBFS – as a result, low level sources
may still increase in level when increasing INTENSITY. Have a look at the MONITOR SOURCE
and its COMPENSATED MODE if you need volume compensation that takes the entire plugin
into account.
INTENSITY
18
BIAS
This bipolar control adjusts how strongly the selected BIAS
CURVE affects the DENSITY parameter. At maximum BIAS
amount, the CURVE is applied with a maximum frequency
dependent INTENSITY gain of +12dB. With negative BIAS
amounts, the curve is applied invertedly.
(PRESET) BIAS CURVE

This button opens a Visual Menu that is used to select one of
multiple preset BIAS CURVES. When adjusting BIAS, the
actual scaling of the selected curve is displayed as blue
overlay over this button.
INTENSITY
19
BIAS CURVE MODE
Selects whether you want to use preset BIAS
CURVES or set up a custom curve using a
“graphic EQ” type interface (see below). The “>”
button copies the currently selected preset curve
to the CUSTOM BIAS CURVE and switches modes.
CUSTOM BIAS CURVE

When BIAS CURVE MODE is set to CUSTOM, the
Visual Menu button is replaced with 9 sliders
arranged like in a graphic EQ. Each slider
provides -12…+12 dB of INTENSITY for its
frequency band.
While the mouse is over any of the bands, band
frequencies are displayed at the top of the
widget, and the value of the slider that the
mouse is over is displayed at the bottom.
The widget sports 4 macro buttons:
X2 doubles the values of all sliders.
/2 halves the values of all sliders
INV mirrors the values of all sliders around zero
CLR sets all sliders to zero
INTENSITY
20
INPUT GAIN
Adjusts the level of the singal going in to the
plugin by +- 24dB
DRY-WET MIX
Adjusts the mix balance between the
unprocessed input signal and the INTENSITY
circuit, including any BIAS. The output of
the DRY-WET is then fed to the OUTPUT
GAIN/SATURATE module.
OUTPUT GAIN/SATURATE
The pulldown menu in this module selects
whether the output of the DRY-WET MIX is
passed through a simple GAIN stage, or
through a mastering-grade, soft-knee
saturating limiter. For both cases, the slider
provides +-12 dB of gain; if using the
SATURATE function, this adjusts the amount
of “drive” into the unit.
The SATURATE processor starts working at
-3dB and will thus have an effect even when
the GAIN slider is at +0 dB.
INTENSITY
21
OUTPUT MONITOR SOURCE
This group of buttons allows switching between the
plugin’s input signal (IN, post input gain), the
plugin’s output (OUT), and a loudness compensated
version of the plugin output (CMP), to aid in finding
optimum settings. The loudness compensation works
as follows:
- The plugin continuously compares the loudness of the plugin input (post input gain) with the
plugin’s output (post gain/saturate), and computes a compensation amount in dB.
- If CMP (CoMPensated) is selected, this compensation amount is applied to the plugin output.
Thus, if CMP is ON, the plugin will automatically track and compensate for any loudness
changes within a short “settling time”. Important points to note are:
- The Loudness Compensation is designed as a MONITORING FUNCTION and is not intended to

stay on during mixdown. That said, depending on your signal and settings, it may very well
work for that scenario, too – try it.
- The loudness measurements obviously require some time, hence the loudness compensation
will always lag a little behind any changes in signal and/or parameters.
INTENSITY
22
Presets
To make working with the different plug-

The Plug-In Preset Manager in formats easier, INTENSITY provides its
own preset manager and preset format.
This way, you can load your custom
settings exactly the same way regardless
of whether you’re working on the Mac or
on a Windows machine, whether you’re
using RTAS or VST.
A click on the preset selector pull-down brings up a menu that provides options for saving and
loading presets, saving the current setting as default and re-setting the default preset to
factory default values. If you edit a recalled preset, the preset name will be displayed in Italic
font to indicate that the current and saved values don’t match. The “<“ and “>” momentary
buttons to the left and right of the pull-down menu allow loading the previous or next preset,
respectively.
There are separate locations for factory presets and user presets:
Storage Locations Plug-In Presets
Factory presets (Mac OS X): these are stored inside the actual plug-in.
Factory presets (Windows): these are stored in the INTENSITY VST/RTAS/AAX Data folder,
which is installed next to the plug-in.
User presets (Mac OS X and Windows): these are stored to <your user document
directory>/Zynaptiq/INTENSITY/Presets/ .
INTENSITY
23
The “About” Screen
Clicking on the zynaptiq logo in the top right of the plugin GUI opens the “About” screen. It
displays copyright information and version numbers, and allows opening the manual or going
to our website to find updates.
UPDATE CHECK & DOWNLOAD To check availability of an update, simply click on the “Check Version” button. Provided your
machine has internet access, you will be taken to our website, where you will find indication of
the current version number. If there’s a newer version available, simply download the trial
version from the INTENSITY downloads page, and install over your existing installation - any
activation will carry over, and the trial version is the same as the full version.
INTENSITY
24
FAQ
Questions & Answers Q: I am hearing ugly drop-outs/ring-modulation/distortion, what is causing that & what can I
do?
A: Most likely, you are overloading your CPU. The first thing you should try is to set the I/O
and/or processing buffers of your host to higher values, ideally 1024 samples or higher. This
will significantly decrease the CPU use and in most cases eliminates the artifacts mentioned
above.
Q: (Mac) Logic Pro shows me a “Sample Rate Mismatch” or similar error when inserting
INTENSITY, and sound is distorted or stops altogether. What can I do?
A: You are overloading the CPU, but Logic is displaying the wrong error message. Increasing
the I/O and process buffer sizes usually cures this issue. If not, see the CPU load optimization
section below for some tips on how to get more out of your machine.
Q: I’m not seeing INTENSITY in the plug-in menu of my host…why is that?
A: There are multiple reasons why this might happen.
1) If using VST 2, it is possible that your DAW requires you to set a VST 2.x
path. In that case, you will need to add the INTENSITY install path and
re-scan your plug-ins. Please refer to your DAW’s manual for information
on how to do this.
2) Another possibility is that you have moved the INTENSITY plugin to a
new location manually after install, but didn’t move the INTENSITY DATA
folder that was installed next to the plugin along with it. In that case,
the plugin won’t work, so please make sure you move that folder to the
same location as the plugin.
INTENSITY
25
Q: I am not seeing INTENSITY in my host after having checked all the above things…what can
I do?
A: If none of the above applied, it is likely that your host blacklisted the plugin - this can
happen for example when you launch your DAW for the first time after installing INTENSITY
and then
a) taking no action when the INTENSITY activation window
opens (for example because the activation window has
opened behind some other window, which can happen as a
rare issue), or
b) selecting “quit” rather than “TRY” for the demo, or
c) starting but not completing the ACTIVATE operation
In all of these cases, your DAW may think that the plugin isn’t working (rather than “working
but not authorized”) and will black-list it. To verify (and fix) this, please open the plugin
manager of your DAW and re-scan your plug-ins. Please refer to your DAW’s manual for
information on how to do this.
During the re-scan, the activation window should now open & you should be able to either
launch a trial (“TRY”) or activate your full license (“ACTIVATE”).
If the activation window does NOT open, and
1) You have purchased a full license: please launch the iLok License Manager application,
select “Redeem Code” from the “Licenses” menu, and enter the activation code you received
after registering:
INTENSITY
26
A license asset will be generated and deposited into your account. Please drag this either to
your HD or an iLok2 to activate the license (shown for MORPH 2 below, but identical for all
plugins):
Then, repeat the rescan in your DAW, if necessary.

2) You are trying to activate a trial — please email us and we’ll deposit a trial license into your
account so you can skip the activation wizard window.
INTENSITY
27
Q: I want to move my HD-based activation to a different machine…how do I do that?
A: Essentially, you’ll need to de-activate the old machine, then activate the new one, to
transfer the license between the systems. For more information, please refer to the document
TRIAL AND ACTIVATION INSTRUCTIONS.pdf that resides next to the installer as well as /
Applications/Zynaptiq Plug-In Support/ on the Mac and C:\\<Program Files>\Zynaptiq\<Plugin
Name>\ on Windows.
Q: The HD containing my activation was lost/broke down/was formatted/is otherwise

inaccessible…how can I get my software back up and running?
A: Please remember to de-activate the license before discarding/formatting/selling a HD, as
theoretically, the license file is destroyed if you do so. We can of course fix that for you. For
more information, please refer to the document TRIAL AND ACTIVATION
INSTRUCTIONS.pdf that resides next to the installer as well as /Applications/Zynaptiq Plug-
In Support/ on the Mac and C:\\<Program Files>\Zynaptiq\<Plugin Name>\ on Windows.
Q: Can I use the plugin on multiple systems?
A: Generally, our PACE protected plugins are licensed for use on one machine at a time, and
thus come with one activation. If you move between systems regularly, the most convenient
option is to use an iLok 2 (or newer) USB Device to carry the license around with you.
Alternatively, you can move the license between HDs as described above. If neither of these
options works for you, please contact support and we “may be able to help” :-)
INTENSITY
28
Getting Support If you’re having trouble with INTENSITY that isn’t covered in these FAQ, please email us & we’ll
get you up and running ASAP. We can be reached via http://www.zynaptiq.com/support-form/
INTENSITY
29

Zynaptiq INTENSITY Manual

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Zynaptiq INTENSITY Manual

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

INTENSITY

User Manual V1.2.0

Mac Requirements • Intel-based Apple Mac computer

Windows Requirements • Minimum of 2 CPU cores running at 2.4 gHz or faster

! access without using an iLok2!

After entering your code, click NEXT.

Header Bar Meta Functions:

POWER (aka BYPASS)

Toggle Tooltips On/Off

Show/Hide MIDI Control Setup

INTENSITY is the base value for the BIAS

! controlled by the DRY-WET MIX – so if

LVL COMP (LEVEL COMPENSATION)

(PRESET) BIAS CURVE

CUSTOM BIAS CURVE

- The Loudness Compensation is designed as a MONITORING FUNCTION and is not intended to

To make working with the different plug-

Then, repeat the rescan in your DAW, if necessary.

Q: The HD containing my activation was lost/broke down/was formatted/is otherwise

Q: Can I use the plugin on multiple systems?

You might also like