SubCulture Official User Manual

A New Benchmark for Bass

SubCulture is a musically intelligent bass processor that transforms any monophonic signal into a powerful low frequency foundation for your tracks. With three distinct bass enhancement processors and a suite of flexible shaping tools, SubCulture lets you design the deep, commanding low end your mixes have been missing.

From thundering pitch-shifted octaves to resonant low harmonics and precision low frequency boosts, SubCulture gives you three complementary tools for adding earth-shaking low end to any bass line.

Watch the official tutorial

Quick Start

To get started, add SubCulture as the first insert on your bass instrument track. SubCulture works with any monophonic input material, making it equally effective on bass synths, DI bass guitar and even acoustic bass instruments.

Blend in SubCulture’s pitch-shifted Sub Layer by dragging up within the control’s panel. Note that the Sub Layer and Root Boost controls are X/Y grids with amplitude along the vertical axis and bandwidth along the horizontal axis. The pitch interval of each processor is displayed in the bottom portion of the panel. Click the cog icon in the upper left corner of each processor grid to access fine tuning settings.

While listening to the pitch-shifted Sub Layer, set SubCulture’s detection behavior using the tuning fork icon in the upper left corner of the menu bar. While the default settings often work right away, you may need to adjust the detection range, confidence or smoothing controls for the best results. To avoid any inconsistencies, define a fallback frequency for each module within the calibration menus. Select ‘Key’ to set the frequency units to note values to easily choose a note in tune with your song.

Experiment with SubCulture’s Resonance, Root Boost, Saturation and Compression controls for even more bass frequency emphasis and sculpting.

SubCulture is equipped with wet/dry and global output level controls to let you blend in the perfect amount of enhanced bass signal without losing any of the dry signal’s perceived intensity. Not only that, SubCulture’s three band master EQ lets you easily set levels for the sub, low and hi content in the enhanced bass signal. If needed, define a cutoff frequency for the global high pass filter to make sure unnecessary subsonic frequencies are filtered out. If you’re working with stereo input material, you can also set the Mono control to ensure that content below the set frequency will be summed to mono to avoid incompatibility.

Finally, use the onboard saturation and compression controls to put the finishing touches on your enhanced bass sound and make sure it hits hard in the mix.

Use Cases

Pitch-Tracking Sub Generator

SubCulture’s advanced pitch-detection engine makes it the ideal tool for reinforcing basslines with a powerful sub-octave signal.

Unlike psychoacoustic or synthesis-based approaches, SubCulture’s Sub Layer is always derived directly from the input signal.

That means even the most thunderous double-octave down settings blend well with the dry signal and retain its essential characteristics.

After pitch shifting, SubCulture tailors the generated signal for maximum depth and impact at the ultra-low frequencies, giving you instant extension below the original fundamental frequency of your bassline.

Hybrid Bass Enhancer

Each of SubCulture’s three core bass enhancement processors can be set to track the pitch of incoming audio. But they can also be used in manual mode with a user-defined static frequency.

You may prefer a mix of pitch-tracking and static behaviour for some applications, especially situations where traditional static bass enhancement is called for.

Try keeping the Sub Layer set to pitch-tracking mode while experimenting with different static frequencies for the Resonance and Root Boost processors to get a feel for how they interact.

Musical Bassline EQ

A common technique when working with synthesized instruments is to position EQ boosts at musically relevant frequencies in a song’s key.

SubCulture makes this tedious manual process automatic and responsive to changes in pitch.

Enable auto pitch control for the Root Boost processor and set its interval to 0 st to get an instant EQ boost at the fundamental frequency of each incoming note of the bass line.

Use the X/Y panel to quickly dial in a gentle bell or narrow peak filter to easily augment any type of input material.

Alternatively, the Root Boost module can also be used to cut frequencies according to the incoming pitch information.

This is useful when you want to completely replace an existing bass sound with SubCulture’s octave-shifted signal.

Try keeping the wet signal high and using a narrow cut at 0 st to clear out space in the original bassline and let SubCulture’s octave down layers take center stage.

All-in-One Bass Processor

SubCulture comes equipped with everything you need to produce a hard-hitting mix-ready bass sound in a single plugin.

Its powerful multi-mode saturation and easy-to-use compressor make it simple to put the final polish on your enhanced bass signal with low-end optimized versions of familiar mixing tools.

With fully customizable parameters and flexible routing options, you can support the massive lows generated by SubCulture’s bass engines with stylish upper harmonics from 5 different saturation models.

Add the final glue and polish to your bass sound with SubCulture’s onboard compressor and saturation to make sure your bass sounds cohesive and defined in the mix.

To ensure the enhanced bass signal doesn’t become overwhelming, SubCulture is equipped with a master high-pass filter at the output section. Set it to a frequency below your essential bass content such as 30 Hz to avoid adding excessive subsonic information.

Finally, avoid any conflict between the dry signal and the enhanced bass content with the three band EQ and tailor the mix just right for the perfect bass every time.

Sound Design Beyond Bass

While SubCulture was designed with subharmonics in mind, its state-of-the-art engines work well across the entire spectrum. Here are some further use cases:

• Bring a vocal front and center: Dial in a clean sub-octave for thickness, or a 5th for harmony, while using Root Boost and Resonance to emphasize the melody.
• Produce monstrous synth and guitar leads: Add SubCulture's three pitch-tracking engines at different octaves to dominate the spectrum.
• Bring out the melody in a bass line: Maybe your bass doesn't need more low-end, but more melodic emphasis. Add all engines at the root note to emphasize the bass line melody in a crowded mix.
• Self-oscillating effects: Add a 5th or 7th and dial in screaming "top layers" far above the root note for experimental effects that work well on drums and synths.

Top Menu

From left to right, the top menu gives you the following options:

• Settings
• Mode indicator: In Auto Mode, clicking the tuning fork will open the Auto Pitch Detection Calibration settings. When in MIDI mode or Zero Latency mode, the icon indicates the mode state only and no additional settings are available.
• Activation Menu (SubCulture Logo)
• Load Preset
• Save Preset
• Open the Preset Browser
• Bypass the Plugin (Baby Audio Logo)
• Undo / Redo

Settings Menu

Theme

Choose from SubCulture’s light or dark UI themes.

Color

Select the accent color used for SubCulture’s UI.

Show Tooltips

Show or hide tooltips as you mouse over SubCulture’s parameters.

Freq Info

Select how frequency and gain information is displayed in SubCulture’s waveform display panel.

Display FX Graphs

Show or hide a representation of the bass enhancement modules’ action on SubCulture’s waveform display panel.

Signal Flow

Display a chart of SubCulture's internal signal flow in the waveform display area to understand how the enhancement modules, saturation and compression are routed.

Freq Analysis

Switch between automatic pitch tracking (Auto) and MIDI mode, where the pitch of the enhancement engines is controlled by an incoming MIDI signal instead of the audio detector.

MIDI mode is ideal for material the detector struggles with, or when SubCulture is used away from the source, for example on a bus or the master channel.

In/Out Lock

Keep the set input and output levels when loading presets.

Zero Latency Mode

SubCulture offers zero latency operation at the expense of significant changes to its capabilities. While in zero latency mode, auto-pitch detection is not available, meaning that SubCulture’s bass enhancement engines will only use the static fallback frequency. Zero latency mode also restricts SubCulture’s range to -12 or -24 semitones only. This setting cannot be changed while your DAW is playing back.

Lookahead

Let the pitch tracker analyze the incoming audio slightly ahead of time, so the correct pitch is already dialed in when a new note sounds. Higher values give the tracker more of a head start at the cost of added latency. Cannot be changed during playback.

Save Visual Preferences

Save the current visual settings as the default for new instances of SubCulture.

Reset All to Default

Return SubCulture and all of its parameters to the initial state.

Get Manual

Download SubCulture’s full user manual.

Get Latest Version

Get the latest build of SubCulture.

Suggest feature

Contribute to SubCulture's development.

Auto Pitch Detection Calibration

Click the tuning fork to access the auto pitch detection calibration settings.

Range

Define the range of detectable pitches for the auto pitch engine. Try narrowing the detection range if the detected pitch skips octaves or varies too much between notes.

Confidence

Sets the detection threshold for the incoming pitch information. At high settings, SubCulture will default to the fallback frequency more often; when set lower, it will use the detected pitch even if the detection was ambiguous.

Noise Gate

Set the threshold for a gate on the input signal to minimize misdetections resulting from noise.

Transient

Reshape the transient characteristics of the signal going into the pitch detector for better results. Values left of center emphasize the attack while values on the right side emphasize the sustain. The middle position is neutral.

LPF

Low-pass filter the pitch detection signal to help the detector focus on the fundamental. Useful for harmonically rich sources like FM or distorted basses where upper partials cause misdetections.

Scale

Snap the detected pitches to notes within a musical scale for even tighter pitch detection. Select any major or minor key or the chromatic scale.

Off uses the raw pitch detection with no snapping. The right choice for detuned or microtonal material and sources with bends or slides.

Fallback

The fallback mode setting determines how SubCulture behaves if the auto pitch detector loses the pitch or the detected pitch is unclear.

• Manual: Reverts to the set fallback frequency and snaps back to tracking as soon as a clear pitch returns.
• Hold: SubCulture freezes on the last note it detected and keeps holding it for as long as the signal stays unclear. The moment a clear pitch comes back, it jumps to the new note.
• Hybrid: When the pitch drops out, SubCulture holds the last note briefly to ride out short gaps and if the pitch still hasn't returned, it smoothly settles to your manual fallback frequency. As soon as a clear pitch is detected again, it snaps back to tracking.

Moving Average

Smooth the pitch reading over time. Larger values give a more stable pitch but react slower to note changes; smaller values respond faster but can be jumpier.

Pitch Count

Define the number of analysis frames that must agree before a new pitch is accepted.

Freq Smooth

Add a short transition time between tracked pitches to avoid any clicks or artifacts during abrupt pitch changes.

Octave Lock

Snap the detected pitch to values within the octave to suppress any potential octave jumps.

VT Smooth

Enable or disable a post-processing smoothing function that stabilizes pitch transitions.

Waveform Display

The waveform display shows the content added by SubCulture in the theme’s highlight color with the dry signal behind it in a transparent shade.

When hovering over an active bass enhancement module, the shape of its function will be displayed over the waveform view, showing its range and pitch-tracking behavior in real time.

Sub Layer

The Sub Layer section produces a pitch-shifted version of the incoming bass line, processed by a pair of filters to emphasize subharmonic content up to two octaves below the pitch of the original signal.

Set the level of the pitch-shifted signal by clicking and dragging up and down within the Sub Layer panel. Set the bandwidth of the filters on the pitch shifted sub layer by dragging from left to right.

You can solo the Sub Layer to hear its effect in isolation using the ‘S’ button in the top right corner of the panel.

The slope of the filters used to define the steepness of the Sub Layer capture edges can be selected using the numbers on the left edge of the panel, from 24 dB/octave to 96 dB/octave.

Select the octave offset +/- 24 semitones using the arrow keys at the bottom of the panel.

To fine tune the Sub Layer signal, click the cog in the top left corner of the panel.

Sub Layer Calibration

The Sub Layer calibration menu offers the following options:

Root Offset

Set a custom interval offset from the detected frequency in semitones.

Fallback

Define a fallback frequency in Hz or MIDI note values if the incoming pitch cannot be detected.

Auto Pitch

Enable or disable the auto pitch detection for the Sub Layer module.

Fallback Units

Define the fallback frequency in Hz or note values.

Bandwidth

Set how much content above and below the tracked fundamental is captured by the Sub Layer. Broader = wider capture.

Gate

Set how strongly the sub layer follows the input's volume envelope. At 0% the sub sustains at a steady level; turning it up makes the sub track the dynamics of the played note, tightening its decay so it follows the source rather than ringing on from the filters.

Attack

Determine how quickly the sub layer reacts to new notes. Short = punchy and immediate; long = a smoother, gradual swell.

Threshold

Set the threshold for a noise gate for the sub layer. When the input falls below the set threshold, the sub is silenced, so it only sounds on notes loud enough to matter. This is useful for keeping low-level noise or bleed from triggering unwanted sub octave signals.

Percussive

Optimize the Sub Layer timing for percussive sources like kicks and drums. Transients pass through unaltered for punch. Leave off for sustained bass material, where the dry signal is time-aligned with the sub instead.

Root Boost

Root Boost is an EQ band with variable Q that tracks the fundamental frequency of the incoming audio.

Root Boost can provide up to 18 dB of boost or cut at the detected pitch and can be offset by +/- 24 semitones.

Drag vertically within the Root Boost panel to add boost or cut and drag horizontally to adjust the Q.

Click the cog in the upper left corner of the panel to access the Root Boost Calibration settings.

Root Boost Calibration

The calibration menu for the Root Boost offers the following options:

Root Offset

Set a custom interval offset from the detected frequency in semitones.

Fallback

Define a fallback frequency in Hz or MIDI note values if the incoming pitch cannot be detected.

Auto Pitch

Enable or disable the auto pitch detection for the Root Boost module.

Fallback Units

Define the fallback frequency in Hz or note values.

Width

Set the Q factor of the Root Boost’s EQ band from 0.10 to 10.

Resonance

Resonance is a pitch-tracking parallel filter with distinctive shape and non-linear harmonics. By combining an aggressive peak around the detected frequency with a broad low-pass filter, it simulates the common synth technique of driving an analog filter for additional low end resonance.

The filter network is implemented in parallel so it never takes over the dry signal, but adds a recognizable resonant peak at the frequency of the incoming signal when in pitch-tracking mode.

The Resonance panel offers a single parameter for the intensity of the resonant peak from subtle to severe. Drag upwards within the Resonance control panel to increase the intensity of the resonance.

Click the cog in the upper left corner of the panel to access the Resonance calibration settings.

Resonance Calibration

The Resonance calibration menu offers the following options:

Root Offset

Set a custom interval offset from the detected frequency in semitones.

Fallback

Define a fallback frequency in Hz or MIDI note values if the incoming pitch cannot be detected.

Auto Pitch

Enable or disable the auto pitch detection for the Resonance module.

Fallback Units

Define the fallback frequency in Hz or note values.

Slope

Select a 12 or 24 dB/octave slope for the resonant filter.

Drive

Hit the filter harder for additional non-linear coloration.

Mix

Set the internal wet/dry blend for the parallel filter.

Saturation

SubCulture’s saturation section offers five distinct styles with flexible fine-tuning parameters and routing options. Simply click and drag the intensity slider to set a saturation value and toggle between modes for different flavors of clipping.

Tube

Warm valve-style saturation that stays clean until driven, then softly rounds off peaks with smooth, musical harmonics.

Tape

Magnetic-tape character that gently compresses peaks and smooths the signal for a glued, cohesive low end.

Diode

Uneven, rectifier-style clipping that distorts each half of the waveform differently for a gritty, electric edge.

Vintage

Smooth console-style warmth that adds harmonics and gradually softens the highs as you drive it, getting rounder and darker.

Crystal

Clean, bright saturation that adds even-harmonic sheen while keeping the top end open and detailed.

Saturation Calibration

The Saturation calibration menu provides the following options:

Drive

Set the level of pre-gain going into the saturation module.

Bias

Skews the waveform asymmetrically before saturation, introducing even harmonics. Move away from the center in either direction for a richer, more colored saturation. Leave it at zero for a symmetrical, cleaner drive.

Quality

Select the processing resolution from Eco to Ultra. Lower settings may improve performance.

Odd

Define the distribution of odd harmonics in the saturated signal, expressed as a percentage.

Even

Define the distribution of even harmonics in the saturated signal, expressed as a percentage.

Shape

Set the intensity of the clipping curve used to define the saturation.

Narrow

Set high and low boundaries to exclude frequencies from processing with saturation.

Target

Choose what gets saturated: the dry input signal (Dry), SubCulture's generated bass signal (Sub), or the combined mix of the two (Both).

Compression

SubCulture’s multi-mode compression section gives you three distinct flavors of dynamic range compression to put the finishing touches on your enhanced bass sound.

Use the front panel threshold control to quickly set the amount of compression, with an auto gain function handling makeup gain under the hood.

The compressor section offers the following compression modes:

Glue

Classic VCA-style bus compressor known for its powerful mix glue effect.

Punch

Aggressive vintage-inspired compression that adds weight and power to the sound.

Sustain

Intense compression meant to add rich sustain to the low end.

Custom

Define your own compression behavior for any mix situation.

Compression Calibration

The compression calibration menu offers the following options:

Attack

Define the time for gain reduction to begin acting on the signal.

Release

Set the time for gain reduction to return to normal.

Ratio

The intensity of the compression when the signal crosses the threshold.

Strength

Wet/dry blend of the compressed signal for parallel NY-style compression.

Make Up

Disable auto make up gain to manually set the level if required.

Analysis

Select the detection method for the gain reduction. Peak reacts instantly, RMS averages level and Combo provides a mix of both.

Output

SubCulture’s global output section offers a three band EQ for quick adjustment of the sub, low and high frequency content of the bass signal.

In combination with the wet/dry blend and input/output level sliders, you can easily create any permutation of wet and dry and level it to taste in your mix.

In addition to the three band EQ, SubCulture offers a global high-pass filter (labelled HPF) to curb excessive subsonic frequencies below the enhanced material.

The Mono control sets the frequency below which stereo information will be filtered out of the signal. This is to prevent phase cancellation resulting from differences in the low frequency content between the left and right channels.

Finally, the auto gain control gives you an instant auto makeup gain estimate by comparing the input signal to SubCulture’s output when you click the Auto button.

Play back a representative section of your input material and click the Auto button to detect the input level and calibrate SubCulture’s output to match.

Click the settings cog to open the output calibration settings.

Output Calibration

The calibration menu for the output section offers the following options:

HPF Slope

Select the slope value for the global high-pass filter on SubCulture’s output. Steeper slope values remove subsonic content more aggressively.

Limiter Enabled

Engage or disengage the brick wall limiter on SubCulture’s global output.

Limiter Threshold

Set the ceiling of the limiter.

Limiter Release

Set the recovery time in ms after the limiter acts on a peak.

Limiter Hold

Set a short delay before the release cycle of the limiter. Longer hold times can reduce distortion on the low end from limiting.

Limiter Lookahead

Allow the limiter to react in advance of the transient at the expense of latency. Cannot be changed during playback.

Auto Gain Mode

Select the measurement method for the auto-gain control:

• RMS: Average signal power over a short period of time.
• LUFS: Perceptually weighted curve that models human hearing.
• LUFS+: Gated, integrated loudness (BS.1770).
• LOUD: LUFS+ tuned to lean towards the more sensitive upper midrange frequencies.

Presets

SubCulture comes loaded with 177 presets created by leading producers, artists and sound designers.

Preset credits (and special thanks to):

• Craig Bauer
• Dacota G
• Eryck Bry
• HydraTek
• John Nathaniel
• Kurt Feldman
• Marco Iodice
• Rob Kleiner
• Solidtrax
• Zardonic
• Andivax
• Badhabit
• Daniel Saint
• Galen Tipton
• Junior Astronaut
• Riley Thornton

Compatibility

• Plugin formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit).
• Platforms supported: Mac OS 10.13 and up (Universal Binary). PC Windows 10 and newer.
• DAWs supported: All major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Bitwig, Reaper, Reason etc.

Installation

Download instructions are emailed to you right after your purchase, however you can always go to www.babyaud.io/account for the latest software updates. After downloading, unzip the file and select either Mac or PC depending on your system.

• Mac: Double click on the PKG installer and follow the instructions.
• PC/Windows: Double click on the setup file and follow the instructions.

Plugin Collection Plan Users

If you have an active subscription to the Plugin Collection Plan, SubCulture will appear in your Baby Audio Manager app for download.

Make sure your machine is registered, get the software by clicking ‘Download’ and follow the instructions to install.

Activation and Trial Version

Activate your software by entering the license key that was provided in your account when you bought SubCulture. Serial keys are entered in the ‘trial mode’ open screen. If you have any problems activating, please email support@babyaud.io.

If you’re running SubCulture in trial mode, please note that the trial will output 5 seconds of silence every 60 seconds. To buy the full version, go to: https://babyaud.io/subculture

Uninstall Locations

Mac OS

• AU: /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components/
• VST: /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST/
• VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3/
• AAX: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/

Windows

• VST: The file will be in the custom path selected during installation
• VST3: \Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
• AAX: \Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\

End User License Agreement

Please read our End User License Agreement here: www.babyaud.io/eula

We hope you’ll enjoy SubCulture! If you run into any issues or have questions along the way, you can always contact us at support@babyaud.io.