# About

Founded by spktra , Noir Labs is a hybrid music software company and record label engineering cutting-edge audio plugins and boundary-pushing electronic music. To get in contact, email support@noirlabs.co

# Products

## Carver
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/carver
Type: Max for Live device
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: The world's most powerful transient shaper.
Price: $35
Summary: Carver is a Max for Live transient shaper for Ableton Live that lets producers shape attack and release with real-time transient detection and waveform feedback.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Producers shaping drums, loops, and percussive material inside Ableton Live.
- Producers who want transient control without volume bias.
Problems addressed:
- Transient shapers that overcomplicate attack and release control.
- Inaccurate transient detection on dynamic input material.
- Drum shaping decisions affected by perceived volume changes.
Core use cases:
- Shape attack and release separately.
- Adjust transient detection sensitivity.
- Split distortion across transient, body, or full signal.
- Work in stereo, mid/side, mid, or side modes.
Transient shaping for Ableton Live: Carver is a Max for Live transient shaper that lets producers control attack and release using real-time transient detection and waveform feedback.
Unrivaled accuracy: The most accurate real-time transient detection on the market. Carver can detect sounds at all dynamics with equal accuracy. The built in waveform display shows the detected transient and its defined length in real time as well.
Effortless Drum Sculpting: With full control over the attack and release portions of a sound, you'll spend less time trying to get your drums to sound right - and quickly do it. Carver doesn't change the perceived volume of the sound either. Your drums stay in place in the mix allowing you to move quickly and accurately without volume bias.
Key features:
- Natural sounding transient shaping without changing the perceived volume
- Quickly define the transient and release length
- 3 different shaping curve types
- Transparent input and output clipping
- Split distortion between the full sound, just the transient, or just the body of the sound
- Waveform display that clearly shows the defined transient length in real time
- Adjustable detection sensitivity to pick up more or less transients
- Incredibly accurate transient detection and capable of detecting very dynamic input material
- Choose between Stereo, Mid/Side, Mid, Side options for shaping
- Designed with simplicity and quickness in mind
- Low CPU usage
- A Max for Live plugin for Ableton Suite 10, Ableton Suite 11, Ableton Suite 12 or Ableton Standard with a Max for Live License.
Keywords: Max for Live transient shaper, Ableton transient shaper, drum transient shaper, attack release shaper, real-time transient detection

## Chain Shaper
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/chain-shaper
Type: Max for Live device
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: The cleanest way to duck audio.
Price: $35
Summary: Chain Shaper is a Max for Live sidechain and ducking device for Ableton Live that uses automatic transient detection, multiband routing, and oscilloscope feedback instead of traditional compressor threshold behavior.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Producers who want clean ducking without dummy clips or compressor artifacts.
- Producers who need multiband sidechain control inside Ableton Live.
Problems addressed:
- Sidechain compression that clicks, distorts, or reacts inconsistently.
- Dummy clip workflows for sidechain triggers.
- Full-band ducking when only part of the signal needs movement.
Core use cases:
- Trigger ducking from detected drum transients.
- Route up to six input channels.
- Duck separate frequency bands.
- View sidechain interaction in a multi-channel oscilloscope.
Precision sidechain and volume ducking: Chain Shaper is a Max for Live sidechain and ducking device that uses automatic transient detection, multiband routing, and oscilloscope feedback rather than traditional compressor thresholds.
Automatic Transient Detection: Say goodbye to threshold controls and hello to automatic. Chain Shaper is the only plugin capable of automatically detecting drum transients and using them as a sidechain trigger. No more using dummy clips and "tricks" to get a clean sidechain.
Multiband Sidechaining: Want to only sidechain the lows? Done. Split the signal into three bands and side chain without any phase shifting. Route up to 6 input channels across three split bands for a simply unmatched level of control over your sound.
Key features:
- Automatic transient detection - detects drum hits at any volume without the need for any threshold control.
- Incredibly accurate audio triggered sidechain
- Completely customize your sidechain
- Route up to 6 audio channels for precision ducking in one instance.
- Transparent multiband splitter to target specific frequency bands for sidechaining.
- Multi-channel oscilloscope to view how each channel affects the ducking and interacts with each other.
- Uses only 2.8ms of latency and low CPU.
- A Max for Live plugin for Ableton Suite 10, Ableton Suite 11, Ableton Suite 12 or Ableton Standard with a Max for Live License.
Keywords: Ableton sidechain device, Max for Live sidechain, multiband ducking, transient triggered sidechain, sidechain without compressor

## Shortcut Buddy
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/shortcut-buddy
Type: Max for Live device
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: Launch plugins and presets in a keystroke.
Price: $15
Summary: Shortcut Buddy is a Max for Live launcher for Ableton Live that loads plugins, presets, racks, and devices from key commands or MIDI mappings.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Producers who repeatedly load the same plugins, presets, racks, and Max for Live devices.
- Producers who want faster Ableton setup from a template.
Problems addressed:
- Slow browser navigation inside Ableton Live.
- Repeated plugin and rack loading.
- Manual setup for commonly used devices.
Core use cases:
- Launch up to 64 saved items.
- Trigger launches from key commands.
- Trigger launches from MIDI mappings.
- Load VST presets, AU presets, .adg, .adv, and .amxd files.
Plugin and device launcher for Ableton Live: Shortcut Buddy is a Max for Live launcher that loads plugins, presets, racks, and devices from key commands or MIDI mappings.
Key features:
- Launch up to 64 frequently used plugins with just the press of a key command or midi mapping.
- Supports VST Presets, AU Presets, .adg, .adv and .amxd files
- Save with your default template to always have launch macros enabled.
- Low CPU usage.
- A Max for Live plugin for Ableton Suite 10, Ableton Suite 11, Ableton Suite 12 or Ableton Standard with a Max for Live License.
Keywords: Ableton plugin launcher, Max for Live launcher, Ableton shortcut device, MIDI mapped plugin launcher, Ableton preset launcher

## Swiss Army Meter
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/swiss-army-meter
Type: Max for Live device
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: See more of your mix in one place.
Price: $10
Summary: Swiss Army Meter puts loudness, dynamics, stereo image, BPM timing, and pitch conversion inside one Max for Live device.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Producers who want compact loudness and phase metering inside Ableton Live.
- Producers who need a small utility meter that stays visible while mixing.
Problems addressed:
- Scattered metering tools across multiple devices.
- Loudness checks that interrupt the Ableton workflow.
- Meter visibility when the channel is no longer selected.
Core use cases:
- Monitor short-term, integrated, and momentary max LUFS.
- Check true peak, RMS, and current peak dB.
- Monitor phase correlation.
- Convert BPM to milliseconds or hertz.
- Use a MIDI/key-mappable pop-out meter window.
Build the meter view you need: Choose between 1-6 readout slots in compact or extended view, then assign LUFS, True Peak, RMS, LRA, PSR, PLR, Max Peak, and Correlation.
Track loudness and dynamics: Follow Short Term LUFS, PSR, and PLR over time so level movement and peak-to-loudness distance are visible while the track plays.
Stereo, timing, and pitch tools: Check stereo image, correlation, BPM timing, note frequency, period, and wavelength in samples from the same device.
Key features:
- Choose between 1-6 readout slots in compact or extended view.
- Assign LUFS, True Peak, RMS, LRA, PSR, PLR, Max Peak, and Correlation.
- ITU-R BS.1770 and EBU R128 compliant
- Track Short Term LUFS over time with a target line and true peak overage markers.
- Read PSR and PLR over time to spot dense or open sections.
- Check stereo width, left-right balance, and correlation.
- Convert BPM note divisions, delay times, rates, sample lengths, note frequency, period, and sample wavelength.
- Pop out any module into a larger resizable view.
- Pause unused module processing automatically.
- A Max for Live plugin for Ableton Suite 10, Ableton Suite 11, Ableton Suite 12 or Ableton Standard with a Max for Live License.
Keywords: Ableton LUFS meter, Max for Live meter, true peak meter Ableton, phase correlation meter Ableton, BPM to milliseconds converter

## Volume Buddy
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/volume-buddy
Type: Max for Live device
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: Hear the effect, not the loudness.
Price: $18
Summary: Volume Buddy is a Max for Live LUFS auto-gain device for Ableton Live that matches pre-effect and post-effect loudness so producers can hear processing changes without volume bias.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Producers comparing plugin chains, native Ableton effects, and processing decisions.
- Producers who want loudness-matched A/B decisions while mixing.
Problems addressed:
- Louder processing sounding better only because it is louder.
- Manual gain staging after plugin changes.
- Send/receive gain-match setups that slow down mixing.
Core use cases:
- Automatically match pre-effect and post-effect loudness.
- Maintain a target LUFS level.
- Compare VST, AU, and native Ableton effect chains.
- Reduce perceived volume bias while mixing.
LUFS gain matching for Ableton Live: Volume Buddy is a Max for Live LUFS auto-gain utility that matches pre-effect and post-effect loudness, allowing producers to hear processing changes without volume bias.
Remove Volume Bias: LUFS measures how our ears perceive sound and makes for an efficient measurement in eliminating volume bias from your mixing. It only takes a .2db difference in volume for us to falsely think something sounds better. With Volume Buddy, hear what the effect is doing, not how loud it's making it.
Automatic loudness matching: Volume Buddy automatically matches pre-effect and post-effect loudness, so you can make mix decisions without riding gain by hand.
Key features:
- The only volume compensation plugin to do all routing within one plugin. It's no longer necessary for a send and receive pair of plugins.
- Gain stages in LUFS measurements for extreme perceived volume accuracy
- Target Mode allows you to specify a specific LUFS level you want Volume Buddy to maintain. Volume Buddy automatically raises or lowers incoming audio to meet that level.
- Works with all plugin types (VST, AU, native Ableton effects).
- Low CPU usage.
- A Max for Live plugin for Ableton Suite 10, Ableton Suite 11, Ableton Suite 12 or Ableton Standard with a Max for Live License.
Keywords: Ableton LUFS auto gain, Max for Live gain match, loudness matched A/B, plugin volume compensation, LUFS gain matching

## Transient Bundle
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/transient-bundle
Type: Max for Live bundle
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: Complete transient control.
Price: $65
Summary: Transient Bundle packages Carver and Chain Shaper for Ableton Live producers who want transient shaping, clean ducking, and sidechain control in one discounted set.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Ableton Live producers who want transient shaping and sidechain control together.
Problems addressed:
- Buying transient shaping and ducking tools separately.
Core use cases:
- Shape drum attack and release with Carver.
- Create clean sidechain ducking with Chain Shaper.
Includes:
- carver
- chain-shaper
Keywords: Ableton transient bundle, Max for Live sidechain bundle, Carver Chain Shaper bundle

## Workflow Bundle
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/workflow-bundle
Type: Max for Live bundle
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: Move faster inside Ableton.
Price: $38
Summary: Workflow Bundle packages Shortcut Buddy, Swiss Army Meter, and Volume Buddy for Ableton Live producers who want faster launching, compact metering, and loudness-matched mixing decisions.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Ableton Live producers who want faster setup, metering, and loudness-matched decisions.
Problems addressed:
- Slow plugin launching, scattered metering, and volume-biased mix decisions.
Core use cases:
- Launch plugins and racks with Shortcut Buddy.
- Monitor loudness and phase with Swiss Army Meter.
- Compare processing changes with Volume Buddy.
Includes:
- shortcut-buddy
- swiss-army-meter
- volume-buddy
Keywords: Ableton workflow bundle, Max for Live workflow tools, Ableton metering launcher gain match bundle

## Everything Bundle
Canonical URL: https://noirlabs.co/products/everything-bundle
Type: Max for Live bundle
Host: Ableton Live
Tagline: The complete Noir Labs collection.
Price: $100
Summary: Everything Bundle includes every current Noir Labs Max for Live product for Ableton Live: Carver, Chain Shaper, Shortcut Buddy, Swiss Army Meter, and Volume Buddy.
Compatibility: Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, 12 or Standard with Max for Live
Best fit:
- Ableton Live producers who want the complete Noir Labs Max for Live collection.
Problems addressed:
- Buying the full Noir Labs product set one device at a time.
Core use cases:
- Shape transients with Carver.
- Create ducking with Chain Shaper.
- Launch plugins with Shortcut Buddy.
- Monitor loudness and phase with Swiss Army Meter.
- Gain-match processing with Volume Buddy.
Includes:
- carver
- chain-shaper
- shortcut-buddy
- swiss-army-meter
- volume-buddy
Keywords: Noir Labs bundle, Max for Live plugin collection, Ableton Live plugin bundle

# Music

## Ritual Echo
Artist: spktra
Date: May 22, 2026
"Ritual Echo" is the second single from director, software engineer, and music producer spktra. The track follows his action-packed debut, "Spirit Jumper," and pushes further into jagged, boomerang-like synths, sparkling ear candy, and hypnotic vocalese. Its breaks feel lifted from a worn white-label garage record before the song drifts into a lush fog of digital texture reminiscent of early experimental shoegaze.

## Spirit Jumper
Artist: spktra
Date: January 30, 2026
"Spirit Jumper" centers on a sleepwalking melody carried by groove-oriented breakbeats, bending and decaying like fogged analog tape before opening into a soaring, numbing breakdown. It's filmic, fog-drenched machine music, obsessed with texture and motion, where drums land like junkyard scraps polished to a sheen and frosty synths move like heavy clouds across the mix. The track was written using custom software spktra developed throughout the track's production, and later released through Noir Labs. The song's visual counterpart is a hand-drawn animated film that took spktra five years to complete. Inspired by Batman: The Animated Series and Angel's Egg, he directed, edited, colored, and composited the project himself, featuring a character designed by Glenn Wong (Batman Beyond).

# FAQ

## Do Noir Labs plugins work in Ableton Live 12?
Yes. Current Noir Labs Max for Live devices are designed for Ableton Live Suite 10, 11, and 12, or Ableton Live Standard with a Max for Live license. If you run into trouble, send your Live version, OS version, and a short description of what you are seeing.

## Do I need Max for Live?
Yes. Noir Labs devices are Max for Live devices. Ableton Live Suite includes Max for Live; Ableton Live Standard needs a separate Max for Live license. Without Max for Live, the devices will not load.

## Where do I get the latest version after a purchase?
Use the Noir Labs redownload link from your purchase email, or contact support with the email address you used to buy the product. You can also access your account from the account link at the top of the site.

## Do you offer refunds?
Noir Labs does not generally offer refunds for digital software purchases. If you bought the wrong product or think something was charged incorrectly, contact support and we can help figure out the next step.

## Why do my AU, VST, ADG, or ADV presets open in the wrong app?
That usually means the preset or device file associations are pointing to another app instead of Ableton Live. Set .aupreset, .vstpreset, .adg, and .adv files to open with Ableton Live using the steps below.

Windows:
1. In the Ableton Browser, navigate to the location where your .vstpreset, .aupreset, .adv, or .adg files are stored.
2. Right-click on the desired file.
3. Select "Show in Explorer" to reveal the file in File Explorer.
4. Right-click on the file in File Explorer.
5. Choose "Open with" and then click on "Choose another app."
6. Select Ableton Live from the list of applications.
7. Check the box that says "Always use this app to open .vstpreset (or .aupreset, .adv, or .adg) files."
8. Click "OK" to set Ableton Live as the default application.

Mac:
1. In the Ableton Browser, navigate to the location where your .vstpreset, .aupreset, .adv, or .adg files are stored.
2. Control-click or right-click on the desired file.
3. Select "Reveal in Finder" to locate the file in Finder.
4. Control-click or right-click on the file in Finder.
5. Choose "Get Info" from the context menu.
6. In the "Open with" section, select Ableton Live from the dropdown menu.
7. Click the "Change All..." button to set Ableton Live as the default application for all files of this type.
8. Confirm the change when prompted.

## Why don't my key or MIDI mappings save with the Shortcut Buddy preset?
Ableton does not save key or MIDI mappings with individual plugins or devices, so this affects any plugin, not just Shortcut Buddy. Reassign the key or MIDI mappings after loading the device, or save an instance of Shortcut Buddy with your preferred mappings in your default Ableton template. New projects created from that template will open with those mappings already loaded.

## Does it support more than keyboard triggers?
Yes. Shortcut Buddy can launch saved plugins, presets, racks, and devices from either computer keyboard shortcuts or MIDI mappings.

## Can I move my shortcut setup between computers?
Yes. Shortcut Buddy profiles are portable, so your mappings and launch setup can move between studio systems. Keep the referenced plugins, presets, racks, and devices available on the new computer so the shortcuts still point to valid targets.

## Can I drag devices or presets straight into Shortcut Buddy?
Ableton prevents native devices from being dragged directly into Shortcut Buddy. Save the device or preset in Ableton Live first, then load it from the Ableton Browser. Shortcut Buddy can load AU presets, VST presets, racks, device presets, and supported files such as .aupreset, .vstpreset, .adg, .adv, and .amxd.

## Can I make it compensate for only part of my chain?
Yes. Put only the devices you want Volume Buddy to evaluate inside an Ableton group, then place Volume Buddy at the end of that group. Devices outside the group will be ignored.

## Why does the saved compensation disappear when I reopen a project?
Enable Volume Buddy's hold control once the compensation is where you want it. Hold locks in the calculated level and restores it when the Ableton project reloads.

## Why does Volume Buddy compensate when I change gain earlier in the chain?
Volume Buddy reads the loudness change across the signal path it is evaluating, so gain changes earlier in the chain affect the compensation. Use the gain offset control if you want those changes treated as your baseline.

## Why does Volume Buddy sound like it is causing volume spikes?
Volume Buddy is not a gain-riding plugin. If hold is off, Volume Buddy keeps tracking loudness changes across the chain and updates compensation as the signal changes. That can feel like the level is moving around, especially while you are still changing gain or processing upstream. Once the compensation is where you want it, enable hold to lock in the compensation instead of continuing to track.

# Blog

## Introducing Swiss Army Meter 6
Date: 2026-05-13
Swiss Army Meter 6 is a full ground up redesign of the entire plugin.

The interface is built around five modules that can be reordered, soloed, turned off, or popped out into resizable windows. The Multi Meter Display is still there, but now it sits next to the Loudness Graph, Dynamics Meter, Stereo Scope, and expanded BPM / Pitch tools.

![Swiss Army Meter 6 extended multi meter display](/assets/blogImages/sam6-extended.png)

Version 6 adds RMS, PSR, and PLR readouts alongside LUFS, LRA, True Peak, Max Peak, and correlation. All the meters have been rebuilt for better accuracy and thoroughly tested agains ITU-R BS.1770 and EBU R128 test signals. Also you can now turn off sync transport and the meters will measure audio even if the transport is off.

## Loudness Graph
![Swiss Army Meter 6 Loudness Graph](/assets/blogImages/sam6-loudness-meter.png)

The new Loudness Graph is for seeing loudness move over tim. It shows short-term LUFS, true peak overs, adjustable targets and ranges, zoom, and exact hover values.

## Dynamics Meter
![Swiss Army Meter 6 Dynamics Meter](/assets/blogImages/sam6-dynamics-meter.png)

The Dynamics Meter is built around PSR and PLR. It’s measured by comparing short term LUFS to peaks and is really amazing way to see how dynamic or squashed your mix is.

## Stereoscope
![Swiss Army Meter 6 Stereo Scope](/assets/blogImages/sam6-stereo-scope.png)

The Stereo Scope combines a Lissajous-style display with width, balance, and phase feedback. So mono, wide, and negative-phase material are easier to tell apart at a glance. The correlation meter also shows:

- **Instantaneous Needle:** fast marker showing the current correlation value.
- **3s Average Bar:** Showing short-term average correlation over a 30-second interval.
- **Sticky Peak Marker:** Shows the maximum negative value received until a global reset or correlation range reset clears it. This way you can see when a section of audio had a negative correlation even if that section is passed.

## Better CPU Management

![Swiss Army Meter 6 CPU management multi meter display](/assets/blogImages/sam6-extended.png)

The rewrite also manages CPU more carefully. Modules stay active when they’re visible, including popped-out windows, while heavier processing pauses when a module is hidden. Additionally, utilizing the Live Object Model, Swiss Army Meter can detect when you’re actively on a channel. When you move on to a different channel and the meter isn’t visible or popped out, it dynamically disables processing. This way you can use a lot more instances without the CPU hit.

## BPM / Pitch

The BPM / Pitch section is cleaner and expanded too, with timing, note frequency, wavelength, and adjustable A4 tuning tools in one place.

![Swiss Army Meter 6 BPM timing tools](/assets/blogImages/sam6-bpm.png)
![Swiss Army Meter 6 Pitch conversion tools](/assets/blogImages/sam6-pitch.png)

It’s much closer to what I always wanted Swiss Army Meter to be: one place to see all the information I actually care about while I’m working, but also being flexible enough to adapt to the situation.

The new version is free for all current owners of Swiss Army Meter, the Workflow Bundle and the Everything Bundle.

Also if anyone has any other modules, feature ideas or changes they'd like, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Hope you all enjoy!

spktra

## Spirit Jumper Press
Date: 2026-04-22
A few articles about Spirit Jumper went up recently.

[Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/music-videos/spirit-jumper-music-video-spktra-258671.html) did an interview with me about the overall film and the 5 year process behind making it.

[Animation Obsessive](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/dangerous-light) asked me for a short paragraph about the light in the film and I ended up writing a whole article instead. So much research went into that part, trying to understand how older cel animation and film handled glow, bloom, halation, diffusion, grain, and why the light in those films feels like it’s actually inside the image.

A longer interview with [Matthew Trask](https://mtrask.substack.com/p/from-sourcing-the-same-paper-used) gets more into the behind the scenes side of it. I talk a lot about creating the texture of the world, the animatic process, and even tracking down the same paper Studio Ghibli uses for backgrounds and scanning it in to process the background art with.

![Spirit Jumper background still](/assets/blogImages/spirit-jumper-still-02.webp)

I also did a 20 minute talk with legendary animator [John Pomeroy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlNw4MK1dZ4&t=2s) (The Land Before Time, Fantasia 2000, Atlantis: The Lost Empire) about the video.

It’s been amazing seeing people’s reaction to the video. If you haven’t seen it, you can check it out below.

You can read the pieces here: [Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/music-videos/spirit-jumper-music-video-spktra-258671.html), [Animation Obsessive](https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/dangerous-light), and [Matthew Trask](https://mtrask.substack.com/p/from-sourcing-the-same-paper-used).

[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC_8umCPJBw)

## Spirit Jumper Music Video
Date: 2026-02-06
This is definitely different than the normal Noir Labs content, but it’s actually because of you all that I was able to make this video. For that, I’m eternally grateful.

This music video took 5 years to make. Back when the world shut down I decided to try writing and directing an animated music video even though I couldn’t draw whatsoever AND make it feel authentically cel animated…how hard could it be?

Very very very hard is how hard.

But we got there in the end thanks to an absolute wonderful team.

[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC_8umCPJBw)

Painstaking detail went into researching the effects of film on animation, from grain, halation, bloom, and color shifts, to how traditional optical effects were achieved and how subtle movements in cel photography gave the image additional texture. The goal wasn't just to mimic a style, but to capture that feeling you have when you watch old animation.

We couldn’t be more proud of how it came out.

Enjoy!

## The music that built Noir Labs
Date: 2026-01-30
There’s a part of the Noir Labs story that I’ve never shared before.

On January 1, 2020 I finished an album I had spent 3 years making. During that process, I built a series of tools born out of the frustration I had trying to get the sounds I wanted. The world and music industry were in flux, so I decided to wait on releasing any music and focus on the software instead. I never thought anyone would actually want any of the tools I made, but hoped a few people might.

I’m glad I was wrong. The enthusiasm you’ve all shown for Noir Labs over the last few years has genuinely changed my life.

Today I’m launching the label side of Noir Labs with its first release, **Spirit Jumper**.

While mixing it, I used to manually measure gain before and after every plugin and thought there had to be an easier way to do this. This track is the reason **Volume Buddy** exists. Without the album, there would be no plugins.

I’m hoping you’ll follow me along into this next chapter.

spktra