Effects
Build and manage effect chains for tracks and the master bus.
Every track in ACE Studio — and the master bus — has an FX panel where you build a chain of effects.
The effects themselves are documented in the pages under it:
Built-in Effects — the effects ACE Studio ships with: EQs, dynamics, and reverb.
Third-Party Effects — using your own VST3 / AU plug-ins on the same chain.
Room Effect — spatial positioning for vocal tracks, separate from the FX chain.
Opening the FX panel
Select a track and switch to the FX tab.
The panel header shows the track you are editing.
It shows the track colour, name, and index, or Master for the master bus.
Adding an effect
Click + Insert at the bottom of the insert list. This opens the effect browser.
VST3 / AU — switch between plug-in formats.
AU appears on macOS only.
Search — filter the whole list by name.
Recent — effects you used recently.
FX Chain — our pre-made and your saved FX chains.
Types — browse by category.
Brands — browse by manufacturer.
ACE Studio built-in effects live under the ACE Studio brand.
For plug-in-specific details such as formats and plug-in windows, see Third-Party Effects.
The effect is added as a chip in the insert chain.
The insert chain
Inserts process in series, top to bottom.
The signal flows through the first effect, then the second, and so on.
Reorder: drag a chip up or down.
A white line shows where it will land.
Multi-select: click a chip to select it.
Cmd/Ctrl-click adds more chips.
Shift-click selects a range.
Right-click a chip for Copy / Paste / Delete / Select All / Bypass / Activate-Deactivate / Save FX Chain….
Chip controls
Every effect chip has the same header controls:
Power button — the small round icon on the left. It turns the effect on or off.
The colour shows the state:
Blue — active and processing.
Yellow — bypassed.
Audio passes through untouched.
Bypass is toggled from the right-click menu.
Grey — deactivated.
Effect name — click to select the chip.
Expand / collapse chevron — on built-in effects, this opens controls inline inside the chip.
Click again to fold them away.
Third-party plug-ins open in their own window instead.
Editing values
Inside an expanded built-in effect, the controls behave consistently:
Knobs — drag up and down, or along the diagonal, to change the value.
Type a value — double click a knob's number to enter an exact value.
Reset — double-click any knob to return it to its default.
Threshold lines — on Compressor and De-Esser, drag the line directly on the meter.
Saving a chain
Once you dial in a chain you like, select the effects, right-click and choose Save FX Chain.
This stores the whole chain, including effects and settings, as a reusable preset.
Saved chains appear in the + Insert browser under FX Chain.
You can then apply the full setup to another track.
Saved chains are stored in a local folder shared across your projects.
To rename, delete, or share them, choose Manage in Finder on macOS or Manage in Folder on Windows.
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