Blue Cat's Axiom

The Next Generation: Your Axe Beyond The Limits

Blue Cat's Axiom is a powerful and open multi-effects processor and amp simulation software for guitar and bass. Based on the acclaimed Destructor plug-in for amp simulations, Axiom offers an infinite number of exceptional tones for your axe.

It includes two amp simulations channels (with pre and post effects) that can be mixed together or used alternatively like a real amp. You can choose your amp models from hundreds of presets or launch the amp editor to build your own, with complete control over the tone. Additional input and master sections let you adjust the tone at the input and the output of Axiom, with 4 additional effect slots each and an integrated high precision tuner. A brickwall limiter also protects the output from overshoot.

Axiom includes 44 built-in effects that can be loaded in any of the 32 plug-in slots, including a built-in version of Late Replies for creative delays and reverbs, and a built-in version of Destructor to add your own distortion pedals, cabinets or additional amp simulations.

Blue Cat's Axiom is not limited to its built-in effects: these slots can also host third party Audio Unit, VST or VST3 plug-ins: you can use your favourite plug-ins anywhere in the signal chain and expand Axiom's capabilities.

And because playing alone is not so much fun, we have added a tools section with 3 additional slots to load virtual instruments: add a metronome, a drum machine, sequencer or your keyboardist's favourite synthesizer there to get it mixed with your guitar.

If you are looking for amp simulation software without the effects, see the Destructor plug-in. For a plug-in host & multi-effects processor without amp simulation, check out Blue Cat's PatchWork.

Main Features

• Powerful and unlimited multi-effects processor and amp modelling software for guitar and bass.
• Realistic and fully customizable amp simulation based on Blue Cat's Destructor.
• Flexible routing: 2 parallel amp simulation channels with effects + input and master sections.
• 44 high-quality built-in effects: wah, delays, reverb, pitch bender, EQ, filters, distortion units, compressor, gate, chorus, flanger...
• Includes Blue Cat's Re-Guitar, Destructor, Hot Tuna and Late Replies as built-in effects.
• Built-in high precision tuner.
• Open and extensible: load any third party VST, VST3 or Audio Unit (AU) plug-in.
• Load and manipulate impulse responses (IR) in the amp simulator or the built-in EQ plug-in.
• Delivered with thousands of presets for all sections and built-in effects.
• Load third party virtual instruments to play along.
• Global stereo spread control.
• Lock sections to prevent changes when loading presets.
• No latency.
• New "stomp box" look & feel for built-in effects.
• New built-in effect: Hot Tuna high-performance tuner.
• The tone maps explorer for the amp simulation is now accessible directly from the main user interface.
• Fully supports dark mode on macOS 10.14 Mojave and newer.
• Tail Spillover: Activate tail spillover from the toolbar to play effects tail when bypassed (available for Axiom itself or built-in delays and reverbs such as Late Replies). Also applies to subsections (channel A/B, Pre or Post FX etc.).

Plugin Formats:

Mac

• AAX
• AU
• VST
• VST3

Windows

• AAX
• VST
• VST3
• x64 AAX
• x64 VST
• x64 VST3.

Blue Cat Audio Standards:

• Native DSP code for optimal performance.
• Full MIDI control and automation support with silent, zipper-free parameters update, advanced response control and MIDI Learn.
• No CPU load on idle: when the plug-in is fed with silence, the processing smoothly shuts down, to optimize the CPU usage of your Digital Audio Workstation.
• Customizable user interface with transparency management and zoom.
• Smooth Bypass: activate/deactivate the plug-in with absolutely no noise.
• Undo/Redo.
• Full-featured integrated presets manager.
• Copy/paste the state of the plug-in between instances using the system clipboard.
• Any sample rate supported.

What's new for Axiom 1.6.2

• Native Apple Silicon (M1) version can now load Audio Units that are not compatible with Apple Silicon (via the MacOS bridge).
• Presets can now be loaded via MIDI even when the user interface is closed.
• Fixed MPC Beat plug-in not loading.
• Fixed VST3 version not always loading properly in Ableton Live 11.
• Fixed latency compensation changes not always picked up by host applications.
• VST3: Fixed parameters update issues in Studio One when bouncing tracks.
• Fixed VST & VST3 automation not recording properly in some hosts (Cubase 11, Ableton Live).
• New network server mode to run as an audio/MIDI processing server for the Connector plug-in.
• Improved MIDI events timing precision in the application.
• Audio engine can now be restarted from the audio settings window in the application.
• Windows: ASIO Control panel can now be launched from the audio settings window in the application.

System Requirements

Windows

• Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10 (32 or 64-bit)
• An SSE2-enabled processor (Pentium 4 or newer).
• Any VST / AAX compatible host software (32 or 64-bit).
• ASIO, MME or WASAPI compatible audio interface for the Standalone application (ASIO recommended).

Mac

• macOS 10.9 or newer (Intel or M1 Apple Silicon processor) (64-bit only)
• For the plug-in, any VST / Audio Unit / AAX compatible application (64-bit only).
• For the standalone application, a Core Audio compatible audio interface.