Finisher DYNAMO | User Guide

The Finisher series is UJAMs take on creating innovative effects that inspire and lead to results. They’re designed to deliver the power and flexibility of a full rack of audio processors and effects with the instant gratification of a single plug-in. Being a UJAM product, we’ve also applied our signature emphasis on spontaneity and ease of use. The Finisher series wants to be your companion in your music creation, always coming up with a fresh idea, never failing to inspire you and never leaving you with bland or boring tracks ever again.

A Finisher is not a Chorus, Reverb, nor Compressor or EQ – it is all of that and way more. It is built from a plethora of different effect types that get combined into entirely new and complex effect chains. There’s an endless world of Finisher effect combinations that are not available in any other product – plug-in or hardware.

Finisher DYNAMO offers you highly professional audio quality and sound design inspiration packed in one sleek, modern and easy-to-use design.

Go ahead - put Finisher DYNAMO on your tracks and start playing with it. We hope it’ll become a staple in your toolbox to provide you with joy and inspiration for years to come!

What’s Special About Finisher DYNAMO?

If you’re familiar with Finisher FLUXX, you might remember that there are a couple of modes in there that completely re-sequence and rhythmically animate your input. These modes were some of the most celebrated by our users, so we decided to make a plug-in devoted entirely to just that!

Finisher DYNAMO is here to stir up your arrangements and grooves. The goal of DYNAMO is to morph the input signal into something entirely new. The plug-in focuses on doing this rhythmically rather than tonally (although there are some tonal effects packed in there as well!). For this reason, it’s best to think of DYNAMO as more of a “Starter” than a “Finisher”. You can completely remix a song with the turn of a knob, or turn a simple sine wave into a morphing bassline. It can also serve as a miracle vocal-chopper - perfect for electronic and pop music.

Just like the other Finishers, DYNAMO offers 50 modes and four tweakable variation controls. As always, Vari Knob 4 (‘Tone’) is the same across all Modes. In DYNAMO, Vari Knob 1 is also the same with each Mode. This ‘Pattern’ control is a new feature of DYNAMO, and it allows you to select between different rhythmic patterns and grooves to ensure that you’re getting the best results for your productions. As usual, Vari Knobs 2 and 3 are Mode-dependent, offering you more detailed control over each effect.

Why Finisher?

We at UJAM are musicians, and Finisher was born out of our frustration with always tediously having to construct effect chains for every track – compressor, EQ, chorus, delay .. whatever it takes for a certain kind of instrument or vocal.

You know that feeling when you got a great basic track laid down, but you just can’t get it to sound interesting? Sure you do, and we do too. That’s why we designed Finisher.

Finisher is a one-stop solution to that problem, designed to make this process fast and easy and keep the inspiration high while delivering professional audio quality. The Finisher series is designed to give you a companion that always comes up with a fresh idea, never fails to inspire you and never leaves you with bland or boring tracks ever again.

A Finisher functions like a complete mixer channel with insert effects, except you also get a dozen hands tweaking hundreds of controls in response to you tweaking just a few simple knobs.

Until now, you’d open a bunch of plug-ins and often get lost in possibilities, while all you would want is a dash of inspiration – finding a great-sounding treatment for your instrument that inspires you, tweak it a little, maybe automate it, and move on happily.

Now you have a Finisher!

Installing Finisher DYNAMO on Your System

Installation is straightforward – double-click the installer file you got with the free trial email or purchase the product in our shop and download the installer from your account.

Trying, Buying, Authorizing

We only want you to spend money if you’re absolutely happy with Finisher DYNAMO. Therefore, we grant you a trial period, during which the plug-in will run without any limitation. When opening Finisher DYNAMO during the trial period (or when clicking the Authorize button in the menu bar), you will see this overlay which shows:

Information about your trial status
A link to the product page where you can purchase a Finisher DYNAMO license after or during the trial period
The fields to enter your credentials and authorize Finisher DYNAMO once you’ve purchased it (the license has to be linked to your UJAM account)

Trial Screen

User Interface Overview

Main View

Number	Description
1	Preset Area: Select, Load and Save Presets
2	Authorize Button (while in Trial Mode)
3	Info Button - About Page, User Manual, Acknowledgments, etc.
4	Mode Title
5	Mode Category
6	Browser View Button
7	Mode Selection Arrows
8	Mode Notes (Info About the Current Mode)
9	Input Level Meter and Slider
10	Variation (VARI) Knobs
11	Pattern Selector (VARI 01)
12	Tone Control (VARI 04)
13	Finisher Knob
14	Knob Label (Different for Every Mode)
15	Output Level Meter and Slider

Browser View

1	Switch Category
2	Select Mode

Adding Finisher DYNAMO to Your Track

After installing Finisher DYNAMO, it will appear in the effect plug-in menu of your VST-, AU- or AAX-compatible digital audio workstation (DAW).

Here you can select it as an insert for any stereo audio track, instrument track or bus.

Finisher DYNAMO on Mono Tracks

Finisher DYNAMO 1.0.0 will also appear in the plug-in selection of mono tracks in your DAW.

Quick Start

Open Finisher DYNAMO in your favorite DAW. Pick a preset from the list. Turn the Finisher Knob to get more of whatever effect you’ve chosen, and play with the four smaller (‘Vari’) knobs to tweak it to your liking. Repeat as necessary. That’s the easiest way to get started, read along if you want more information.

Note: Although the Modes are more visible on the UI, the Presets are really what you want to play with first! The difference? A preset changes all settings of DYNAMO - the levels, Mode, Finisher Knob and Vari knobs. Changing the Mode itself just switches the effect configuration but leaves the knobs and levels untouched.

What’s Inside Finisher DYNAMO?

You could think of Finisher DYNAMO as a huge effect rack with almost unlimited slots for effect processors, all of which can be activated and adjusted with a simple click on the Mode selector.

Finisher DYNAMO features over 50 different effect types. Get sounds moving with tools ranging from granular beat cutting to step-sequenced distortion – with a total of over 76 effect slots distributed across 2 busses plus a Master bus. That’s quite some real estate if you’d try to build that out in your hardware setup!

The Finisher knob in the center of the interface gets wired to every parameter of every active effect, in varying degrees. No worries – this has already been done for you.

The Finisher knob always blends between dry signal and effect, also often ramping up a phaser while introducing a little distortion or mixing in a dash of reverb. What we mean to say is: it’s more than just a dry/wet control - be sure you check out various positions for unique results!

Every Mode and its knob assignments are a complex sound design piece to create one particular “change of scene” for your track. That you can’t see all the hundreds and hundreds of parameters under the hood is deliberate. It enables you to focus on complex sound changes as simple knobs, encourages you to use your ears and your openness to be inspired.

The four Vari Knobs allow you to adjust the effect to your needs. Vari 2 and 3 are different with each Mode, but Vari 1 and 4 are always the same in this Finisher, controlling Pattern and Tone, respectively..

Switch Modes, turn the knobs – and make your tracks more beautiful, interesting, bigger, tougher, or change them entirely. Achieving the same dynamic and motion in conventional effect plugins would require dozens of automation lanes and diminish serendipity altogether.

Finisher DYNAMO Reference

Loading Presets

Finisher DYNAMO Preset Menu

The Preset Menu at the top of the plugin window lets you easily select from and step through the nearly 300 included Presets.

You can either:

Click the arrow buttons right next to the Preset name to step through the list
Click the current Preset name or the downward facing arrow to open the dropdown menu

If you’re new to Finisher DYNAMO, we recommend you set up a track and just go through the Presets to get an impression of what it can do.

Presets

Finisher DYNAMO comes with nearly 300 Presets organized into various folders:

Preset Folder	Description
Introduction	Try these presets if you want a quick overview of what DYNAMO can do
Track	Presets in this category were designed with ‘larger gestures’ and more intense manipulations. These will work great on full song mixes for instant remixing potential!
Bass	Presets in this category will work best on basses and other single-voiced instruments
Drums	These presets are meant to be applied to drums, percussion, and anything else that might already have a well-defined groove
Pads	Put these presets on your pads or other sustained, chordal sounds for completely new soundscapes and ambience!
Vocals	Use these presets to help you create interesting vocal chops from your own vocal recordings or samples
Subtle	These presets are less dramatic than the others - use them if you are looking to spice things up just a tad
Send FX	Throw these presets on a return track or bus and gradually send your sounds to it to dial in some super interesting reverbs, delays, etc

Saving Presets

Once you have made changes to a Preset, you can save it in various ways:

You can overwrite Presets using the Save command. This way you can make modifications or improvements to your preset and save the changes for future use
You can save new User Presets under a different name using the Save as… command
Note: You cannot overwrite Factory Presets. Please use the Save as… command to create a new version of that Preset and save it to the User Library

Either way, when saving a Preset, you can select a preset category for organization purposes. Once saved, you’ll find your new Preset in the ‘User’ folder, organized into whichever category you’ve selected.

Resizable Interface

The user interface is now resizable to fit optimally on different sized screens. To resize, either click the “window” icon next to the notification bell in the top right corner or simply drag the three stripes in the bottom right corner of the user interface. This feature will come to all Finishers in future updates!

Managing the Plug-In

Trial Period

Like any other UJAM plugin, you can download Finisher DYNAMO and try it with full functionality.

During that time, the menu bar of Finisher DYNAMO will show “Trial Period, X days left” and an Authorize button.

After the trial period expires, you will need to purchase Finisher DYNAMO if you wish to keep using it. Once you’ve done so, click the Authorize Button or open the About Page directly to enter your credentials (email address and password) and authorize DYNAMO.

Update

The little Bell icon in the menu bar of Finisher DYNAMO informs you of available updates. When an update is waiting, the icon will show a dot and a dialog will open where you will be given the option to download it.

Although we do our best to ensure that updates do not break any existing projects, we usually recommend keeping your previous installer in case you updated in the middle of a project and something goes wrong.

About Page

The circled “i” symbol to the right of the menu bar gives you access to various types of important information:

Acknowledgments – the people behind Finisher DYNAMO
Visit Product Site – Product Page with demos, information and more
Contact Support – when you have a problem with Finisher, we’re here to help!
Read User Manual – opens this User Guide …
License Agreement – opens the license agreement if you care to look

User Interface Concept

Here’s the user experience concept of Finisher DYNAMO in a nutshell:

At the heart of Finisher DYNAMO is the Mode. It sets up the entire machinery under the hood – the effect algorithms and their routing as well as the macro assignments for the main Finisher Knob and the four Variation Knobs
The Finisher Knob dials in the effect itself and also often creates an important change to the sound. Generally, however, the rule applies: turn up the Finisher Knob for more of the effect
Variation Knobs allow you to adjust aspects of the effect to your production or taste and they can be automated as well (more details below).
Vari 4 is assigned to EQ and Compressor settings which is universally useful to curve out the frequency spectrum to your liking.
When you select a Mode, you will find instructions and tips right next to the name, and the Vari Knob labels change to display that knob’s functionality in that particular Mode

The MODE Section

When going through Modes, we recommend you set the Finisher Knob to at least the center position so you can properly hear the effect while stepping through.

Modes are carefully sound-designed effect configurations in Finisher DYNAMO, each with its individual parameter settings, and a custom macro-assignment of parameters to the Finisher Knob as well as the Vari 2 and 3 controls.

Selecting Modes

Browser View

Finisher DYNAMO lets you select Modes in two different ways:

Click on the Mode title or the Browser Button to open Browser View.

Choose a category and click any Mode name to select that Mode.

Click on the arrows next to the selected Mode title to step back and forth through the list of Modes.

Notes

The number of the currently selected Mode is always shown above the Mode Title.

Please note that when switching Modes, the settings of the Finisher and Variation knobs remain unchanged. To change Modes including knob settings, choose Presets.

Mode Notes

Mode Notes (right)

The Modes within Finisher DYNAMO aren’t conventional effects with learned names. Each one is a totally unique and independently designed effect. To help you out, right next to the Mode title you will find Mode Notes - brief descriptions of the effect world with usage tips.

The Finisher Knob

Finisher Knob

The Finisher Knob is the central control in Finisher DYNAMO. It is a super powerful macro control, multi-wired into all effect algorithms under the hood, and carefully set up for each individual Mode.

The Finisher Knob is not just another one-knob thing that you set up and leave to tweak the effect – although you very well could do just that.

Actually, you are encouraged to play with the Finisher Knob and automate it to create arcs, transitions and modulations over the length of your track. We strongly encourage you to assign it to a MIDI controller like a modulation wheel or a pedal so you can play along with your song and record what you like to create more dynamic tracks that will feel much more alive and interesting!

Variation Knobs (1-4)

Variation Knobs 1 and 2 with Labels

The smaller Variation Knobs to the left and right of the Finisher Knob were designed for adjustments and variations. In Finisher DYNAMO, the 1st and 4th Vari Knobs remain constant across all of the Modes.

The Vari 1 knob is also known as the Pattern Selector. This control allows you to edit the rhythm of the Mode that is currently selected. The rhythmic manipulations of the Modes are automatically synchronized to the host DAW’s tempo (i.e. the tempo of your song), but this control offers you a handful of different options so you can find the best grooves for your production:

SYMBOL	NAME	DESCRIPTION
	Halftime	Adjusts the Mode to play at half of the speed that it was programmed to (half of ‘Standard’)
	Poly	Divides the modulations into more complex, interchanging patterns for a polyrhythmic effect
	Standard	Plays whatever rhythm the Mode is programmed to (this is different for each Mode)
	Triplet	Introduces a triplet feel to the Mode’s rhythm, allowing compatibility with shuffled beats
	Double Time	Adjusts the Mode to play at twice the speed that it was programmed to (2 x ‘Standard’)

The Vari 4 knob (Tone) allows you to fine-tune the characteristic of a Mode’s sound. Turning the control to the left (counterclockwise) will gradually make the signal fatter and add low-end. As you continue to turn it further, it will begin to shelf off high frequencies until the treble is fully removed via low-pass filtering at the left-most positions of the knob.

Turning the knob to the right will do exactly the opposite! As you do so, the plug-in will add treble and begin to shelf off the bass frequencies until they are fully removed via high-pass filtering.

Similar to the Finisher Knob, the Vari 2 and Vari 3 controls are entirely Mode-dependent. They were programmed to control the most musically-useful functions in any given Mode (the “Variation” labels say what the knob does).

Also like the Finisher Knob, Vari knobs are pre-assigned to multiple parameters, each with their own scaling and range. This allows you to create complex changes with such simple controls. Their function assignments are named directly below each knob so you get an idea of what they will do.

Variation Knob Types

Different Vari Knob Types:
Vari 1: 5-way Switch, Vari 2 & 3: Unipolar, Vari 4: Bipolar

Regardless of what Mode is selected, the first and fourth Vari Knobs always control the Pattern and Tone of the Mode, respectively. The Pattern control is a 5-way selector switch, while the Tone control is a bipolar knob.

Vari Knobs 2 and 3 are unipolar continuous controls. The user interface will reflect the respective control mode. When using presets, the knob doesn’t turn but jumps to the pre-programmed positions.

Checking and Setting Levels

Input and Output Level and Meter

The Input Level Meter and Slider in the bottom left corner of the plug-in allows you to attenuate or boost the level of the signal you send into Finisher DYNAMO, and the Output Level and Slider on the right side does the same for the signal coming out of DYNAMO. A few tips:

Signals are at an optimal level if they are around the little calibration marks on the meters. Adjust them if they’re not.
Optimal input levels are important particularly for Modes that use distortion, compression or any kind of dynamic treatment.
Optimal output levels are particularly important to avoid clipping and if you use subsequent processing in the same track.

Note that while you drag a slider, the resulting change will be displayed in dB.

Finisher DYNAMOs is optimized to alter the signal’s level as little as possible from input to output, but depending on the frequency content of the input signal and the processing applied (e.g. sub-bass on kick drums, high resonant filters on mid-rich signals) this is sometimes unavoidable.

Using Input Level to Optimize Effects

Many effects, particularly dynamic filters, use the input signal level to control movements in the effect. If the input signal level is too high, you will hardly hear any effect.

If you had to lower the Input Level a lot, compensate with Output Level. Of course, YOU knew this!

Automating Controls

Finisher DYNAMO can be fully automated and MIDI-controlled and you will quickly realize how fun this is and how significantly it can add to your productions.

Create stunning introduction or riser effects by slowly increasing the Finisher Knob or Tone control. Build cool step-sequences by switching the Mode every beat or add breath to vocals by fading in delays only on last words.

Automatable Parameters

The following parameters can be automated via DAW Automation and – with the exception of Mode – using MIDI Control Change events:

Effect (Finisher)
Input
Output
Mode
Variation 1
Variation 2
Variation 3
Variation 4

When automating the Mode, you will notice that between certain effects there are noticeable morph fades. These are due to temporary level jumps between the complex effect configurations and protect your speakers and ears. No reason to worry.

DAW Automation

To automate a parameter using the automation of your DAW, just find where you activate automation (usually a menu in the track inspector or hotkey “a”) and choose the parameter. The Finisher DYNAMO automation menu in Logic looks like this:

Automation in Logic

Assigning DYNAMO Knobs to MIDI Controllers

It’s great fun to play DYNAMO’s controls with your favorite MIDI controller. However, this requires a little bit of work on your end, because all DAWs handle MIDI controllers differently for effects. There is no ‘MIDI Learn’ functionality in most of them.

The good news is that DYNAMO fully supports MIDI control. All you need to do is look up how your DAW handles MIDI controller assignments.

Here’s an example screenshot from Logic Pro X – here you press B for the Smart Control view, then you can assign every DYNAMO control to a Smart Control internally using the Learn function, and do the same for assignment of your MIDI Controller to Logic.

Don’t hesitate to contact UJAM support if you get stuck!

Effect Algorithms (click here)

I Have Questions! Where Can I Send Them?

Please submit a request to our support staff. Thanks!

Don’t hesitate, we’re eager to help you out and learn about your opinion and suggestions. Many improvements and even products have been influenced by our user community!

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User Guide Finisher DYNAMO 1.0.0 .pdf

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Table of Contents

Welcome to Finisher DYNAMO