Finisher Voodoo | User Guide

Welcome to Finisher VOODOO
Why Finisher?
What’s different for NEO users?
Installing Finisher VOODOO on Your System
Trying, Buying, Authorizing
User Interface Overview
Main View
Browser View
Adding Finisher VOODOO to your track
Quick Start
What’s Inside Finisher VOODOO?
Finisher VOODOO Reference
Loading Presets
Presets
Saving Presets
Managing the plug-in
Trial Period
Update
About Page
User Interface Concept
The MODE Section
Selecting Modes
Browser View
Notes
Mode Notes
The Finisher Knob
Vari Knobs
Variation Knob Types
Checking and Setting Levels
Using Input Level to optimize effects
Automating Controls
Automatable Parameters
DAW Automation
Assigning VOODOO knobs to MIDI Controllers
Effect Algorithms
I have questions! Where can I send them?

 

Welcome to Finisher VOODOO

 

Finisher VOODOO

Welcome to UJAMs second title in the Finisher series: VOODOO!

While it’s elder brother NEO focuses on a rather futuristic sound-design theme, VOODOO creates a world of organic, distorted, spicy, colorful, often magical and dark textures, often with a strong element of surprise. The sound design used guitars, and VOODOO works phenomenal with all sorts of guitar sounds, real or virtual, electric or acoustic, direct or amped. It also works great with keyboards, synths, even vocals and other signals – add VOODOO to whatever you think needs a dash of inspiration. 

If you haven’t, now is the time to plug-in your guitar or keyboard, or load up your Virtual Guitarist and play with VOODOO. The magic is in the sound, not in the words.

 

 

Why Finisher?

The Finisher series is designed to give you a companion that always comes up with fresh idea, never fails to inspire you, and never leaves you with bland and boring tracks
ever again.
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.
Like, know that feeling when you got a great basic guitar sound, but you just can’t get
it to sound interesting? Sure you do, we do too, and 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.

What’s different for NEO users?

We strive to improve the Finisher series along with our user reaction, so each new
Finisher will be a little better, hopefully, and eventually, all Finishers will be updated
with the improvements. This is something that UJAM users already know from our
Virtual Bassist, Virtual Drummer, and Beatmaker series.
Finisher NEO was very well received, with some users asking for a little more control.
So Finisher VOODOO adds another two Variation knobs and introduces a bit of a
scheme where on top of the big orange central Finisher knob the 4 Vari knobs, let you
adjust Character (Vari 1), Modulation (Vari 2), and Ambience (Vari 3), and where Vari 4
is hard-wired to our proprietary Highlighter Filter. It will take you only a few minutes to
get used to the novelties if you’re a NEO user.

 

Installing Finisher VOODOO on Your System

installation is straightforward – double click the installer you got with your trial or purchase download and follow the instructions. 

Trying, Buying, Authorizing

We only want you to spend money if you’re absolutely happy with Finisher VOODOO. Therefore, we grant you a 7-day trial period, during which the plug-in will run without any limitation. When opening Finisher VOODOO during the trial period (or when clicking the Authorize button in the menu bar), you will see an overlay that 

• displays information about your trial status,
• provides a link to the product page where you can purchase a permanent Finisher VOODOO license after or during the trial period,
• allows you to enter your credentials and authorize Finisher VOODOO once you’ve purchased it.

 

User Interface Overview

Main View

1. Preset Area: Select, Load and Save Presets
2. Authorize Button (while in Trial Mode)
3. Info Button - About Page, Manual, Acknowledgments, etc.
4. Mode Title
5. Mode Number
6. Browser View Button
7. Mode Selector Arrows
8. Mode Notes
9. Input Level Meter and Slider
10. Variation Knobs 
11. Knob Labels (different for every Mode)
12. Finisher Knob
13. Variation Knob 4 - Highlighter
14. Output Level Meter and Slider

Browser View

1. Switch Page (1-25, 26-50)
2. Select Mode

Adding Finisher VOODOO to your track

After installing Finisher VOODOO, it will appear in the effect plug-in menus of your VST-, AU- or AAX-compatible digital audio workstation. Here you can select it as an insert for any audio and instrument tracks or busses.

 

Quick Start

Rick DiFonzo, Finisher VOODOO consultant and world-class guitarist, sent us this as a
suggestion for the user guide:

“Open Finisher VOODOO in your favorite DAW. Pick a preset from the list. Turn the big
knob to get more of whatever effect you’ve chosen, and play with the four smaller
knobs till you get what you want. Repeat as necessary”.
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 VOODOO, including
levels, Mode, Finisher knob, and Vari knobs. The Mode just switches the effect
configuration but leaves the knobs and levels alone.

What’s Inside Finisher VOODOO?

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

Finisher VOODOO features over 30 different effect types – from simple Chorus to Multiband Distortion, from Convolution to Grain Pitch, from Multimode Filters to Multitap Delays - with a total of over 70 Effect Slots distributed across 2 Busses plus a Master Bus. That’s quite some real estate if you’d try to build that in hardware. 

The knobs can be wired to every parameter of every active effect, in varying degrees. No worries – this has already been done for you. 

For example, the big orange Finisher knob always blends between dry signal and effect, often also speeding up a phaser while introducing a little distortion and mixing in a dash of reverb.

The four Vari knobs adjust the effect to your scenario or taste.

Every Mode and its Knob assignments are a complex sound design piece to create one particular “change of scene” for your track. 

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 kill serendipity entirely. 

 

Finisher VOODOO Reference

Loading Presets

Finisher VOODOO Preset Menu

The Preset Menu at the top of the plugin window lets you easily select from and step through the over 200 included Presets.

You can either

• Click the Arrow buttons left of the Preset name to step through the list,
• or click the current Preset Name or the little arrow to open the menu.

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

Presets

Finisher VOODOO comes with over 200 Presets organized into various folders:

• Introduction: Try these presets if you want a quick overview of what VOODOO can do
• Default: In this category, there is a Preset for each Mode with our recommended default settings for that Mode. Go through these to explore what the Modes are originally meant for.
• Signature Presets: There are many signatures presets from our sound designers for you to explore - you’re very unlikely to ever run out of inspiration.

Saving Presets

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

• You can overwrite User Presets using the Save command. This way you can create your own custom version with your preferred default settings for every preset.
• You can also save User Presets under a different name using the “Save as…” command.
  You can not overwrite Factory Presets. Please use the “Save as…” command to create a new version of that Preset in the User Library.

Either way, when saving a Preset, you can choose one of the categories which are the same for Modes and Presets, and which you will also find in the User Library.

 

Managing the plug-in 

Trial Period

Like any other UJAM plugin, you can download Finisher VOODOO and try it without limitations for 7 days. 

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

After the Trial period is expired, you will need to purchase Finisher VOODOO to keep using it. After the purchase, click either the Authorize Button or open the About Page directly to enter your credentials and authorize Finisher VOODOO.

 

Update

The little icon in the menu bar of Finisher VOODOO informs you about available updates. When an update is waiting, the Icon will show a dot and a dialog is opened where you can choose to download now or later.

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’s 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 VOODOO
• 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 ever feel like it.

 

User Interface Concept

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

• At the heart of Finisher VOODOO 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 orange Finisher Knob and the four Variation Knobs.
• The Finisher Knob dials in the effect itself and often also creates an important change, but generally, the rule applies: Turn up the Finisher Knob for more effect.
• The Variation Knobs 1-3 allow you to adjust aspects of the effect (more below) to your scenario or taste and can be automated as well. Vari 4 is assigned to UJAMs own Highlighter Filter which is universally useful to create color as well as intros and fades.
• 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 Knobs’ function in that particular Mode.

 

The MODE Section

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

Modes are carefully sound-design effect configurations in Finisher VOODOO, each with its individual parameter settings, and a custom macro-assignment of parameters to the orange Finisher as well as the Vari 1-3 controls.

Selecting Modes

Browser View

Finisher VOODOO lets you select Modes in different ways:

• Click on a Mode title 
• Click on the arrows to step back and forth through the Modes

Browser View

• Click on the browser button (right next to the Mode Title) to open Browser View
• Click any Mode name to select that Mode. Click either of the two-page swap bars at the bottom of the Browser view to switch pages between Modes 1-25 and Modes 26-50

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)

Finisher VOODOO Modes aren’t conventional effects with learned names, but each one is a totally individual design. Therefore you will find Mode notes right next to the Mode Title: A description of the effect world, with usage tips in the second row.

 

 

The Finisher Knob

Finisher Knob

The orange Finisher is the central control in Finisher VOODOO. 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 orange Finisher Knob is not just another one-knob thing that you set up and leave to tweak the effect – although you perfectly could do just that. 

Actually, you are encouraged to play with the orange 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 aWheel or a Pedal if you can play and record along with your song and create dynamic tracks that will sound alive and interesting.

The function of the orange Finisher Knob in each Mode is shown as a label underneath the orange Finisher Knob that changes as you select Modes.

 

Vari Knobs 1 - 4 

Variation Knobs 1 and 2 with Labels

The smaller Variation Knobs left and right of the orange Finisher Knob are designed for adjustments and variations. The knobs generally follow an intrinsic scheme:

• Vari 1 adjusts the character of the effect, e.g. EQ, distortion, or dynamics.
• Vari 2 changes modulation settings - rates and depths or type of Chorus, Flanger, Phaser or more sophisticated modulations.
• Vari 3 dials in ambience - the often complex delay and reverb configurations that are part of every Finisher VOODOO Mode. 
• Vari 4 is “hard-wired” to UJAMs signature Highlighter Filter - this is a dual resonant 24 dB LP/HP filter: Turn left for lowpass (cutting the top range) and right for highpass (cutting the top range).

In spite of the technical description, the Highlighter Filter is a very musical thing - just try and you’ll get the hang of it in a second.

Like the orange Finisher Knob, the Vari controls are entirely MODE-dependent - they are always programmed to perform the musically most useful function in any given MODE. 

Also, like the orange Finisher Knob, Vari knobs are pre-assigned to multiple parameters, each with its own scaling and range, to create complex changes, and their function assignment is shown as a label right underneath each knob.

 

Variation Knob Types

 

 

Different Vari Knob Types: Vari 1 and Vari 3: unipolar, Vari 2: 3-way switch

Checking and Setting Levels

 

Input and Output Level and Meter

The Input Level Meter and Slider to the bottom left to let you attenuate or boost your signals’ input level into Finisher, and the Output Level elements to the right do the same for Finisher VOODOOs output signal. A few tips:

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

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

Finisher VOODOOs 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 not always avoidable.

Using Input Level to optimize effects

Many effects, particularly the Wah-Wahs or the 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. 

Solution: Feed your input signal into VOODOO and adjust the Input Level until you hear exactly the movement you’d like to hear.
Here are some modes to try - adjust the input level as you listen to the effect:

• 03 Chili Butter - adjust with Finisher and Comb Sense
• 07 Wah A Mole - adjust with Finisher and Filter Cutoff
• 39 Deja Verb - leave pauses while trying out.

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

 

Automating Controls

Finisher VOODOO can be fully automated and MIDI-controlled and you will realize
quickly that that is big fun and significantly adds to your music.
Create stunning intros or risers slowly rising the orange Finisher Knob or the
Highlighter, 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, that’s a menu in the track inspector - and choose the
parameter. The Finisher VOODOO automation menu in Logic looks like this:

Assigning VOODOO knobs to MIDI Controllers

It’s great fun to play VOODOOs controls with your favorite MIDI controller, however,
this requires a little bit of work on your end, because all DAWs handle MIDI controllers
for effects differently and there is no MIDI Learn functionality in most of them.
The good news is that VOODOO fully supports MIDI control. All you need to do is
lookup for your DAW how it 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 VOODOO 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

The 50 Modes in Finisher VOODOO are built using 27 different effect algorithms as building blocks. There are three parallel busses fed into a Master Bus, plus a Dry Bus that feeds the unprocessed, but level-adjusted input signal to the Finisher plug-in’s output.

 

Algorithm	Description
Beat Cutter	Various glitch and gating effects
Bus Compressor	Punchy compressor with configurable envelope detection
Chorus	Multi-Voice Chorus for a thicker, fatter sound
Compressor	General-purpose compressor for controlling dynamic range and shaping transients
Convolution	Processes the input signal with an impulse response to add reverberation or character of another audio device, acoustic space or signal chain.
Distortion	Stereo distortion/overdrive effect with multiple modes and curves
Envelope Follower	A module that generates a control signal from the input level, used to modulate ducking, wah wah, distortion or reverb levels, to name a few.
EQ	Four-band Equalizer with parametric mid bands
Flanger	Flanger effect based on a modulated delay line

 

Frequency Shifter	Bode frequency shift (inharmonic shift in Hertz, not pitch)
Grain Pitch	Granular Pitch Shift and Delay
Guitar Amp	Models of three classic guitar amps
Isolator EQ	Brickwall EQ isolating Bass, Mid and Treble bands
Limiter	Safety Limiter to keep levels in check
LoFi	Sample Rate and Bit Rate Reduction
Master Filter	The module behind the Highlighter knob, a dual, resonant 24 dB Lowpass/Highpass filter.
Multiband Compressor	Separate compression of low, mid and high frequencies
Multiband Distortion	Stereo Mix of four distortions each preceded by a multimode filter
Multimode Delay	Stereo Delay with multiple feedback modes
Multi-Tap Delay	A delay with up to 16 freely programmable taps
Multimode Filter	Synthesizer Filter with 9 modes and resonance
Pan	Pan, Stereo Width and Phase adjustment
Phaser	Phaser effect with up to 8 poles (4 peaks/notches)
Reverb	Algorithmic reverb emulating a digital reverb unit.
Rotary	Rotary Speaker simulation with separate Drum/Horn channels
Saturation	Subtle harmonic distortion
Transient	Accentuates or reduces the level of signal transients
Tremolo/Pan	Tremolo and/or Auto Pan Effects

All of these complex modules aren’t only combined in VOODOO, their parameters are also 

• individually assigned and scaled to VOODOOs knobs
• and often automated by Envelope Follower, Curves, or LFOs. 

 

I have questions! Where can I send them?

Please 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!