Kiyome User Manual

1. Introduction

What is Kiyome?

Kiyome (清め) is an AI-assisted de-mudding plugin that detects and removes muddy frequency buildup in the critical 60–900 Hz range. Using spectral pattern recognition powered by an embedded ONNX neural network, Kiyome intelligently identifies problematic low-mid energy and surgically reduces it — preserving warmth, body, and musicality.

AI-powered clarity meets one-knob simplicity. Select your instrument, turn the Depth knob, and let the neural network handle the rest. Or dive deeper with 5-band parametric control, M/S processing, and three analog color circuits for character and warmth.

Key Features

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  One-Knob Operation (Depth)

  A single master control scales all processing — from subtle cleanup to aggressive de-mudding. Perfect for fast workflows.

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  13 Instrument-Specific AI Models

  Dedicated neural network models for Male Vocal, Female Vocal, Kick, Snare, Toms, Overheads, Electric Bass, Synth Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keys, Strings/Brass, and Full Mix.

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  Learn Mode

  Analyzes your audio's spectral profile in 5 seconds and automatically adjusts per-band sensitivity for optimal de-mudding.

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  5-Band Parametric EQ (60–900 Hz)

  Five precisely tuned bands targeting Sub-Mud (100 Hz), Low-Mud (200 Hz), Core-Mud (350 Hz), Upper-Mud (500 Hz), and Mud-Warmth (700 Hz).

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  M/S Processing

  Process mid and side channels independently for surgical stereo-field de-mudding without collapsing the mix.

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  Analog Color (Neve / API / Studer)

  Three independent analog character circuits — Warm (Neve 1073), Punch (API 2520), and Tape (Studer A800) — to add life back after de-mudding.

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  38 Factory Presets

  Professionally crafted presets across 10 categories covering vocals, drums, bass, guitar, keys, strings, mix bus, genre-specific, creative, and analog color starting points.

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  Real-Time Spectral Visualization

  See exactly where mud lives in your audio with a live spectrum display (60–1000 Hz), draggable band nodes, and a gain reduction curve overlay.

Who Is It For?

Whether you are a mixing engineer dealing with boxy vocals and cloudy guitars, a producer trying to get a clean low-mid balance, a podcaster fighting room resonance, or a content creator who wants clearer audio without spending hours with an EQ — Kiyome gives you AI-powered clarity in seconds.

2. System Requirements

Note: The embedded ONNX neural network runs on CPU — no GPU required.

3. Installation Guide

4. Interface Overview

Kiyome features a clean, focused interface designed for fast de-mudding workflows. The layout is organized into distinct zones: toolbar, spectrum display, knob panel, secondary controls, status bar, and an expandable advanced panel.

5. Core Parameters Reference

Available Instrument Models

Parameter Interaction Notes

6. Learn Mode

What It Does

Learn mode analyzes the spectral energy distribution of your audio and automatically adjusts each band's sensitivity to match the material. Bands where mud is concentrated get higher sensitivity; bands where the signal is clean get lower sensitivity. This ensures Kiyome focuses its processing where it matters most.

How to Use

1. 1. Play your audio through the plugin (ensure signal is audible, not silence).
2. 2. Press the LEARN button. A 5-second countdown begins.
3. 3. Keep the audio playing during the countdown (5s → 4s → 3s → 2s → 1s).
4. 4. Learning stops automatically after 5 seconds. Band sensitivities are updated immediately.

Button States

7. Band Controls

Kiyome uses five precisely tuned bands to target the most common muddy frequency regions. Each band can be individually adjusted for sensitivity and bypassed independently.

Per-Band Sensitivity

Each band has an adjustable sensitivity ranging from 1.0x to 4.0x. Higher sensitivity means the band reacts more aggressively to detected mud. Adjust sensitivity by dragging the band nodes vertically on the spectrum display.

Per-Band Bypass

Each band has a small power icon button located on the spectrum display, just below the "Mud Processing Zone" label. These buttons let you bypass individual bands:

• Green glow — Band is active (processing normally)
• Gray / dim — Band is bypassed (audio passes through unprocessed)

Click a power icon to toggle its bypass state. This is useful when you want to keep mud removal on most bands but preserve a specific frequency range — for example, bypassing the Sub-Mud (100 Hz) band to retain kick sub-bass, or the Mud-Warmth (700 Hz) band to preserve vocal body.

Transient-Aware Processing

Kiyome automatically detects transient attacks (kicks, snares, pick strokes, hammer hits) and temporarily reduces the EQ cut depth during those moments. This preserves punch and attack clarity while still removing mud from the sustained portions of the signal.

• Always on — no button or setting needed. It works automatically with any Depth value.
• Zero lookahead — the transient detector runs in parallel with the audio path and adds no latency beyond the engine's 48-sample baseline (≈ 1 ms @ 48 kHz).
• Per-band scaling — low-frequency bands (where kick and bass transients live) receive more protection than upper bands.
• Works with Make Room — sidechain ducking is not affected by transient protection. Only the AI de-mudding portion is modulated.

The practical result: you can push the Depth knob higher without worrying about losing punch. The same setting that previously softened your drums now cleans the mud while keeping the attack intact.

8. Processing Modes

9. Analog Color

De-mudding can sometimes leave audio feeling thin or clinical. The Analog Color section adds warmth, character, and harmonic richness back into the signal. All three circuits are independent and can be combined freely. An orange dot appears on the Advanced toggle when any color is active, even when the panel is closed.

10. Make Room For

What It Does

Make Room For is an intelligent sidechain ducking feature that helps two tracks coexist in a mix. When you route another track (e.g., a vocal) into Kiyome's sidechain input, Kiyome will automatically reduce gain in frequency bands where the sidechain source is most prominent — making spectral room for it to cut through.

Unlike conventional sidechain tools that blindly duck across the entire spectrum, Kiyome's AI model acts as a guard — it only applies deeper cuts in bands it already identifies as muddy or problematic. Healthy frequency bands are protected, with a maximum sidechain-only cut of −6 dB. This means your track retains its body and warmth while still making room for the sidechain source.

How to Use

How It Works Under the Hood

Kiyome analyzes the sidechain signal with a real-time FFT and extracts energy across 5 frequency bands (60–850 Hz). This energy map is combined with the AI model's muddy-frequency detection on the main signal:

• AI says muddy + SC energy high → deeper cut (AI-boosted ducking)
• AI says muddy + SC energy low → normal AI cut only
• AI says clean + SC energy high → gentle cut, max −6 dB (protects healthy bands)
• AI says clean + SC energy low → no cut

Auto Gain Behavior

When Make Room is active, Auto Gain only compensates for the AI de-mudding portion of the gain reduction — it does not compensate for the sidechain ducking. This is by design: the whole point of Make Room is to reduce volume in competing frequency bands, and auto-compensating would undo that.

Make Room Presets

Kiyome includes 4 factory presets designed for common Make Room scenarios:

11. Factory Presets

Kiyome ships with 38 factory presets organized into 10 categories. Each preset configures the instrument model, Depth, Speed, Tone, band sensitivities, and Analog Color settings for common use cases.

Preset Management

• Save As: Save your current settings as a new user preset.
• Delete: Remove a user preset (factory presets cannot be deleted).
• Export: Export a preset to a file for sharing or backup.
• Import: Import a preset file from disk.

A/B Compare

Toggle between two independent parameter snapshots (A and B) using the A/B button in the toolbar. Use Copy to sync both slots to the current settings — then tweak one slot to quickly compare variations.

Undo / Redo

Full parameter change history. Every knob turn, button click, and preset load is recorded. Use the Undo and Redo buttons in the toolbar to step through your changes.

12. Trial & Licensing

13. FAQ

14. Troubleshooting