01 / Start here
Your first sound
Tessel is an audio effect for guitar, bass, instrument tracks and buses. Its built-in processors work without external captures or an online account.
Open beta. Tessel 0.1.0 is available for Windows x64 in VST3 and CLAP formats, with an optional standalone application. Choose your format in
Tessel downloads and follow its included installation instructions.
Extract your download and close your DAW before replacing a build. Place the complete VST3 bundle or the CLAP file in its appropriate plugin location, then rescan. Install one version at a time: Tessel retains the earlier MEG plugin identities.
- Insert Tessel on a mono or stereo audio track.
- Open the preset browser. Choose Help me choose, or browse by instrument, purpose and collection.
- Load a preset and play your source. Factory alternatives provide a starting sound before optional assets are loaded.
- Adjust the pinned controls, then match the output level when comparing bypass.
- Save your own variation. Use New empty preset when you want to build from scratch.
02 / Follow the audio
Before. Bands. After.
The signal passes through Before → band blocks in order → After. Before shapes the incoming signal; After processes the combined result.
Effects within a lane run in sequence. Paths inside a split run in parallel, then rejoin before the next block. Two separate split blocks run one after another.
For example: a drive feeds a frequency split, the low and high lanes receive their own effects, and a limiter processes their merged output. Moving a block changes this order.
Use Frequencies to choose ranges and crossovers, and Band FX to edit their chains. A full-range lane lets you add effects without creating a frequency split.
03 / Make room for an idea
Choose what each path receives
Routing choices and useful starting points
| Routing | Try it for |
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| Frequency bands | Split into 2–8 ranges. Keep bass fundamentals clean while driving the upper band. |
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| Parallel full range | Feed the same incoming signal into complete chains, then blend their contributions. |
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| Mid + Side | Process the stereo sum and difference separately, such as softening low frequencies in the sides. |
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| Left + Right | Give each channel its own processing, for example to correct a tonal imbalance. |
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| Dry / Wet | On eligible effects, process the original signal and the effect return independently. EQ only the echoes or reverb tail. |
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Splits can be nested. A full-range path inside a bass band still receives only that band's signal. Dry/Wet is available for compatible processors, including time, modulation, pitch, compressors and blend-capable drive effects.
Frequency boundaries are gentle, overlapping crossovers. Mid/Side needs an existing stereo difference; it cannot widen identical left and right signals by itself. Effects inside M/S or L/R paths return to mono before rejoining, so place a stereo-generating effect after the merge when its spread matters.
04 / Bring your own character
Captures, cabinets and spaces
NAM files describe captured equipment behavior: pedals, amplifiers, complete rigs or outboard color. Impulse responses, or IRs, describe cabinet or acoustic-space responses. Tessel loads local .nam and .wav files through the matching slots.
Choose a local file, reuse a saved download, or open TONE3000 from the slot. Online browsing requires sign-in and service access. Local files and saved downloads work offline.
Factory recipes may offer optional assets with built-in alternatives. Choosing Auto load starts setup; browsing alone downloads nothing. A successful assignment replaces its named alternative. External model and IR files are not bundled.
An amp-only capture usually needs a cabinet after it. A full-rig capture may already include one. Tessel's authored replacement relationships avoid stacking the corresponding cabinet treatment when a full rig is selected.
Presets save file paths, not the assets themselves. Keep those files with your working library when moving projects. Automatic setup still verifies recommendations online; choose local files or saved downloads for offline setup. Check each creator's license before sharing assets.
05 / Keep the useful controls close
Presets, names and Pins
The embedded library contains 488 presets and needs no separate installation. The optional Sketchbook Starters pack adds 25 original presets; extract it and follow its READ-ME.txt. Filter by source and use, then by purpose, character, genre or routing. Century explores guitar and bass; Laboratory and Atlas explore creative processing; Studio covers buses and mastering starting points.
Pin parameters from the effect editor to collect them in Pins. Rename blocks and effects to describe their job. These choices stay with your patch, alongside routing and processing settings.
Use Save as to keep a variation. Patch files remain compatible with the existing .meg.json format. DAW project state recalls the complete plugin instance; patch files do not include the separate host input, output and bypass parameters.
Undo and Redo cover patch edits during the editor session. Pinned controls are live editable and saved; current host automation exposes input, output and bypass.
06 / Fit the session
Play, Mix and Render
Processing modes
| Mode | What changes |
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| Play | Lower-cost processing, shorter IR previews and the smallest network included in a compatible NAM file. |
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| Mix | Full available IR tails, fuller processing and the saved NAM model-size selection. |
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| Render | The largest included NAM network and stronger nonlinear processing settings; overrides reduced per-effect modes. |
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Effects can follow the global mode or use an individual override. Fixed-size NAM files retain their available network. Play reduces cost; some effects still add latency.
Choose a mode before playback or rendering. Switching rebuilds processing, resets tails and can change host delay compensation. The displayed processing delay excludes your audio interface's buffer delay and intentional echoes.
07 / Listen in context
Keep level changes deliberate
Input level changes how hard you drive nonlinear effects. A path's output level changes its contribution after processing. Use output trim for a fair, similar-loudness bypass comparison.
Solo and Mute help inspect a path, but retain its blend setting: a Wet path at 0% Mix remains silent when soloed. Muting a path does not necessarily reduce CPU use.
Check wide or parallel sounds in mono. Mono check is temporary, but affects audible output and a render while enabled. The limiter controls sample peaks; its ceiling is not a true-peak or delivery-loudness guarantee.
08 / Get back to the sound
Common questions
A saved model is missing. What should I do?
Use the named slot's file browser to relink or replace it. Presets with authored alternatives may offer Use built-in version, which opens a recovered copy. Save a variation after recovery; the original preset is not overwritten automatically.
Why is a lane silent or unexpectedly narrow?
Check stage and lane Solo/Mute, contribution levels, effect bypass and Dry/Wet Mix. A mono source has no Side signal. NAM's mono mode also folds stereo to mono; select stereo processing when preserving both channels matters.
How can I reduce CPU use or monitoring delay?
Try Play, bypass unnecessary processors, and use fewer neural instances or long IRs. Stereo NAM uses two model instances. Spectral pitch and freeze can add latency; smaller available analysis windows trade frequency detail for quicker response. Cost depends on your chain and selected files.
TONE3000 will not load a file. Can I keep working?
Use the reported error to retry or reconnect, or choose a local file or saved download. Check that the file suits the slot. Empty NAM and IR slots pass audio through; unsupported models produce an error rather than becoming a different capture.
Does a mastering preset finish the track automatically?
No. Set thresholds and levels for your material, compare in context, and check the delivery requirements with suitable metering. Presets are starting points, not automatic gain normalization or a certification of the final master.
Need more help? Contact Cygma Audio about Tessel, revisit the product overview, or explore Audio Plugins.
