About
Built like the hardware it's inspired by.
Side Key System is an audio plugin studio building compressors, saturators and meters for people who mix and master for a living.
Why "engineered like hardware"?
Every plugin in the catalog is designed the way a hardware unit would be: a signal path with a clear purpose, controls that map to something you can hear moving, and a character that stays consistent instead of drifting between presets. That's the standard each release is held to before it ships. Not a marketing line, an actual design constraint.
In our own words
The Side Key System Philosophy
"At Side Key System, calibration is not a final adjustment. It is part of the engineering process itself."
Every tool is carefully designed, measured, tested and calibrated with meticulous attention to precision, stability and measurement consistency. Every control is tuned to deliver predictable behavior, repeatable results and a workflow you can trust, whether working on a single track or a full mastering session.
The objective is simple: create professional tools that behave like precision instruments, where every parameter has a purpose and every decision serves the music.
Free tiers, on purpose
Several plugins (Tripressor, Claw, Nuke Mk1) ship with a free or demo build. That's deliberate: a plugin should prove itself in your own session before you pay for it, not just in a screenshot.
Direct support
There's no support ticket system between you and the person who builds these plugins. Questions about a feature, a license, or a bug go straight to the developer at contact@sidekey.fr, or to Engram, the Side Key AI, on the contact page.
Where to find us
Distributed through.
Buy directly, or find the catalog listed on:
Gumroaddirect sales
KVR Audioplugin database
Musehubplugin marketplace
Audacitycompatible host
How it's built
Built with.
The toolchain behind every release, from DSP design to shipped installer:
JUCE / Projucerplugin framework
MATLABDSP & filter design
Visual Studio Codedevelopment
Ableton Livelistening & testing
Plugin Doctormeasurement & calibration
How licensing works
Purchases are handled through Gumroad, which issues your license key automatically at checkout. Activation and machine management run through license.sidekey.fr, up to two machines per license, and you can free up a slot yourself at any time if you switch computers.
See the plugins.
Seven tools shipping today, several with a free tier.