DUB
CONTROL

Dub Control is a standalone soundsystem station built for selectors, operators and any reggae dub enthusiast out there. It puts a full dub chain, tape echo, spring reverb, a four-way crossover with kill and solo, an eight-band EQ, a dub siren, eight sample pads, live radio, session recording and MIDI control, under your fingertips, ready to run a dance.

This guide walks through every control, panel by panel. Use the menu on the left to jump straight to the part you need, or read it top to bottom the first time through.

Choosing a workspace

When Dub Control opens it asks how you want to work. The audio engine is identical underneath, so you are never locked in, switch between the two whenever you like.

Set up your audio device

Open SETTINGS (top toolbar) for the audio setup. Choose your audio input and output device, the sample rate and the buffer size, and your MIDI input and output if you play with a controller. Everything is saved and restored on the next launch, so you only set it up once. A smaller buffer gives tighter, lower-latency response; if you hear clicks or glitches under load, raise it.

Licensing & trial

Dub Control runs as a time-limited trial and unlocks permanently with a purchased key. The first activation needs an internet connection so the key can be validated and your machine registered; after that the licence is remembered on the machine. If a trial expires, enter a current purchased key to carry on.

Loading your first track

Drop an audio file onto a deck, or click LOAD. Dub Control reads WAV, AIFF, MP3, FLAC, OGG and M4A. Hit ▶ (or the spacebar) and you are running. Everything from here on is about shaping that sound.

Full Control is one continuous surface, top to bottom: the deck(s) and their per-deck controls, the playlist, then the four shared processors, EQ, Dub Siren, Delay and Reverb, and finally the 4-Way Crossover across the bottom. The top toolbar holds the global tools.

The top toolbar

The top toolbar: global tools on the left, workspace and transport modes in the centre, Master and Radio on the right.

Single deck vs. twin decks

In 2 DECKS mode you get two independent players side by side, each with its own transport, sends, filter, siren slots and sample pads, for back-to-back mixing and live overlays. The shared effects and crossover at the bottom process the combined mix.

By design, the two decks never play at the same time, it is always one or the other. The point of the second deck is to have your next tune loaded and visible so you can mix with confidence: line it up, cue it, and switch when you are ready, or simply work the way you like across two decks.

The deck is where a track lives. Each deck shows the file name, remaining time, a full-colour waveform overview and a scrolling detail lane, plus its own transport, level fader and VU.

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1. LOAD or CLEAR a track into the deck.
2. Track name and remaining time.
3. Waveform overview and detail lane, click to seek.
4. Transport: play / pause, restart and REWIND (the pull-up).
5. Sends to the effects: DELAY, FEEDBACK, PHASER and REVERB, with DUB IT, PHASE and THROW.
6. Performance FILTER: ON / STEP, cutoff sweep and Q.
7. Siren slots S1 to S4.
8. Sample pads A to H, with their level and output.
9. Deck level fader, VU meter and the LIM indicator.

Loading & transport

Sends, the dub effects rack

Each deck has its own send section feeding the shared effects. The send knobs set how much of the deck goes into each processor; the labelled buttons toggle the route.

Filter

A performance filter per deck: ON engages it, the large knob sweeps the cutoff, Q sets resonance, and STEP snaps the sweep to stepped intervals for rhythmic filter moves. The readout shows the cutoff and mode, for example 420 Hz HP for a high-pass sweep, and reads OPEN when fully open.

Siren slots

S1–S4 are four siren memories. Store a siren patch to a slot (SET S1…S4 in the Dub Siren panel) and fire it from the deck for instant hands-on siren stabs without leaving the deck.

Sample pads

Eight pads, A through H, hold one-shot samples, sirens, horns, gunshots, drops. Double-click a pad to load a sample into it. Each pad has its own level slider shown as a green fill across the pad, Ctrl-drag across the pad to set that sample’s volume. Right-click a pad for its options. Trigger a loaded pad with a click, a MIDI note or a mapped key.

The DELAY button sends the pads into the echo (its knob sets the amount, default 50%), VOLUME sets the overall pad level (80%), and VOL is the sample-bus output.

Level, VU & cue

The vertical fader sets deck output; the green LED meter shows the post-fader level with a LIM indicator lighting when the limiter catches a peak. CUE sends the deck to your headphones / cue output without putting it in the main mix, for lining up the next tune. Cue can run split L/R on one interface or out a separate device (set in Settings).

The playlist sits between the decks and the effects. Drag & drop a folder of tunes, search by name, and load any track straight to a deck. Each row shows status, name, detected BPM, musical key and duration.

Double-click or drag a row onto a deck to load it. Rows can be reordered, and the currently playing track is highlighted with its deck number so you always know what’s live.

The playlist drawer

The playlist can pop out into its own drawer alongside the main window, perfect for a second screen or a big, across-the-room view. The drawer adds dedicated load and transport controls so you can run a whole set from the list.

A running track count and total time sit at the foot of the drawer.

Dub Control’s EQ has two faces, a musical Parametric mode for tonal shaping and a 31-band Graphic mode for tuning a system to a room. Flip between them with the PARAMETRIC / GRAPHIC switch. The PRESET box stores and recalls your own curves, and the panel collapses to a single line when you want the space back.

Parametric mode

Four colour-coded bands cover the spectrum the way a soundsystem operator thinks about it. Each band has a gain (in dB) and a tunable frequency.

Graphic mode

A full 31-band graphic EQ from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, ±12 dB per band, for ringing out a rig or dialling in a dub-plate curve. Factory presets include sub pushes, roots warmth and sound-system scoops.

Collapsed view

Folded down, the EQ shows your current band moves in a single readout line so you can keep an eye on the curve without the panel taking the screen.

The Dub Siren is a full transistor-style siren synth, the sound of Jah Shaka and Babylon-era dances. It has its own oscillator, an LFO, a built-in echo and reverb sends, and a live scope. Fire it with TRIGGER, hold it with HOLD, and store up to four patches to SET S1–S4 for the deck siren slots.

Oscillator

Pick a WAVE SHAPE (sine, triangle, saw, pulse or sub) then shape the tone.

LFO & modulation

The LFO is the sweep engine. Choose its WAVE, decide whether it MODULATES pitch or amplitude (tremolo / gating), and set its motion.

The eight built-in sweep modes, slow sweep, fast sweep, up-sweep, down-sweep, step-sweep, ramp-beep, manual pitch and off, give you the recognisable siren behaviours instantly.

Echo & effects

The siren has its own echo: SPIN for a runaway spinning feedback, INF to hold the echo forever, with TIME (300 ms default) and FDBK (35%) and an MS/SYNC switch. The EFFECTS box sets how much siren goes to the main DELAY (100%) and REVERB (75%) and its OUTPUT level (−2.5 dB).

Playing it

Collapsed, the Dub Siren keeps a live mini-scope and the TRIGGER / HOLD buttons on a single strip.

The delay is a true dub tape echo, wow, flutter, tape saturation and a band-pass feedback path, not a clean digital repeat. It is the heart of the dub sound.

Tempo & sync

The MS / SYNC switch chooses free-running milliseconds or tempo-locked divisions. TAP taps a tempo; the BPM readout shows the locked tempo (it can detect the playing track’s tempo). In sync mode the division selector offers everything from 1/1 down to 1/32, each available straight, dotted (D) or triplet (T). The dub default is a dotted 1/4, the classic dub timing behind countless steppers cuts.

Input filter & Tape Character

INPUT FILTER (LOW / MID / HIGH) decides which part of the signal enters the echo, feed it only the highs for shimmering tops, or only the lows for a sub wash. TAPE CHARACTER opens the deep tape engine.

A King Tubby-style spring reverb, six spring lines and four diffusers, with the long, splashy decay of a real tank. Like the delay, it has dub presets ready to go (tank, dark chamber, gated, echo hall, small spring).

Input & output filters

INPUT FILTER (LOW / MID / HIGH) chooses which band feeds the tank, keep the sub out of the reverb so the low end stays tight. The OUTPUT FILTER with its STEP button and Q shapes the returning wet signal; the readout reads OPEN when fully open.

The four-way crossover is what makes this a soundsystem tool. It splits the whole mix into SUB, BASS, MID and HIGH and gives you independent gain, KILL and SOLO per band, drop the bass out and bring it crashing back, kill the tops, solo the sub. Band gains are smoothed so kills and solos never click.

Open SETTINGS on the crossover to tune it to your rig.

Folded down, the crossover keeps the four band meters live on a single strip.

Dub Control isn’t only a player, it’s a live dub preamp. Plug in a mic for MC and toasting, or take a line input, and run it through the echo, reverb and a feedback-killer. Open the mic strip from MIC on a deck.

Dynamics

Echo & sends

The input has its own ECHO with TIME, FEEDBACK, INF hold, TAP and MS/SYNC, independent of the deck delay so the MC can echo without affecting the music. The SENDS push the input into the main DELAY and REVERB.

Input

Choose the input device and channel, set GAIN while watching the METER, and use ON / MUTE to bring the mic in and out cleanly.

Line input

Open LINE for a stereo line input, for running a turntable, another player or an external source through Dub Control. Pick the left and right input channels, set the gain against the L/R meters, and switch LINE 1 ON. A second stereo line (LINE 2) is available if your interface has three or more input channels.

Open MASTER for the master gain knob and tall stereo VU meters reading the final output, post-limiter. The master gain attenuates the whole mix before the limiter, 0 dB (unity) is the top; double-click to reset to 0 dB.

The limiter

A brickwall limiter sits at the very end of the chain to keep peaks under control on a loud system. The LIM indicator on each deck lights when it’s catching. Double-click LIM to open its panel.

It stays transparent until the mix actually clips, then catches the peak cleanly.

Capture your sets. REC records the master output, the full processed mix, exactly as it sounds, to a WAV file. SESSION manages session recording and your saved takes, with a running timer so you know how long you’ve been recording.

Dub Control is built to be played with hardware. Almost every control can be driven from a MIDI controller or the computer keyboard, and your mappings are saved between sessions.

MIDI Learn

1. Click MIDI LEARN in the toolbar. Every mappable control now flashes blue so you can see what’s in play.
2. Click the on-screen control you want to map (a knob, button, kill, siren trigger…).
3. Move the knob or press the button on your controller, it’s now linked.
4. Click MIDI LEARN again to leave learn mode.

You can also add mappings manually from the MIDI menu. This is the way to assign controls that can’t be clicked on the surface, the playlist transport (LOAD 1 / LOAD 2 / NEXT TUNE) and the playlist scroll, for example, can only be mapped this way. The MIDI Mappings editor also lets you review, save, load and delete mapping presets.

Key Assign

KEY ASSIGN works the same way for computer-keyboard keys, handy when you don’t have a controller to hand. In this mode the mappable controls outline in purple. Held actions like rewind and siren trigger behave as hold-to-activate.

Compact Player is the listening side of Dub Control, a streamlined player for spinning your own music or a live radio stream with King Tubby’s effects at your fingertips and the crossover kills on hand for that soundsystem experience. Switch to it from the workspace selector; press TOP to jump back, or FULL CONTROL to return to the full station.

The basics

Crossover & pads

Tap CROSSOVER & PADS to expand the soundsystem controls: KILL SUB, KILL BASS, KILL MID and KILL HI for live drop-outs, a LINK PAIRS switch, and the eight A–H sample pads. The gear icon opens settings.

Dub Control includes a built-in live radio input so you can stream roots, dub, ska and reggae straight into your session.

The featured stations, Alpha Boys School Radio, Real Roots Radio and Scratch Radio, kept the developer company through the long hours of building this app, and each carries the message we love. Out of respect for the school that educated so many Jamaican legends (the Skatalites, Rico Rodriguez, Yellowman and more), 3.14% of Dub Control’s net profits are donated to Alpha Boys School. Tune in, draw inspiration, and run the dance.

Live track titles appear as a scrolling ticker. Streaming is powered by the BASS audio library; station availability depends on the broadcaster.

Knowing the order of the chain helps you predict what every control does. Audio flows top to bottom:

The siren, samples and mic each have their own dedicated echo path, and vinyl-stop / rewind use a separate fixed echo, so those effects keep washing independently of the deck send.

A few moves that turn the controls into a performance.

• The bass drop. Hit KILL on the SUB and BASS bands during a build, then release both on the “one”, the low end crashes back while the echo keeps the killed bassline washing.
• Echo throw. Tap DUB IT on a vocal phrase to throw just that line into the tape echo. Crank delay FEEDBACK past 1.0 for a runaway spin, then pull it back.
• Siren over the break. Store a slow-sweep patch to SET S1, route it to REVERB, and fire it from the deck’s S1 over a drop.
• Filter sweep into the chorus. Engage STEP on the deck filter for rhythmic, stepped sweeps locked to the groove.
• Pull-up. Use REWIND for the classic rewind, the backward spin feeds the dedicated echo, so the tune washes out as you bring it back.
• Cue the next tune. Audition from the playlist with CUE in your headphones while the dance keeps moving.

Troubleshooting

Getting help

For downloads, updates and contact details, visit dubcontrol.com or the MIA Laboratories site. When you report a problem, include your operating system, your audio interface, and what you were doing when it happened, it helps us track things down faster.

Dub Control User Guide, version 1.0, last updated June 2026. This guide reflects the current release; controls, defaults and station availability may change as Dub Control evolves.

The idea first came to me on one of those misty early mornings back in 2006, riding the number 29 bus home after a powerful Zulu Warrior session at the Rocket in London. Shaka had just finished the night with one of his deep and legendary last tunes, and it was still vibrating in my mind.

Only drum and bass. Clean and exposed. The mids and tops stripped right away. Nothing left but weight, space, pressure, and spiritual vibration.

That was the moment the thought arrived: what if that sound could be shaped anytime, anywhere? To take a tune and pull it down to its foundation, to turn anything into a heavyweight soundsystem experience even on a small home stereo. No rare hardware, no expensive preamps. Just a laptop and a soundcard, and a way to control the energy.

Two years later, after countless hours of work with the limited knowledge and tools I had back then, I built Reggae PreProcessor. The idea was there. But the sound quality, the flexibility, the expertise were still missing. So I held onto it, a seed waiting for better ground.

Today, as co-founder of MIA Laboratories audio plugins, Dubwise Hi Fi sound system, and Amp Outernational band and label, the ground was finally fertile. After a lot of work, and a lot of commitment, here comes Dub Control.

What began as a simple idea to remove mids and tops has grown into a full soundsystem control tower, built for shaping sessions, pushing weight, and controlling energy from the foundation up.

Made real with the kind help of Counteraction Soundz and Vision Soundsystem.

With pure love and dedication to the music,
CHRIS STRATOS