Transient Shapers?
Yes, they are strange, I know.
And yes, they do have a learning curve…
But, do you know exactly what they do?
A transient shaper is a type of dynamic processor that lets you control the envelope of a sound in order to modify its attack and decay without adding the typical sound artifacts of a compressor.
If you mix drums on a daily basis, transient shapers will be your friends!
Now, this all seems kinda confusing and might look weird at first, but honestly there are plenty of options you can install as transient designers for your audio mixes.
But, which one is the best?
Read this blog and you will know which are the 5 Best Transient Shapers!
Top 5 free transient shapers
Smile Transient Shaper by Noisebud
If you are familiar with vintage gear from the 70's you will love the GUI of this plugin because it features the typical "big knobs" like old school compressors and EQs used to have!
Some of the controls include a big mix knob, a transient recovery button with its sensitivity knob, filter switch, mid/side modes, and bypass switch.
Another cool feature is the ability to process the signal on Mid/Side mode, ideal when you have stereophonic sound sources.
The plugin is available on both Windows and macOS systems in VST and AU formats.
Also, it is free, so you will never have to think about keycodes, serial numbers or any kind of registration procedures that can be a bit annoying sometimes.
Smile works as a great transient shaper to de-harsh your sound sources while adapting to the frequency response of the human hearing, just like Fletcher-Munson curves do.
BitterSweet V3 by Flux
BitterSweet 3 is a plugin developed by Flux and available on Windows and macOS systems under the VST, AU, AAX, and VST3 formats.
The graphic user interface is extremely simple, minimalistic, and kinda "futuristic". The whole design of the knobs and color scheme makes it look like a spaceship control.
The main control is the big knob located in the center that you can twist to the "sweet" side in order to reduce the transients, or to the "bitter" side to increase the transients.
The plugin also features a selector for fast, medium, or slow programs, adapting to the incoming audio information, especially useful on different types of percussive material.
It also gives you the possibility of processing stereo and Mid/Side. This way you can affect only the center, or only the sides, ideal on most drum overheads and drum room signals that typically are panned hard left and right.
Couture Free Edition by Auburn Sounds
Couture is a free transient designer plugin developed by Auburn Sounds available on both Windows and macOS systems as VST, AU, and AAX formats.
The graphic user interface looks really nice considering it features an industrial-looking color scheme with big knobs and sliders.
The main control is the transient control knob that lets you reduce or increase the transients, depending on where you rotate the knob.
This knob includes the transient speed mini-knob that controls how quickly these transients are modified as well as the front/back knob that controls the area of the transient affected.
You also get a mode selector that lets you choose between different algorithms such as flat, human, and Sybil, depending on the program material.
Last, but not least, it features a couple of sliders for dry/wet signals, that let you apply this effect as a parallel processor, ideal for mixing.
Transient by Sleepy-Time DSP
Transient is a free plugin developed by SleepyTime VST available on Windows and macOS systems in VST format.
The two main controls of this software are the Attack and Sustain knobs.
The process is simple… if you want more attacks, you turn the "Attack" knob. If you want more sustain, you turn the "Sustain" knob. This way you can control the transients of your program material.
The plugin features a very simple blue and grey interface with knobs, sliders, and switches that are all in front of you.
Another great feature is the ability to link the attack and sustain knobs so that one parameter is reduced when the other is increased.
You can also add low pass filters and high pass filters to the incoming signal in order to capture only what is in between, reducing the possibility of false triggering.
At the same time, you can control the VCA and Envelope timing, in order to respond faster or slower to the incoming signals.
Ableton Transient Shaper
Transient Shaper is an Ableton-only piece of software that opens as part of the Max-For-Live platform that lets you shape the transients of your program material.
The program is available on both macOS and Windows platforms that have Ableton installed with Max-For-Live.
The graphic user interface is extremely simple, just like all processors included in Ableton, featuring eight knobs that control different parameters.
The knobs let you control the amount of transient control applied to the attack and decay of the envelope.
It also features the possibility of "tuning" the transient shaper to the desired length of attack and decay.
If you want to add some dirty-ness to your signal, you even get a "Saturate" knob for those cases.
Oh, and if you are trying to compensate for the lost level after shaping the transient, it features a useful "MakeUp Gain" knob designed just for that operation!
Conclusion
First of all, if you need the easiest-to-use Transient Shaper of the market, with literally just one knob, go get the BitterSweet V3 Transient Designer. There is no way to beat the simplicity of this thing.
Now, if you are feeling like a more experienced user, and you need something with all the bells and whistles, don't look more and download the Couture free Transient Designer. This thing really has it all, even the stuff you will never need!
Last but not least, are you an Ableton Live user? If that is the case, you need to download the Transient Designer from Ableton Live that opens under the Max for Live environment. This perfect integration with Live and the easy operation makes it perfect for producers, engineers, and musicians.
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