Transient shapers

[JerrelTheKing]

Hey guys I trialed DCAM's EnvShaper last year then got really busy and wasnt able to play with it much. I was wondering how significant if any is it an upgrade over simply routing audio through Kong to use it's transient shaper... Feedback would be much appreciated.. Thanks

[normen]

Afaik Kongs transient shaper only works on drums that you trigger with Kong itself - so it uses the "MIDI" info to know when the transient occurs. I didn't try this though, its definitely true for some of the other effects like the rattler etc.

[JerrelTheKing]

@normen I put Kong in as an insert fx and am able to use its effects no matter the source the same way I use Antidote for its reverb.

[Olivier]

I prefer the dcam over the one in KONG. A much wider range of manipulation, plus the added bonus of in/out gain... and a mix knob.

[selig]

If anyone's interested, here's an interesting take on a transient shaper I built a few years ago. Unique features include a peak (transient) "length" control, a "solo peak" function (useful for knowing what you're adding), and a sustain level. You also have a HP filter for the peak/sustain section and a "Tape" saturation option.

I built this mainly for giving life to the REX loops in the FSB (adding transients or sustain rather than removing it), but there are plenty of creative uses as well. Also interesting for anyone wanting to delve into the concept behind transient shapers. You could also modify it to reduce attack/sustain if that's something you find yourself needing.

Grab it here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/147 ... k!.cmb.zip

[normen]

@normen I put Kong in as an insert fx and am able to use its effects no matter the source the same way I use Antidote for its reverb.

Right. Just tried it and it works with any signal, also the rattler. Funny, I wanted to use one of the FX some time and it didn't work for some reason so I expected it to work off the trigger signal and not the actual audio transients.

Edit: Maybe it was because I used it on an actual drum track with bleed, could be the effect triggered only once because of that. Anyway, cool - you live you learn ^^ Thanks

[tumar]

I like DCAM EnvShaper more than Native Instruments Transient Master. I play hand drums, so EnvShaper is golden for me. If you use rex drums loops, EnvShaper removes a veil from your monitors

[JerrelTheKing]

Thanks guys good points I may have to pull the trigger on it. Want to wait for a black friday sale on the dcam bundle but I'm mixing an album now. @selig thanks I will give it a try. @normen I learn stuff on here from you guys all the time. glad I can give back lol.

[JerrelTheKing]

@selig that combinator is a beast. It could be a RE based on all the features. How do I add attack on it? I was looking at transient shapers for kicks and snares primarily..

[selig]

@selig that combinator is a beast. It could be a RE based on all the features. How do I add attack on it? I was looking at transient shapers for kicks and snares primarily..

Not sure I understand your question, as the main purpose is to use it to add attack - by default it is adding attack (to drums primarily), or maybe I'm misunderstanding your question?

[JerrelTheKing]

@selig how to regulate the attack amount? Is it the peak level knob?

[selig]

@selig how to regulate the attack amount? Is it the peak level knob?

Yes, the level of the peak signal is controlled by the "Peak Level" Knob. This is a "parallel" effect, meaning the peak energy is being added in (at the amount set by the Peak Level knob) to the original signal, so keep in mind the overall peak level will increase. You can use the Tape setting to control some of this added peak energy. To hear (solo) only the signal being added by the Peak Level knob, use the "Solo Peak" button. While the peak is soloed you can adjust the Peak Length to control how long the added transient/peak lasts. Longer times means you'll hear it more but at some point you'll loose the effect. The converse is true for shorter times - you'll hear it less but at some point it will become too short to add anything to the sound (or will disappear completely).

By balancing the peak length vs level controls (and listening to the soloed vs full signal) you can fine tune the overall transient effect, something other transient generators do not allow. Also, using the HP filter focuses the transient energy in the higher range, adding less actual peak level (according to the meter) bit still providing the basic perceived effect. And again, the Tape mode allows taming some of the added peaks. There is also a final maximizer just in case you boost things too far!

Mods I've considered are switching the Tape to affect ONLY the peak and sustain signals, adding a final output level control, and taking the HP filter out of the side-chain input and instead filtering the Peak/Sustain signal - there's just not enough control in a Combinator to allow all the possible controls I'd like to see so I've had to compromise a bit with this device. As you can tell from the name, this is the 15th version I built, so there have been quite a few alternate ideas tried over the years!

[miscend]

You could build it into an RE. Selig.

[selig]

You could build it into an RE. Selig.

One day, for sure - but there are other things I really want to do before this one…

[tiker01]

You could build it into an RE. Selig.

One day, for sure - but there are other things I really want to do before this one…

Teasing teasing

[Mmj85]

You could build it into an RE. Selig.

One day, for sure - but there are other things I really want to do before this one…

Teasing teasing

My wallet just trembled and I calmly responded to it;
"Don't be scared little one, Selig's RE's are great! Your little green friends will be put to good use"

[JerrelTheKing]

@Mmj85 ha..I agree. His racks are so great they should come with Reason they're just that essential.

[gak]

I enjoy my Selig plugs.

@topic: I've grown weary over "transient shapers" over the years. It's just a gak thing, but very rarely have I ever been like "omg, TS, wow, how much better is my mix"

Certainly do think there is a reasonable market for some though! (hopefully, it will be done right and not gimmicky)

[mcatalao]

I think you have more control with DCam Env Shaper. I've used the Kong Env Shaper a lot, with really good results but you can take things farther with DCAM.

The bias knob allows you to set the transient sensitivity, so you can have really harsher settings compared to Kongs.

You also have another Transient Shaper, its the Sononics GSX. This one is more a creative effect, it separates the audio in various bands, and each band has some effects, one if those is the transient shaper. The transient shaper in GSX is simpler than Dcam EnvShaper, but you can have different settings for the different bands, so it might be really good option to take care of stereo samples, where you don't have different tracks for the different drums.

[JerrelTheKing]

@mcataloao Hmm thanks I've been thinking about the GSX for other things. I need to trial it.

[mcatalao]

Its a great device, i've used it in a bunch of tracks. It also has a nice Tape stop button that sounds really nice, and it chops and stutters audio, so its a mix between a multiband dynamics processor with something the likes of Buffre. I have both and buffre got to second choice cause i always thought it was kind of difficult to control it.

[JerrelTheKing]

So I've been trialing the Sononics GSX today and whoa... that little device is an amazing tool for beatmakers.. The ability to shape transients by band up to 5 bands is a beatmakers dream.. Plus some nifty fx to go with it.. Wish I trialed this before purchasing another device recently that only had the tape stop, stutter, etc. thanks for the recommendation @mcatalao