Manual 

   

 
 

Contents 
 

Welcome to ShaperBox 2 3 

Installation & Licensing 3 

What’s New in ShaperBox 2 4 

Quick-Start Guide 6 

Reference 10 
Meet The Shapers 10 
VolumeShaper 6 10 
TimeShaper 2 11 
FilterShaper Core 2 12 
PanShaper 3 13 
WidthShaper 2 15 
Shaper Selection Screen 16 
Shaper Bar 16 
Library Presets 17 
Library Browser 18 
Wave Presets 19 
Oscilloscope 20 
LFO Wave Editor 20 
LFO Settings 24 
MIDI Setup 25 
Multiband Editor 26 
Routing And Mixing 27 
Envelope Follower (FilterShaper Core 2 / PanShaper 3 / WidthShaper 2) 28 
Compressor (VolumeShaper 6) 37 
 

2 
 

Welcome to ShaperBox 2 
 

Cableguys ShaperBox 2 is a flexible effects rack for precision mixing and creative sound 
design. It contains 5 powerful effects called Shapers, which are processed in series, meaning 
the output of each one feeds into the next, creating an effects chain. The Shapers can be 
placed in any order you like to create a wide range of effects, and each is calculated on a 
per-sample basis, for high quality results. 

Each Shaper’s effect is controlled by an editable LFO – using Cableguys’ easy tools, you can 
quickly design LFOs of arbitrary complexity by drawing with straight lines and smooth 
curves. Envelope Followers and a Compressor provide another, dynamically-driven layer of 
modulation and control, expanding the creative possibilities. 

Installation & Licensing 

Please refer to the online C
​ ableguys Installation Instructions​. 

   

3 
 

What’s New in ShaperBox 2 

Introducing Pens 
Designing the ideal LFO just got even easier with three powerful,
easy-to-grasp Pens. Draw crisp lines, smooth arcs and flowing S-curves.
Redraw transients in a click, rapidly build rhythmic patterns, and more. Switch
back to classic single-node editing anytime.

Flexible envelope followers 

Filter, Pan and Width Shapers can react automatically to the dynamics of your
beats, loops, melodies – anything. Make filters open with each snare hit. Pan
percussion dynamically. Widen synths as they grow louder. Trigger from other
tracks in your project using sidechain routing.

Designer compression 
With a high-quality, British-inspired compressor inside VolumeShaper 6, you
see compression on the same large graph as your volume edits. Get that
perfect punch and control for drums, basslines, vocals and more. Still not
perfect? Grab a Pen and refine the gain curve till it is.

Powered-up effects 
Use 3 filters at once – including new Phaser types – with multiband
FilterShaper Core 2. Get retro tape/vinyl ‘wow’ with TimeShaper 2’s Fine
mode. Boost transients with VolumeShaper 6's Gain control. Spread sounds
wide with psychoacoustic Haas panning in PanShaper 3.

TimeShaper 2 
● Fine Mode with 2.5, 10 and 20ms options – create tape/vinyl wow/flutter FX
● Blend dry and Fine Mode for freeform chorus and flanger FX
● Quick Presets for Stutter, Scratch and Half-Time

VolumeShaper 6 
● Gain control for LFO – ideal for boosting transients
● Auto makeup gain for Compressor
● Quick Presets for Sidechain FX, Compress and Trim

4 
 

FilterShaper Core 2 
● 8 Notch/Peak Phaser modes, with 2/4/6/8 notches/peaks, for juicy swooshes
● 24dB Notch/Peak filters, for tight scoops and powerful boosts
● Zero-delay feedback (ZDF) DSP throughout, for analogue-like response
● Internal saturation and resonance compensation for Clean filters, for controlled response
● Increased filter range, now from 20Hz-21kHz
● Multiband-enabled! Use three filters at once
● Quick Presets for Rhythm, Envelope Follower and Build-up

PanShaper 3 
● Haas mode for psychoacoustic panning effects
● Blend Haas with regular panning for the perfect stereo balance
● Quick Presets for Basic, Haas and Build-up

WidthShaper 2 
● Quick Presets for Mono Bass, Envelope Follower and Build-up

For all Shapers 

● Trigger Smoothing to reduce clicks when MIDI Triggering

● Work faster than ever with 1-click Quick Presets for production essentials like mono bass and sidechain
ducking. Just add ShaperBox, click and create.
● Redesigned interface with larger editing areas
● Retina/HiDPI support for crisper, clearer graphics
● Oscilloscope Magnitude mode for easy Envelope Follower setup
● Smoother, more accurate spectrum view
● Dedicated selection tool for multinode editing
● 2x/3x button – double/triple patterns in a click
● Increased multiband split range, now from 20Hz-20kHz
● Steep 24dB multiband crossovers join the classic 6 and 12dB models, for even greater precision.
● External sidechain input for Envelopes/Compressor
● Envelope/Compressor input filters, for frequency-conscious response
● Envelope Follower Threshold, so only loud signals trigger envelope
● Depth x2/x4/x8 for Envelopes, to amplify modulation strength
● Adaptive Release mode for Envelopes/Compressor

   

5 
 

Quick-Start Guide 
 

1. Add a Shaper 

 
When you load ShaperBox 2, you see a screen that shows all five available Shapers. Go 
ahead and click one to add it to the effects chain in its default state, or click one of the three 
Quick Presets under any Shaper to instantly set it up in a useful configuration – a 
VolumeShaper 6 sidechain, or TimeShaper 2 ‘vinyl scratch’, for example. Alternatively, click 
Add all Shapers​ to insert all five Shapers in one go. Don't own all Shapers yet? No problem 
– you can run any of them in demo mode to test them out. 

2. Manage your Shapers 

 
Do you want a filtered stutter or a stuttered filter? The order in which you place your 
Shapers can have a big impact on the sound – drag them in the Shaper Bar to rearrange 
them. To bring up a Shaper for editing, click its icon. Hit ‘+’ to bring up the Start Screen and 
add more Shapers (you can add one of each). 

   

6 
 

3. Editing parameters 

 
Drag a slider to adjust – hold S
​ HIFT​ for precise adjustment. Double-click to reset to the 
default value. Scroll your mousewheel or trackpad with the pointer over a control to adjust 
it, or over a menu to step through its contents. 

4. Design your LFO Wave 

 
The large graph in the centre of each Shaper is the LFO Wave Editor — use it to modulate 
Shaper Parameters such as volume or filter cutoff frequency over time, creating motion and 
movement that brings your tracks to life. Create your own custom modulation LFO 
waveform by dragging in the Wave Editor area using the pointer tool, or three powerful 
Pens – learn more about wave editing by clicking the ‘?’ icon at the bottom of the plugin. 

   

7 
 

5. Set up the Envelope Follower 

Filter, Pan and Width Shapers feature an envelope follower that reacts to peaks in the 
incoming audio signal. For example, use it to make the filter open automatically with each 
snare drum hit. To turn the envelope follower on/off, click the Envelope button, top right. 
Use the Attack, Hold and Release controls to shape the Envelope’s response to the incoming 
audio, and Amount to set the strength of the modulation – ie, how deep the filter, pan or 
width changes will be. Threshold excludes input signals below a certain level.  

VolumeShaper 6 is a little different: it contains a Compressor section instead. However, the 

controls work in almost exactly the same way as those of the envelope follower (because a 
compressor is basically an envelope follower that controls amplitude). 

6. Load Presets 

 
 

For instant inspiration, use the User Wave buttons below-left to call up specially designed 
LFO Wave Presets. These cover everything from classic sine, square, saw and other 
analogue-style waveforms, to production essentials like sidechain ducking, and a variety of 
creative rhythmic patterns. Or use the preset bar at the very bottom of the interface to load 
professionally crafted ShaperBox 2 presets – step through presets with the < and > buttons 
to either side of the current preset name, and open the full browser with the ‘folder’ icon. 

8 
 

7. Focus Your Sound 

 
Want to apply a Shaper to just one frequency range? Perhaps you’d even like to try different 
LFO or envelope follower setups for bass, middle and treble. The Bands section gives you 
this power. Use the multiband crossover in the upper left – grab the handles to adjust the 
frequencies, and click a band to edit its Wave. Use the upper-right Mix knob to blend dry 
and wet signals for every band, or use the lower-right Master Mix to blend ShaperBox 2’s 
final output with the dry input signal. 

Need more help? 

Hover the mouse over any control to see a quick description in the lower-right Help bar. 
Click the ‘?’ icon at the bottom of the plugin for detailed wave-editing help, and a link to this 
manual. 

   

9 
 

Reference 
 

Meet The Shapers 

Each Shaper has a different specialism and at least one Shaper Parameter that can be 
modulated by the LFO waveform drawn in the Wave editor. In addition, Filter, Pan and Width 
Shapers can be modulated using an envelope follower, accessed with the Envelope button, 
while VolumeShaper features a corresponding Compressor section. 

Shapers also have Settings in the top bar section. These cannot be modulated – though like 
most controls in ShaperBox, they can be automated via your DAW. 

VolumeShaper 6 
VolumeShaper modulates the volume of the 
audio signal based on the LFO waveform 
drawn into the Shaper Graph and/or the 
action of its compressor. 

Use VolumeShaper for... 

● Classic sidechain pumping/ducking 
effects 
● Achieving louder mixes by sidechaining only the bass 
● Removing and softening elements in a mixed loop 
● Rhythmic gating/stuttering – a.k.a. ‘trance gating’ 
● Completely custom tremolo effects 
● Isolating elements within a mixed loop 
● Enhancing punch and snap with compression 
● Multiband compression, for focused dynamic response 
● Precision control of dynamics through a combination of compression and LFO 
volume modulation 
● Transient editing 

Settings 
● Gain: ​Boost or attenuate the volume level. 
● Compressor:​ Activate/deactivate the Compressor for the selected band. You can 
also hide/show the Compressor using the small arrow. 

10 
 

Wave Editor 
● X axis:​ Time, as determined by the LFO Length/Speed parameter. 
● Y axis: ​Volume in decibels, from -inf dB at the bottom, through -6dB at the centre, to 
0dB at the top. 

TimeShaper 2 
TimeShaper works by storing the incoming 
audio in a buffer, then scrubbing or 
scratching backwards and forwards through 
that buffer in real time, based on the 
movement of the LFO. 

Use TimeShaper for... 

● Smooth, click-free stutters and edits 
● Stutter effects using Step Draw 
mode 
● Half-speed effects for trap and hip-hop 
● Real-time reverse effects 
● Tight, tempo-locked scratches 
● Half-speed slow-down effects 
● Tight tape-stops 
● Tape-style ‘wow’, chorusing, vibrato and more 

Settings 

 
● Time Range 
○ Linked (As LFO Length)​: The default setting, suitable for most situations. The 
maximum time offset (Y axis of the graph) is equal to LFO Loop Length, which 
can be in beats (​LFO Mode: Beat​), milliseconds (​LFO Mode: Hertz​), or as 
defined by the incoming MIDI note (​LFO Mode: Pitch​). 

11 
 

○ Beat (1/2/4/8 Bars)​: Set the maximum time offset manually in bars. Set 
higher than LFO Length to jump further back in time; set lower for greater 
vertical resolution in the Wave Editor. 
○ Fine (2.5/10/20ms):​ The maximum time offset is very small indeed (2.5, 10 or 
20ms), creating subtle fluctuations rather than large jumps in time. Use this 
to create realistic tape/vinyl-style pitch ‘wow’ effects, vibrato, chorus/flanger 
(in conjunction with dry/wet Mix), etc. 
 
● Step Mode 
○ Smooth​: Prevents clicks by performing a small fade-in before each ‘hard’ 
step, such as those used in the Stutter category of the User Waves. This is the 
default option, giving the best results in most situations. 
○ Instant​: The playback point jumps instantly at hard steps. Clicks may occur, 
depending on the source material. 

Wave Editor 
● X axis:​ Time, as determined by the LFO Length/Speed parameter. 
● Y axis: ​Time offset, shown in beats or milliseconds. The maximum offset value 
(labelled at the bottom of the axis) depends on the Time Range option – see the 
TimeShaper Settings section, below, for more on this. 
● X axis offset indicator bar:​ The right edge moves steadily and points to the current 
position in the L​ FO​. The left edge shows the point in the input a
​ udio​ waveform that’s 
actually being played back. 

FilterShaper Core 2 
FilterShaper Core is a powerful three-band multimode filter that enables independent 
modulation of both cutoff frequency and resonance, with a dedicated LFO and Envelope 
Follower for each. 

Zero-delay feedback DSP is used throughout, ensuring an analogue-like response with even 
the fastest, wildest modulations (easily possible with ShaperBox’s LFOs that go up to 
5.24kHz). In addition, internal saturation and resonance compensation is used to ensure 
that you can push these filters to the brink of insanity – and beyond! – while still enjoying a 
dynamically consistent, musical output that sits well in the mix. 

Use FilterShaper Core for... 

● Rhythmic filtering of beats, pads, basses – anything! 
● Isolating or removing kicks​, snares and hi-hats from drum loops 
● Elaborate multiband filtering with a different filter type on each band 
● Dynamic filter modulation based on the volume of the incoming signal or another 
track entirely 

12 
 

● Complex ‘wah’-style effects with an envelope follower on every band 

● Radical multiband sound design with audio-rate modulation 

Settings 
● Filter Type 
○ 6dB Clean (Low-Pass/High-Pass):​ Ultra-transparent filters with a shallow 
slope for gentle high- and low-frequency roll-off. 
○ 12dB Clean (Low-Pass/High-Pass/Band-Pass/Notch/Peak):​ Standard 
steepness filters, for controlled yet characterful results. 
○ 24dB Clean (Low-Pass/High-Pass/Band-Pass/Notch/Peak):​ Like the 12dB 
Clean variants, but with sharper roll-off, for tight and flavourful frequency 
sculpting. 
○ 12dB Sallen-Key (Low-Pass/High-Pass/Band-Pass/Notch):​ Warm, 
analogue-style filters with a medium roll-off slope. Sallen-Key is a classic filter 
design found in several vintage and modern hardware analogue synths. 
○ 24dB Sallen-Key (Low-Pass/High-Pass/Band-Pass/Notch):​ Steeper 
analogue-style types for edgy ‘character’ filtering. 
○ Notch Phaser (2/4/6/8-Notch):​ This phaser type creates notches in the 
frequency spectrum. It’s great for adding more subtle movement, and it 
works especially well on full-frequency material such as lush pads. 
○ Peak Phaser (2/4/6/8-Peak)​: Add spaced resonant peaks with this phaser 
configuration. It excels at psychedelic sweeps and deep, powerful 
modulations that jump from the speakers. 
 
● Edit Mode 
○ Cutoff/Resonance:​ Switch between editing filter cutoff frequency and 
resonance with these two buttons. 
 
● Envelope:​ Click to activate/deactivate the Envelope Follower for the selected band. 

Wave Editor 
● X axis:​ Time, as determined by the LFO Length/Speed parameter. 
● Y axis: ​Filter cutoff frequency in Cutoff Edit Mode, from 20.6Hz at the bottom, 
through 659Hz at the centre, to 21.1kHz at the top. Filter resonance in Resonance 
Edit Mode, from 0-100%. 

PanShaper 3 
PanShaper modulates the stereo position of the audio signal based on the LFO waveform 
and/or the Envelope Follower, using a blend of regular level-based panning and 
psychoacoustic Haas placement. 

13 
 

Use PanShaper for... 

● Detailed and precise rhythmic panning of any sound 
● Bringing stereo movement to mono drums 
● Surgical panning of individual frequency ranges within a loop 
● Dynamic panning of drums and percussion 
● Adding stereo energy to specific frequency ranges 
● Mixing regular and psychoacoustic panning for spectacular stereo imaging 
● Energising basslines without compromising mono compatibility 
● Modulating the panning of one track based on the volume level of another 

 
Settings 
 
● Pan Mode 
○ Stereo Balance (3dB/4.5dB/6dB/0dB):​ The best option for most sources. 
Works like the pan control in most DAWs/mixers, reducing one channel's 
level and increasing the other (by 3, 4.5 or 6dB) to compensate for level loss. 
Set to 0dB for no compensation. 
○ Stereo Combined (Combined):​ Pan both 
channels together to prevent 
hard-panned sounds from disappearing. 
 
● Pan/Haas 
○ 100%/0% – 0%/100%​: Combine regular 
level-based panning with the delay-based 
Haas effect. The Haas effect uses very short delay times to psychoacoustically 
simulate stereo imaging placement. The slider ranges from 100% regular 
panning to 100% Haas, with combinations of the two in-between. 
 
● Haas Range 
○ 0.00-40.0ms​: The maximum Haas delay time in milliseconds, as applied at full 
modulation. Around 2ms gives a range of stereo placement that reflects real 
life, so this is the default value, but it’s quite common in mixing to go higher 
than this, for ‘larger than life’ results. 
 
● Envelope:​ Click to activate/deactivate the Envelope Follower for the selected band. 

💡 TIP: Haas can cause ‘phasing’ sounds when mixed to mono, especially when modulated 
or applied heavily. Therefore, we recommend to check your mix in mono while fine-tuning 
the Pan/Haas and Haas Range controls, in order to achieve a result that works well in both 
mono and stereo. You may also try restricting the frequency range of the effect using the 
Bands section in the upper left. Don’t have a ‘mono mix’ tool? Just add a WidthShaper after 
PanShaper, and set it to fully mono. 

14 
 

Wave Editor 
● X axis:​ Time, as determined by the LFO Length/Speed parameter. 
● Y axis: ​Left/right panning position. Haas delay time in milliseconds. 

WidthShaper 2 
WidthShaper modulates the stereo width of the audio signal, based on the LFO waveform 
and/or the action of its Envelope Follower. More specifically, WidthShaper modulates only 
the side signal of the mid/side mix – this means WidthShaper will never comprise the audio’s 
mono compatibility no matter how wild your experimentation gets. 

Use WidthShaper for... 

● Creating huge, stereo-filling risers 
● Spreading out the high frequencies without affecting the midrange and low end. 
● ‘Monoising’ the bass without affecting midrange and high frequencies. 
● Widening or narrowing sounds as they get louder or quieter 
● Modulating the width of one track based on the volume level of another 

Settings 
● Gain: ​Boost or attenuate the volume level – useful for compensating the perceived 
change in volume caused by narrowing or expanding the stereo width. 
● Envelope:​ Click to activate/deactivate the Envelope Follower for the selected band. 

Wave Editor 
● X axis:​ Time, as determined by the LFO Length/Speed parameter. 
● Y axis: ​Stereo width, from Mono at the bottom, through the original input signal 
width at the centre (100%), to wide at the top (200%). 

15 
 

Shaper Selection Screen 

The first thing you see when you launch ShaperBox 2 is the Shaper Screen. Here, you can 
add any Shapers you own to the effects chain (or all of them at once with the A
​ dd all 
Shapers​ button), and try out any you don’t in demo mode. If you prefer, you can hide 
Shapers you don’t own with the ‘Show Full Versions Only’ button. 

Each Shaper also has three Quick Presets underneath its main logo. These give you 1-click 
access to a range of essential processes, such as sidechain ducking and compression with 
VolumeShaper 6, mono bass in WidthShaper 2, and half-time in TimeShaper 2. 

If you would prefer ShaperBox 2 to always open up with one of these presets, set your 
preferred startup preset in the Startup section of the Main (​☰​) menu. 

Shaper Bar 
 
The Shaper Bar holds all currently loaded Shapers, with the signal flowing through them 
from left to right. 

● Click to select a Shaper for editing, drag to change the order, or click ‘+’ to add more 
Shapers (not available if you have already loaded all Shapers). 
● Hover to access Remove Shaper or Shaper On/Off. Note that Shaper On/Off can be 
automated using your DAW’s automation system. 
● Use the Master Mix to blend the effected output with the unprocessed input – this 
can give different results to using the Mix controls inside individual Shapers. 

   

16 
 

Library Presets 
ShaperBox 2 ships with a large library of professionally designed presets. It also gives access 
to the Cableguys Preset Cloud, where you 
can share presets with other users. Because 
Cableguys' in-house sound designers are 
constantly adding new presets to the Preset 
Cloud, the ShaperBox 2 library is 
ever-growing, bringing new presets to 
stimulate your creativity. 

Loading a Preset always loads a complete 

ShaperBox setup, replacing all current 
Shapers and their settings. Presets include any User Waves too. 

⇔:​ Step through presets based on your current Preset Filter setting. 

📁:​ Open and close the full Preset Library Browser. 

☰:​ Open the Main Menu. 

Main Menu 
● Preset 
○ New:​ Want to start from scratch? This removes all Shapers and resets 
ShaperBox 2 to its default state. 
○ Save:​ Store your preset – it will be stored locally, on your computer, until the 
next time you hit Sync. If you'd like to share the preset with others via the 
Cableguys Online Preset Library, uncheck 'Set to Private'. 
○ Startup​: Select one of the Quick Presets as your Startup preset, bypassing 
the Shaper Selection Screen. For example, choose the V ​ olumeShaper > 
Sidechain​ option, and when you add a new ShaperBox, it loads up with a 
classic 1/4-note sidechain curve ready to go. Set to S ​ haperBox > Empty 
(Default)​ option to disable this feature. 
 
● Cableguys Preset Cloud 
○ Sync Presets:​ Get up to date with all the latest presets. Selecting this menu 
option (or clicking the S
​ ync​ button at the top right of the Preset Browser) will 
download all new Shared presets, and upload/update all of your presets 
(your Private ones are uploaded only for backup purposes – other users will 
not see them). Note that syncing is completely optional – you can use 
ShaperBox 2 without ever connecting it to the Internet. 
○ Edit your Cableguys Profile:​ Show the Cableguys community who you are! 
Upload your avatar image, enter profile text, and link to your website and 
social media. Profiles are completely optional and only available if you share 
presets. Any of the fields can be left blank. 
 
● Help 
○ Show Help Screen:​ Open the quick wave editing guide. 
○ Open Web Manual and Tutorials​ Access this online manual. 

17 
 

○ Check for Updates:​ Ensure your ShaperBox 2 is up to date. This takes care of 
all Shapers – you don’t need to update each one separately. 

Library Browser 
Find both useful everyday setups and 
inspirational effects with ShaperBox 2's 
Library Browser. 

💡 TIP: Presets are displayed in the order in 

which they were created, so to check out 
the newest presets, click ▶▶ to go to the end 
of the list. 

From left to right, the elements of each Preset listing are: 

● Preset/Creator​: The name of the Preset and its Creator. 

● Shaper​: Indicates which Shaper this preset is for. Displays ‘Mixed’ if for multiple 
Shapers. 
● Shapers used:​ Every Shaper used in the preset is represented by a square of its 
characteristic colour. 
● Rating​: How do other users rate this Preset? By default, this shows their average 
score. Click to set your own rating, shown in orange – click again to remove your 
rating. 
● Approved​: Cableguys’ in-house sound designers check every Shared User Preset – if 
it's useful enough, it’s Approved, as indicated by this badge. 
● Shared/Private​: Make your preset Shared or Private – click the padlock to toggle the 
status, updated on the next Sync. Note that once a Shared preset has been Synced, it 
cannot be set back to Private status. 
● Trash​: Delete a preset, updated on the next Sync. Note that Shared presets cannot 
be deleted once Synced. 

Preset Filter 
Fill in the fields to narrow the selection of presets. 

● Preset​: Partial matches are accepted – eg, type "rhythm" to see all presets 
containing the word rhythm. 
● Creator​: The author of the preset. 
● Selection​: Show only Approved presets, My Presets or All presets. 
● Shaper​: Sometimes, you want a preset for a specific Shaper – here's the option for 
that. Select Mixed to see Presets that combine multiple Shapers. 
● Minimum rating​: Only want the very best? Click to see the presets rated at least as 
high as your chosen star value. 

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Wave Presets 

Each Shaper has its own specially designed Wave Presets. These are simpler than Library 
Presets, loading an LFO waveform into the current Shaper without changing any other 
settings. 

Wave Presets are categorised. For example, VolumeShaper 6 has categories (shown above) 
for Sidechain (sidechain ducking/pumping), Trimming (for shortening and shaping the 
envelope of a sound), Rhythmic 1 & 2 (adding groove and motion), and Basic (standard 
synth-style waveforms: saw, square, etc). 

Wave Presets can be switched in real time using host automation. 

💡 Study each Shaper's Wave Presets to learn which shapes create which effects – especially 
useful for TimeShaper 2. 

User Wave Slots 

Opposite the fixed Wave Presets are nine User Wave Slots: 

Click the ‘downwards arrow’ icon to Store the current Wave. Load any stored User Wave by 
clicking it. Hover on a stored User Wave for Store and Remove options. 

When MIDI Switch is enabled, the User Wave Slots instead look like this: 

Now MIDI notes C# to A will load the corresponding User Wave into the Shaper from which 
it was originally saved, turning ShaperBox 2 into a performance effect – trigger it via your 
MIDI keyboard, pads, or other device. Or, trigger via MIDI clips in your DAW to change waves 
in sync with your song. 

If you are using Shapers in multiband mode (see M​ ultiband editor​, below), the colour 
indicates both the Shaper and the band into which the Wave will be loaded. This makes it 
easy to load different Waves into different bands of the same Shaper 

Once you've created a great setup for jamming or live use, simply save it as a Library Preset 
– all the User Wave Slot assignments will be stored with it. 

The cog icon opens a screen with MIDI input configuration and additional help – see M
​ ore on 
MIDI​, below. 

19 
 

Here are just a few creative ways to use MIDI wave-switching: 

● Switch FilterShaper Core 2 patterns, from smooth sweeps, to fast wobbles and 
complex rhythms, to create a live ‘wobble machine’. 
● Store a range of TimeShaper 2 stutter and repeat effects to create wild glitch effects 
on the fly. 
● Use VolumeShaper 6 to apply a ‘trance gate’ effect to a synth pad, and switch 
between different waveforms/rhythms. 
● Switch sidechain curves in VolumeShaper 6 depending on the part of the song, or 
kick drum being used (eg, a different kick for your breakdown or intro). 

💡 TIP: Just like the Wave Presets, you can use host automation to switch User Waves. 
💡 TIP: Why does the MIDI Switch key range start at C# and not C? The answer is that C is 
reserved for ShaperBox’s MIDI Trigger feature, which restarts the LFO waveform (explained 
later in this manual). That means you can use both MIDI Switch and MIDI Trigger features at 
the same time. 

Oscilloscope 
A sample-accurate oscilloscope displays the input (dark) and processed (light) audio signals. 
By default, the Oscilloscope works in Magnitude mode, combining the left and right 
channels (showing whichever is highest in amplitude at any given moment) in a single 
‘upward’ audio waveform. 

You can switch to a normal waveform view, and left/right channels toggled in the 
Wave/Oscilloscope Menu (right-click in the waveform editor). You’ll also find the option to 
Freeze the scope – useful if you’d like to continue editing while the transport is stopped. 

Magnitude mode makes it easy to dial in VolumeShaper 6’s Compressor and the Envelope 
Followers found in PanShaper 3, WidthShaper 2 and FilterShaper Core 2. For this reason, 
when the mouse pointer is over an Envelope Follower or Compressor control, Magnitude 
mode is always enabled temporarily, and the brightness of the waveforms slightly 
increased. 

LFO Wave Editor 

ShaperBox 2 features a powerful system for designing and editing your own LFO waveforms 
in exquisite detail. Create smooth curves, peaks, cuts and slopes using soft or hard 
breakpoints to define gentle transitions or sharp bends in the wave. Or, use three Pens to 
freely draw, adjust and sequence steps, ramps, arcs and S-curves. 

LFO waveforms are made up of freely adjustable "points" (aka nodes or breakpoints). 

There are three weights of point: 

20 
 

⬤ Hard: Creates a tight angle. Extremely precise, but can cause clicks due to the 
instantaneous parameter change. 

● Medium: The angle is rounded off slightly – great for 'instant' jumps without clicking 
artifacts. 

○ Soft: For smooth, flowing curves – create sweeping modulations, soft pulses and gradual 
changes. 

Using these, any LFO shape can be created, from stepped staircases to gentle, pulsing 
curves, or any combination of these. 

Tool Strip 

 
The Tool Strip contains tools used to create and edit waveforms in the Wave Editor. From 
left to right: 

● Pointer:​ Create and edit points without snapping them to the background grid – see 
How to edit points with the Pointer tool​ below. 
● Snapped Pointer​: Works just like the Pointer, except points will be snapped to the 
background grid as you move them. 
● Line Pen:​ Draw, adjust and repeat lines – see H ​ ow to use Pens​ below. 
● Arc Pen:​ Draw, adjust and repeat curved arcs – see H ​ ow to use Pens​ below. 
● S-Curve Pen:​ Draw, adjust and repeat S-shaped curves – see H ​ ow to use Pens​ below. 
● Selection:​ Draw a box to select all points that fall within it, or S ​ HIFT​-click the button 
to select all points. You can then move and scale the points by dragging the selection 
box or the handles around its edges. Hold A ​ LT​ to lock to vertical movement only, or 
ALT-SHIFT​ for horizontal lock. Hold A ​ LT​ while scaling to stretch about the centre. 
● Move wave/selection left/right​: Shift the selection or entire wave one grid space 
left or right. Hold S
​ HIFT​ for precise adjustment (1/16th of a grid space). 
● Randomize wave points​: All points are set to a new random position and weight. 
No points are removed or added, but points snap to the background grid if the 
Snapped Pointer is selected. S ​ HIFT​-click to move points vertically only, preserving 
the rhythm. 
● 2x:​ ‘Double-time’ the selection or the entire waveform. S ​ HIFT​-click to ‘triple-time’. 
● Delete Points:​ Remove all points, or delete selected points. 
● Undo/redo​: Step back and forth through your edits. Works on a per-Shaper/band 
basis. 
● •••:​ Open the Wave/Oscilloscope menu – see below. 

💡 TIP: Minutely shifting the wave left/right using the Move function can be very helpful in 
fine-tuning the response of sidechaining curves in VolumeShaper 6 – just a little earlier or 
later can make a real difference to the groove and tightness. 

21 
 

How to edit points with the Pointer tool 

● To create a soft point, c
​ lick​ an empty area. 
● To create a hard point, C ​ TRL-click​ an empty area. 
● To change a point's weight, r​ ight-click​ it. 
● To delete a point, d
​ ouble-click​ it. 
● To move a point, d​ rag​ it. 
● Toggle snapping temporarily by holding S ​ HIFT​ while moving. 
● Select multiple points with S ​ HIFT-drag​. You can then move and scale the points by 
dragging the box or the handles around its edges – great for easily changing the 
intensity or ‘amount’ of an effect. Hold A ​ LT​ to lock to vertical movement only, or 
ALT-SHIFT​ for horizontal lock. Hold A ​ LT​ while stretching to scale about the centre. 

💡 TIP: Click the ‘?’ icon to access a quick wave-editing guide right inside ShaperBox 2. 
 

How to use Pens 

ShaperBox 2’s three Pens enable lines, arcs and S-curves to be 
created, manipulated and repeated in the waveform. They all work in 
the same way, with a simple, intuitive workflow. 

● Click once​ to add a line, arc or S-curve at the location shown 

by the white visual preview.  
● Click again​ without moving the mouse to add the same shape again, right after the 
first. Repeat as required! 
● Click-drag​ to change the length and height of the Pen shape. Note that if you drag 
far enough left, the shape will be flipped around (and clicking to repeat will move 
from right to left!). The Pen will retain its shape until edited again. 
● If a Pen shape ‘crashes’ into the edge of the Wave Editor, the shape will be 
compressed to fit. Clicking while the shape is compressed will set the Pen to this new 
size. 
● Hold CTRL​ to toggle to the Pointer tool temporarily. 
● SHIFT-drag​ to select multiple points. You can then move and scale the points by 
dragging the box or the handles around its edges – great for easily changing the 
intensity or ‘amount’ of an effect. Hold A ​ LT​ to lock to vertical movement only, or 
ALT-SHIFT​ for horizontal lock. Hold A ​ LT​ while stretching to scale about the centre. 
● Pens always snap to the grid.  

Wave/Oscilloscope Menu 

22 
 

 
Right-click any empty area in the Wave Editor, or click the ••• button in the Wave Editor Tool 
Strip to open this menu. 

● Wave 
○ Select all points​: Creates a selection around all points in the Wave – the 
same as ​SHIFT​-clicking the Selection tool button. 
○ Flip horizontal​: Reverse the wave/selection in time. 
○ Flip vertical​: Invert the wave/selection. 
○ Double​: ‘Double-time’ the selection or the entire wave. 
○ Triple​: ‘Triple-time’ the selection or the entire wave. 
○ Show triplet grid​: Change the snap grid to triplet time – useful for 
shuffle/swing rhythms. 
○ Copy/paste​: Transfer waves between Shapers and bands. 
 
● Oscilloscope 
○ Magnitude mode​: The default ‘half waveform’ view, showing the highest 
amplitude at any given moment out of the left and right channels. Disable to 
switch to the classic two-channel mode. 
○ Left/Right channel​: Enable only one channel – useful for displaying a bigger 
mono waveform in classic oscilloscope mode. Disable both to turn off the 
oscilloscope. 
○ Freeze​: Lock the current waveform – useful if you want to edit while the 
transport is stopped. 

💡 TIP: Create a ‘trimming’ wave in VolumeShaper 6, so you hear only the hi-hats in a loop – 
then flip the wave vertically to exclude the hi-hats. This works great when applied only to the 
treble band. 

💡 TIP: With all points selected, you can adjust the intensity of the waveform by stretching it 
vertically, or speed it up/slow it down by stretching it over time (for example, to turn a 
half-bar pattern into a full-bar one). Hold A
​ LT​ while stretching to scale about the centre. 

23 
 

LFO Settings 

These three menus give you control over when the waveform starts over, and the length of 
the LFO cycle. You can set it free-running, synced to the tempo of your DAW, or even to the 
frequency (pitch) of a MIDI note you're playing, to create everything from long, evolving 
sweeps to freaky ring modulation-style effects. 

LFO Mode, Length and MIDI Trigger are set independently per Shaper – in fact, when 
unlinked, each band inside a Shaper can have its own settings. 

Here’s how the three menus work: 

● LFO Mode 
○ Beat​: The default mode. The LFO locks to your project’s tempo and play 
position, and the LFO Length is set in musical units (bars and beats). 
○ Hertz​: The LFO rate is set in Hertz (cycles per second). When Hertz mode is 
selected, the LFO Length menu is replaced by a Speed slider. Note that in 
Hertz mode, the LFO is ‘synced’ to project position once when you hit play – 
this gives consistent-sounding playback from a given position.  
○ Pitch​: The LFO speed will be set to the frequency of the MIDI note you play. 
Try it for bizarre ring modulation-style effects! When Pitch is selected, the 
MIDI Trigger menu switches automatically to On mode. 

○ LFO Link : To set the LFO for multiple Shaper bands to the same settings, 
activate the Link icons in those bands. You can link any combination of the 
three bands in this way. When the Mid band is part of the linked group, you 
can automate all linked LFO controls via the Mid band’s LFO parameters. If 
only Low and High are linked, then the Low band is the one to automate. 
Disable the Link controls for independent LFO settings per band. Note that 
Link affects Mode, Length/Speed and MIDI Trigger – to remind you, all three 
parameters will flash when toggling Link buttons. 
 
● Length/Speed 
○ Length (1/128–32 Bars)​: In Beat mode, set the length of the loop, from 1/128 
to 32 bars. The 1/4, 1/2 and 1 buttons give instant 1-click access to the three 
most commonly used timings. 
○ Speed (0.020–5.24kHz)​: In Hertz mode, set the free-running LFO rate. 
 
● MIDI Trigger 
○ Off​: The LFO loops continuously regardless of MIDI input. 
○ On​: The LFO loops continuously, but resets to the start when a MIDI note is 
received. 
○ On (1-Shot)​: The LFO does not loop, but will play exactly once when a MIDI 
note is received, then remain at the final value of the waveform. With 
VolumeShaper 6, for example, if the waveform ends at the bottom of the 

24 
 

Graph, the volume will stay there, and you will hear only silence until the next 
MIDI note is received. Drag the final point/node of the waveform to the upper 
right of the graph to keep it at full volume after the LFO has played.  
 

For the MIDI Trigger modes, any note will work, e

​ xcept​ when ShaperBox's MIDI Switch 
option is enabled too, in which case only C notes will reset the LFO. 

💡 TIP: Note that Ableton Live has a serious bug concerning timing that can affect all 
position-synced plugins (ie, not just Cableguys plugins). For more info, see our F
​ AQ page​ for 
a workaround. 

💡 TIP: The LFO Link function is great for easy editing and ensuring that your LFOs stay in 
sync across bands. However, exciting rhythmic effects can be achieved by disabling it. Try 
copying the same Wave to all bands, but using different Loop Lengths for each. Or 
combining a beat-synced pattern in one band with audio-rate modulation on another. 

MIDI Setup 
For instructions on setting your DAW up to send MIDI to ShaperBox 2, please visit our F
​ AQ 
page​.  

Open ShaperBox 2’s MIDI Setup screen by clicking the small ‘cog’ button in either the MIDI 
Switch or MIDI Trigger area. 

● MIDI Port 
○ Direct From DAW​: This is the best option if supported by your DAW, as it 
gives the tightest possible timing. 
○ MIDI Devices​: If your DAW doesn’t support the D ​ irect From DAW​ option, 
assign a MIDI input port from those available to your system. The timing may 
not be as tight, though, and you’ll need to return to this screen if ports are 
added or removed. 
○ Channels:​ Select All Channels, or any individual MIDI channel from 1-16 for 
input. 
○ Trigger Smoothing:​ This option is on by default and alleviates the clicks that 
can arise when retriggering LFOs with MIDI. 

   

25 
 

Multiband Editor 
Multiband processing brings a powerful extra 
dimension to every Shaper, dividing the input 
signal into three completely separate and 
independently ‘shaped’ frequency bands. 

Here are just a few of the countless things you 

can do using multiband processing: 

● Bass sidechaining: ​Duck just the bass by homing in on it with VolumeShaper 6’s low 
band, leaving all other frequencies in the signal unaffected. Get tighter bass and 
keep the top-end groove. 
● Multi-spectrum sidechaining:​ Apply different sidechain ducking curves to each 
VolumeShaper 6 frequency range – go long on the bass, medium length in the mids, 
and short at the top, allowing your kick to punch through with total precision. 
● Get wide but solid bass:​ Use WidthShaper 2 to widen the higher frequencies in a 
bassline while keeping the lows mono and centred. 
● Solve troublesome dynamics issues:​ VolumeShaper 6’s Compressor becomes even 
more powerful in multiband, helping you tame even the most dynamically wayward 
of material. Simply set the Split sliders to target the frequency range of whichever 
element is jumping out – ‘jumpy’ midrange resonances in a vocal, for example – and 
set the Compressor for that band as required. 
● Animate arpeggios:​ Set PanShaper 3 to divide an arpeggiated synth, piano or guitar 
into three ‘note ranges’, then apply different envelope follower Amounts to each for 
multi-directional panning based on note input. 
● Extreme time shaping:​ Deconstruct the very temporal fabric of a drum loop by 
pushing it through TimeShaper 2 with totally different LFO waveforms for each band. 
● Add interest to pads:​ Apply FilterShaper Core 2’s Phaser to just the midrange in a 
complex pad sound for a combination of psychedelia and stability. 

That barely scratches the surface of ShaperBox’s multiband possibilities – the only limit is 
your imagination! 

ShaperBox 2’s multiband setup is designed with ease of use in mind. The three bands are 
defined in the Bands section at the top-left of the interface, which also shows the audio 
spectrum and modulation signal level for each one. 

● Split sliders​: Add a low or high band by moving a Split slider to the desired 
frequency. You can also change the slope of each filter split to 6dB, 12dB or 
24dB/octave — this option becomes visible when you move the mouse over the 
spectrum. The exact split frequencies are shown in the help text area at the bottom 
of the plugin when you mouse-over the band split. 
● Solo (S)​:​ S
​ olo the selected band – the other bands in the Shaper are muted. Click 
between bands to instantly solo them. 

26 
 

● ‘Arrows’ button: ​Expand the Bands spectrum to fill the interface. 

Routing And Mixing 

 

Do you want a filtered stutter or a stuttered filter? The order of the effects can make a huge 
difference to what you get out of them, and experimenting with this is very easy in 
ShaperBox 2 – just drag Shapers in the Shaper bar to change the left-to-right processing 
order. 

Each Shaper has its own dry/wet Mix control in the upper-right of 
the interface. This blends the signal coming into the Shaper with 
its output. In fact, there is a Mix control for each band when using 
Shapers in Multiband mode. 

With Volume, Pan and WidthShaper 2, the dry/wet Mix works like an ‘amount’ control, 
making the effect less pronounced the lower it goes – the result is exactly the same as if the 
modulation curve had been flattened vertically. Lowering the Mix slider also has a profound 
effect on the Compressor, enabling parallel, a.k.a. New York-style, compression. (PanShaper 
3’s Haas effect is an exception to this, however, as, rather than flattening the curve, it mixes 
its slightly-delayed output with the dry signal, which can introduce phasing artifacts.) 

With Filter and Time Shapers, blending the Dry and Wet signals has the potential for much 
more drastic effects. 

To set the same dry/wet Mix amount for multiple Shaper bands, enable the Link button to 
the upper-right of the slider. You can link any combination of the three bands in this way. 
When the Mid band is part of the linked group, you can automate all linked Mix controls via 
the Mid Mix parameter. If only Low and High are linked, then the Low Mix parameter is the 
one to automate. Disable the Link controls for independent Dry/Wet Mix per band.  

💡 TIP: As mentioned earlier, the Master Mix in the Shaper Bar works differently to the 
individual Mix knobs. Master Mix instead blends the output of the final Shaper in the chain 
with the unprocessed signal at the plugin’s input. This is useful when, for example, you’ve 
put your signal through a far-too-destructive series of Shapers in the name of experimental 
sound design and want to rein the results back in by mixing in some of the original sound. 

27 
 

Envelope Follower (​ FilterShaper Core 2 / PanShaper 3 / WidthShaper 2) 

So far, we have only looked at ShaperBox 2’s LFOs. LFOs work by imposing a f​ ixed 
modulation shape onto the audio, regardless of what the audio is actually doing. Envelope 
Followers are different: they follow the amplitude envelope (the peaks and troughs of the 
waveform) of the audio to create a d ​ ynamic​ modulation curve from the audio itself. 

If that’s a little hard to understand, check out the graph above. The grey spikes are drum hits 
in a loop, and the blue trace is the envelope follower’s reaction to those hits. In this 
example, FilterShaper Core 2’s filter opens (ie, raises the filter cutoff) every time there is a 
loud drum hit, then closes gradually afterwards. 

Envelope Followers are found in FilterShaper Core 2, PanShaper 3 and WidthShaper 2. Use 
them to create modulation of the filter, panning or stereo width that follows the rhythm and 
dynamics of your audio. There is a separate Envelope Follower for each band. 

To better understand the Envelope Follower – or just Envelope – let’s see how the controls 
affect its response. 

Envelope Controls 
Attack 
Attack determines how quickly the Envelope rises to meet peaks in the audio. A fast attack 
gives a practically instant rise, shown as a vertical line on the trace. A slow attack gives a 
gradual slope that lags a little behind the audio peak. 

28 
 

 
Fast attack S
​ low attack 

Hold 
Once the Envelope has completed its attack phase and reached the peak level, you can 
make it stay at this level for a while, giving a flat horizontal line on the trace. Setting Hold to 
0ms will disable this feature. 

 
Hold disabled (0ms) Short hold Long hold 

Hold can be used to: 

● Avoid distortion caused by very short attack and release times. 

● Get musical, rhythmic results. Try setting hold to around 250ms at 120bpm to ‘delay’ 
the release by half a beat – good for creating off-beat bounce. 

Release 
What goes up must come down, and after the attack/hold phase, it’s time for the Envelope 
to fall back to its resting point. The Release determines how long the descent takes. It looks 
something like this: 

29 
 

Fast release Slow release Very slow release 

…Note how the fast release ‘rides’ individual cycles of the waveform. 

Enable Adaptive Release with the small ‘A’ button next to the Release slider. This uses a 
dual-stage release envelope, so that quick transient events get a faster release time, thus 
reducing pumping artifacts. 

 
Adaptive Release OFF With Adaptive Release ON 

Threshold 
ShaperBox 2’s Envelope Follower is extremely sensitive, and will accurately follow even the 
smallest details of your track. Sometimes, though, you only want the Envelope to react to 
the loudest, boldest sounds – for example, the kick and snare in a drum loop, but not the 
hi-hats. This is where the Threshold control comes in. It allows you to exclude quiet sounds 
from being tracked by the Envelope Follower. Set the Threshold, and the Envelope will 
‘ignore’ all sounds below this level (you may also know this as a gate). To have the entire 
input ‘followed’, set the Threshold to the minimum value of -Inf dB. 

 
Gate disabled (-inf. dB) Gate at 50% 

30 
 

Amount 
Perhaps the simplest control in the Envelope Follower, this sets the strength of modulation 
produced by the Envelope Follower, up to 200% (and beyond with the Depth control, 
explained below). Note that in Add mode (explained later), it can also be set negatively. For 
example, to make FilterShaper Core 2’s low-pass filter ‘open’ with each kick drum hit, you 
would use a positive Amount to raise the cutoff with every hit. To make the filter ‘close’ with 
every hit, you would use a negative Amount instead. 

Shift 
Sometimes, the Envelope is reacting exactly how you like, but you want to shift the whole 
modulation curve up or down on the graph. This control does just that. As an example, let’s 
say you’re modulating FilterShaper Core 2’s low-pass filter cutoff on a synth lead, and you 
want just a bit of filter movement – about 10% Amount seems right. However, at default 
levels, the filter cutoff will hardly reach above 100Hz, so the high-pitched synth lead 
becomes inaudible! Increasing Amount helps, but then the cutoff is rushing up and down 
the whole frequency range, creating a very obvious effect. Raising Shift instead allows you to 
position the modulation’s resting point without changing the Amount. 

💡 TIP: If you want to get a Shaper’s parameter moving using host DAW automation rather 
than the LFO or Envelope Follower, this is the parameter to do it with. Automating Shift with 
no LFO or envelope modulation (ie, Threshold all the way up or Amount all the way down) 
taking place simply manipulates the filter cutoff/resonance, pan position or stereo width 
directly. 

Depth 
Sometimes you need even stronger modulation than the default Amount range of +/-200% 
can supply. For example, when Attack is increased, the envelope may not rise up as far 
when reacting to transients. Or when using sidechain filtering (explained later), the input 
signal may be reduced in level due to frequencies being removed, so the envelope is also 
lower in level. 

The Depth buttons are there to help in such cases. Choose between x2, x4 and x8 options, 
representing +/-200%, +/-400%, and +/-800% Amount ranges. 

Add / Multiply 
Found only in FilterShaper Core 2 and WidthShaper 2, this option controls how the Envelope 
and the LFO interact. While the Envelope and LFO can seem like two separate ‘effects’ in use, 
the modulation shapes they create are always combined before being used to control a 
single parameter such as filter cutoff. 

The colored Modulation Trace drawn on the graph reflects this, and although it may seem 
like this is showing you the Envelope’s response, that’s not quite accurate – it is the c​ ombined 
LFO/Envelope result. 

31 
 

So how does ShaperBox 2 combine the LFO and Envelope? The simplest way is to add them 
together – that’s the default Add mode. 

Here are a few examples of how the LFO and Envelope will stack up when added – the 
Envelope is using the exact same settings in all examples. 

 
LFO at 0% position LFO at 50% position Rising LFO ramp 

 
LFO sine wave LFO steps 

In Add mode, you can think of the LFO as applying an offset to the Envelope’s vertical 
position (or vice versa). 

💡 TIP: If the total modulation amount (LFO + Envelope) exceeds the top of the graph, it will 
have nowhere left to go. You can see this in the sine wave and steps examples above: where 
the LFO reaches the maximum position, the envelope trace is flattened out. Therefore, it is 
possible to create a setup that gives no modulation, if the LFO is in the 100% position all of 
the time. The same advice applies with negative Amounts and the bottom of the graph. 

Multiply mode 
In Multiply mode, the LFO and Envelope are instead multiplied together. Essentially, the LFO 
controls the depth/strength/amount of the Envelope’s modulation. You could create a cool 
filter cutoff Envelope that reacts to the hi-hats, and make it more intense over time with a 
simple rising LFO ramp across a number of bars. 

💡 TIP: When the Envelope is reacting quickly (eg, reacting to every 1/4 note), and the LFO 
more slowly (eg, 2 bars), it can seem like the slower element, the LFO, is controlling the 

32 
 

intensity of the faster element, the Envelope. However, with a slow Envelope and rapid LFO 
modulation, the perceived effect is reversed: it seems like the Envelope is controlling the 
intensity of the LFO. 

💡 TIP: Multiply mode has one important consequence that you need to remember: if the 
LFO o
​ r​ envelope is at zero (at the bottom of the graph), then the output will also be zero. 
That means no modulation! So, if you are using Multiply mode, and no modulation is 
happening, make sure your LFO and envelope are both well above zero. This is especially 
important with low-pass filters in FilterShaper Core 2, because they can produce silence if 
stuck at their lowest position (20Hz). 

Here are some examples of Multiply mode: 

 

     

LFO at 100%  LFO at 50%  LFO at 0% 

Full envelope modulation is  Envelope modulation is  With LFO at zero, there is no 
visible    reduced to half the height    modulation! 

     

LFO ramp wave  LFO sine wave  Slow Release Env. with Fast LFO 

The amount of envelope  The amount of envelope  The fast LFO pattern is 
modulation increases over time  modulation
  undulates up and  controlled by the slower 
down over time  envelope.
  Every time there is a 
loud drum hit, the pattern 
becomes more pronounced. 

   

33 
 

Envelope Input 
Normally, the Envelope Follower listens and reacts to all frequencies in the input signal (or in 
the current band, as defined in the upper-left Bands section). 

We can see that the Dry Audio signal is split in two, with one copy sent to the Shaper effect 
(eg, filter, panner, widener) for processing, and an identical copy sent to the Envelope 
Follower’s input. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way: the Filter section allows you to select which frequencies 
the Envelope hears (Note: this does not filter the audio you hear, and it is nothing to do with 
FilterShaper Core 2’s creative filtering effects). Like this: 

You can even route in external signals from other tracks in your project (called external 
sidechain routing), like this: 

34 
 

Band/Free 
● Band/Free​: In Band mode, the 
Envelope Follower responds to the 
frequencies in the band, as defined in 
the upper-left Bands section.  

In Free mode (shown), you can freely adjust the High/Low Envelope Filters 
independently of the band crossover frequencies.  

● High/Low Envelope Filters​: This double-ended slider sets the range of frequencies 
this Envelope Follower will hear and respond to. The exact frequencies are displayed 
in the help text area at the bottom of the plugin. 

● When in Band mode, you cannot edit this parameter, though it will reflect your 
current Bands setting – a useful reminder of how the Band mode works.  

Here are some example uses for the Envelope Follower’s Free mode: 

○ Widen the high frequencies of a mixed loop whenever the kick drum plays. 
○ Momentarily open the filter cutoff only when the snare drum plays, to 
automatically extract/isolate the snare drums in a mixed loop. 
○ Slightly pan a guitar or synth part in response to the midrange frequencies of 
a vocal (using Sidechain – see below), creating subtle mix space for the vocal, 
and dynamic stereo placement. 

● Sidechain​: Enable this and the Envelope Follower listens to an external sidechain 
signal, which could be any track in your DAW. For this to work, you must use your 
DAW to route the sidechain signal into ShaperBox 2’s secondary inputs (ie, inputs 3 & 
4). Please see your DAW’s manual for information on this. 
 
Using external sidechain routing, you can, for example, compress the bassline on 
one track whenever the kick drum on another track plays. 
 
Note that you can use the Envelope Follower’s Filter section and Sidechain at the 

35 
 

same time to achieve advanced and creative routings. 

 

● Solo Sidechain​: Lets you hear exactly what the Envelope Follower is hearing – 
especially useful when using the Free Filter or Sidechain options. The filtered signal is 
routed directly to ShaperBox 2’s output, bypassing all other Shapers, so that you can 
monitor it in isolation. 

   

36 
 

Compressor ​ (VolumeShaper 6) 

VolumeShaper 6’s Compressor complements the LFO’s user-defined volume modulation by 
reacting directly to the dynamics of the input signal. It’s great for automatic smoothing of 
dynamically uneven signals, getting them sounding thicker and more present. Use it to 
make drums more punchy and ‘glued’, basses chunkier, vocals more in-your-face, and 
synths more ‘pumping’. It works per-band, and you can use it on its own or combine it with 
the LFO for an extra layer of dynamic control – more on this at the end of this section. 

A compressor reduces the volume of the input signal by a certain amount (Ratio) whenever 
it goes above a user-specified level (Threshold), then returns it to its original volume again 
when it drops back below the same level (Threshold). The reduction and subsequent return 
occur at user-specified rates (Attack, Hold, Release). 

To better understand the Compressor, let’s see how the controls affect it. 

💡 TIP: If these controls seem familiar, that’s because all of them apart from Ratio are also 
found in the Envelope Followers, where they’re functionally identical. 

 
Threshold 
The Threshold control sets the decibel level above which the volume reduction 
(compression) is triggered. You might position it to ‘catch’ just the very loudest elements (the 
snare in a drum loop, say), or dig deeper into the signal to clamp down on all but the 
quietest bits (squashing an unruly bassline, for example). In simple terms, everything below 
the Threshold is ignored, and everything above it gets compressed. 

Ratio 
The amount of volume reduction (compression) applied to the signal when it exceeds the 
Threshold, expressed as a ratio between 1.00:1 and 100:1. With Ratio set to 5:1, for example, 
the output signal will only rise by 1dB for every 5dB the input signal exceeds the Threshold. 
2:1 is the default value of VolumeShaper 6’s Compressor, and it’s a good starting point for 
everyday compression, smoothing dynamics in a natural, non-obvious way; 100:1, on the 
other hand, delivers brutal limiting, bringing peaks almost all the way down to the level of 
the quietest elements. A 1:1 ratio means no compression takes place. 

Attack 
As we’ve explained, when the input signal exceeds the Threshold, compression kicks in – but 
that doesn’t happen instantly (although it can be very fast indeed). The speed at which the 
full compression Ratio – and thus full volume reduction – is reached is set by the Attack 
slider, which ranges from 0.010-200ms. At very low Attack settings, peaks in the signal are 
compressed so fast that even the initial transients (the very first, ‘attacking’ part of a sound) 
don’t get through. Lengthening the Attack, then, allows the crack of a snare drum or the 
‘pluck’ of an electric bass to get through, before the ‘body’ of the sound is reduced in level. 

37 
 

This enhances the impression of snap (short attack) and punch (long attack). Lengthen it too 
far, though, and the compression might not have time to grab hold of fast transients– 
although this can be just the ticket if you’re after a pumping effect on more sustained 
sounds. 

Hold 
Once the Attack phase has completed and full compression is reached, the Hold setting 
keeps it at that level for up to 500ms, regardless of input signal level. Setting Hold to 0ms 
will disable this feature. 

💡 TIP: Use Hold to create more specific compression shapes. For example, with fast 
Attack/Release compression on drums, try setting Hold to 5ms to emphasise the transients 
even more. 

💡 TIP: VolumeShaper’s Compressor is designed to give low distortion. However, with very 
fast attack/release times, distortion may naturally occur as the compressor ‘rides’ individual 
wave cycles of the sound. short Hold setting can alleviate this. Try compressing a clean but 
deep bassline (a sine wave sub bass or 808 is perfect) to explore this. 

Release 
When the input signal falls back below the Threshold, the Release parameter determines 
how long it takes for the compression to ‘let go’, returning the signal to its natural volume 
level, from 50.0ms to 2.00s. 

Enable Adaptive Release with the small A button next to the Release slider. This uses a 
dual-stage release envelope, so that quick transient events get a faster release time, 
reducing pumping artifacts. 

Makeup 
A compressor lowers the volume of the signal when it goes above the threshold, meaning 
the output will always be quieter than its input. To counteract this, most compressors have 
something called makeup gain to boost the signal afterwards – and VolumeShaper is no 
exception. With the ‘A’ button on, Auto Makeup is active, which automatically sets the output 
gain so that, in most cases, the compressed signal sounds about as loud as the original, dry 
one – important for making accurate comparisons and managing gain-staging. If the Auto 
Makeup doesn’t get it quite right, you can manually offset it using the Makeup slider. 

Envelope Input 
VolumeShaper’s Compressor uses an ‘internal’ envelope follower (a.k.a. detection circuit) to 
track the volume level of a ‘silent’ parallel copy of the input signal, and this envelope 
follower has all the same features as the FilterShaper Core 2/WidthShaper 2/PanShaper 3 

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Envelope Follower. So, you can filter what the compressor responds to, or override it with 
the audio from another track altogether via the External Sidechain input. 

Band/Free 
● Band/Free​: In Band mode, the detection circuit responds to the frequencies in the 
band, as defined in the upper-left Bands section. 

In Free mode, you can freely adjust the High/Low Envelope Filters independently of 
the band crossover frequencies. 

Here are some example uses for the Compressor’s Free mode: 

○ Making the compressor ‘ignore’ the bass so as to avoid it causing unwanted 

pumping. 
○ De-essing. Focus the Filters on the sibilant frequencies in a vocal, or the 
‘harshness’ range of a cymbal, for example. Adjust Bands to separately 
choose the frequencies that actually get reduced, for transparent results. 
○ Mix rescue at the mastering stage. Imagine a drum loop with kick drum, 
snare drum and hi hats. The snare drum is standing out of the mix too much, 
so you would like to add compression to the whole mix whenever there is a 
snare drum hit. By setting the Envelope section’s filters to focus on the 200Hz 
region where the snare’s fundamental tone is found, the compressor’s 
detection circuit will ignore the bass drum and hi-hats.  

● High/Low Envelope Filters​: This double-ended slider sets the range of frequencies 
the Compressor will hear and respond to. When in Band mode, you cannot edit this 
parameter, though it will reflect your current Bands setting – a useful reminder of 
how the Band mode works. 

● Sidechain​: Enable this and the Compressor listens to an external sidechain signal, 
which could be any track in your DAW. For this to work, you must use your DAW to 
route the sidechain signal into ShaperBox 2’s secondary inputs (ie, inputs 3 & 4). 
Please see your DAW’s manual for information on this. 
 
Note that you can use the Compressor’s Filter section and Sidechain at the same 
time to achieve advanced and creative routings. 
 
Using external sidechain routing, you can, for example, compress the bassline on 
one track whenever the kick drum on another track plays. 

● Solo Sidechain​: Lets you hear exactly what the Compressor is hearing – especially 
useful when using the Free Filter or Sidechain options. The filtered signal is routed 
directly to ShaperBox 2’s output, bypassing all other Shapers, so you can monitor it 
in isolation. 

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Using VolumeShaper’s Compressor and LFO together 

Combining the Compressor and LFO gives you access to a degree of dynamic sculpting. 
Here, for example, we’ve dialled in the Compressor so it sounds great on a drum loop, 
except for a couple of hi-hats that are now poking out too much, because the Compressor is 
not grabbing them in the same way. Instead of messing around with the Compressor 
settings, potentially compromising the rest of the loop, we can just grab the Arc Pen and 
draw two dips in the LFO waveform, like this, to reduce the level of those two hi-hats: 

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