Manual

v2.3.2
Contents

Welcome to ShaperBox 2 3

Installation & Licensing 3

What’s New in ShaperBox 2 4

Quick-Start Guide 5

Reference 9
Meet The Shapers 9
TimeShaper 2 9
DriveShaper 11
FilterShaper Core 2 12
CrushShaper 14
VolumeShaper 6 15
PanShaper 3 16
WidthShaper 2 17
Shaper Selection Screen 19
Shaper Bar 19
The Help bar 20
Library Presets 20
Library Browser 21
Wave Presets 22
Oscilloscope 24
LFO Wave Editor 24
LFO Settings 27
MIDI Setup 29
Multiband Editor 29
Routing And Mixing 30
Envelope Follower (Drive / Filter / Crush / Pan / Width) 31
Compressor (VolumeShaper 6) 41

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Welcome to ShaperBox 2
Cableguys ShaperBox 2 is a flexible effects rack for precision mixing and creative sound
design. It contains seven 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 editing tools,
you can quickly design LFOs of arbitrary complexity, combining straight lines and smooth
curves. Envelope Followers and a Compressor provide another, dynamically-driven layer of
modulation and control, expanding the creative possibilities.

System Requirements
Windows
Windows 7, 8 or 10
VST or AAX host sequencer
32- or 64-bit

Mac
Mac OS X 10.8 or later
VST, AU or AAX host sequencer

Works with Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools 12, Cubase, Bitwig Studio, FL Studio,
REAPER, Studio One, and many other DAWs that support VST, AU or AAX.

Installation & Licensing

Please refer to the online Cableguys Installation Instructions.

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What’s New in ShaperBox 2
ShaperBox 2 is regularly updated with new features and improvements. New Shapers are
also added semi-regularly, sometimes as paid upgrades.

Below is an overview of the key changes up to v2.3.2.

To ensure that you are running the latest version, download it from your Cableguys account.

v2.3.2 – May 2021

● AAX version, for compatibility with Pro Tools.

v2.3 – December 2020

● New: DriveShaper, the ultimate distortion toolkit.
● LFO Smooth control for all Shapers (except TimeShaper).

v2.2 – November 2020

● Stereo Offset control for FilterShaper Core 2,
● Easy 1-slider Envelope/Compressor editing.
● Waveform editing enhancements.
● Custom startup preset.
● 2x Lower CPU in TimeShaper.

v2.1 – December 2019

● New: CrushShaper, the ultimate creative bitcrusher.

v2.0.1 – November 2019

● Resizable interface, from 75% up to 200%.

V2.0 – September 2019

● Pens for drawing crisp lines, smooth arcs and flowing S-curves.
● Envelope Followers that react to audio dynamics.
● British-inspired Compressor inside VolumeShaper 6.
● Phasers and multiband added to FilterShaper Core 2.
● Fine Mode in TimeShaper 2.
● Haas stereo panning in PanShaper 3.

See the changelog.txt in the ShaperBox installer Zip for a complete list of changes.

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Quick-Start Guide

1. Add a Shaper

When you load ShaperBox 2, you see a screen that shows all seven 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 seven 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 left and right 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).

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3. Editing parameters

Drag a slider to adjust its parameter – hold SHIFT 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.

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5. Set up the Envelope Follower

Filter, Drive, Crush, 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 power
button, top right. Raise or lower the Amount slider to set the strength of the modulation – ie,
how deep the filter, drive, crush, pan or width changes will be.

When you need to get into the details, open the Edit Panel using the arrow button next to
the Envelope power button. Use the Attack, Hold and Release controls to shape the
Envelope’s response to the incoming audio. The Threshold determines the input signal level
that has to be exceeded for the envelope follower to respond.

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

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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.

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 the 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 slider to blend
dry and wet signals for every band, or 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 the
current version of this manual.

Additionally, the Cableguys YouTube channel contains many video how-to’s, tips and
tricks, including key ShaperBox tutorials:

▶️ Watch “How To Design Your Own LFOs” and learn how to use Cableguys’ powerful
LFO drawing and editing features in just 10 minutes.

▶️ Watch “How To Use DriveShaper” and learn DriveShaper in 5 minutes.

▶️ Watch “Make Your Music Move With Filters” and learn how to add flow, life and
musical movement to your music with FilterShaper Core 2.

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 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, Drive, Crush, Filter,
Pan and Width Shapers can be modulated using an Envelope Follower, while VolumeShaper
features a corresponding Compressor section.

Shaper Parameters
As mentioned, every Shaper offers one or more modulatable Shaper Parameters – for
example, FilterShaper Core 2 gives you Cutoff and Resonance.

There are three ways to control a Shaper Parameter: by dragging its control tile up/down,
via the LFO, or with the Envelope Follower. All 3 methods can be used simultaneously.

Dragging the control tile up/down actually moves the entire LFO up/down. The percentage
shown in the tile represents the average value of the waveform, and when the waveform is
shifted into the top or bottom of the graph, it ‘clips’, ultimately flattening entirely as the
average reaches 100% at the top or 0% at the bottom. When there are multiple Shaper
Parameters, single-click one to select it for editing.

When a Shaper Parameter is being actively modulated by the LFO or Envelope Follower,
you’ll see the symbol on its control tile, to remind you that it is no longer a static setting.
We’ll use this symbol in the manual, too, to denote Shaper Parameters.

Note that TimeShaper is a special case: unlike the other Shapers, it does not feature a
control tile or an Envelope Follower, and its underlying “time” parameter is controlled solely
via the LFO.

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

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.

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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).
○ 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 LFO. The left edge shows the point in the input audio waveform that’s
actually being played back.

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DriveShaper
DriveShaper is a distortion effect featuring
LFO and Envelope Follower modulation of
Drive amount, and a versatile selection of
distortion styles, including clipping,
rectification and wavefolding.

▶️ Watch “How To Use DriveShaper” and

learn DriveShaper in 5 minutes.

Use DriveShaper for...

● Rhythmic analogue-style distortion, adding grit and energy to loops
● Envelope-following distortion, applying saturation to only the peaks in a signal
● Dynamic multiband distortion – target specific frequency ranges for
envelope-following distortion
● General distortion – even without any modulation applied, DriveShaper’s works
wonders on drums, basses, guitars, synths and more

Settings
● Distortion Transfer
Curve: Visualises how
waveforms are shaped
by the distortion, with
input amplitude on the
X axis and output amplitude on the Y axis. When Drive is modulated by the LFO or
Envelope, the curve is animated.
● Input Gain: Raise or lower the gain of the audio signal at the input, from -12dB to
+36dB, to balance it with DriveShaper’s built-in gain compensation. The input signal
is visualised by the red meter integrated into the Distortion Curve display – to ensure
optimum signal level, aim to have the meter full most (but not all) of the time.
● Output Gain: Compensate for the volume level increase at the output that can occur
as the Drive is boosted, from +12dB to -36dB.
● Drive: DriveShaper’s main control, boosting the gain of the signal going into the
saturation circuit to increasingly distort it, with gain compensation automatically
applied to balance the output level. The precise effect of increasing the Drive
depends on the currently selected Style. The Distortion Transfer Curve visualises the
mapping of input to output in real time as the control is adjusted or modulated, so
you can see, as well as hear, what’s happening.
● Grip: Modifies the distortion curve to make the quiet parts of the signal even quieter
the further it’s raised. This is useful for preventing ambience or background noise
being boosted along with the rest of the distorted signal, as well as general creative
waveshaping purposes.

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 ● Push: Applies DC offset for asymmetric distortion in the Rectify and Wavefolding
Styles, except Extreme Fold, where the positive and negative sides of the curve are
pushed in opposite directions.
● Style: Ten varied distortion types for a wide range of sonic possibilities.
○ Soft Clip: Relatively gentle saturation of the kind produced by overdriving a
vacuum tube amplifier or electromagnetic tape. The top of the waveform is
clipped differently to the bottom, producing more odd harmonics.
○ Hard Clip: Hard saturation of the kind produced by guitar fuzzbox effects.
○ Soft Square: Adds smooth distortion around the zero crossing line, and
gradually squashes the distortion curve towards a rectangular shaper.
○ Hard Square: Adds hard distortion around the zero crossing line, while
soft-clipping the top of the waveform.
○ Soft Rectify: Gently rectifies and soft clips the signal, flipping the bottom half
of the waveform up to the top for ‘octave up’ effects. Adjust the Push
parameter to create characterful asymmetric distortion.
○ Hard Rectify: Rectifies and hard clips the signal, flipping the bottom half of
the waveform up to the top for edgier ‘octave up’ effects. Adjust the Push
parameter to create interesting asymmetric distortion.
○ Skew Fold: Rough approximation of a bipolar sinusoidal wave folding
function with a distinctive and colourful harmonic series.
○ Sine Fold: Bipolar sinusoidal wave folding. The bipolar transfer curve ensures
that the fundamental frequency is preserved.
○ Triangle Fold: Bipolar triangular wave folding. The bipolar transfer curve
ensures that the fundamental frequency is preserved
○ Extreme Fold: Non-linear transfer curve based on a three-stage analogue
wave folding design.
● Accent: Emphasises or de-emphasises peaks in LFO/Envelope modulation by scaling
the gain compensation. Useful for making modulated distortion patterns punch
harder, or sitting them in the mix if they’re jumping out too much.
● Tone: A bipolar low-pass/high-pass filter that’s progressively mixed in as the Drive is
raised. Useful to balance the low-frequency boosting that can result from Drive
modulation, or damping excessive harmonic generation.

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

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beyond! – while still enjoying a dynamically consistent, musical output that sits well in the
mix.

▶️ Watch “Make Your Music Move With Filters” and learn how to add flow, life and
musical movement to your music with FilterShaper Core 2.

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
● 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): Creates multiple 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): Adds spaced resonant peaks.
It excels at psychedelic sweeps and deep, powerful
modulations that jump from the speakers.
● Cutoff: Controls the filter cutoff frequency, from 20.6Hz to 21.1kHz.
● Resonance: Controls the filter resonance, emphasising frequencies around the
cutoff.

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 ● Stereo: Raises/lowers the Cutoff in the left channel by up to 60 semitones, while
moving the Cutoff in the right channel by the same amount in the opposite direction.
Particularly effective with the Phaser, Notch, Peak and BP Filter Types.

CrushShaper
CrushShaper is a digital distortion effect
that enables independent modulation of
wave wrapping overdrive, bit depth, sample
rate and FX mix (applied in that order), using
a dedicated LFO and Envelope Follower for
each.

Use CrushShaper for

● Rhythmic distortion, turning even the plainest loops into track-starting grooves
● Making lo-fi melodies – bring the crunchy, evocative sound of vintage digital
hardware to your synths and samples
● Adding sizzle to just the high frequencies, increasing the presence of drums, synths
and more
● Brightening up targeted elements in a drum loop (the snare or hi-hats, say) with
multiband LFOs and envelopes
● Getting vocals to pop through the mix by adding top-end clarity and sheen

Settings
● Crunch: Applies wave wrapping distortion to mimic the 'overflow' of primitive
digital audio systems. Wave wrapping sees the waveform 'wrapped' back round to
the bottom of the waveform 'graph' (analogous to flying your ship off the sides of the
screen in a game of
Asteroids!) when it
exceeds the 0dBFS
threshold, yielding a
much more jagged, jumpy waveshape than regular clipping or wave folding. Raising
the Crunch parameter (manually or via modulation) overdrives the signal, pushing it
increasingly hard into the 0dB threshold, from Off at the bottom of the Y axis to
+27dB at the top.
● Push: The Crunch section’s Push control shifts the thresholds for the top and bottom
halves of the waveform for asymmetrical distortion, by applying DC offset before
distortion. This DC offset is then removed after distortion.
● Bits: Applies bit-depth reduction, sweeping down from 16-bit at the top of the Y
axis to 1-bit at the bottom. When the parameter value reads 'Max' and is
unmodulated, the entire Bits section is bypassed, allowing full-resolution audio to
pass through.

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 ● Push: The Bits section’s Push control dials in DC offset prior to reducing bit depth
(again, removed afterwards) to preserve the low-level components of the signal –
useful for restoring sustains and tail elements.
● Dither: Reduces quantisation distortion and gives greater dynamic range and
preservation of the original signal, at the expense of added background noise.
● Resample: Controls the sample rate, sweeping from 44.1kHz at the top to 8.82Hz
at the bottom of the Y axis. (If your DAW project is using a sample rate other than
44.1kHz, then the full resolution signal, eg, 96kHz, will be passed through when
Resample shows '44.1kHz' and no modulation is applied.)
● Jitter: Increase to emulate the inherent fluctuations of vintage samplers by
randomly modulating the sample rate around the Resample value.
● Filter: Reduces aliasing caused by the resampling process, applying a low-pass
pre-filter at around half the Resample value (ie, the virtual Nyquist frequency).
● FX Mix: Blend the processed ('wet') signal with the dry signal. The main Mix
parameter does exactly the same thing, but FX Mix can be modulated, enabling
creative animation of the dry/wet blend prior to setting an overall balance with Mix.
● LP: Applies a low-pass filter at the output, for controlling high-end harshness in the
mix, or simply achieving soft, lo-fi effects. In technical terms, this is analogous to the
reconstruction filter used in digital-to-analogue conversion, used to avoid so-called
imaging artifacts.
● Gain: Compensate for the level changes introduced by the Crunch and Bits stages.

Note: By default, CrushShaper's Mid band is set to leave the low frequency range
unprocessed, ensuring your bass stays fat and solid, and giving optimum results in terms of
musicality and 'damage control'. Feel free to abuse this particular presumption, though, of
course.

Note: LFO Link isn't available in CrushShaper.

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

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 ● 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
● Volume: Apply gain ranging from -inf. dB (silence) to 0dB (no change). Note that
the Shaper Parameter value is by necessity shown in %, though the graph operates
in dB, from -inf dB at the bottom, through -6dB at the centre, to 0dB at the top.
● Trim: Apply up to +/-24dB of gain to the output of the Volume module. Useful for
creating headroom at the top of the LFO graph (e.g., for boosting transients).

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.

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: Pan the signal left and right, using level-
and/or delay-based panning, as per the other
settings. The Y axis of the Wave Editor shows the
left/right pan position and, if it’s active, Haas
delay time in milliseconds.
● Pan Mode

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 ○ Stereo Balance (3dB/4.5dB/6dB/0dB): Stereo Balance will be the best option
for most sources. It 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.

💡 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.

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

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 ● Modulating the width of one track based on the volume level of another

Settings
● Width: Adjust the stereo image, from mono at 0%, through the original input
signal width at 100%, to super wide at 200%.
● Gain: Boost or attenuate the volume level – useful for compensating the perceived
change in volume caused by narrowing or expanding the stereo width.

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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 Add 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 one-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 loaded, 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, where
the ‘dry’ signal is in fact the output of the previous Shaper in the signal path, rather
than the unprocessed input, and the wet signal is the output of that Shaper within
the chain, rather than the end of the chain as a whole.

19
The Help bar
At the bottom right of the GUI, ShaperBox’s Help bar serves as a quick reference guide
directly within the plugin. The information it provides depends on what you place the mouse
pointer over:

● Controls: A brief description of the control, including its available settings where
applicable.
● Bands section: The Low and High Split frequencies.
● Preset waveforms: The name of the preset waveform.
● LFO waveform point: The Position of the point on the graph in beats, hundredths
of beats and milliseconds; and the value of the controlled parameter at that point.

Click the ? icon at the left hand end of the Help bar to open the wave editing quick guide,
which lists the point creation and modification options available in the wave editor.

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 VolumeShaper >
Sidechain option, and when you add a new ShaperBox, it loads up with a

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 classic 1/4-note sidechain curve ready to go. Set to ShaperBox > Empty
(Default) option to disable this feature.
○ Reset Shaper: Revert the selected Shaper to its Init preset or any of its three
Quick Presets.

● Cableguys Preset Cloud

○ Sync Presets: Get up to date with all the latest presets. Selecting this menu
option (or clicking the Sync 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.

● Latency
○ Always use 16 samples of latency: When disabled, ShaperBox uses 0
samples of latency as long as DriveShaper is not loaded. Most DAWs
compensate correctly for latency, so this setting has no practical effect.
However, some DAWs (eg, Ableton Live and Logic Pro X) have known
problems with latency compensation, for which zero latency can be helpful.
Note that Live's latency display may not update when ShaperBox switches
from 16 to 0 or vice versa, even though the audio is correctly processed.

● Scaling
○ 75-200%: Scale the ShaperBox GUI up or down to suit your monitor
resolution. Only Scaling percentages that won’t exceed your display
resolution are made available – the rest are greyed out.

● Help
○ Show Help Screen: Open the quick wave editing guide.
○ Open Web Manual and Tutorials: Access this manual.
○ 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

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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 the ‘tick’ badge.
● Shared/Private: Make your preset Shared or Private – click the icon 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.

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).

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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 Multiband 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 More on
MIDI, below.

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

● Switch FilterShaper Core patterns, from smooth sweeps, to fast wobbles and
complex rhythms, to create a live ‘wobble machine’.
● Store a range of TimeShaper stutter and repeat effects to create wild glitch effects on
the fly.
● Use VolumeShaper to apply a ‘trance gate’ effect to a synth pad, and switch between
different waveforms/rhythms.
● Switch sidechain curves in VolumeShaper 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

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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 DriveShaper, CrushShaper, 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 is 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.

▶️ Watch “How To Design Your Own LFOs” and learn how to use Cableguys’ powerful
LFO drawing and editing features in just 10 minutes.

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

There are three weights of point:

⬤ 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.

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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 How to use Pens below.
● Arc Pen: Draw, adjust and repeat curved arcs – see How to use Pens below.
● S-Curve Pen: Draw, adjust and repeat S-shaped curves – see How to use Pens below.
● Selection: Draw a box to select all points that fall within it, or SHIFT-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 ALT to lock to vertical movement only, or
ALT-SHIFT for horizontal lock. Hold ALT 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 SHIFT 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. SHIFT-click to move points vertically only, preserving
the rhythm.
● 2x: ‘Double-time’ the selection or the entire waveform. SHIFT-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 help 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.

How to edit points with the Pointer tool

● To create a soft point, click an empty area.
● To create a hard point, CTRL-click an empty area.
● To change a point's weight, right-click it.
● To delete a point, double-click it.
● To move a point, drag it.
● Toggle snapping temporarily by holding SHIFT while moving.
● Select multiple points with SHIFT-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 ALT to lock to vertical movement only, or
ALT-CTRL for horizontal lock. Hold ALT while stretching to scale about the centre.

25
 Hold CTRL while stretching to move the selected point independently, skewing the
selection box, and hold ALT-CTRL to skew 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 ALT to lock to vertical movement only, or
ALT-SHIFT for horizontal lock. Hold ALT while stretching to scale about the centre.
● Pens always snap to the grid.

Wave/Oscilloscope Menu

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

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 ● 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 ALT while stretching to scale about the centre.

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).

27
 ○ 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.

● Smoothing: Progressively soften any hard angles in the LFO waveform. Use this to
reduce click/pop artifacts resulting from sudden value changes, or for creative effect.
Note: TimeShaper does not feature the Smoothing slider, instead having a dedicated
Step Mode option.

● 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
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, except 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 FAQ 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

28
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 FAQ
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 Direct 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.

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.

29
 ● 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): Solo the selected band – the other bands in the Shaper are muted. Click
between bands to instantly solo them.
● ‘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.

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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 sliders. 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.

Envelope Follower (Drive / Filter / Crush / Pan / Width)

So far, we have only looked at ShaperBox 2’s LFOs. LFOs work by imposing a fixed
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 dynamic 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 DriveShaper, FilterShaper Core 2, CrushShaper, 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
(in the Edit Panel, revealed by clicking the arrow button next to the Envelope power button)
affect its response.

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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.

Fast attack Slow 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:

32
 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.

33
 Gate disabled (-inf. dB) Gate at 50%

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

34
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
combined LFO/Envelope result.

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).

35
💡 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
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 bear in mind: if the
LFO or 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!

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 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.

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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:

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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

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 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.

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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.

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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.
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

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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
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.

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 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.

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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