ShaperBox by Cableguys is one of our most-used plugins here at ANR (see our ShaperBox 2 review), so we’re quite excited to see a new major release, ShaperBox 3. Each of ShaperBox’s nine powerful multiband effects – Volume, Time, Drive, Filter, Crush, Noise, Pan, Width and the new Liquid – is a blank canvas for your creativity. Just add a Shaper and draw any wave shape you can imagine to control the effect, all with a simple visual interface that makes producing fast and fun.
With Cableguys’ easiest ever LFO editing, you can intuitively design fluid sweeps, angled lines, or stepped patterns. Unlock a world of rhythmic exploration and precision production in just a few clicks. Make your music move with effects patterns that sync to your song – or trigger them in any rhythm with MIDI and new Audio Triggering.
Use ShaperBox to turn bland melodies into unique variations. Cook up fresh ear candy from even the most basic samples. Warp the fabric of time with half-speed slooow-downs, glitches, stutters and scratches. Sidechain with total flexibility across three frequency bands. Warp, distort, bitcrush, filter, pan, flange, widen, add noise… And so much more. It’s the ultimate plugin for modern mixes and infinite inspiration.
Here’s an overview of ShaperBox 3:
What’s New
● Audio Triggering
Just switch on the new Audio mode and the LFO restarts with each transient. Now ShaperBox is a powerful transient editor and rhythm-tracking creative effect! Redraw the envelope of any sound to shape dynamics, saturate attack, filter the sustain, and more. Or get creative: trigger tape-stops, filter patterns, noise sequences and more from the natural rhythm of drums, melodies, basslines, real instruments – even full mixes! Go deep with full access to triggering parameters and 3 unique algorithms: Drums, General and Complex.
● External Sidechain Input
Want to duck your bass with VolumeShaper, but the kick isn’t 4×4? No problem! Audio Triggering follows any kick rhythm – just turn on the External Sidechain Input.
And it’s not only for kicks and sidechain ducking. How about triggering a bitcrushing pattern on your synth every time the snare hits? ShaperBox 3 makes it all possible.
● Sidechain View
See your kick drum overlaid on the bassline with VolumeShaper’s new Show External Sidechain feature. Draw the perfect ducking curve to match the contour of your kick, and lock your lows together like never before.
● LiquidShaper
Dive deep into sound design! LiquidShaper gives you wild jet-plane flanging and deep, lush phasing in one Shaper. Custom LFO shapes take you far beyond the traditional. Modulate Centre and Feedback independently across 3 frequency bands.
Create gentle stereo modulations… or monstrous robotic comb filter FX!
● Easiest Ever Editing
Cableguys’ best-in-class waveform drawing is now even easier, with a more powerful pointer tool that puts all key functions under simple left-click operation. Add angled breakpoints, bend any section into an endlessly flexible curve, make selections and manipulate them, and more. It’s easy, fast and fun.
● New Browser
No more waiting for inspiration to strike! ShaperBox 3’s slick new browser makes it easy to find the presets you need, with clear categorisation and fast filtering.
Amazing variations for any sound are just clicks away – discover rhythmic chops, groovy fills, motion-packed sweeps, and more.
● Compressor Unchained
The multiband Compressor in ShaperBox is now a separate tool that you can insert anywhere in the Shaper chain. Bring even the most complex Shaper chains under dynamic control – or blow them apart with extreme pumping compression.
● Improved Mix / Bypass
An improved Master Mix algorithm now gives powerful FX blends that morph smoothly from dry to wet, with no multiband phasing artefacts. And a new master Bypass button gives click-free switching to the original dry signal.
● Analogue-like Envelopes
Envelope Followers feature improved Adaptive Release mode, for an even juicier analogue-like response. Get filtering, distortion, noise and more that tightly hug the dynamic contours of beats, basslines – anything – for kinetic, magnetic FX.
● PLUS:
○ VolumeShaper: Lookahead pre-smoothing for click-free MIDI/Audio sidechaining
○ LiquidShaper: Positive/negative feedback mode for rich and hollow timbres
○ LiquidShaper: 4, 8, 12 or 16 stages of phasing for lush resonance
○ CrushShaper: Dynamic Treble control for compensating harshness
○ TimeShaper: Time offset display for easier visualization
○ Redesigned interface with larger editing areas
Price
The full ShaperBox 3 contains all 9 Shaper effects (worth €301 / $301 separately) and is on sale now for Black Friday at just €89 / $89 instead of €99 / $99. It is also possible to buy single shapers, but frankly, I don’t recommend them. The bundle is so good and so affordable that you don’t want to miss it!
Existing users can check their upgrade path at www.cableguys.com/login.html
To learn more visit the official web page.
