Testbench: Cable Guys Shaperbox 2

To start, choose one of its six processors. We’ll plump for the classic VolumeShaper, which holds volume on its Y axis and time across its X axis. We can bring up a basic shape to get us started using the selector on the bottom-left. The curve we’ve selected on the right gives us a typical, pumping ‘sidechain’-style sound, bobbing up and down in time with the music to this exact shape. We can change the time base in order to have it go faster or slower – always in time with the DAW’s tempo though.

With Cableguys’ plugin package you can build the perfect curve, and use it to change one of six factors, controlling the filter, pan, volume, width, time and (now) Crush processors individually or as a team.

ShaperBox’s curve editing makes it easy to get quick results, and going deeper, there are seriously well-put-together curve editing functions too.

It’s some of the more unusual processes that make ShaperBox 2. Distortion from the Crush processor and playing with the timing of loops and other audio are two greatly appealing parts of the experience, and combined, it’s a killer.

The full package will cost you $224. For further info, visit cableguys.com.

What’s in the box? > < Curve editing

Now to jump into the main event behind the ShaperBox gang: glorious curve editing. By drawing nodes into the x/y grid, the curve can move as we want it to. We can make our amplitude movements chart the course we want, and there are tools for arcs, straight lines and S shapes for ease. You can select multiple nodes at once to move all their amplitudes or timings together, and you can snap your clicks to the grid resolution behind. It’s easy to use and very versatile if you learn it.

< Doubling up

As we’re using ShaperBox, and not one of Cableguys’ dedicated plugin processors, we can get another shaper in on the action at the same time. As the volume rises on our quarter-note pattern, we use FilterShaper to bring a low-pass filter down over the sound at a similar rate. We can see the yellow line for VolumeShaper in the background behind FilterShaper’s line. We can also adjust the Mix level for the FilterShaper at the top, reducing the blend to ease off the influence.

< Playing with time

The TimeShaper module puts time across the X axis as usual, but also controls time on the Y axis as well. This can lead to stuttering patterns of the sort shown on the right, as the plugin listens to the audio signal coming in and plays it at a different time, as set by the curve. The other main way to use TimeShaper is to perform smooth sweeps of the curve, having things slow down or (within reason) speed up again, giving you access to tape slowdown effects and vinyl scratches alike.

Utterly crushed >

The latest Shaper added in ShaperBox 2 was a Crush processor, which gives you curve control over a few things. The first is Crunch distortion, with its Crunch amount and Push values to customise the flavour running across your curve. There are also two bitcrusher parameters built into CrushShaper: bit depth and sampling frequency, with Jitter, Dither and Filter controls in tow. These three have separate curves that can be commanded from a single Shaper instance within ShaperBox, and there are global Mix controls to take advantage of too.

< All per band

Not only can you combine two Shaper signals to change different effects through different patterns at once, you can also split single shaper curves into three bands of operation – Low, Mid and High.

Splitting out a crossover or two in the top left brings a new band into existence and lets you set its boundaries. Each band gets its own curve shape to draw within ShaperBox, and you can even unlink the LFO timings between the bands, should you see fit (they’re connected by default.)

< Plenty more shapes

There are many more great features in ShaperBox 2, including MIDI Triggering, Envelope input, MIDI Switching of curve shapes for live performance, and triggering of the LFO using audio or MIDI. Secret weapons inside shapers include compression action in VolumeShaper, Phaser filters in FilterShaper, the Haas effect in PanShaper, and finally the Cableguys’ preset library, which lets users everywhere upload their creations to the cloud in order for anyone to download over 1,000 presets. Pretty neat!