Bargain of the Year

Cableguys TimeShaper €39

Web www.cableguys.com Format Mac/PC Running within the ShaperBox “creative effects rack” plugin that now plays host to five of Cableguys’ ‘Shaper’ modules, TimeShaper takes the developers’ proprietary LFO-based architecture and applies it to the modulation of a virtual playhead in the input signal relative to the actual playback position on the host DAW’s timeline, slowing it down and speeding it up, tape- or turntable-style. That’s mad enough, but TimeShaper is also a multiband processor, enabling up to three discrete frequency bands to each ach be effectively treated with a separate instance ance of the effect. Flippin’ mental.

The he LFO editor allows for the design of highly intricate cate waveshapes from 1/128 to 32 bars in length, th, by dragging nodes around or drawing stepped ped progressions. The horizontal position of the LFO represents the time offset at every given point, t, while upward ramps speed playback and downward nward ramps slow it down – when TimeShaper’s eShaper’s playback is slower than the actual playback, back, it goes into reverse. It’s all pretty mindbending, ding, but lots of visual feedback is given to keep p your head straight, and the underlying grid makes it easy to snap to musical timings.

One of the most impressive warping plugins we’ve ever come across, TimeShaper does a particularly convincing line in faux scratching effects, but that’s really only the beginning of its talents, the precision and detail with which the LFO can be shaped opening it up to all sorts of percussive, instrumental and vocal treatments. And ShaperBox isn’t too shabby, either, loading cloud-stored presets combining any and all of its hosted effects (TimeShaper, VolumeShaper 5, FilterShaper Core, PanShaper 2 and WidthShaper), amongst other things.

Unique in its processing and very powerful indeed, TimeShaper is a ridiculous bargain.