W.A. Productions launches KickShaper, which makes kicks thicker and harder

Kick drums form the bedrock of most music, but without a robust foundation, a mix can fall apart. Whether you're producing EDM, hip-hop, rock, or any genre under the sun, KickShaper is here to make your kicks punch harder and sound better than ever before.

W.A. Productions have captured the power of cutting-edge algorithms, painstakingly tested on thousands of kick samples by award-winning audio engineer, Emrah Celik. With KickShaper, you're not just using a plugin; you're harnessing the collective knowledge of top-notch sound design wizards.

KickShaper ensure your kicks reach their maximum potential. The plugin delivers natural-sounding tails, well-defined transients, and depth - all while maximizing the digital realm's full dynamic range. The streamlined interface and intuitive workflow means you'll be creating the perfect kick in seconds, even if you're new to mixing and mastering. It's like having a pro-level studio engineer right alongside you, guiding your mix towards perfection.

Frequency Finder

Your journey starts here. With the simple press of the Finder button KickShaper intelligently identifies the dominant frequency of your kick, instantly determining the perfect way to enhance your kick's tail. Of course, this can be manually adjusted if needed. This ensures that KickShaper’s processing always aligns with your kick's musical key.

Deboom

At the heart of KickShaper is the Deboom dial. If your kicks have tons of low end and struggle with distortion or overpower your mix, this feature is your salvation. It's not just another low-cut or compressor. Instead, Deboom ingeniously shortens the wavelength of low frequencies, giving you kicks that are punchy and impactful, yet concise. These kicks will effortlessly work together with your earth-shaking basslines and 808s. No longer will your kicks dominate the entire low-frequency spectrum; they'll blend seamlessly with the rest of your track.

Tails

KickShaper boasts an exclusive approach to crafting kick tails, setting the plugin apart from simple sub-generators. This Tail module resonates with the filters, producing frequency resonance that's entirely devoid of nasty boomy artifacts. By extracting the sub frequencies from the original kick and naturally harmonizing them, KickShaper tails integrate with your original kick, ensuring a clean and cohesive sound every time.

Thump & Click

The Thump knob analyzes low-frequency wavelengths and fine-tunes your kick's sustain, exclusively impacting the low end while preserving the kick's core. KickShaper's Click module introduces an advanced transient shaping algorithm that handles unpredictable kick patterns, rapid-fire kicks, and varying tempos. By analyzing high-frequency wavelengths, precise transient shaping is acheived, making KickShaper your go-to plugin for catching transients.

Tone & Enhance

KickShaper’s Tone section is tailor-made for kick processing. The Cut knob is used for subtle low-frequency trimming, the Low knob for adding punch, the Mid knob for adjusting muddiness, and the High knob for precise control over clicks.

The Depth control applies analog hardware convolution to enhance your kicks, making them larger, adding depth while taming excessive highs. Heat warms up kicks, introducing subtle saturation. Punch replicates console compression, finely tuned to be used with kicks. Clip squashes the peaks of your kick, ensuring punchiness and impact, even on smaller speakers.

Visual Feedback & Comparison

KickShaper is built on vector graphics with a resizable interface. The live audio is displayed on the central window, showing exactly what’s happening to the signal as it travels through the plugin in real time. This allows for accurate monitoring at every step of the chain. For those who like to experiment, contrast different processing chains with AB comparison, and use the undo / redo buttons to revert any changes.

Presets

KickShaper includes a huge number of factory presets, suitable for all kinds of kick processing in multiple genres. Use the provided parameters as starting points for your own kick sculpting adventures.

W. A. Production are real-life producers making creative plugins to help you achieve studio quality processing quickly and easily. Enjoy!

The price of the Kickshaper is $39, and it is currently being sold at a launch discount price of $16. For more information, please visit the W.A Production website.

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