Audio Assault has announced that The Punch ($10 value) transient shaper effect in VST/AU/AAX/RTAS plugin formats for PC and Mac is being offered as a free download until July 10th.
The Punch is a simple one-knob transient shaper designed for boosting the attack transient of the processed audio signal. Unlike more traditional transient shaper effects, it doesn’t offer transient attenuation and sustain transient processing. Instead, in focuses on making the incoming audio sound “punchier”, which is often useful when processing drums, percussion, and bass sounds.
See also: FilterCrusher Is A FREE Dual Tube Filter VST/AU Plugin By Audio Assault!Normally priced at $10 in Audio Assault’s online store, The Punch is absolutely worth the download during this free promo. Although it’s far from being the most feature-packed transient processor on the market, it is a well made and easy to use tool. Streamlined plugins have the advantage of being highly optimized for performing a single task as quickly as possible and The Punch is no different.
I’ve tested it on a few drum recordings (both acoustic and electronic) and the results sounded fine. The plugin performed somewhat better when processing a single drum channel than it did on a drum mix, which is to be expected. Adding an attenuation control to the feature list would certainly make The Punch a bit more versatile, but my guess is that transient shapers are used for boosting the attack transient 90% of the time anyway.
To download your free copy of The Punch, visit the product page linked below and complete the checkout process before July 10th (valid email address required).
UPDATE: Our reader Animus has reported that he noticed a high-shelf boost above 100 Hz with a dip at 720 Hz and a peak at 4.8 kHz while testing The Punch with pink noise (more info in the comment section below). Keep this in mind when using multiple versions of The Punch in a project because it can affect the tonal balance of your mix.
The Punch is available for free download via Audio Assault (80.1 MB download size, ZIP archive containing EXE/PKG installer, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU/AAX/RTAS plugin formats for Windows & Mac OS).
