Magix offers the coreFX VolumeFormer ($24.99 value) plugin as a FREE download for a limited time.
Few effects are as ubiquitous to modern dance music as the sidechain. This is typically achieved with compressors, as I’m sure most folks know, but it can be done in a few other ways. A personal friend of mine uses volume automation, while others use old standbys like LFOTool and Kickstart to achieve the same effect.
For those wanting to get a little sidechaining without paying, look no further than the coreFX VolumeFormer from Magix. Magix is offering up their volume shaper free until April 2nd.
VolumeFormer operates similarly to KickStart or Devious Machines’ Duck in a sense. They all operate by manipulating the gain of an audio signal rather than by affecting the dynamics of the signal.
I prefer this because I can use my own compressors to dial in the level of dynamic control on the actual audio signal while still ducking it out of the way of the kick.
The usual suspects for controls are present, with the sidechain trigger, manual trigger, and timing being accounted for. You can also draw in custom envelopes, which are handy for more creative effects and the like. The envelope is quite flexible, allowing not just for custom points but also curvature and allowing for exponential or linear envelope stages.
VolumeFormer has a depth adjustment as well, for more gradual sidechaining. The metering is clear and clean, and the visualization of the waveform in the center of the interface is a nice touch.
The envelope itself can also be set as a gated output, which seems to work just fine. I wouldn’t reach for this as my first dynamics processor, but it certainly has its merits for a quick pumping pad or rolling bass.
VolumeFormer ordinarily goes for $24.99, but it can be quite hard to argue with the cost of nothing. It is a tidy little package for getting that “dancehall feel” to your productions.
Supported operating systems for this plugin are Windows and macOS. Supported plugin formats are VST, VST3, AU, and AAX. Magix doesn’t seem to have native Apple Silicon compatibility, with their most recently supported Mac version being 10.15 or Catalina.
The free download offer ends on April 2nd, 2023.
Download: coreFX VolumeFormer
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