Last month, Simple Plugins launched Simple Shaper, a volume-shaping plugin for macOS (AU, VST3) and Windows (VST3).
As you might have guessed from the name, Simple Shaper has a no-frills control layout, with just four parameters to work with on the main panel.
These parameters are a choice of envelope curves, sync, Attack, and Mix.
The three envelope curves dominate the main panel and give you a choice of (starting from the left) sigmoid, linear, or sigmoid with sharper attack curves.
Your choice in the envelope curve affects how the gain is modulated at the start of each beat.
Below the curve buttons is the sync dropdown menu, which you can use to lock in the timing of the gain modulation.
The Attack control allows you to alter the length of the start of the envelope curve, with low values giving you a sharper attack.
The control scheme is rounded out by a wet/dry Mix control on the bottom left.
The product pages state that Simple Shaper can be used to effortlessly craft dynamic sidechains, rhythmic gates, and more.
However, there’s no official YouTube demo that shows how to set up the plugin for such applications, and no mention of how to do so in the manual.
It seems to me like a missed opportunity to not showcase these intended uses for the plugin to help new users get started with it.
However, the developer cooked up two 15-second clips on the product page that demonstrated a dry beat, and then the Simple Shaper was applied to the second clip.
If you like what you’re hearing, then head on over to the Simple Plugins website to claim your free copy.
After I hit the purchase button on the product page, I was presented with a cart that required the entry of an email and post address.
After that, I was forwarded to a download page on the website which hosted a Zip file, which contained the macOS and Windows installers, as well as a user guide.
It appears that Simple Shaper will be available for free permanently (good for us bedroom producers).
Simple Plugins is also offering the Simple Tilt plugin for free, but that offer expires on December 5, 2024.
The dev also offers an inventory of seven paid plugins, all of which are £10, and offer a similar no-frills control scheme.
Download: Simple Shaper (FREE – email required)
More:
