New D.CAM EnvShaper Amazing Plugin

[Anthony Alves]

Been playing around with the new D.CAM EnvShaper and it is really cool. It's subtle and transparent and clean but it affects your track in very Dynamic ways. We didn't get the VU meters that are included with the plugin for the desktop daws but its easy to set the input and output levels by just watching the channel input meter on Auria's track. Dam I like new flashing lights so maybe they will add that later. There is also the ability to set the plugins input source for either the L or R or L/R of the main input but this shouldn't affect Auria users. Lets all show our support for this new plugin developer that has joined us and purchase the plugin. It's affordable and really does some cool tricks that you can't get with a compressor or gate or even Fabfilters Saturn won't duplicate this plugin. cheers and thanks Rim and team for a fantastic update.

[ChrisG]

Thanks Anthony.

I found this tutorial video with FXpansion showing it in Propellerheads Reason, but I'm guessing it works and sounds exactly the same in Auria so... http://www.fxpansion.com/index.php?page=192


Edit: I noticed the side chain section is missing the input options, so what does it actually do now?

From the Auria manual:
"HP Freq - The HP Freq control allows you to apply a variable high pass filter on the key signal that is used for the amplitude detection circuit. This control is useful when there is too much low-end in the input signal, which can result in the peak detector reacting too heavily."

I'm not sure I understand that. Does it just cut off low freqs (like a gate/expander or an EQ)? And where does sidechain come in?

[Anthony Alves]

Hi ChrisG, I'm sorry if my post gave the impression that my sidechaing was being done by the D.CAM EnvShaper which it was not because there is no sidechaing in this plugin not even for the Desktop version. It gets its inputs from the main in of that channel. What I used was the ProC as a sidechain that was triggered by the drums that now had this effect on it so the sidechain effect sent to say a string pad or guitar now has a beat set by the D.CAM EnvShaper's affect on the drums. So I trigger a pad from the now effected drums. Hope that makes sense. Oh and thanks for the video link that is pretty much what it does except you should hear it on a pad or guitar or anything really, it's really cool. Can't wait to try it on vocals and sub bass. I can see myself automating this plugin to get a drum to change durring a track and then back to normal again. cheers.

[ChrisG]

Yea no I just meant that it actually says "side chain" on the plugin, and in the Reason video there are input options for left/right channels etc. So I'm just a bit confused about what FXpansion means by "side chain" (and what that part does in general in the Auria version).


Maybe I just need to sleep on it, had a long day lol

[Anthony Alves]

Yea no I just meant that it actually says "side chain" on the plugin, and in the Reason video there are input options for left/right channels etc. So I'm just a bit confused about what FXpansion means by "side chain" (and what that part does in general in the Auria version).


Maybe I just need to sleep on it, had a long day lol

No your right there is a feature included with the desktop that is not included with Auria and that is that the triggering of the plugin can be set to either L or R or L/R but still only from the main output so it is not a sidechaining plugin as a traditional plugin that has sidechain support. I think this doesn't affect us Auria users as we can pan a track to whichever side we want and that will automatically trigger the plugin. You just can't have this plugin set to be triggered by another track source. It can only be tiggered by the track that its plugged into unless you put it on a buss and assign a track to that buss but this is not a sidechain. cheers.

[ChrisG]

Ah ok got it. And yea, it's not sidechaining, so its weird that they use that term (unless I'm missing something completely here).

[Anthony Alves]

Ah ok got it. And yea, it's not sidechaining, so its weird that they use that term (unless I'm missing something completely here).

No your not missing anything, they seem to be using this tern in their plugin to describe the input that drives the plugin in the desktop version. And so that word in the plugin is confusing but as long as you understand that it only applies to the L/R signals of a stereo track. I'm going to pretend that the word sidechain isn't on the plugin.lol. cheers mate.

[gjcyrus]

How does it affect vocal and guitar tracks? Just curious.

Thanks in advance

[ChrisG]

What can it do that the pro g cannot ?

I've been going over the video, and I do the same thing with Aurias built in expander/gate (which would be similar to ProG), and the comp if necessary. So I'm not sure this plug will give me anything new. But I really hope FXpansion releases some more plugs for Auria, they got some really great plugs so..

[Anthony Alves]

I see this plugin a little different than the ProG or any compressor because the envelope of attack and release affect the different levels of the track. It can make the transients sharper while taming the bottom end. So it has a pass filter that affects the low end and high end as well the plug in is subtle but noticeable. It is somewhat like a compressor and gate and filter all in one. I like it because it really livens up a midi drum track or even a live drum sample. My guess is that these developers gave us the first of a series of these dynamic processors but we'll have to see. I like it as an extra plugin to add to my mixing library. If your looking for your first plugin than some of Fabfilters plugins or PsP's would be a better place to start but as an addition it's really fun and useable. cheers.

[Anthony Alves]

Thanks Anthony,

It looks to have differing properties to pro g in terms of increasing punch in transients and seems to make the sound a bit more lively.

A very good price also for the low CPU usage.

cool

[Jens]

Ah ok got it. And yea, it's not sidechaining, so its weird that they use that term (unless I'm missing something completely here).

No your not missing anything, they seem to be using this tern in their plugin to describe the input that drives the plugin in the desktop version. And so that word in the plugin is confusing but as long as you understand that it only applies to the L/R signals of a stereo track. I'm going to pretend that the word sidechain isn't on the plugin.lol. cheers mate.

The term refera to the plugin's internal sidechain i.e. its control signal. Virtually every dynamics plugin of any kind has got a sidechain - tbh I can't see how a compressor could work without one.

[Jens]

What can it do that the pro g cannot ?

I've been going over the video, and I do the same thing with Aurias built in expander/gate (which would be similar to ProG), and the comp if necessary. So I'm not sure this plug will give me anything new. But I really hope FXpansion releases some more plugs for Auria, they got some really great plugs so..

Actually it is a transient shaper so it is kind of similar to SPL's Transient Designer, Sascha Evermeier's Dominion, Voxengo Transgainer, Virsyn TDesign, etc. . It is NOT a compressor.

[Anthony Alves]

Ah ok got it. And yea, it's not sidechaining, so its weird that they use that term (unless I'm missing something completely here).

No your not missing anything, they seem to be using this tern in their plugin to describe the input that drives the plugin in the desktop version. And so that word in the plugin is confusing but as long as you understand that it only applies to the L/R signals of a stereo track. I'm going to pretend that the word sidechain isn't on the plugin.lol. cheers mate.

The term refera to the plugin's internal sidechain i.e. its control signal. Virtually every dynamics plugin of any kind has got a sidechain - tbh I can't see how a compressor could work without one.

Yes that is what I said that it refers to its inputs from the L/R or L or R channel from the main outputs of your track not triggered by another track source as is in traditional sidechaining. In order to have real sidechaining you need a source track to drive the plugin. Compressors don't need to have sidechaining to compress audio as we have been using ProC with no sidechaining up until this recent update. So yes compressors do work without this feature. cheers.

[Jens]

Compressors don't need to have sidechaining to compress audio as we have been using ProC with no sidechaining up until this recent update. So yes compressors do work without this feature. cheers.

What I meant is that they always have an internal sidechain (for the control-signal) because that is how compressors (and other dynamic processors) work after all.