Surreal Machines has announced the release of Transient Machines, a Max for Live pack featuring Impact and Crack, two special dynamics processors based on transient shaping.
Impact is a full blown multi-band drum processing channel strip and Crack is a compact, easy to use transient shaper and loudness tool. They are designed to work on drums but don’t be afraid to try them on synths, guitars, vocals or even whole mixes.
Transient shaping is a special process that allows you to quickly sculpt the “sharpness” of a sound and it’s dynamics. A transient is the short burst of volume at the beginning of a sound. With this tool you can increase or decrease the attack portion, making the sound more or less punchy; and you can increase or decrease the decay (“sustain”) portion of a sound, making the sound fade out slower or quicker. With less sustain the sound will feel “tighter” and with with more sustain the sound becomes “fuller”.
As dynamics shaping tools, these devices are much easier to use than a compressor and always work the same no matter what the overall level of the signal is. Think of them like contrast dials for your sound. You can quickly add more punch, make a sound more distant, take away reverb or rattle, make sounds gated in a very natural way, or even smash them up to make them fill the room or bend them in unconventional and creative ways.
Transient Machines is available for purchase from Ableton for $39 USD. Requires Live 9 Standard (version 9.7 or higher) and Max for Live.
More information: Surreal Machines / Transient Machines
