Smack Attack

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Add smack and bite to drums, loops, synth hits and all percussive sounds by designing the level, shape and duration of their transients’ attack and sustain – from surgical tweaks to savage effects.

The first attack, initial hit or onset of a sound is known as its ‘transient.’ By controlling the exact level, shape and duration of these sounds, you can give your tracks the perfect tightness and dynamics they need, in ways that a compressor can’t always do.

With Smack Attack, you can unleash or tame kicks, snares, claps, drum samples, or any other drum or percussion instrument – but also guitar and bass plucks, quick piano arpeggios, synth stabs, or even your entire mix.

Unlike traditional transient shapers, Smack Attack lets you control more than just attack and sustain levels; you also get pinpoint control over the transients’ shape and duration. You can make a kick tighter than you’d ever imagined – or give your snares that extra crack. You also have a Sensitivity control for selective transient shaping: you can process all your transients, only the loudest ones, or anything in between.

With a user-friendly GUI, plus zero latency in the studio and live, Smack Attack will let you go sensitive or aggressive on your transients, design the perfect pulse in your tracks, and make every hit count.

‘Secret weapon’ for mixing drums and all other percussive instruments
Unleash or tame transient attack & sustain
Fine-tune transient level, shape and duration
Real-time graphic wave display
Zero latency in the studio or live
Limiter/clipper for driving your sound to the limit
Sensitivity control for selective transient shaping
Wet/Dry mix control for parallel processing
MIDI control assignable

User Guide

Nov 30, 2017

6 Tips for Shaping Drum Transients

What affects emotion and power in any drum mix? Learn how to balance transients and sustain energy to get your drums to smack, pop and cut through the mix.

Apr 05, 2018

10 Steps to Mixing Drums like a Pro

Learn how to mix drums from start to finish, from setting compression and EQ to correcting phase problems and manipulating transients. Then, finalize your drum mix with parallel compression, and add depth and dimension with reverb.

Oct 11, 2017

Sound Synthesis Renewed – Organic ReSynthesis Technology

The innovative technology behind new Waves plugins, Organic ReSynthesis goes beyond traditional synthesis in allowing radical yet natural-sounding sound manipulation. Find out how it works.

Chris Rakestraw Producer & Mixing Engineer

Megadeth, Deftones, Danzig, Parkway Drive

“I’ve been waiting for a transient shaper like Smack Attack. I've been using it to deal with problematic samples in mixes, for instance 808s that have too much clicky attack, or 808s that fade out too quickly.”

The Glitch Mob

“For dynamics in our mellower songs, we lean nowadays on Smack Attack. if the song is more mellow or seductive, and we are looking to create a soft kick, Smack Attack can help take the edge off our drums and reduce the transients of kicks.”

Jeff Juliano Mixing Engineer

Dan + Shay, Chris Janson, Michael Ray, Hunter Hayes

“Total lifesaver for anything drum, percussion or anything programming related. It’s not just a transient shaper – it gives you the creative ability reshape the entire vibe and feel of a mix.”

Lu Diaz Mixing Engineer & Producer

DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee

“Smack Attack makes shaping my kick and snare transients super-easy. I use it to do a ton of ducking work – it sounds great and is very versatile.”

Ben Fowler Producer & Engineer

Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Taylor Swift

“I’ve been using Smack Attack mixing a new Kris Kristofferson DVD and record. It is resuscitating many lead vocals, adding attack and excitement. And of course, it’s handy on the drums – a great multi-purpose tool.”

Alberto Rigoni Bassist, Composer, Soloist, Producer

Vivaldi Metal Project, The Italians, Ardityon, Lady & THE BASS

“The things I can do with this plugin are incredible... from reverse or gated reverb sounds, to removing an instrument’s attack. It’s incredible and super easy to use!”

Kick The Habit

“Smack Attack is not just another transient shaper. You can really get into details when shaping snappy sounds, and the graphic interface is really cool and user friendly.”

Dwight Okahara Sound Designer, Senior Audio Lead at Insomaniac Games

Command & Conquer, Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, Spiderman (PS4)

“One tool I appreciate when dealing with impactful sounds like explosions is Smack Attack. An explosion sound can be a very complex thing, and Smack Attack helps me shape the way a particular element will stands out in the overall explosion effect.”

David Cain Composer, Performer, Engineer, Producer, Filmmaker

Wertico Cain & Gray

“Smack Attack is great way to reinvent a recorded or live sound. I used it on a live recording to transform a boomy kick drum into a dynamic, articulate musical tone. It was essential, as it maintained the percussive element in this particular recording due to the rhythmic complexity and constantly changing meter.”

Ernest Shaw – DJ Clue Producer, DJ, Engineer, Mixer

Mariah Carey, Lil’ Mo, DJ Clue Ft. Future, Nicki Minaj

“Smack Attack & Torque are the new wave. In a world of producers who tend to use the same drum sounds, these two plugins let me shape & mold drums into amazing unique sounds of my own! Saying that they are groundbreaking would be an understatement.”