I did 30 Modulator presets for Cakewalk's 30th anniversary giveaway, and it wasn't hard to come up with them! The most important parameter is the Mode drop-down menu, because here's where you can choose from Flanger, Ensemble, String Phaser, Phase 6, Phaser 12 and Tremolo. You can think of Sonitus Modulator as an overachieving collection of guitar stompboxes. Sonitus Multiband isn't just a good multiband compressor, but its user interface makes editing a multiband compressor about as simple as possible. There's even per-band Normal/Vintage mode switching (the latter emulating an LA-2A), and the option for upward expansion with ratios below 1.0. Cakewalk is very good about sample-accurate alignment, so you won't encounter any problems by splitting the signal over three tracks.įor use as a multiband compressor, the Multiband has the same basic control set as the wide-band Sonitus Compressor described in the previous column. You can then add separate plug-ins on each of the three tracks to process each band individually. Within the Sonitus Multiband plug-in, solo the low band on one track, the mid band on the second track and the high band on the third track. Edit Multiband's frequency ranges for the lows, mids and highs in the track by moving the frequency range sliders - to divide the input into just three bands, move the rightmost slider all the way to the right, and the leftmost slider all the way to the left.ĭuplicate this track twice. Start by inserting Sonitus Multiband in the track, and on the plug-in's Common page, set the ratio at 1:1 so there's no compression in any of the bands. Suppose you want to process the highs, mids and lows separately for a track. Screen 2: Multiband processing can be achieved by making duplicates of a track and loading Sonitus Multiband on each copy, with different bands soloed on each instance. It can also serve as a flexible five-band graphic equaliser, if you don't apply any compression within a band, and similarly, it makes a great crossover for multiband processing. So, in addition to using it as a multiband compressor, you can push the Output control and have 'maximiser'-like functionality. Like the Sonitus Compressor, it has a Limit option. Sonitus Multiband is more than just a good multiband compressor, but its user interface makes editing a multiband compressor about as simple as possible, given that there are five compressors inside one plug-in. The pot is never scratchy, and the batteries never need replacing. Finally, I was able to do a spot-on emulation of my vintage, collector's item Vox Clyde McCoy pedal. This adds a certain animation to the vocal that doesn't involve time-delay processes. Speaking of wahs, a fun vocal trick is using the trigger wah to sweep a vocal in the 'intelligibility' range (around 3.5 to 4 kHz), with Mix set to mostly dry signal. If not, choose a controller number that corresponds to, for example, a floor multi–effects unit's pedal. If so, choose controller 4, and click on OK. A MIDI keyboard may already have a jack for a foot pedal, which likely generates CC4 messages. Click on the Controller radio button, and assign the controller you'll use to vary the frequency. Right-click on the Wah parameter in the Assignable Controls section (not on the plug-in itself), and choose Remote Control.ģ. You can reassign these, but the default includes the Wah parameter that varies the frequency.Ģ. In the Console view, choose Options / FX / Show Assignable Controls to display four of the Wahwah parameters under the effects rack.
FinalIy, it's really easy to control the wah frequency with a pedal. There's a mix control for parallel processing, making the effect viable for bass, funky drums, and other applications without needing a separate effects bus. Furthermore, the toe-down and toe–up parameters cover the same range, so in Triggered mode, the wah can sweep up or sweep down. This offers significant tonal flexibility. First, you can change the frequency, Q and gain for the toe-down and toe–up positions. (Note, though, that the LFO doesn't sync to tempo - you need to set the tempo in the plug-in manually.) It has four really useful features that help it stand out.
Screen 1: You can set the Sonitus Wahwah plug-in to respond to a hardware controller such as a pedal.If you have amp simulators with wahs, you might think the Wahwah plug-in is redundant - but it's not just a wah! It can also act as an envelope-controlled filter in Triggered mode, or be LFO-controlled in Auto Wah mode.