SHAPER Pro
by Battersea Audio · Modulation · Step sequencer and envelope multi-effect
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SHAPER Pro is the bigger successor to SHAPER: a sequencer whose steps each hold their own envelope shape, driving volume, filters, panning, distortion, phasing, flanging, pitch and time effects for pumping, rhythmic sequences and evolving textures.
It includes SHAPER Step Tool and 120+ presets, and costs £79 on sale (about $105), normally £90.
Best for: Keys & Synths, Vocals, Drums, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Pop, Hip-Hop & Trap, Ambient & Cinematic.
Keywords: rhythmic, pumping, phaser, flanger, drums, evolving, pads, vocals, chorus, ducking, perpetual licence, sidechain input, sound design, synths, cinematic, gentle, glitchy, heavy, mixing, preset-driven, subtle.
What it does
SHAPER Pro is Battersea Audio's full motion-shaping effect, released in July 2026 as "the next evolution" of SHAPER. It joins a sequencer and an enveloper: every step of the sequence holds its own drawn envelope shape, so you draw motion curves and then sequence them over time. Several effects can be layered and driven from one source with their own shapes and timings.
- Sequencer + Enveloper: a custom envelope per step, sequenced in time, for anything from steady pumping to irregular, evolving movement.
- Effect targets: volume, filters, panning, distortion, phasing, flanging, chorus, pitch distortion and time-based modulation.
- Layered modules: stack several effect modules, each shaped and timed differently, to animate one sound in more than one way at once.
- Typical uses: sidechain-style ducking, pulsing and rhythmic sequences, animated pads and transitions that build over time.
- Presets: 120+, sorted from subtle to dramatic, with folders such as Light (gentle movement) and Chaotic (heavy transformation).
- Mini-presets: save single Shapes and FX Modules as their own files to reuse across projects.
- Workflow: keyboard shortcuts, right-click menus and full MIDI automation; the developer recommends reading the manual to find them.
What it adds over SHAPER Step Tool: the developer gives no point-by-point list, but the two product pages show the gap. The Step Tool runs one 32-step pattern on volume or a filter; Pro keeps the same step-and-shape approach and adds panning, distortion, phaser, flanger, chorus, pitch and time effects, layered modules and savable Shape and FX presets.
Version 1.0.0 is current, and a demo is available from the product page. It has a perpetual license with lifetime updates and comes with the Step Tool. Step Tool owners get a discounted upgrade, and SHAPER Pro is part of the Complete Battersea Bundle.
Source: Battersea Audio product page
When to use it
SHAPER Pro is the pick when you want one window that turns a static sound into rhythmic, moving sound design, not just ducking. It is a closer rival to ShaperBox 3 than the Step Tool is: both draw shapes onto several effects at once, but ShaperBox 3 is the more established and deeper tool, with multiband splitting that SHAPER Pro's page doesn't mention. Compared with Output's Movement, it is less about preset-driven effect chains and more about drawing an exact envelope for each step. Unlike Kickstart 2 or Duck 2, which focus on sidechain-style ducking, it goes from pumping to pitch, phasing and distortion movement in the same plugin. If volume and filter patterns are all you need, the included Step Tool is lighter and quicker.
- Best for: pumping and gating with extra movement on top, animated pads and textures, glitchy transitions, and rhythmic pitch, phase and distortion effects on synths, drums and vocals.
- Genres: EDM and house, pop, hip-hop, and cinematic and trailer pulses.
- Look elsewhere if: you need multiband shaping or a long-proven tool (ShaperBox 3), one-knob ducking (Kickstart 2, Duck 2), or granular textures rather than step movement (Portal).
Where to buy
- Battersea Audio: $79 (regular $90) (£79 converted to USD (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
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