Spikes MK2
by HoRNet · Transient Shaper · Transient shaper
Not rated yet
Spikes MK2 is a single-band transient shaper that boosts or cuts attacks, with a focus EQ on the detector and tempo-synced or automatic timing.
Three character modes and three drive modes add colour, and limits cap how far it boosts or cuts, for about $17.02.
Best for: Drums, Drum Bus, Bass, Guitars. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: single-band, drums, tempo-synced, metering, soft clip, bass, bus processing, colored, drum bus, enhancement, hard clip, kick, mixing, oversampling, parallel processing, percussion, perpetual licence, punchy, resizable UI, snare, tight, transparent.
What it does
Spikes MK2 is a single-band transient shaper that "compares a fast envelope with a slower one" to find transients, instead of working from a threshold. One Spike control boosts or softens attacks, and a filtered detector and drive stage let you shape how it reacts and how much colour it adds.
- Main controls: Spike from -100% (softer attacks) to +100% (harder attacks), Mix for parallel blending, and Output of ±12 dB, with Auto Out to follow the Spike setting.
- Focus EQ (detector only): high-pass from 20 to 500 Hz, low-pass from 2 to 20 kHz and a bell from 100 Hz to 8 kHz (±12 dB, Q 0.5 to 4), so detection can target one part of the sound without changing its tone.
- Timing: manual release from 50 to 1000 ms, one-beat BPM sync, or content-adaptive Auto Time.
- Detection window: Peak Length from 10 to 100 ms, with Attack adding 0 to 50 ms.
- Character: Transparent, Punchy or Smooth envelope shapes.
- Spike Drive: post-shaping saturation in Clean (soft clipping), Warm (soft saturation) or Dirty (asymmetric hard clipping), with a drive amount.
- Limits and monitoring: a boost ceiling of +1 to +12 dB and a cut floor of -1 to -12 dB, a five-second scope, stereo peak meters, a boost/cut meter and a delta monitor.
It oversamples 8x below 88.1 kHz and has factory and user presets and a resizable editor. It is a one-time purchase with free updates within the major version and a 15-day money-back guarantee. The demo dips the audio by about 20 dB for two seconds now and then.
When to use it
Spikes MK2 is a low-cost transient shaper for people who want more say over detection than a two-knob design gives. Compared with SPL Transient Designer Plus and Kilohearts Transient Shaper, it adds a detector-only focus EQ, a choice of envelope characters and a drive stage for colour. Unlike Waves Smack Attack and Softube Transient Shaper it has no separate sustain control, and unlike oeksound spiff it works on one band only. It also has no external sidechain, mid/side mode or lookahead, so it is a straightforward attack tool rather than a full transient workstation.
- Best for: adding punch to kicks and snares, tightening drum buses, or softening harsh pick and percussion attacks.
- Genres: all.
- Look elsewhere if: you need sustain shaping (Smack Attack), multiband transient control (spiff) or a sidechain input.
Where to buy
- HoRNet: $17.02 (Listed at €14.99; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
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