8008 - 808 Sub Bass Shaper

Name: 8008 - 808 Sub Bass Shaper
Price: 59.5 USD
Author: Thenatan

by Thenatan · Saturation · 808 sub bass shaper

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8008 is built for shaping 808s, chaining seven processors tuned to the 30-150 Hz range: a band-split transient designer, 808 booster, 8-mode waveshaper, compressor, mono bass tool, lo-fi stage and limiter.

It has 88 presets and zero latency; it was $8.08 at the time of writing (normally $59.50).

Best for: Bass, Drums. Genres: Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM.

Keywords: bass, 808s, sub bass, low latency, lo-fi, multi-band, punchy, zero-latency, auto-gain, beginner-friendly, clean, drums, gritty, minimal controls, built-in mix knob, mixing, mono-compatible, parallel processing, single knob, tape, tube, wide.

What it does

8008 is a seven-stage processing chain from Thenatan built for one sound: the 808 and its sub fundamental. Each stage has its own bypass and mix, so you can use the whole chain or only the parts an 808 needs.

Transient designer: band-split, with up to +18 dB of attack plus sustain, on a frequency band you choose and can solo; the aim is to "sharpen the attack" without touching the sub.
808 Booster: a bell boost from 30 to 150 Hz, up to +18 dB, with a variable Q from narrow to wide.
Waveshaper: eight modes (Soft, Atan, Harmonic, Tube, Diode, Hard, Fold and Growl) with up to +30 dB of gain-compensated drive.
PUNCH compressor: one knob that sets threshold, ratio, attack and release together, timed for 808s, with a mix control for parallel compression.
Mono bass tool: makes everything below a set point (20 to 500 Hz) mono using a single-filter split the developer calls phase-perfect, so it leaves no dip at the crossover.
Lo-fi stage: tape hiss that follows the input envelope, a bit crusher from 16 down to 3 bits, and a 24 dB/oct low-pass.
Limiter and presets: a brickwall limiter with gain-to-ceiling compensation, and 88 presets in six families: Clean, Punch, Phat, Grit, Lofi and Extreme.

It works in mono and stereo. It runs at zero latency with no lookahead, and the interface scales from 50% to 200%. It was on a 72-hour launch sale at the time of writing. The page read does not state a demo.

Source: Thenatan product page

When to use it

8008 is the better pick when the job is only 808s and you want the whole chain in one window. Compared with Decapitator or Saturation Knob, it adds the parts an 808 needs around the distortion: a sub boost from 30 to 150 Hz, a transient designer that leaves the sub alone, a mono tool and a limiter. Its eight waveshaper modes give more flavours than Saturation Knob, but the whole chain is tuned for low end rather than for vocals, drums or buses. Next to RC-20 Retro Color, its lo-fi stage is a small extra rather than the main point. At its regular price it costs well under Decapitator.

Best for: making 808s punchier and audible on small speakers, keeping the low end mono, and adding grit to sub bass without stacking several plugins.
Genres: trap, drill, hip-hop and bass-heavy EDM.
Look elsewhere if: you want one saturator for many sources (Decapitator or Saturation Knob), a full lo-fi and vintage colour tool (RC-20 Retro Color), or you work in Pro Tools.

Where to buy

Thenatan: $59.50
Plugin Boutique: $59.50

Tutorials and reviews

8008 - Thenatan [No Talking Demo]

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