Smack Attack

Name: Smack Attack
Price: 32.91 USD
Author: Waves

by Waves · Transient Shaper · Shape-based

vst3s Score 8.8/10 · rated #2 of 10 transient shapers

You choose the shape as well as the amount: separate Attack and Sustain sections each have selectable envelope curves, plus sensitivity and duration.

It handles surgical tweaks through to extreme snap, with zero latency.

Best for: Drums, Drum Bus, Bass. Genres: Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM, Rock & Indie, Pop.

Keywords: drums, bass, low latency, single-band, surgical, built-in mix knob, snare, tight, aggressive, bus processing, corrective, creative, crisp, drum bus, extreme, kick, mixing, parallel processing, percussion, samples & loops, subscription, subtle, synths, visual feedback, zero-latency.

What it does

Waves describes Smack Attack as a way to "emphasize, tame, and shape" drums and percussion, letting you set the level, shape and duration of both attack and sustain, "from surgical tweaks to savage effects".

Attack section: level, sensitivity, duration (0.5 to 500 ms) and three shapes: Needle for hard, crisp hits, Nail for a softer thwack, and Blunt for rounded, creative attacks.
Sustain section: level, sensitivity, duration (30 to 1,000 ms) and three shapes: Linear and Non-Linear for drums, Soft Linear for other instruments.
Guard: a limiter or clipper to control the peaks that attack boosts create.
Mix and display: a wet/dry Mix for parallel processing and a real-time display of the envelope changes.

It's sold on its own and included in the Waves Essential and Ultimate subscriptions.

Source: Waves product page

When to use it

Smack Attack gives you more control over the envelope itself than any other plugin here: where SPL Transient Designer Plus and NI Transient Master offer a fixed response, you choose the curve and length of both attack and sustain. It is full-band only, unlike Waves' older Trans-X Multi or Softube Transient Shaper, and it doesn't split the sound for separate EQ the way Boz Transgressor 3 does.

Best for: kicks, snares and claps, drum loops, bass and synth plucks, from subtle tightening to exaggerated snap.
Genres: hip-hop, trap, EDM, pop and rock.
Look elsewhere if: you want two knobs and done (SPL, NI), or need to treat only part of the frequency range (spiff, Softube, Trans-X).
Tip: Waves suggests pulling Sustain down around -50 for tighter, drier drums, or pushing it up to make snares and claps bigger; shorter Duration sounds spikier, longer sounds warmer.

What producers say

Reviewers rate it as one of the deepest full-band transient shapers.

Computer Music / MusicRadar (2017) said it "sounds fantastic" and praised the Sensitivity and Shape controls, the helpful display and the Mix knob.
Gripes: no multiband option (which Trans-X had), and more controls to learn than simpler rivals.

Where to buy

Best Service: $32.91
Sweetwater: $34.99
Plugin Boutique: $34.99 (regular $79)
PluginFox: $34.99
AudioDeluxe: $34.99 (regular $79)
Waves: see store (Price changes with Waves' weekly sales)

Tutorials and reviews

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