Top section
Logo: click here to get to the About Page.
In the top right corner, the Menu button lets you open this manual, change UI size, go to xlnaudio.com and things like that.
Mode buttons (Kick | Snare | Bus)
Kick: Optimized for use on kicks. Also switches the "Mojo" mode to "Tightness"
Snare: Optimized for use on snares. Also switches the "Mojo" mode to "Body"
Bus: Optimized for use on a stereo drum bus / full drum mix. Switches the "Mojo" mode to "Presence".
Algorithm selector (Classic | Natural | Smooth)
Classic: This algorithm is the same as the one found in Addictive Drums 2. It has a slightly "raw" sound with more pronounced pumping effects.
Natural: This is the default algorithm. It performs really well on nearly all types of material, and has a natural decay with minimal "grainy-ness".
Smooth: This is a variation of the Natural algorithm. It works really well on certain material and has an even smoother response.
The Big Knobs
Attack: increase or reduce the volume of the attack portion of the sound
Sustain: increase or reduce the volume of the sustain (post-attack) portion of the sound
Mojo: fine tune your sound with additional processing that is carefully adapted to each mode:
- In Kick mode: Tightness - go from a more boomy sound to a controlled tight punch.
- In Snare mode: Body - control the low mid of the snare.
- In Bus mode: Presence - dial in just the right amount to let the mix cut through better, or use it to soften harsh sounding high end.
The Output Section
Output Gain: Transient shaping can add a lot of volume to your signal. Use the Output Gain to counter this, so you can better compare processed and unprocessed with the bypass button. You can also use Gain to drive the Soft Clip circuit for some extra 'crack'!
Soft Clip: This is kind of a "speaker protection" circuit that both clips the output level at "0" (unity gain) and adds mild coloration/distortion even on lower signals.
Bypass: Great for A/B:ing. Bypass functionality is likely also available in your host, but using that may cause audible glitches due to latency compensation kicking in and out.
Helptips
In the black area in the very bottom, helpful hints will appear when hovering over the various controls in the user interface.
About page
Reached by clicking the logo or selecting “About DS-10 Drum Shaper...” in the Top Menu.
This page/view lists the people involved making DS-10 Drum Shaper, and some useful technical information:
VERSION
Version and Build Date may be of interest for our support team when trouble searching. In general the XLN Online Installer makes sure you always have the latest and greatest version.
COMPUTER ID
The Computer ID is a unique identifier for your computer, used for the license activation system. If the XLN support asks you to, you can click this text to copy the Computer ID.
GRAPHICS MODE
This shows you what graphics resolution you are currently running. (1x = standard, 2x = Retina/High PPI)