Boom Shack adds audio content triggered by your beat, which you can blend in to add heft and character. The Boom Shack module could be thought of as two modules in one: Boom adds low-end content, giving your drums weight, and Shack adds a wide range of characterful noises you’ll typically want to blend in with your original snare sound to take things in a new direction.
Boom and Shack each have their own tabs with corresponding settings. The module’s big knob has a dual function: the knob’s center and skirt control the Boom and Shack amounts, respectively. As you touch either, the module’s interface switches to the corresponding tab.
You can also switch between the tabs by clicking Boom or Shack below the graphic visualizer. We’ll go over the controls that are identical between the two sections first.
Visualizer
At the very top is the visualizer section, which shows activity from both the Boom and Shack sections simultaneously. Placing your mouse cursor across the visualizer section reveals the Focus and Sensitivity controls for the currently selected side — Boom or Shack. This is where you adjust their detection settings.
Detection threshold
This is the vertical slider to the left of the visualizer. Set it high to make Boom and Shack trigger only on the loudest parts of the incoming audio. Move it downwards to increase the signal level required to trigger a hit.
Detection filter
Determines the frequency range in which hits will trigger Boom and Shack, respectively. Drag the arrows to narrow it down to a specific range, or click the selected area and drag your mouse up/down. Click and drag to the left or right to move the selected range.
For example, if you’re using DB-30 across a drum loop, you may want Boom to trigger on the kick drum but not the snare. If you get unwanted Boom triggers from the snare, you can narrow down Boom’s detection filter to only cover the low frequencies where the kick resides. In this setting, Boom will ignore the snare drum and therefore will not trigger on any snare drum hits. The same applies to Shack.
Decay
Sets the length of the added audio content. Set it low for short audio bursts and high for extended and more noticeable additions to the sound. If you have activated the Duck control, you may want to ensure that Decay is set to a reasonably long value.
Duck
Determines whether Boom Shack’s added audio should be heard on top of the original sound or fade in after the original sound’s onset. A higher Duck setting creates the sense that the two sounds wrap around each other — the incoming audio pushes down the Boom Shack sound in level, but when the incoming audio has decayed, the Boom Shack sound swells back up, adding a tail to the original sound. A reasonably long Decay setting may be necessary.
Solo
The S button lets you solo the added sounds from Boom and Shack, respectively.
Post
In the default state, with Post deactivated, the sounds generated by Boom Shack are fed into the following effect module. However, if you activate Post, the Boom Shack sounds are routed straight to DB-30’s output section, just before the Clip stage (as indicated graphically by the Clip button). This keeps the generated Boom Shack sounds unaffected by the following effect modules. This can, for example, be useful if you want to add distortion to the kick drum of your original drum beat but keep Boom clean and solid.
Pitch (Boom)
Determines the pitch of the added Boom content. Turn it clockwise for a higher pitch and counterclockwise for a lower one. By default, Boom’s Pitch control steps by semitones when you adjust it. For fine-tuning, hold down the Shift key on your computer keyboard while adjusting the knob.
Pitch (Shack)
Determines the relative pitch of the added Shack content. Turn it clockwise for a higher pitch and counterclockwise for a lower one. For fine-tuning, hold down the Shift key on your computer keyboard while adjusting the knob.
Stereo (Boom only)
This adds a stereo spread to the Boom content. At its lowest setting, fully counterclockwise, the added Boom sound is mono. The sound widens as you turn the control clockwise.
Color and Acid (Boom only)
Color adds distortion/harmonics to the added Boom sound. Activate Acid for an alternative distortion character.
Shack noise type (Shack only)
The dropdown menu below the meter section determines the type of noise that Shack will add. A whole range of different noise types are available for effects from layered percussion and noise to more experimental sound design options.
Tone (Shack only)
Sets the EQ tone of Shack’s added sound.
Env Flt and Res (Schack only)
Shack includes an envelope filter, which adds a fast frequency sweep from bright to dark frequencies every time Shack triggers. Env Flt sets the filter amount and Res controls the filter resonance, which adds a resonant edge to the sweep. Controls Shack’s envelope filter amount and resonance.