A waveshaper bends the shape of your audio waveform to add character. Instead of turning the whole signal up or down (linear gain), it treats quiet parts and loud peaks differently (non-linear). That “bending” creates new harmonics — which your ear hears as saturation, grit, warmth, or outright distortion.
Make things bigger: add harmonics so sounds cut through without just getting louder.
Control peaks: soft-clip transients in drums or buses more musically than a limiter.
Change tone: odd/even harmonics shift the color—edgier vs. warmer.
Transfer curve: Imagine a line that maps input level to output level. Straight line = clean. Curved line = saturation. Flat top = clipping.
Even vs. odd harmonics:
Symmetrical shapes (centered) → mainly odd harmonics (more “bite”).
Asymmetrical shapes (biased) → add even harmonics (more “warmth”).
Soft gently rounds peaks (smoother, more “analog”).
Hard chops peaks (aggressive, punchy, can sound crunchy).
Drive / Input: how hard you hit the curve. More in = more harmonics.
Shape / Curve / Amount: how bent the curve is (character of the distortion).
Symmetry / Bias: shifts the curve up or down to favor even vs. odd harmonics.
Pre / Post Tone (filters): filter before shaping to decide what distorts; filter after to tame fizz or boom.
Mix / Dry–Wet: quick parallel saturation; blend for subtlety.
Output / Makeup: turn down after driving so loudness doesn’t fool you—level-match!
Oversampling: processes at a higher rate to reduce aliasing (digital “sand” on highs). Use it when shaping bright material or on the mix bus.
Drum bus punch (soft clip): HPF pre @ ~30–60 Hz → moderate Drive → soft curve → Mix 30–50% → Output down to match. Result: tighter transients, louder feel.
Bass presence (asymmetry): Gentle Drive → add bias for even harmonics → LPF post to tame fizz. Result: fuller notes that read on small speakers.
Vocal warmth: Light Drive → soft curve → tiny bias → Mix 10–25% → de-ess after if needed.
Synth edge (harder): More Drive → harder clip or steeper curve → tone-shape post. Great for leads that need to cut.
Before/After level-match. If it only sounds “better” because it’s louder, trim Output.
Top-end hash. If highs get fizzy, enable oversampling or use post-LPF.
Low-end bloom. Use pre-HPF to avoid muddy, distorted sub.
Transient flattening. Soft clip = glue; too much = lifeless—back off Drive or Mix.
On already-bright cymbals or mastered material, heavy shaping can add harshness or aliasing. Go gentle, filter wisely, and oversample on critical buses.
That’s it: a waveshaper is a controllable “non-linear tone curve” for audio—from tasteful saturation to intentional destruction—quick to dial, easy to parallel, and perfect for making parts speak in a mix.
Amplitude fixed at 1.0, sample rate fixed at 48 kHz.
See how aliasing creates folding when the signal exceeds Nyquist.
