Lets take a look at one of the more unique plug-ins in the Sonnox arsenal, the often misunderstood Transient Modulator. Also referred to as the TransMod (either name is technically correct), I think of it as a utility tool for groove. Simply put, it takes the dynamic transients of a given signal and either provides more attack than the original or reverses the process to pare some away. With just a few quick tweaks, it can provide a huge array of sonic options.

As you can see from the screenshot, it's broken out into three sections. The first includes a Gain control adjustable from -24 to +24 dB (that's a lot of gain!). There's also an Input Meter to display input drive levels, a Threshold control to adjust for processing, and a Deadband control, which allows for a select amount of transient process to be ignored.

In the middle sits the Ratio control, which controls the overall TransMod process. Overshoot is for timing control and an 'IN' button lets you switch the effect in and out while maintaining a constant delay and gain Just above that sits the Effect meter, which displays the peak overall gain and loss of transients with a +/- 24dB range.

Finally, the third section provides an Output meter, a Rise time control for response speed for short transients, a Recovery control for long transients and an Overdrive control, which delivers additional harmonic enhancement to the output signal. Also, by clicking on the Sonnox logo, you can open the Options menu. Here you can select Linear or Circular knob functionality and Over durations of either '2 seconds', '5 seconds', or 'Clicked' (so it will only clear when clicked upon with the mouse). PowerCore users get a box where they can turn 'No Latency' mode on or off.

Lets listen to what TranMod can do. The first audio clip is of a snare/brush combination loop over some chilled out guitar riffs. The TransMod plug in is on the loop, but disabled.

The second clip shows the plug in with a dramatic 9.83 dB boost of the Gain, and a negative Ratio of 0.53, with an Overshoot of 41.6ms. All other process knobs are set hard left.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Notice what has happened to the loop - the attack of the snare has been 'modded', and it has severely dropped in volume. However, the brush effect is still 'swirling' and the snare hits sound like they are much deeper in the room. This has the effect of 'laying back' the groove, and it's a very cool effect to turn on and off (or automate) during different sections of the song.

The next audio example shows the effect of bringing transient events forward. Note the Gain reduction this time (-6.22) with a positive Ratio (0.25) and a positive Overshoot (41.6ms). Now the loop has a more 'in your face' feel and the room sound has completely dried up. The snare has a more aggressive punch to it and it drives the track harder with less of the brush sound.

(Click on image to enlarge)

It's interesting that you can quickly get three different feels from the same loop, all with the same plug-in. Also, further tweaking of the Threshold, Deadband, Rise Time, Recovery and Overdrive will yield a totally new set of results.

These three examples illustrate why I find the TransMod so valuable to my production chops. It allows me to take a loop or percussion element and change its dynamics from sitting forward in the mix to lagging behind it, all while altering the overall feel of the groove. I've also used it quite a bit to bring out the ambience from dry drum tracks. In addition, it works great on things like bass parts and synth lines. Trans Mod has rescued more than one weak bass performance by using positive values on the Ratio and Overshoot, which are the two parameters I mostly tweak. Its quite killer on percussion tracks like shakers, where I can fit it 'just right' into the pocket. No other plug in I know of has this 'grooveability'.

TransMod can also be applied to an entire mix to bring extra life to the sound. In these before and after examples, this old reggae recording of Creation Steppers has some crackles and a slightly dull edge, as it was prepped from an old 45 record.

Before

(Click on image to enlarge)

After

(Click on image to enlarge)

By applying the TransMod, we are able to enhance its impact. Note the positive Ratio (0.72) and slight Overshoot (5.50ms). The Threshold was adjusted so that the process operated on program just on those events that needed effecting. I was able to get a bit more Gain out of the recording as well, with a positive adjustment of +2.29dB. Also, note that the Overdrive was set up at 96.4%, allowing some extra harmonic content to be added back into the signal without clipping the final product. The overall effect helped to bring out the vocal and enhance the bass line, all while retaining the classic feel of the recording.

Trans Mod is supported on the Pro Tools (TDM and LE) platforms, as well as TC PowerCore, VST and Audio Units.

* Special thanks to artist Scotty Moore for his music in examples 1-3.

* Special thanks to producers Peter Seale and David Ondrick, for their examples 4-5.

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