MIXING & EFFECTS

Transmitter

Transmitter is a low or zero-latency transient-detection algorithm that separates the input signal into two components for independent dynamics and spectral shaping:

  • Transient – The attack and hit of the audio event.
  • Sustain – The sustained (steady-state), body, and tail of the sound.

These components can be processed independently and, when routed from the host Mixer track, optionally sent to separate Insert Mixer tracks. This allows precise control over drums, percussion, plucks, and any material where the attack and sustain benefit from different treatment.

Transmitter also supports sidechain input, letting an external signal drive the detector so you can superimpose the dynamics of one source onto another.

Interface overview

Waveform display

The upper display shows the input signal with Transient and Sustain envelopes highlighted in different colors. This visualization helps you see how the detector is separating the signal and how your settings affect the split.

When you mouse-over the display, the Speed, Waveform, Transient & Sustain visualization controls will become visible in the lower-right corner:

  • Scroll speed - Increase to see more detail. TIP: Pause scrolling with a (Right+Click) for actual detailed inspection.
  • T (Transient) – Shows the envelope separating detected attacks.
  • S (Sustain) – Shows the envelope separating the complementary sustained sections.

NOTE: Attack and Sustain envelopes always crossfade and remain perfectly complementary. As long as you haven’t changed the Transient or Sustained levels or applied additional processing, Transmitter will output a mathematically exact reconstruction of the original signal. These envelopes don't represent the dynamics within the Attack or Sustain components; instead, they show the gating control envelopes that separate the two. Think of it like an ultra-fast crossfader rapidly switching between paths-sending sharp, transient energy one way and steady, sustained content the other.

Detection

The detection controls determine how Transmitter analyzes the input signal and decides what is a Transient and what is Sustain.

  • Sidechain Input (top-right panel) - Choose a source Mixer Track to drive the Transient detection system. (Right-Click) the panel to show available Mixer Tracks. For options to be available you will need to sidechain the source Mixer Track to Transmitters parent track. TIP: Try using a percussion loop as a sidechain input to a sustained sound to create a rhythm.
  • Sensitivity - Sensitivity of the transient detector, and can be used to differentiate stronger from weaker attack transients. A higher sensitivity will detect low-energy bursts but it will be more likely to produce false positives.
  • Mode - Chooses the detection behavior. Normally, this will be set to 'Balanced', but can be used to improve the accuracy of the detector when false detections or missed transients occur by selecting specialized algorithm settings.
    • Smooth - Ideal for material with gentler attacks and dynamics, and sparse transient activity; It works well on Basslines, Ambient, Chillout, Lo-Fi, Synthwave pads, Cinematic atmospheres and other sustained or flowing textures.
    • Balanced (default) - A versatile, all-purpose setting tuned for most signals and music genres.
    • Dense - Designed for signals with dense transient activity; for example, drum rolls, castanet clusters, or guitar strumming.
  • Hold - Sets how long a detected Transient is held before it is considered Sustain. Longer hold values keep more of the early sound in the Transient path.
  • Release - Controls how quickly the detector switches the audio to the Sustain path after a Transient. Shorter release values switch to Sustain sooner; longer values keep the Transient state active.

Transient

The Transient section shapes the attack portion of the sound. Use it to emphasize or soften hits, add edge, or saturate the front of the signal to enhance body and impact.

  • Mute/Solo - Click the LED button on the section label.
  • Level - Adjusts the gain of the Transient component. Increase to make attacks louder; decrease to soften them.
    • Link (icon) – Links the Transient and Sustain sliders so their levels adjust together.
  • Effects - Choose from a number of pre-defined effects. As these are common for both Sustain and Transient panels, these are described in the Effects section below.
  • Sidechain Output (top-right panel) - Choose a destination Mixer Track to send the Transient signal for further, independent effects processing or to use it as a control signal for other effects like sidechain compression. (Right-Click) the panel to show available Mixer Tracks. NOTE: When the Transient section is side-chained (from the upper-right panel), the Transient Level slider automatically drop to zero to prevent the audio being doubled (heard on both the direct and sidechain paths). You can readjust it normally afterward if it's not desired.
  • Mix - Dry/wet balance.
  • Tilt - Tonal balance. Left for more lows and right for more highs.

Sustain

The Sustain section shapes the sustained portion of the sound. Use it to control the body, tail, and ambience independently from the attack.

  • Mute/Solo - Click the LED button on the section label.
  • Level - Adjusts the gain of the Sustained component. Increase for fuller sustain and decrease to tighten and dry the sound. You will need to sidechain Transmitters parent Mixer Track to destination Mixer Tracks for options to be available here.
    • Link (icon) - Links the Transient and Sustain sliders, so relative adjustments of level can be made.
  • Effects - Choose from a number of pre-defined effects. As these are common for both Sustain and Transient panels these are described in the Effects section below.
  • Sidechain Output (top-right panel) - Choose a destination Mixer Track to send the Sustained signal for further, independent effects processing. (Right-Click) the panel to show available Mixer Tracks. NOTE: When the Sustain section is side-chained (from the upper-right panel), the Sustain Level slider automatically drop to zero to prevent the audio being doubled (heard on both the direct and sidechain paths). You can readjust it normally afterward if it's not desired.
  • Mix - Dry/wet balance.
  • Tilt - Tonal balance. Left for more lows and right for more highs.

Effects

The Transient and Sustain panels include the same effects so to avoid repetition, their shared parameters are described in the section below.

  • Off – The signal is unaffected by the effect; only the Level fader gain is applied.
  • Saturation - Soft distortion, adding harmonic richness without harsh clipping.
    • Drive - Increases the input gain into the saturation algorithm, resulting in more harmonic distortion and saturation.
    • Warmth - Modifies the waveshaping function to soften higher, harsher frequencies while maintaining clarity at low drive settings. The result is a smoother, warmer response that retains its brightness and definition.
  • Bounce - A delay-style effect that creates echo repetitions specialized for 'bouncing-ball' type rhythms.
    • Time Curve – Controls the tension (curve shape) of the exponential delay-time warp. Positive values create an accelerating effect, causing bounce intervals to shorten over time (like a ping-pong ball dropped on a table). Higher values increase the acceleration. Negative values create a slowing effect, lengthening the intervals and easing the bounce pattern (similar to a prize wheel slowing down as it loses momentum).
    • Amp Curve - Controls the tension of the exponential amplitude-decay curve applied to the taps. Positive values raise the level with bounces; negative values decrease it.
  • Diffusion - Is a sound similar to the tail of a reverb.
    • Diffusion - How much the signal is scattered, creating a soft, reverb-like smear that reduces sharp transients.
    • Delay - Sets the length of the diffusion field. Effectively the size of the ambience into which the signal is scattered. Longer times create a larger, more spacious smear.
  • Delay - Creates repeating echoes of the input signal.
    • Feedback - How much of the delayed signal is fed back into the effect, determining the number of echoes and the overall decay time.
    • Delay - Time between delay repetitions.
    • T (Tempo Sync) - Syncs the delay time to the project tempo (BPM).

Routing and Mixer integration

Transmitter can output the Transient and Sustain components to separate Mixer tracks, allowing completely independent processing chains.

  • Single-track use – By default, both components are mixed back together on the same Mixer track.
  • Split to independent tracks – If you route additional Mixer tracks from the host Mixer track and assign them as Transmitter outputs, the Transient and Sustain paths can be sent to these tracks independently.

This enables workflows such as adding compression, clipping, or Transient shaping only to the attack, or reverb, chorus, or EQ only to the sustain/body.

Toolbar (bottom)

  • Stereo Link - Combines the left and right channels to obtain a single transient detection signal that processes both channels.
  • Lookahead - Adds a 5-ms lookahead delay for click-free Transient and Sustain separation. This is normally not necessary and Transmitter will operate in zero-latency; however, lookahead will also guarantee that none of the Transient signal leaks into the Sustain part.
  • Menu (Gear icon) - Choose different themes for the user interface, Right-Click to preview them without closing the menu.

Transmitter as a Controller

When Transmitter is present in a project, the Transient Steady State (TSS) envelope becomes available as an Internal Controller. The TSS Envelope follows Transmitter’s transient detector and can be used to automate parameters anywhere in the project.

The TSS Envelope exposes several controls that shape how the transient signal is converted into automation data. These parameters determine how quickly the envelope reacts, how long it holds, and how it releases after each detected transient.

  • Hold – Sets how long the envelope remains at 100% after a transient is detected. Higher values create a more sustained control signal, useful for gating, ducking, or triggering longer events.
  • Release – Controls the release time after the Hold stage. Short values cause the envelope to fall back to zero quickly, emphasizing sharp, percussive modulation. Longer values create smoother, more gradual fades.
  • Sidechain input – When Transmitter is sidechained, the envelope follows the external signal transients instead of the plugin's own input. This allows you to impose the rhythm or articulation of one sound onto another—for example, using a kick drum to drive the envelope that modulates a synth or effect.
  • Sensitivity – How the envelope is triggered. Lower thresholds or higher sensitivity values produce more frequent triggers, especially on softer material. This affects the shape and frequency of the automation data generated.

Workflow tips

  • Sidechain ducking - Route a control signal to Transmitters Mixer Track and use that to drive the detector, set with a fast attack and long decay on the transient detector.
  • Drums and percussion – Boost Transient Level and Drive while reducing Sustain Level to make drums punchy and tight.
  • Ambient tails – Lower Transient Level slightly and increase Sustain Diffusion and Time for smooth, atmospheric sustain.
  • Parallel processing – Use separate Mixer tracks for Transient and Sustain paths to apply different effects and blend them back in the Mixer.

Plugin Credits

Code: Dario Sanfilippo: DSP algorithm and audio programming.

GUI: Miroslav Krajcovic (implementation and design).