Available for download, the Scheps Parallel Particles plug-in continues in Waves' recent tradition of massaging incredibly complex processes into simple and intuitive user interfaces. It features four controls (Sub, Air, Bite, and Thick) which shape sound sources in a variety of ways; adding resonances to the bass and treble frequencies, as well as thickening up the midrange and shaping transients. This software is compatible with Mac and Windows platforms, and, depending on your host DAW, can function in AU, RTAS, VST, and AAX formats.
Available Processes
Sub
A harmonic generator that adds sub frequencies to your signal, working more with resonance than EQ. It creates presence in the low-end.
Air
This parameter brings high-end "air" frequencies to the forefront. Like Sub, it is a harmonic generator which adds resonances not intrinsic to your source signal. Traditional EQ can sometimes magnify unwanted noise or artifacts, whereas this control aims to circumvent that issue by synthesizing the top end from existing lower frequency material.
Bite
A transient controller that influences both the front ends of notes (the sounds that reach your ears first) as well as their releases, Bite can be used to make sound-sources feel more aggressive.
Thick
This control evens out the lower-mids and mid-range, creating a feeling similar to that of a microphone being a little bit closer, or the room ambience being darker.
Useful Tips for the Plug-In
Colorized Indicators
Individually colored bars associated to each process give you graphical indications of how much of the effect you're bringing forth into your sonic world.
Input/Output Staging
To keep each process as simple as possible, this plug-in was designed to work best when signals are properly gain-staged. For best sounding results, it is recommended that signal coming into the plugin triggers a yellow coloring from the input metering; green might be too soft, and red might result in clipping. Input/output linking allows you to keep the volume reasonably consistent as you make changes to one stage or the other.
Individual Bypass
You can easily bypass any of the four processes by clicking on their respective names.
Individual or Group Use
This plug-in is suitable for use on individual instruments or across entire buses/groups.