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The Smack Attack Black Friday deal from Waves puts this transient shaper plugin at $29.99, 62% off, until Nov 26, 2026.
Smack Attack is a transient shaper for drums, guitars, vocals and whatever else needs its attack reshaped. Waves says it gives more detailed control over the initial attack than traditional transient shapers do.
Push the attack forward and drums jump out of a mix. A snare cracks instead of thudding, and a strummed acoustic gets crisper.
The maker also points to percussive rap vocals, which can hit harder once their peaks are emphasized.
It works the other way too. Soften the peaks and an instrument sits further back in the mix.
Waves gives two examples: hand percussion tucked in so it sits better, and a bass with its attack pulled back so the sustain comes forward.
The sensitivity control matters in practice. It sets which parts of the signal get shaped, so you can hit the peaks you want and leave the rest alone.
The parallel processing lets you blend the shaped signal with the original, which is handy when a full-on attack boost sounds too much on its own.
Waves says the plugin suits everything from individual tracks to masters.
On Mac, Smack Attack runs on macOS Monterey 12, Ventura 13, Sonoma 14 and Sequoia 15, in VST, AU and AAX formats.
On PC, you need Windows 10 or later, in VST and AAX formats.
The zero-latency design means you can put it on a live bus or an insert without adding delay to the signal path.
Yes. The Smack Attack Black Friday deal from Waves is 62% off, bringing the transient shaper plugin to $29.99. The offer runs until Nov 26, 2026.
It reshapes the attack of a sound. You can emphasize percussive peaks for more punch, or soften them to push an instrument back in the mix. Waves says it gives more detailed attack control than traditional transient shapers.
On Mac it comes as VST, AU and AAX, running on macOS Monterey 12, Ventura 13, Sonoma 14 and Sequoia 15. On PC it comes as VST and AAX and needs Windows 10 or later.
Waves lists zero latency for live sound mixing in real time. The plugin also has a real-time graphic display, parallel processing and MIDI control, so settings can be adjusted quickly while you work.
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