The first thing you see when you launch ShaperBox 2 is the Shaper Screen. Here, you can add any Shapers you own to the effects chain (or all of them at once with the Add all Shapers button), and try out any you don’t in demo mode. If you prefer, you can hide Shapers you don’t own with the ‘Show Full Versions Only’ button.

Each Shaper also has three Quick Presets underneath its main logo. These give you 1-click access to a range of essential processes, such as sidechain ducking and compression with VolumeShaper 6, mono bass in WidthShaper 2, and half-time in TimeShaper 2.

If you would prefer ShaperBox 2 to always open up with one of these presets, set your preferred startup preset in the Startup section of the Main menu (the button next to ShaperBox 2).

The Shaper Bar holds all currently loaded Shapers, with the signal flowing through them from left to right.

• Click to select a Shaper for editing, drag to change the order, or click ‘+’ to add more Shapers (not available if you have already loaded all Shapers).
• Hover to access Remove Shaper or Shaper On/Off. Note that Shaper On/Off can be automated using your DAW’s automation system.
• Use the Master Mix to blend the effected output with the unprocessed input – this can give different results to using the Mix controls inside individual Shapers.

ShaperBox 2 ships with a large library of professionally designed presets. It also gives access to the Cableguys Preset Cloud, where you can share presets with other users. Because Cableguys' in-house sound designers are constantly adding new presets to the Preset Cloud, the ShaperBox 2 library is ever-growing, bringing new presets to stimulate your creativity.

Loading a Preset always loads a complete ShaperBox setup, replacing all current Shapers and their settings. Presets include any User Waves too.

1. Open and close the full Preset Library Browser.
2. Step through presets based on your current Preset Filter setting.

• New:​ Want to start from scratch? This removes all Shapers and resets ShaperBox 2 to its default state.
• Save: Store your preset – it will be stored locally, on your computer, until the next time you hit Sync. If you'd like to share the preset with others via the Cableguys Online Preset Library, uncheck 'Set to Private'.
• Startup: Select one of the Quick Presets as your Startup preset, bypassing the Shaper Selection Screen. For example, choose the VolumeShaper > Sidechain​ option, and when you add a new ShaperBox, it loads up with a classic 1/4-note sidechain curve ready to go. Set to ShaperBox > Empty (Default)​ option to disable this feature.

• Sync Presets:​ Get up to date with all the latest presets. Selecting this menu option (or clicking the S​ync​ button at the top right of the Preset Browser) will download all new Shared presets, and upload/update all of your presets (your Private ones are uploaded only for backup purposes – other users will not see them). Note that syncing is completely optional – you can use ShaperBox 2 without ever connecting it to the Internet.
• Edit your Cableguys Profile: Show the Cableguys community who you are! Upload your avatar image, enter profile text, and link to your website and social media. Profiles are completely optional and only available if you share presets. Any of the fields can be left blank.

• 75-200%​: Adapt the ShaperBox 2 GUI to your monitor resolution, or just make it easier to see, by expanding it to up to 200% of its default (100%) size, or reducing it to 75%. Scaling amounts that would exceed the resolution of your display appear in grey.

• Show Help Screen:​ Open the quick wave editing guide.
• Open Web Manual and Tutorials: Access this online manual.
• Check for Updates: Ensure your ShaperBox 2 is up to date. This takes care of all Shapers – you don’t need to update each one separately.

Find both useful everyday setups and inspirational effects with ShaperBox 2's Library Browser.

TIP: Presets are displayed in the order in which they were created, so to check out the newest presets, click the double arrow to go to the end of the list.

From left to right, the elements of each Preset listing are:

• Preset / Creator:​ The name of the Preset and its Creator.
• Shaper: Indicates which Shaper this preset is for. Displays ‘Mixed’ if for multiple Shapers.
• Shapers used: Every Shaper used in the preset is represented by a square of its characteristic colour.
• Rating: How do other users rate this Preset? By default, this shows their average score. Click to set your own rating, shown in orange – click again to remove your rating.
• Approved: Cableguys’ in-house sound designers check every Shared User Preset – if it's useful enough, it’s Approved, as indicated by this badge.
• Shared / Private: Make your preset Shared or Private – click the padlock to toggle the status, updated on the next Sync. Note that once a Shared preset has been Synced, it cannot be set back to Private status.
• Trash: Delete a preset, updated on the next Sync. Note that Shared presets cannot be deleted once Synced.

Fill in the fields to narrow the selection of presets.

• Preset: Partial matches are accepted – eg, type "rhythm" to see all presets containing the word rhythm.
• Creator: The author of the preset.
• Selection: Show only Approved presets, My Presets or All presets.
• Shaper: Sometimes, you want a preset for a specific Shaper – here's the option for that. Select Mixed to see Presets that combine multiple Shapers.
• Minimum rating: Only want the very best? Click to see the presets rated at least as high as your chosen star value.

Each Shaper has its own specially designed Wave Presets. These are simpler than Library Presets, loading an LFO waveform into the current Shaper without changing any other settings.

Wave Presets are categorised. For example, VolumeShaper 6 has categories (shown above) for Sidechain (sidechain ducking/pumping), Trimming (for shortening and shaping the envelope of a sound), Rhythmic 1 & 2 (adding groove and motion), and Basic (standard synth-style waveforms: saw, square, etc).

Wave Presets can be switched in real time using host automation.

TIP: Study each Shaper's Wave Presets to learn which shapes create which effects – especially useful for TimeShaper 2.

Click the ‘downwards arrow’ icon to Store the current Wave. Load any stored User Wave by clicking it. Hover on a stored User Wave for Store and Remove options.

When MIDI Switch is enabled, the User Wave Slots instead look like this:

Now MIDI notes C# to A will load the corresponding User Wave into the Shaper from which it was originally saved, turning ShaperBox 2 into a performance effect – trigger it via your MIDI keyboard, pads, or other device. Or, trigger via MIDI clips in your DAW to change waves in sync with your song.

If you are using Shapers in multiband mode (see M​ ultiband editor​, below), the colour indicates both the Shaper and the band into which the Wave will be loaded. This makes it easy to load different Waves into different bands of the same Shaper.

Once you've created a great setup for jamming or live use, simply save it as a Library Preset – all the User Wave Slot assignments will be stored with it.

The cog icon opens a screen with MIDI input configuration and additional help – see M​ore on MIDI​, below.

• Switch FilterShaper Core 2 patterns, from smooth sweeps, to fast wobbles and complex rhythms, to create a live ‘wobble machine’.
• Store a range of TimeShaper 2 stutter and repeat effects to create wild glitch effects on the fly.
• Use VolumeShaper 6 to apply a ‘trance gate’ effect to a synth pad, and switch between different waveforms/rhythms.
• Switch sidechain curves in VolumeShaper 6 depending on the part of the song, or kick drum being used (eg, a different kick for your breakdown or intro).

TIP: Just like the Wave Presets, you can use host automation to switch User Waves.

TIP: Why does the MIDI Switch key range start at C# and not C? The answer is that C is reserved for ShaperBox’s MIDI Trigger feature, which restarts the LFO waveform (explained later in this manual). That means you can use both MIDI Switch and MIDI Trigger features at the same time.

A sample-accurate oscilloscope displays the input (dark) and processed (light) audio signals. By default, the Oscilloscope works in Magnitude mode, combining the left and right channels (showing whichever is highest in amplitude at any given moment) in a single ‘upward’ audio waveform.

You can switch to a normal waveform view, and left/right channels are toggled in the Wave/Oscilloscope Menu (right-click in the waveform editor). You’ll also find the option to Freeze the scope – useful if you’d like to continue editing while the transport is stopped.

Magnitude mode makes it easy to dial in VolumeShaper 6’s Compressor and the Envelope Followers found in CrushShaper, PanShaper 3, WidthShaper 2 and FilterShaper Core 2. For this reason, when the mouse pointer is over an Envelope Follower or Compressor control, Magnitude mode is always enabled temporarily, and the brightness of the waveforms slightly increased.

ShaperBox 2 features a powerful system for designing and editing your own LFO waveforms in exquisite detail. Create smooth curves, peaks, cuts and slopes using soft or hard breakpoints to define gentle transitions or sharp bends in the wave. Or, use three Pens to freely draw, adjust and sequence steps, ramps, arcs and S-curves.

LFO waveforms are made up of freely adjustable "points" (aka nodes or breakpoints). Using these, any LFO shape can be created, from stepped staircases to gentle, pulsing curves, or any combination of these.

• Hard: Creates a tight angle. Extremely precise, but can cause clicks due to the instantaneous parameter change.
• Medium: The angle is rounded off slightly – great for 'instant' jumps without clicking artifacts.
• Soft: For smooth, flowing curves – create sweeping modulations, soft pulses and gradual changes.

The Tool Strip contains tools used to create and edit waveforms in the Wave Editor. From left to right:

1. Pointer: Create and edit points without snapping them to the background grid.
2. Snapped Pointer: Works just like the Pointer, except points will be snapped to the background grid as you move them.
3. Line Pen: Draw, adjust and repeat lines – see H​ow to use Pens​ below.
4. Arc Pen: Draw, adjust and repeat curved arcs
5. S-Curve Pen: Draw, adjust and repeat S-shaped curves
6. Selection: Draw a box to select all points that fall within it, or S​HIFT​-click the button to select all points. You can then move and scale the points by dragging the selection box or the handles around its edges. Hold ALT​ to lock to vertical movement only, or ALT-SHIFT​ for horizontal lock. Hold ALT​ while scaling to stretch about the centre.
7. Move wave/selection left/right: Shift the selection or entire wave one grid space left or right. Hold S​HIFT​ for precise adjustment (1/16 of a grid space).
8. Randomize wave points​: All points are set to a new random position and weight. No points are removed or added, but points snap to the background grid if the Snapped Pointer is selected. S​HIFT​-click to move points vertically only, preserving the rhythm.
9. 2x: ‘Double-time’ the selection or the entire waveform. S​HIFT​-click to ‘triple-time’.
10. Delete Points: Remove all points, or delete selected points.
11. Undo / redo​: Step back and forth through your edits. Works on a per-Shaper/band basis.
12. Wave / Oscilloscope: Open the Wave/Oscilloscope menu

TIP: Minutely shifting the wave left/right using the Move function can be very helpful in fine-tuning the response of sidechaining curves in VolumeShaper 6 – just a little earlier or later can make a real difference to the groove and tightness.

• To create a soft point, c​lick​ an empty area.
• To create a hard point, CTRL-click​ an empty area.
• To change a point's weight, right-click it.
• To delete a point, double-click​ it.
• To move a point, drag it.
• Toggle snapping temporarily by holding SHIFT while moving.
• Select multiple points with SHIFT-drag. You can then move and scale the points by dragging the box or the handles around its edges – great for easily changing the intensity or ‘amount’ of an effect. Hold ALT to lock to vertical movement only, or ALT-SHIFT for horizontal lock. Hold ALT while stretching to scale around the centre.

TIP: Click the ‘?’ icon to access a quick wave-editing guide right inside ShaperBox 2.

ShaperBox 2’s three Pens enable lines, arcs and S-curves to be created, manipulated and repeated in the waveform. They all work in the same way, with a simple, intuitive workflow.

• Click once to add a line, arc or S-curve at the location shown by the white visual preview.
• Click again without moving the mouse to add the same shape again, right after the first. Repeat as required!
• Click-drag to change the length and height of the Pen shape. Note that if you drag far enough left, the shape will be flipped around (and clicking to repeat will move from right to left!). The Pen will retain its shape until edited again.
• If a Pen shape ‘crashes’ into the edge of the Wave Editor, the shape will be compressed to fit. Clicking while the shape is compressed will set the Pen to this new size.
• Hold CTRL to toggle to the Pointer tool temporarily.
• SHIFT-drag to select multiple points. You can then move and scale the points by dragging the box or the handles around its edges – great for easily changing the intensity or ‘amount’ of an effect. Hold ALT to lock to vertical movement only, or ALT-SHIFT for horizontal lock. Hold ALT while stretching to scale about the centre.
• Pens always snap to the grid.

Right-click any empty area in the Wave Editor, or click the [•••] button in the Wave Editor Tool Strip to open the Wave/Oscilloscope Menu.

• Wave
• Select all points:​ Create a selection around all points in the Wave – the same as SHIFT​-clicking the Selection tool button.
• Flip horizontal​: Reverse the wave/selection in time.
• Flip vertical:​ Invert the wave/selection.
• Double:​ ‘Double-time’ the selection or the entire wave.
• Triple:​ ‘Triple-time’ the selection or the entire wave.
• Show triplet grid:​ Change the snap grid to triplet time – useful for shuffle/swung rhythms.
• Copy/Paste​:Transfer waves between Shapers and bands.

• Oscilloscope
• Magnitude mode​: The default ‘half waveform’ view, showing the highest amplitude at any given moment out of the left and right channels. Disable to switch to the classic two-channel mode.
• Left/Right channel​: Enable only one channel – useful for displaying a bigger mono waveform in classic oscilloscope mode. Disable both to turn off the oscilloscope.
• Freeze​: Lock the current waveform – useful if you want to edit while the transport is stopped.

TIP: Create a ‘trimming’ wave in VolumeShaper 6, so you hear only the hi-hats in a loop – then flip the wave vertically to exclude the hi-hats. This works great when applied only to the treble band.

TIP: With all points selected, you can adjust the intensity of the waveform by stretching it vertically, or speed it up/slow it down by stretching it over time (for example, to turn a half-bar pattern into a full-bar one). Hold ALT while stretching to scale about the centre.

These three menus give you control over when the waveform starts over, and the length of the LFO cycle. You can set it free-running, synced to the tempo of your DAW, or even to the frequency (pitch) of a MIDI note you're playing, to create everything from long, evolving sweeps to freaky ring modulation-style effects.

LFO Mode, Length and MIDI Trigger are set independently per Shaper – in fact, when unlinked, each band inside a Shaper can have its own settings.

Here’s how the three menus work:

• LFO Mode
• Beat:​ The default mode. The LFO locks to your project’s tempo and play position, and the LFO Length is set in musical units (bars and beats).
• Hertz:​ The LFO rate is set in Hertz (cycles per second). When Hertz mode is selected, the LFO Length menu is replaced by a Speed slider. Note that in Hertz mode, the LFO is ‘synced’ to project position once when you hit play – this gives consistent-sounding playback from a given position.
• Pitch​: The LFO speed will be set to the frequency of the MIDI note you play. Try it for bizarre ring modulation-style effects! When Pitch is selected, the MIDI Trigger menu switches automatically to On mode.
• LFO Link: To set the LFO for multiple Shaper bands to the same settings, activate the Link icons in those bands. You can link any combination of the three bands in this way. When the Mid band is part of the linked group, you can automate all linked LFO controls via the Mid band’s LFO parameters. If only Low and High are linked, then the Low band is the one to automate. Disable the Link controls for independent LFO settings per band. Note that Link affects Mode, Length/Speed and MIDI Trigger – to remind you, all three parameters will flash when toggling Link buttons.

• Length / Speed
• Length (1/128–32 Bars):​ In Beat mode, set the length of the loop, from 1/128 to 32 bars. The 1/4, 1/2 and 1 buttons give instant 1-click access to the three most commonly used timings.
• Speed (0.020–5.24kHz):​ In Hertz mode, set the free-running LFO rate.

• MIDI Trigger
• Off​: The LFO loops continuously regardless of MIDI input.
• On: The LFO loops continuously, but resets to the start when a MIDI note is received.
• On (1-Shot)​: The LFO does not loop, but will play exactly once when a MIDI note is received, then remain at the final value of the waveform. With VolumeShaper 6, for example, if the waveform ends at the bottom of the Graph, the volume will stay there, and you will hear only silence until the next MIDI note is received. Drag the final point/node of the waveform to the upper right of the graph to keep it at full volume after the LFO has played.

For the MIDI Trigger modes, any note will work, e​xcept ​when ShaperBox's MIDI Switch option is enabled too, in which case only C notes will reset the LFO.

TIP: Note that Ableton Live has a serious bug concerning timing that can affect all position-synced plugins (ie, not just Cableguys plugins). For more info and a workaround, see our FAQ page.

TIP: The LFO Link function is great for easy editing and ensuring that your LFOs stay in sync across bands. However, exciting rhythmic effects can be achieved by disabling it. Try copying the same Wave to all bands, but using different Loop Lengths for each; or combining a beat-synced pattern in one band with audio-rate modulation on another.

For instructions on setting your DAW up to send MIDI to ShaperBox 2, please visit our FAQ page.​

Open ShaperBox 2’s MIDI Setup screen by clicking the small ‘cog’ button in either the MIDI Switch or MIDI Trigger area.

• MIDI Port
• Direct From DAW:​ This is the best option if supported by your DAW, as it gives the tightest possible timing.
• MIDI Devices​: If your DAW doesn’t support the D​irect From DAW​ option, assign a MIDI input port from those available to your system. The timing may not be as tight, though, and you’ll need to return to this screen if ports are added or removed.
• Channels:​ Select All Channels, or any individual MIDI channel from 1-16 for input.
• Trigger Smoothing:​ This option is on by default and alleviates the clicks that can arise when retriggering LFOs with MIDI.

Multiband processing brings a powerful extra dimension to every Shaper, dividing the input signal into three completely separate and independently ‘shaped’ frequency bands.

Here are just a few of the countless things you can do using multiband processing:

• Bass sidechaining: D​uck just the bass by homing in on it with VolumeShaper 6’s low band, leaving all other frequencies in the signal unaffected. Get tighter bass and keep the top-end groove.
• Multi-spectrum sidechaining:​ Apply different sidechain ducking curves to each VolumeShaper 6 frequency range – go long on the bass, medium length in the mids, and short at the top, allowing your kick to punch through with total precision.
• Get wide but solid bass:​ Use WidthShaper 2 to widen the higher frequencies in a bassline while keeping the lows mono and centred.
• Solve troublesome dynamics issues:​ VolumeShaper 6’s Compressor becomes even more powerful in multiband, helping you tame even the most dynamically wayward of material. Simply set the Split sliders to target the frequency range of whichever element is jumping out – ‘jumpy’ midrange resonances in a vocal, for example – and set the Compressor for that band as required.
• Animate arpeggios:​ Set PanShaper 3 to divide an arpeggiated synth, piano or guitar into three ‘note ranges’, then apply different envelope follower Amounts to each for multi-directional panning based on note input.
• Extreme time shaping:​ Deconstruct the very temporal fabric of a drum loop by pushing it through TimeShaper 2 with totally different LFO waveforms for each band.
• Add interest to pads:​ Apply FilterShaper Core 2’s Phaser to just the midrange in a complex pad sound for a combination of psychedelia and stability.

That barely scratches the surface of ShaperBox’s multiband possibilities – the only limit is your imagination!

ShaperBox 2’s multiband setup is designed with ease of use in mind. The three bands are defined in the Bands section at the top-left of the interface, which also shows the audio spectrum and modulation signal level for each one.

• Split sliders​: Add a Low or High band by moving a Split slider to the desired frequency. Drag the Mid band left and right to move both Split sliders together – if either Split slider reaches the left or right edge of the display, it will 'remember' its position relative to the other Split slider when moved back in the other direction. Double-click the Mid band to reset both Spit sliders. You can also change the slope of each filter split to 6dB, 12dB or 24dB/octave — this option becomes visible when you move the mouse over the spectrum. The exact split frequencies are shown in the help text area at the bottom of the plugin when you mouse-over the band split.
• Solo (S)​:​ Solo the selected band – the other bands in the Shaper are muted. Click between bands to instantly solo them.
• ‘Arrows’ button: Expand the Bands spectrum to fill the interface.

Do you want a filtered stutter or a stuttered filter? The order of the effects can make a huge difference to what you get out of them, and experimenting with this is very easy in ShaperBox 2 – just drag Shapers in the Shaper bar to change the left-to-right processing order.

Each Shaper has its own dry/wet Mix control in the upper-right of the interface. This blends the signal coming into the Shaper with its output. In fact, there is a separate Mix control for each band when using Shapers in Multiband mode.

With VolumeShaper 6, PanShaper 3 and WidthShaper 2, the dry/wet Mix works like an ‘amount’ control, making the effect less pronounced the lower it goes – the result is exactly the same as if the modulation curve had been flattened vertically. Lowering the Mix slider also has a profound effect on the Compressor, enabling parallel, a.k.a. New York-style, compression. (PanShaper 3’s Haas effect is an exception to this, however, as, rather than flattening the curve, it mixes its slightly-delayed output with the dry signal, which can introduce phasing artifacts.)

With CrushShaper, FilterShaper Core 2 and TimeShaper 2, blending the Dry and Wet signals has the potential for much more drastic effects.

To set the same dry/wet Mix amount for multiple Shaper bands, enable the Link button to the upper-right of the slider. You can link any combination of the three bands in this way. When the Mid band is part of the linked group, you can automate all linked Mix controls via the Mid Mix parameter. If only Low and High are linked, then the Low Mix parameter is the one to automate. Disable the Link controls for independent Dry/Wet Mix per band.

TIP: As mentioned earlier, the Master Mix in the Shaper Bar works differently to the individual Mix knobs. Master Mix instead blends the output of the final Shaper in the chain with the unprocessed signal at the plugin’s input. This is useful when, for example, you’ve put your signal through a far-too-destructive series of Shapers in the name of experimental sound design and want to rein the results back in by mixing in some of the original sound.