Tone Shaping with Scheps Parallel Particles by Waves Audio

Tone-shaping plugin units that offer various sound processing options are not new, but some are ahead of others in terms of sound quality and ease of use. Waves Audio recently presented us with Scheps Parallel Particles, which we will show in the following tutorial.

Scheps Parallel Particles by Waves Audio

The Scheps Parallel Particles plugin is developed with Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Metallica, Jay Z, Black Sabbath, Lana Del Rey). In essence, Scheps Parallel Particles is, as its name suggests, a parallel processor. It is designed to provide independent control over enhancement in four critical areas of the sound spectrum. However, there's more to it than straightforward multiband parallel compression. We will use Scheps of Parallel Particles on the drums and master channel in the short loop sequence I previously did in SoundBridge: DAW.

The Interface

The interface of the Scheps Parallel Particles reminds me of some huge engine; I would say a Hadron Collider, perhaps. Scheps Parallel Particles captures Andrew's masterful know-how and experience in the form of four simple-to-use controls, each of which represents one of Andrew's go-to mixing processes:

Sub

A harmonic generator that creates lows and adds subfrequencies that were never there before. Working more with resonance than EQ is a great way to make a presence on the low end without things getting out of control.

Air

It focuses on those elusive air frequencies and brings them to the forefront. Like Sub, it is a harmonic generator that creates innovative resonances that do not exist in your source. Traditional EQ can sometimes magnify unwanted noise or artifacts, but this control circumvents this issue by synthesizing the top end from existing lower-frequency material.

Bite

It is designed to create sonic vitality and emotion. It controls the front ends of the notes (those that reach your ear first), but it also significantly impacts the release. Furthermore, it can be used on anything to make your sound more aggressive. A singer will sound more energetic; a snare drum will have more attack; a bass guitar will sound more present, and so on.

Thick

Adds solid body to the signal, evening out the lower mids and midrange. Consequently, it creates a feeling similar to a slightly closer microphone or darker room ambiance. Separately, these controls work in very different ways to shape the vitality of the sound. In combination, they can let you dig in and make massive changes subtly.

Audio Examples

Let's first hear how our drum group sounds unprocessed and then processed with Scheps Parallel Particles. Afterward, we will apply it to the master channel as well.