Name: HoRNet Spikes MK2
Brand: HoRNet Plugins
Price: 14.99 EUR
Availability: InStock

Single-band transient shaper

More punch.
Less bite.
Your call.

Bring a kick forward. Take the edge off a snare. Make the pick attack speak without reaching for another compressor.

Spikes MK2 puts the main move on one knob, then gives you the detector, focus, and drive controls to refine it.

€9.99 launch price · For the first 7 days of launch. Regular price: €14.99.

Get Spikes MK2 — €9.99 Download free demo

Explore Spikes MK2

Low prices, Great sound

The problem

The level is right. The attack isn’t.

A drum can have plenty of level and still disappear in the mix. A snare can cut through perfectly and still feel too sharp. Often, the difference is the attack, not the overall volume.

A compressor can reshape that attack, but threshold, ratio, and timing all interact. Turning up an EQ band may bring out the pick or beater, yet it also changes the tone between those events. Sometimes you just want the beginning of each note to behave differently.

We built Spikes MK2 around that job. It compares a fast envelope with a slower one to recognise transient events, then applies a changing gain to the original signal. You don’t set a threshold. Move Spike above zero to emphasise attacks, or below zero to soften them.

The first useful move is deliberately simple. Start from Init, adjust Spike, and listen in the mix. Blend back the dry signal if you want a lighter touch. Separate boost and cut limits keep the transient gain within the range you choose.

When the source needs more attention, the detector controls are there. Focus EQ changes which frequencies influence detection without directly EQing the output. Auto Release can follow your DAW’s tempo or adapt to the material. Three envelope characters let you choose a more direct or gentler response.

Then decide whether you want colour. Add Clean, Warm, or Dirty drive after the shaping, or leave it off. Watch the input and gain traces together, and use Delta to hear the difference. The goal isn’t more controls for their own sake. It’s a quick result that you can understand and refine.

Start here

Three controls. A clear starting point.

Spike

Shape the attack.

Spike runs from −100% to +100%. Positive values bring attacks forward. Negative values soften them. At 0%, the transient shaper adds no gain change.

Mix

Keep the dry signal.

Use the linear 0–100% Mix control for parallel processing. Push the shaping or drive harder, then blend it with the original signal.

Output

Set the wet level.

Output adjusts the processed branch by ±12 dB before Mix. Auto Out couples it to Spike for a predictable level offset — not measured loudness matching.

Focus EQ

Choose what triggers the shaping.

Want the detector to ignore sub rumble? Raise its high-pass filter. Need it to react more to the pick or snare crack? Emphasise that region with the bell.

Focus EQ combines an HPF, a parametric bell, and an LPF in the internal detector path only. You steer the detection without directly filtering the audible signal.

This is still a single-band shaper. The resulting gain acts on the full signal, not just the frequencies selected in Focus EQ.

Detector-only filtering

Focus the detector.

HPF: 20–500 Hz
LPF: 2–20 kHz
Bell: 100 Hz–8 kHz
Bell gain: −12 to +12 dB
Bell Q: 0.50–4.00

The response display shows what the detector is hearing, not the EQ of your output.

Detector

Match the response to the source.

Timing

Let release follow.

Sync to BPM sets release to one beat of your DAW tempo: 500 ms at 120 BPM. Auto Time adapts the release to the content instead.

Prefer a fixed setting? Turn Auto Release off and choose 50–1000 ms manually.

Detection window

Define the event.

Peak Length sets the slow envelope’s base attack from 10–100 ms. Attack adds up to 50 ms to that time.

Shorter settings narrow the event. Longer settings can include more of the attack. Neither control adds lookahead.

Character

Choose the feel.

Transparent: reactive, fluid envelope following.

Punchy: linear ramps for a more direct response.

Smooth: gentler exponential curves.

Your timing settings remain in control.

Spike Drive

Add colour after the punch.

Drive receives the entire shaped wet signal. It is not a separate transient-only saturation path. Leave it off for shaping without added saturation, or use Mix for a parallel treatment.

Clean

Soft clipping with a smooth transition into saturation. Start here when you want density without an overtly aggressive edge.

Warm

A softer saturation curve with a more lively low-level response. Try it on drum buses and loops when you want extra body.

Dirty

Asymmetric hard clipping for a more obvious harmonic edge. Push it on electronic percussion or blend it back for parallel crush.

Drive Amount runs from 0–100%. Adaptive oversampling processes the wet path at 8×, 4×, or 2×, depending on the host sample rate, to help reduce saturation aliasing.

See it. Hear it.

Know what you’re changing.

Real-time feedback

Watch the gain move.

The five-second scope overlays the input waveform and transient gain. Stereo input/output meters and a bipolar Boost/Cut meter keep the signal and the shaping visible.

The gain trace excludes Drive, Output, and Mix. In stereo, the scope shows channel averages while each channel is processed independently.

Delta monitor

Listen to the difference.

Delta subtracts dry from the processed branch. With Mix at 100%, you hear what shaping, Drive, and Output add or remove.

Use it to check whether you’re changing mostly attacks or a wider part of the source. Turn Delta off before returning to the mix.

In your session

Four places to start.

Give drums more punch.

Start around +20% to +40% Spike with Punchy character and 15–30 ms Peak Length. Reduce Up Lim if the peaks get too strong, then blend to taste.

Soften a sharp snare.

Try −20% Spike and 15–30 ms Peak Length. Use Focus EQ to steer detection towards the crack, and Lo Lim to contain the maximum cut.

Bring out the pick.

Use moderate positive Spike. Emphasise 2–4 kHz in the detector bell and try Transparent or Punchy. Keep some dry signal if the result feels too exposed.

Tame vocal attacks.

Try −10% to −30% Spike, Smooth character, and 40–60 ms Peak Length. Auto Time can help with material that doesn’t follow a steady pulse.

These are starting settings, not factory-preset descriptions. Adjust them to the recording and compare at a similar perceived level.

Keep control

Strong settings. Clear boundaries.

Limit the shaping, not your options.

Up Lim sets the maximum transient boost from +1 to +12 dB. Lo Lim sets the maximum cut from −12 to −1 dB. Both act before Drive and Output.

Save your own presets, switch between light and dark themes, and resize the editor to fit your session. The DAW stores the plugin parameters with your project.

What Spikes MK2 isn’t.

No separate Sustain knob.
No multiband or Mid/Side processing.
No external sidechain input or lookahead.
No Peak/LUFS-based Auto Output matching.

It is a focused tool for shaping attack, with detector control, optional saturation, and a parallel mix.

Technical details

What’s in the signal path.

Processing: Single-band transient shaping; independent mono/stereo channel engines.
Signal path: Transient shaping → Drive → Output Gain → Delta → Mix. Focus EQ is detector-only.
Release: Manual 50–1000 ms; one-beat BPM sync; content-adaptive Auto Time.
Oversampling: 8× below 88.1 kHz; 4× from 88.1 kHz to below 192 kHz; 2× at 192 kHz and above.
Visual feedback: Five-second input/gain scope, stereo peak meters, and bipolar transient-gain meter.
Presets and interface: Factory and user presets; resizable editor; Auto, Light, and Dark themes.
Desktop formats: VST3, Audio Unit, and AAX for compatible desktop hosts on macOS and Windows.
License and updates: One-time purchase. No copy protection. Free updates within the current major version. 15-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently asked

A few useful details.

Does positive Spike boost or cut the attack?

Positive Spike boosts detected attacks. Negative Spike cuts them. At zero, the transient shaper adds no gain change. Drive and Output can still affect the signal.

Does Focus EQ change the tone of my output?

Not directly. Its HPF, bell, and LPF filter only the detector copy. The resulting transient gain is applied to the full-band audio signal.

Is Auto Out a loudness-matching system?

No. It links Output to the position of Spike. It does not measure peaks or LUFS. Turn it off when you want to set the wet output gain manually.

How are Character and Drive different?

Character changes the detector envelope shape: Transparent, Punchy, or Smooth. Drive is a separate post-shaping saturation stage with Clean, Warm, and Dirty modes.

How do I hear only what the plugin changes?

Set Mix to 100% and enable Delta. You hear wet minus dry, including the effects of shaping, Drive, and Output. Lower Mix settings bring dry audio back in.

Can I use it on more than drums?

Yes. Try it on guitar pick attacks, vocal consonants, percussion, loops, or buses. It changes the dynamics of the signal you feed it, so use moderate settings and listen in context.

What are the demo limitations?

Download the free demo and try Spikes MK2 in your own session. The demo periodically lowers the audio by about 20 dB for two seconds, so you can evaluate the processing before buying.

Do I need a subscription or activation dongle?

No. HoRNet plugins are one-time purchases without copy protection. Updates within the current major version are free, and purchases carry a 15-day money-back guarantee.

HoRNet Spikes MK2

Make the attack work for the mix.

One knob for the main move. Focus, timing, and character when you need more.

€9.99

Launch price for the first 7 days. Regular price: €14.99.

One-time purchase. No subscription. No copy protection.