Dawesome Chop Suey by Tracktion kick drum design plugin interface

Dawesome Chop Suey: Kick Drum Design Plugin by Tracktion Free Download

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Dawesome Chop Suey is a kick drum design plugin by Tracktion that builds kicks by sequencing their elements, avoiding the phase problems of layering. It is a generator instrument for Windows and macOS.

VST3AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

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Free trial available from the developer

01Overview

Dawesome Chop Suey is aimed at producers who spend too long hunting for kick samples that work together. Instead of stacking separate kicks, it sequences their parts so the transient, body and tail stay distinct. The developer says the approach avoids the muddy result that layering often produces. Its curve-based editing lets you reshape the first few milliseconds of a kick, which the developer notes are crucial to how a kick is perceived. The plugin is available in VST3, AU and AAX formats.

Best for

Kick drum design
Techno kicks
Dance music production
Transient shaping
Low-end sound design

Developer: Tracktion
Category: Generators
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Sequences kick elements instead of layering them to avoid phasing
Visual stretching of the first milliseconds for fine transient editing
Curve-based shaping of individual kick parts
Filter designed to respond quickly without zipper noise
Punch Protect keeps frequencies below about 150 Hz out of the filter
Available in VST3, AU and AAX formats
Runs on Windows and macOS, 64-bit only
Includes a trial version

03In depth

Kick Shaping With Sequenced Elements and Curves

Chop Suey works by sequencing kick elements rather than layering them. According to the developer, this keeps the crisp transient, the punch of the body and the characteristic tail intact in the combined sound.

The interface is built around visual editing. You can stretch the opening milliseconds of a kick to make fine adjustments, and shape the sound with curves so that changing the transient does not alter the punch or the tail.

The filter is designed for kick editing. Tracktion says it responds quickly to fast cutoff or resonance changes without zipper noise or artefacts. A Punch Protect option keeps the frequencies below about 150 Hz, which the developer identifies as important for punch, out of the filter's reach.

Who Chop Suey Is For

Chop Suey suits producers in dance and techno who design their own kick drums. Tracktion says the workflow was developed with producers and artists across the dance music scene, and it is positioned as a tool for professional kick design.

The plugin is built on a workflow from Björn Torwellen, a German techno artist who has spent more than 20 years designing kicks, and was developed with Peter V (Dawesome). The developer notes that Torwellen shared his method in a six-hour masterclass published by the Sinee Institute for Electronic Music.

04Specs