BEATSURFING, the people behind RANDOM among others, are all about effects and sound transformation in their latest plugin. You need a source sound to put through it, but when you do, you can spice it up a little bit, or recook it and serve it as a totally transformed sonic gumbo. Let’s take a look at CHEat code, a plugin developed together with renowned producer Che Pope of Kanye, Lauryn Hill and Eminem fame.
There’s something that draws me to multi fx plugins. It’s the idea of getting something back that you didn’t start out with. If you put a delay on a clap, you get a clap with a delay on it. I’m not saying it has to be easy to get new sounds, but whenever I load up something like Sequent by Loomer, Effectrix or Turnado by Sugar Bytes, Transit by Baby Audio or Movement by Output, I’m instantly locked in to find something useful to take somewhere.
It’s like looking for samples. That clap will suddenly become a much longer piece of audio, stretched in time, maybe hinting at what to do next. Multi fx to me are more than spice, more than new ideas. They can be track starters and track finishers as well. I’ve even put multi fx on my master just to get somewhere from a road block. It’s the meat grinder we need sometimes.
So when BEATSURFING announced they were working on a multi fx plugin, I had to check it out. You can say what you want about this collaboration and the naming of the CHEat code plugin, but it’s a collab and it materialized a fun plugin. So let’s check it out!
The main premise of working with CHEat code is the four chained modules. Each can have one of 16 effects (number 16 was added only days before final release, so one could hope for even more later on).
16 onboard effects
(as described in the manual)
Reverb: Design space. From subtle ambience to vast washes.
Reverser: Manipulate time. Instant halftime, backward melodies, rhythmic glitches.
Spin: Animate the stereo field. Frequency-focused panning with asynchronous movement.
Chorus: Add dimension. Eight distinct algorithms for thickening and widening.
Flanger: Shape tone. Target highs for shimmer, mids for warmth.
Bubble Grain: Textural granular delay. Unique character.
Grain Delay: Complex granular echoes. Four engines, crossfading textures.
Fractal Delay: Deep rhythmic complexity. 14 delay taps across 3 stages.
Detune: Introduce imperfection. Subtle drift to unstable pitch.
Viber: Split-frequency pitch bending. Target highs or lows.
Slicer: Create rhythmic patterns. Precise cuts and stutters.
Shufflers: Real-time beat surgery. A 3-band engine for slicing and rearranging audio on the fly.
Sequence Delay: Program rhythmic echoes. Step-sequence delay time, filter, pan, and amp.
Shaper: Digital texture. Control the artifacts.
Down Sampler: Classic sample rate reduction. Dial in digital grit.
Tap delay: Perform your delay. Tap rhythms directly for intuitive, musical echoes.
Each effect can be dragged to sit in any order with the rest. To the left you have your list of presets, a good selection to showcase the variety possible. My review version had no macros setup per preset, but BEATSURFING tells me that the presets will launch with pre-setup macros to work from.
At the very top is the button you want for instant fun. It is, of course, the randomize button (and I love me some randomization!). Click this and all modules randomize in settings, but keep their type. There’s also a randomize button per module, so we’re not at the level of tornado where the modules randomize as well, but knowing B, maybe they will add this later on. The starting point is pretty good and I have to admit that I’ve been clicking a lot more than turning knobs. It’s just so much easier, until you find something you want to elaborate on.
In the video below, check out an example of using CHEat code subtly to bring each channel alive:
What works for me with plugins that have a lot of knobs that aren’t necessarily that big, is to map the ones I want to control and automate to a rack group with visible values right on the device level in Ableton. I’ll set my Midi Fighter Twister or Ableton Move up to control the rack, assigning the knobs that make the greatest impact. I do think BEATSURFING must have hit the max number of CC channels for control, since some of the shaping and filtering knobs on each module are not assignable. But this is where I think I’d be using the Macro knobs to the left, since these can be picked up, by Ableton at least, as controllable. You set a range interval on the macro knob, and the true point of the macro knobs must not be forgotten: Being able to assign and control more than one parameter at a time. Haven’t played with it that much at the time of writing, though. Being able to name a macro is great, by the way. And speaking of naming, yes you can save your own presets.
In fact, you can browse 10 times each direction, which is pretty awesome for auditioning and A/B testing randomized results.
Undo / redo is also not something you see on a lot of new plugins, and hardly on older ones. But in the case of CHEat code, it makes a lot of sense to be able to regret or recreate a (happy) mistake. In fact, you can browse 10 times each direction, which is pretty awesome for auditioning and A/B testing randomized results.
In the video below, check out a few presets from CHEat code, as well as some randomisation clicks within each preset as well.
Almost there
I do have a few points where I think BEATSURFING could improve on CHEat code. For instance, when using the pattern module, it would be nice to be able to define the pattern. I really love this module, but I’m stuck with using patterns that come with the plugin. This is a great effect to alter or add rhythm to an incoming source like an actual beat or a melodic part that you want to animate with a certain pump. Midi import or the ability to edit patterns on the module would be pretty epic.
I’m not too big of a fan of restrictions, so what I was trying to do at some point was add the same effect several times within an instance of CHEat code. This wasn’t possible, as chosen effects are greyed out. So if I wanted a source sound affected by say four differently set up choruses, I would need to have four instances running. Having said that, I’m not really that worried about having several instances of the plug-in running even on my measly laptop. I was able to create a test template with an 8 track setup and several CHEat codes running on each.
A total tool
So what do I think of CHEat code compared to some of the other mentioned multi FX plug-ins? I think CHEat code makes a very convincing entry on the field. It’s great for light treatment and happy accidents with the most extreme settings, as well as anything in between. Just remember to use the wet knob and consider putting a limiter at the end of your chain – spikes can occur.
…it would only be fair at this point to say that CHEat code is very much its own.
In conclusion, instead of comparing or asking for the same features as other multi fx plug-ins on the playing field, it would only be fair at this point to say that CHEat code is very much its own. I don’t want to call it a beginner plug-in, even though it’s easy to get going. This is an advanced tool that you won’t get your money’s worth for, unless you spend the time mastering it. But if you do, you’ll be so much wiser in the company of each of the included effects, that you’ll probably also feel bolder using each of them outside of CHEat code – and that’s one of the biggest selling points, I think.
Great value
Considering the amount of effects you get with CHEat code – 16 at the time of release – the price is a no brainer. I’m not saying that the reverb is the best one out there, but that’s not even the point. Mixing and matching among this bunch of effects is really where the power is, and few have created a plugin with this many possible variables.
CHEat code final release 1.1 is out May 29th (review based on this version).
The intro price is 69 Euros, retail price will be 139 Euros.
