Sugar Bytes TransFigure - new spectral fx (among other things)

[enCiphered]

For those who’ve spent real time with TransFigure: how well does it perform for ambient, experimental sound design, drones and textural work? Most of the demos online are the usual Sugar Bytes–style EDM-leaning videos from influencers, which isn’t what I’m after. I’d like to know if the plugin genuinely shines for slow-evolving, non-rhythmic, atmospheric processing or if it’s again built for electronic, beat-driven use.

When I open the demo, the editor launches extremely large and covers the entire screen, hiding all other plugins with no way to manually resize it. The zoom menu shows 100% and the only available options are 90%, 100%, and 110%. Is this a demo limitation? Also, are there any other functional demo limitations?

I can’t find the bypass button I also tried the randomizer and noticed there’s no way to lock individual parameters. That leads to sudden extreme values, which are causing serious volume spikes. That kind of uncontrolled outburst is a deal-breaker. Is this just a demo omission, or is the full version the same?

[Funky40]

But it IS an effect and not an instrument.

OK !

It has adjustable FFT resolution of 64 to 4096 bands.

That´s great. It can make so much difference vs. how these FX do sound.
(Not saying one setting sounds better than that other)

No oversampling as far as I can see.

vs. oversampling, and "this" vs. latency.
There is a trick. It works with some of these FX, but not with any of em:
i use BlueCats Patchwork to host single plugins with no oversampling, and set patchwork to oversample the plugin. It´s CPU intensive, but can bring latencys down with these FX. AND: can have big impact on the sound too. It´s often enough like having more alt modes at hand vs. the sound itself.

Lots of fun tricks that would take lots of time working in a modular DSP environment are easier to setup. I am massively impressed. I haven't seen a spectral effect this well done since spec ops came out.

Ahh, my wallet is jelling at me:
ohh man......i WANTED to be a brave boy. i swear......

Oh well, i should not have asked, haha
Thanks everybody !

[Funky40]

Hmm, very mixed feelings........


TL;DR:
i find it way overpriced. Reminds me at SpecOps which is often enough to be had for $29 and sometimes even much lower. Also: feels to me as if SpecOps has a better sounding engine. More refined. Not sure. Something feels different. Could be the whole parametrisation and access with specOps. Edit: not saying this one sounds bad. It does sound good.
On the other side.....testing it right now just with some VST -Electro- Drummachines do i have *immediately* great results. That be hard work doing such with other tools.
Very great jams in fact......which makes me feel like "i want to buy it".......ASAP, haha



latency reading in my host (GP) is .....ahh wait,....it was now all the time at 93ms, now its at 218ms.
Looks to me like that´s the two main latency situations, dependend on the preset ...or some settings.


I can see that this FX has a way bigger appeal for folks working in a DAW with access to automations than vs. how i work. ( solely working with manual jamings)
Nevertheless, it´s a huge pleasure to run this behind some -electro- drums and just "scratch" with the XY pad.



running it hosted in BC patchwork did double the latency.
Not sure. i DO have a price OCD.........

[zerocrossing]

Woah, the latency on this is insane. I guess it could be fun for production work, but if you think you're going to use it in a live situation, you've got another thing coming.

what does "live situation" mean here ?
i thought it is for sample mangling only, no live signal input ?
I personally have "there" not too big a problem with latencys. Even up to 200ms.

Qs:
- does it has settings for FFT based band count ?
- does it has settings for oversampling ?

spent my budget already. Not going to demo it right now

I'm getting 218ms latency at 48k in Live 12 on a Mac so definitely dodgy for real time.

But it IS an effect and not an instrument.

It has adjustable FFT resolution of 64 to 4096 bands.

The resynthesis engine has 120 oscillators.

No oversampling as far as I can see.

That's similar to what I was getting in Bitwig. The latency compensation throws everything off, so as soon as I tried to do anything else, I'd notice that in a really bad way. I can mentally compensate for quite a bit of latency. Hell, I played Roland GR systems for years.

It's fine, I'm sure if it's a great tool, and if I was working on a project that didn't require real time playing, I'd be on it. Maybe at some point, but since there's no release sale anyway, I'm not in a hurry to grab it.

[Dirtgrain]

A good number of the presets go places I've not come close to with Spec Ops.

[Funky40]

A good number of the presets go places I've not come close to with Spec Ops.

i can follow that
but i can take SpecOps to completly other places as well.
I mean it´s nuts to compare the two, they´re so different. But i feel like to do so.
Still hesitant to press the trigger, as much i want to have this one.
$79 would have felt appropriate. $99 a nice try.....$129 triggers my price OCD.
I think i payed $79 for SpecOps at release. A to me much more involved work.

[Ah_Dziz]

So, is there a way to have the unprocessed bins just pass through when limiting the processing bands? I'm not seeing it, and just using the full dry signal is not nearly as flexible. Hopefully I'm just missing something.

I'm talking about the main frequency display and how one can drag the hi and low frequencies in.

[c_voltage]

Ok bought without demoing (for 49, as upgrade to bundle), in principle one-two videos was enoughly for make decision.
And you know, not regret.
Latency yes, 229 ms (at 44100), that quite ok as for me (since already familiar with fft stuff, and this is far not worse case).
At other hand, CPU its ok here, seems mostly honest constant 5-8% (by quick run thru presets) no deviations (or any jumps) from this range were detected.
Who know maybe increased latency is the sacrifice for cpu eating ? then this is an right decision imo.

Haven't dig algos yet (saved tasty for later lol)
Well even couple presets enoughly for undestand that here can find fun.

Upd and btw latency here seems constant either, i mean regardless fft window (that you can select 64-4096), that not a bad too, less headache for host engine.

[c_voltage]

So, is there a way to have the unprocessed bins just pass through when limiting the processing bands? I'm not seeing it, and just using the full dry signal is not nearly as flexible. Hopefully I'm just missing something.

I'm talking about the main frequency display and how one can drag the hi and low frequencies in.

Sorry i can mistaken what you mean, but check the decreasing to zero the both "Mix" knobs in FX1 and FX2 sections lol. This is it ?
(Upd and dropdown option under Mix knob's should be default "Equal")

[Ah_Dziz]

Above the "spectral" section there is a this display of all the bins from left to right with a grabable control on either side of it. You can set a minimum and maximum bin which mutes the output of all the bins outside the selected range. I'd like to have a way to have the bins outside the selected range be output unprocessed.

[c_voltage]

@Ah_Dziz Ok, lets that: load preset Default (this seems has different from initial state when you load plugin), shift "bins" range as you need, set main Mix knob (in right side) at max, and under them set in dropdown option "Wet" (instead default "equal"). No ?

Upd A bit sad that can't internally modulate XY pad (but this automatable, ok). Yes i understand that can modulate that targets (which modulate by xy pad) separately, but it would be fun ability too.

[kraster]

Above the "spectral" section there is a this display of all the bins from left to right with a grabable control on either side of it. You can set a minimum and maximum bin which mutes the output of all the bins outside the selected range. I'd like to have a way to have the bins outside the selected range be output unprocessed.

In freeze mode go all the way to the right and it will turn to hold so the masking window underneath the freeze becomes a sort of wet/dry control.

You can also combine that with (or alternatively use) the band shift mode. In band shift mode you have to select an area in the window for it to do anything.

[billinder33]

Logged into my SB account hoping to get a deal on my bundle upgrade so I could add this at a more reasonable price.

$250 to add Transfigure, Effectrix 2, and 3 other things that I don't care about. Pretty disappointing.

[Ah_Dziz]

Above the "spectral" section there is a this display of all the bins from left to right with a grabable control on either side of it. You can set a minimum and maximum bin which mutes the output of all the bins outside the selected range. I'd like to have a way to have the bins outside the selected range be output unprocessed.

In freeze mode go all the way to the right and it will turn to hold so the masking window underneath the freeze becomes a sort of wet/dry control.

You can also combine that with (or alternatively use) the band shift mode. In band shift mode you have to select an area in the window for it to do anything.

The only way I've figured out to do what I want is with the masking functions. It's cool. None of the stuff ever does everything the way I want it to. I'll make a feature request to SB along with a much wider range of transpose settings, and reordering of the processing blocks and feedback. The "standard" effects at the bottom are actually very nice, especially being mod targets. They remind me a bit of the stuff in factory.

[Ah_Dziz]

Logged into my SB account hoping to get a deal on my bundle upgrade so I could add this at a more reasonable price.

$250 to add Transfigure, Effectrix 2, and 3 other things that I don't care about. Pretty disappointing.

Yeah. I've been putting off upgrading mine for a couple years. I finally did as there was enough new stuff for me. Still relatively expensive in this day and age.