Slate Digital Submerge

Submerge with the Sample Rate effect triggered using the Special Shape.

If the classic side‑chain pumping effect is your thing, Submerge can do that — and a whole lot more!

We’ve all heard these effects before: side‑chaining a compressor or gate to create rhythmic ducking and chopping effects has been a popular technique for a good couple of decades now, particularly in hip‑hop and dance genres. But while you can achieve these effects with pretty much any compressor/gate that supports side‑chaining — meaning you probably have the necessary tools in your DAW already — setting up the routing and timing to your satisfaction can take time. There are now a number of plug‑ins available that can both remove that hassle and offer more features to help you shape the effect.

The latest such plug‑in to make it to the top of my review queue is Slate Digital’s Submerge, and I have to say that first impressions have been great. As I find so often with Slate Digital’s plug‑ins, it provides enough features to makes it useful and different from the competition without overcomplicating matters too much. As you can see from the screenshot, it has an elegant GUI that allows you to achieve most of what you’ll want to do most of the time, using only a few core controls. The expected effects are all present and correct too, but there are also some useful twists that give you access to some really fun, creative effects, particularly if you’re prepared to use a MIDI controller or your DAW’s automation system.

The Sub...