8.2Great
Nicky Romero Kickstart 2 by Cableguys is a sidechain ducking plugin that ducks a track's volume on each kick to clear space for bass.
Plugin comparison
Kickstart 2 vs RIPPLES Pulse
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which effect to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
RIPPLES Pulse is a free sidechain, gate, and LFO volume shaper with five drawable shapes, Sync or Trig, and 16 presets. VST3 and AU for macOS and Windows.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Kickstart 2 | RIPPLES Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $16 | Free |
| Dubspot Score | 8.2 | — |
| Formats | VST 2.4, VST 3, AU, AAX | VST3, AU |
| Curves / presets | 16 hand-crafted curves | — |
| Triggering modes | MIDI trigger and audio trigger (Cableguys audio triggering) | — |
| Curve editing | Draggable curve to fit any kick duration | — |
| Mix control | Mix knob to adjust sidechain ducking strength | — |
| Visual feedback | Kick View shows kick and bass waveform display; follows non-4/4 patterns | — |
| Windows | Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 (64-bit) | — |
| macOS | macOS 10.15 or later, Intel or Apple Silicon (Native/Rosetta) | — |
| Type | — | Volume shaper (sidechain, gate, LFO) |
| Shapes | — | Pump, Soft, Tri, Saw, Gate, each with Flip |
| Timing | — | Sync (9 rates, 1/16 to 4 bars) or Trig |
| Controls | — | Depth, Curve, Smooth, Sens, Mix, Out |
| Presets | — | 16 factory |
| OS requirements | — | macOS 11+ or Windows 10+ via RIPPLES Tap |
| Price | — | Free |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.