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 FabFilter Volcano 3
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
8.6Great
Volcano 3 is FabFilter's creative filter plug-in with four analog-style filters, flexible routing, and extensive modulation.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, FabFilter Volcano 3 comes out ahead (8.6). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Kickstart 2 | FabFilter Volcano 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $16 | $149 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.2 | 8.6 |
| Formats | VST 2.4, VST 3, AU, AAX | VST, VST3, Audio Units (AU), CLAP, AAX Native, AudioSuite |
| 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) | — |
| Filters | — | Four analog-sounding filters with flexible routing |
| Filter shapes | — | Includes non-linear bell, shelf, notch and all-pass filters |
| Per-filter drive | — | Internal saturation control on each filter |
| Modulation sources | — | 16-step XLFOs, XY controllers, envelope generators, envelope followers and MIDI sources |
| Routing | — | Per-channel and mid/side routing modes; stereo and mono versions |
| Quality | — | High Quality oversampling mode |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.