Continuous controls
Drag vertically to adjust the Drive/Mix/Output controls. Hold Shift for finer movement. The value and unit remain visible during the gesture.
USER GUIDE · CHICKEN CLIPPER
Chicken Clipper user guide
Thank you for choosing the world’s most feather-conscious peak shaper.
Chicken Clipper is a focused mono or stereo effect for controlling peaks, adding clipping character and blending the result back into a track. The entire sound workflow stays on one surface.
This edition covers the invite-only macOS CLAP beta. Stable public availability remains Coming soon.
FIRST INSERT
A practical starting point
- 1
Load Chicken Clipper
Insert the plug-in on a mono or stereo track. A fresh instance opens powered, fully wet, in Soft mode, with Drive and Output at 0.0 dB and Auto active.
- 2
Raise Drive
Turn Drive up until the peaks become denser or the desired edge appears. Watch the chicken approach the fixed guide and use the reduction readout once contact begins.
- 3
Choose the boundary
Use Soft for a rounded transition. Choose Hard when a firmer ceiling suits the source.
- 4
Set the blend
Lower Mix when the fully processed signal is too strong. The dry and processed paths remain time-aligned.
- 5
Finish the level
Leave Auto active for static level support, then use Output as the final manual trim. Compare through Power at a similar listening level.
PANEL OPERATION
The complete surface
Named switches
Shape selects Soft or Hard. Auto and Power show their current On or Off state directly on the panel.
Defaults
Use the host or editor reset gesture on one control to return that parameter to its documented default.
Reduction display
The guide and labelled readout show current peak reduction in decibels. They are indicators and cannot be edited.
DriveShapeMixAutoOutput
CLIPPING CHARACTER
Soft and Hard
Rounded onset
Soft curves into clipping progressively. Use it when the transition itself should contribute saturation or when a dense source needs a gentler edge.
Straight ceiling
Hard sets a firmer limit. Transients meet the boundary more directly, and sustained reduction brings the square feather treatment to the guide.
GAIN AND BLEND
Place the clipped sound
Drive and Mix
Drive adds 0 to +24 dB before the shaping curve. Mix then blends the latency-aligned processed and dry paths across 0 to 100 percent.
A lower Mix value is useful for parallel peak control on drum and bass sources, plus buses. Return to 100 percent when the clipped path should carry the complete signal.
Auto and Output
Auto applies a static compensation based on settled Drive and Shape values. It does not follow programme loudness. Output adds a manual -12 to +12 dB trim afterward and remains available while Auto is active.
Turning Auto off restores the manual Output value unchanged.
MIX DECISIONS
Listen in short passes
Find the density
Raise Drive until the transient shape or saturation reaches the useful point. Stop when added level begins to hide the change you wanted.
Set the character
Compare Soft and Hard on the same phrase. Pick the curve whose onset fits the source.
Choose the proportion
Lower Mix below 100 percent when the original attack or body needs to return.
Match the finish
Use Output for the last level correction, then switch Power to compare the complete effect through the latency-stable dry path.
HOST CONTROL
Automation and project recall
Automation
The complete Power/Drive/Shape/Mix/Output/Auto set is available to the host. Record or draw automation with the parameter names shown by your DAW.
Project state
The plug-in stores all six controls with the project. Visual meter position and feather motion are live indicators rather than saved sound values.
Format identity
Reopen the same CLAP format when moving a beta session between supported Macs. The current beta does not supply Audio Unit or VST3 identities.
Power comparison
Power preserves every saved setting and the reported latency. It returns a compensated dry signal while the effect is inactive.
RECOVERY
When something feels wrong
The session reports a missing plug-in
Open Bitsnacks Vending Machine and run Repair for Chicken Clipper. Restart the host so it scans the restored CLAP bundle.
The controls work but processing is inactive
Read the licence notice in the editor. Open Chicken Clipper in Bitsnacks Vending Machine to repair the device licence or review the beta expiry.
The result jumps in level
Confirm the Auto state and return Output to 0.0 dB. Compare through Power, then make the final manual level adjustment after the sound is settled.
The panel moves differently from the audio
The website tour uses a fixed visual simulation. Judge live peak approach and reduction only inside the installed plug-in with your own signal.
STILL STUCK?
Send the reproducible path
Include your macOS and DAW versions, Chicken Clipper version, sample rate and settings. Add the shortest sequence that shows the problem.