Cableguys Kickstart 2 2026: One-Knob Sidechain for Kick vs Bass

This Page Is Kickstart 2. It Is Not ShaperBox 3.

Stay here for Cableguys / Nicky Romero Kickstart 2: the 2022 one-knob ducker, €14 / $16, 16 factory curves, audio trigger, Kick View, band split. Do not use this file as a ShaperBox 3 build-up tutorial, a VolumeShaper curve-drawing school, or a “best free sidechain plugins” list. ShaperBox is the related modular shaper. Kickstart is the fast insert you put on a bass while the idea is still moving.

Cableguys support, in their own words: VolumeShaper is “an advanced multiband tool for more than just sidechaining, with a drawable LFO and compressor on all 3 bands,” plus the rest of ShaperBox. Kickstart “is a fast and focused plugin for sidechain ducking.” They even describe a common producer path: Kickstart in sketch, ShaperBox/VolumeShaper at mix. That is the vendor split this page follows.^[4]

Related slugs cover ShaperBox 3, OTT on synths, free sidechain tools, free compressors, and FabFilter Pro-C 3. This file stops at Kickstart 2.

SKU: €14 / $16. Upgrade €5 / $5. Demo 2.0.9, One Instance.

KVR (19 April 2022): Kickstart 2 ships; €14 / $16; upgrade from Kickstart 1 €5 / $5; free upgrade in the Cableguys account if Kickstart 1 was purchased after 1 January 2022. MusicTech’s 20 April 2022 news and 12 July review reprint €14 / $16 and the $5 upgrade. MusicRadar (18 May 2022) same pair. The official site fetched September 2026 still shows €14 / $16 and €5 / $5 upgrade—verify the cart; this page does not invent a later street price.^[2][1][3]

Demo on the same official page: Kickstart 2.0.9 for Windows and Mac, 64-bit, VST 2.4 / VST 3 / AU / AAX. “The demo is fully functional and has no time limit, but you can only use one instance per song and you can't save your settings.” Windows 7–11; macOS 10.15+, Intel or Apple Silicon native/Rosetta. Manual hosted as Nicky-Romero-Kickstart-2-Manual.pdf (the download URL on the site was versioned v=2.0.9 at fetch).^[1][5]

Original Kickstart is a 2013 Cableguys × Nicky Romero collaboration (MusicTech). Kickstart 2 is the 2022 feature bump, not a 2026 SKU launch. This September 2026 file is the live 2.0.9 ducker.^[3]

16 Factory Curves, Big Mix Knob, Movable Slope. MusicTech: You Do Not Draw Shapes.

Official feature list: instant setup (no compressor routing), 16 hand-crafted curves (“the exact curves Nicky Romero uses”), a large Mix knob for depth, and a new movable slope—“just drag the curve to fit any kick, long or short.” Four timing settings (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1/1 on KVR’s launch copy). Shift buttons nudge the shape forward/back.^[1][2]

MusicTech’s hands-on: those 16 shapes split as 10 ducking + 6 decay-trimming. Rating 9/10. Explicit con: “Can’t draw your own shapes.” The same review points you at Cableguys VolumeShaper when you need custom curves across three bands. Cableguys’ FAQ agrees. Do not treat a third-party database blurb that says “draw your own” as overriding MusicTech plus the vendor FAQ.^[3][4]

Audio Trigger Follows Broken Kick Patterns. Kick View Overlays Both Waveforms.

Kickstart 1 was easiest on 4/4. Kickstart 2 adds Cableguys audio triggering: route the kick (or any trigger) into the external sidechain input and the curve follows the hits—trap, drill, DnB, anything not four-on-the-floor. MIDI trigger remains. Host sync remains. Official copy: “Kick not 4/4? No problem.” MusicTech: audio trigger is “the first, and arguably most important new feature.”^[1][3]

Kick View draws the trigger waveform on top of the ducked signal so you can slide the slope until the bass rises as the kick falls. Cableguys publish DAW-by-DAW routing notes (Live, Bitwig, Cubase, FL Studio, Logic, Maschine, Pro Tools, Reaper, Studio One) because the audio-trigger path is not “no setup” in every host—the instant mode is host-sync; Kick View needs a sidechain send.^[4]

Band Split Ducks the Lows. MusicTech Wanted Both Bands.

Official: “Easily duck only the lows of your bassline — the pros’ secret trick for tight bass with full frequencies.” MusicTech: adjustable crossover; you can get more transparent ducking by making space in the low band while mids/highs stay up. Same review’s other con: you can only apply the effect to the lower band—there is no separate amount for the highs, and the reviewer notes it can still sound better with a little pump up top.^[1][3]

If you need per-band depth, drawable LFOs, or a compressor on each band, that is VolumeShaper inside ShaperBox (related slug), not this $16 ducker. Kickstart’s job is a fast, good curve. Stop before you ask it to be a multiband mix suite.

When €14 / $16 Is the Move. When to Open ShaperBox Instead.

Pay if you want kick-vs-bass space in seconds on trap, drill, house, or EDM, and you are fine picking from 16 factory shapes plus a movable slope. Skip if you need to draw the pump, split three bands, or run a compressor per band—that is ShaperBox / VolumeShaper, related. Skip if you wanted a free LFO tool list; that is the related free-sidechain page. Skip a second $16 if Kickstart 1 already sits in the Cableguys account—use the $5 upgrade path.^[4][1]

Run the 2.0.9 demo on one bass track (one instance, no save) before you pay. The demo is enough to hear the slope; it is not enough to stress a full mix of eight ducked buses.^[1]

FL, Ableton, Logic: Host Sync First, Then Audio Trigger

1. Insert Kickstart on the bass or pad, not on the kick
   Official job: duck the competing track so the kick punches through. Mix knob is depth. Start on a 1/4 or 1/8 factory ducking curve.^[1]
2. Use host sync until the pattern breaks 4/4
   Trap/drill/DnB: route the kick into Kickstart’s sidechain input (Cableguys’ DAW list). Slide the movable slope against Kick View. MIDI trigger is the fallback.^[4]
3. Try band split only after the full-band pump is too obvious
   Lows-only duck keeps mid harmonics of a Reese. If you need both bands at different depths, stop and open ShaperBox 3 (related).^[3]

ShaperBox 3 and Free Sidechain Lists Are Out of Scope

This article does not review Cableguys ShaperBox 3, does not teach OTT, and does not rank free sidechain or compressor plug-ins. Those live on related slugs. Pro-C 3 is a compressor, not this ducker.

As of Sep 2026, Kickstart 2 is the April 2022 SKU at €14 / $16 with demo 2.0.9. Recheck kickstart-plugin.com if the cart moved.^[1]