What separates spiff from other transient manipulators is the precision with which the process can be exactly "tuned." In Cut mode, spiff works well to remove sharp clicks, mouth noises, and digital clicks in vocal recordings. Boost mode will rescue any kick drum with excessive tonal and boomy sound by emphasizing just the frequencies contained in the attack or front portion of the drum's sound and, at the same time, reduce the frequencies of the percussive boom.

The resizable GUI shows a 20Hz to 20kHz spectrum with four adjustable frequency centers or nodes available for transient modification. To adjust the weight of the spiff process, each of these nodes uses familiar parametric equalizer controls with a choice of filters: bell, shelving, or various high or low pass shapes. A popup, (show/hide) filter control panel displays these controls and includes a Listen button for auditioning the frequency focus of that particular filter.

As a quirky effect in boost mode and to increase intelligibility, I tried spiff on a staccato rap vocal to add an aggressive attack to each word in a very busy and wordy rhythm. Determining which frequencies to emphasize or reduce is easy using the Delta button; it solos the affect on the transients of the entire plug-in.

There are other controls to specifically tailor its action to the job(s) required. Sharpness controls the bandwidth of the process, Decay, like a compressor's release control, sets the time for the level to return back to its initial level, and Decay LF/HF sets a balance of decay times between the high and low frequencies. Usually you would want lower values for natural results.

Between the excellent manual, helpful popup Tooltips, and dozens of excellent factory presets, you will have no problem using spiff to its full potential. It can be a lifesaver for serious audio problems that come up in mixing/mastering, or I like me, use it as a customizable effect. I can highly recommend this modern musical tool that is designed in Finland!

Oeksound spiff sells for $169 MSRP as download. oeksound.com/plugins/spiff/