Knock Audio KNOCK – Five-Module Drum Enhancer by DECAP for Punch, Sub and Air

Drums carry more of a trailer or action cue than any other element, and they are usually built from chains of transient shapers, saturators, sub enhancers, EQs and clippers. Knock Audio KNOCK, created by producer and sound designer DECAP, puts those five jobs into one streamlined interface. The modules are named plainly: Punch, Saturate, Sub, Air and Clip. That clarity is the design philosophy. Instead of auditioning five plugins to fix one kick, you work through five stages in order and hear the drum become more powerful, punchy and mix-ready. The plugin is rooted in DECAP’s production approach and his DRUMS THAT KNOCK sound design series, and it includes his factory presets.

The Five Modules in Detail

Punch acts as a transient shaper, emphasising the attack portion of a drum. It helps kick drums cut through a mix, makes snares sound sharper, gives loops more impact and makes one-shot drums more aggressive. Use it first when a drum sounds dull or lacks definition. Saturate then adds harmonic distortion while compensating for perceived loudness, with Soft, Medium and Hard modes. That range covers everything from gentle density on percussion to obvious character on drums and 808s, and the loudness compensation helps you judge the tone honestly.

Sub is the most specialised module. It detects kick drum activity and generates a layered low-frequency tone, with control over the pitch of that generated sub. That makes it possible to add weight to a kick, reinforce weak low end, create deeper electronic drums, or tune the reinforcement to the key of the track, which is especially useful for sampled kicks that were never recorded with your cue in mind. Air enhances high frequencies in Vintage and Clean modes, adding brightness and presence to snares, hi-hats, percussion and full loops without excessive harshness. Clip finishes the chain with adjustable hard and soft clipping, hard for aggression and soft for a rounder result, adding loudness and character without relying entirely on traditional compression.

Workflow for Cues, Trailers and Beats

Speed is the practical benefit. In a scoring session, a percussion loop that does not hit will stall the writing while you rebuild its chain. With KNOCK, the diagnostic order is built in: restore the attack with Punch, add density with Saturate, fix the low end with Sub, open the top with Air, then use Clip to set the final aggression. Factory presets by DECAP give a starting point for different approaches, so you can audition a direction before committing to settings. Knock Audio describes the plugin as lightweight enough to use across multiple tracks, which means the same treatment can be applied individually to kicks, snares and percussion rather than only to a drum bus.

That per-track approach suits hybrid scoring, where orchestral percussion and electronic drums have to occupy the same space. A sampled taiko will rarely need Sub, but a programmed kick underneath it often does, and Air can separate hi-hats and shakers from a dense string arrangement. Beginners benefit from the fixed, logical order of the modules, while experienced producers benefit from not rebuilding a familiar chain in every session.

Compatibility and Requirements

KNOCK supports VST3, AU and AAX, with AU, VST3 and AAX on macOS and VST3 and AAX on Windows, and VST2 is not supported. Requirements list macOS 11 or later, Windows 8.1, 10 or 11, an Intel Core i5, i7, i9 or Xeon or Apple Silicon processor on Mac, Intel Gen 5 or later or AMD Quad Core on Windows, 8 GB RAM minimum with 16 GB recommended, and 500 MB minimum storage. Those formats cover major DAWs including FL Studio via VST3, Logic Pro via AU and Pro Tools via AAX. For composers who need drums to hit without a long processing detour, KNOCK is a focused, single-window answer.