PUNCHBOX 2 Review
D16 Group’s PunchBox has been on my list of things to check out for some time, with the release of version 2 I figured now would be the best time to review it. PunchBox 2 was supplied to me via Plugin Boutique, if you end up purchasing this plugin from them after reading my review, consider using the affiliate link to help support more reviews like this in the future.
PunchBox 2 is a kick drum synthesizer with a very grungy and dirty UI. I half expected the sound of PunchBox to lean into the dirtier side of things, and to some extent it does, but I think I’d have liked a few more distortion and saturation options for how “industrial” it looks. Version 2.0 adds a new wavetable mode and a full curve editor. This curve editor puts it up against similar kick drum synthesizers like Kick 3.
I found the curve editor intuitive, it is nice and large and allows you to target amplitude, pitch and wavetable position. Similar to Kick 3, PunchBox has three sample layers, each with filtering, sample start, and amplitude curves. One neat feature that lends to the “grit” of PunchBox is the ring mod included on each sample layer. This is just a pitch control for the ring mod, which can provide some interesting overtones, but I think it’d be more interesting if the various layers were fed into one another for cross ring-modulation. The three analog drum options are nice, but not really my cup of tea. You get an 808, 909, and 606. I don’t really speak on emulation quality so you’ll have to look elsewhere if you’re curious how realistic they are.
Following the kick section are four effects: bitcrusher, filter, distortion, and EQ. The filter and EQ offer a couple different modes for flavor, but this difference is very subtle. The bitcrusher is fun, always a nice addition to kick drums, and the distortion has a ncie range from subtle to heavy driving distortion. I apreciate the handful of distortion curves to chose from as well. Effects can be arranged in any order, but again, I think I was expecting for swappable effects modules and more creative options to make very dirty kicks with.
For the most part PunchBox 2 feels too similar to other kick synths, but with a touch of “analog” processing built in. I will give credit to the presets though, which lean much more in the direction of kick sounds I enjoy and do touch on the grittier side of things, but I think the UI might be a bit too edgy for the sounds this one is capable of. All that said, I am curious if PunchBox 2 will take over Kick 3 as my main kick synth, only time will tell and I’ll have to do a kick synth shootout in the future after spending more time using these in the writing process. I do feel like the average sound coming from PunchBox 2 fits my personal mixing decisions, though Kick 3 offers significantly more options. Either way, this is a review not a shoot out.
If you plan on purchasing PUNCHBOX 2 from Plugin Boutique, please consider supporting me by using my affiliate link
PUNCHBOX 2: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/69-Generator/17460-PunchBox-2a_aid=61c378ab215d5