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Adyssey Beats « Surprisingly effective, but still limited »
Published on 06/27/12 at 21:43There were no compatibility issues installing any of the other six One Knob plug-ins, One Knob Brighter being no different. The general setup of the plug-in, as with the others, is as simple as it gets. One knob sits in the middle of the display. When you raise the knob an aesthetically pleasing teal light indicates the effect's level, also displayed in a number between 0 and 10 in the lower right hand corner. Because of it's simplicity I have never felt the need to read the manual, but I can imagine as with the rest of the Waves plug-ins that it would be well-written and helpful.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Running in Ableton Live 8 on my MacBook Pro with a 2.7Ghz Intel Core i7 processor and 4GBs of RAM, Waves' One Knob Brighter is as smooth as clockwork. Being a fairly light plug-in with regards to CPU usage, it is stable and reliable even in situations with many other effects and VSTs operating simultaneously. That said, I do not use the One Knob series too much. This is for the simple fact that they don't offer enough versatility. There is literally one, and only one way to affect the signal. Although easier for producers who may not want to go through the trouble of learning more complex interfaces for raising high-ends, is it worth the money? The product can either be purchased as a part of the Waves One Knob package deal, or with the Mercury bundle. If you are really dying the try it, get a much better deal by buy the Mercury bundle and getting the entire library of other top-of-the-line plug-ins that comes with it.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I wasn't totally satisfied with the One Knob series by Waves, but there were some viable pros to help balance the cons. The pros: their simplicity, stability, and superior sound quality. Raising the brightness with this plug-in couldn't have been easier and sounded really great, not just boosting the highs, but enriching them. The cons: lack of versatility in expression, and limited realistic use in a professional production environment. Although there is a One Knob to solve everything, it isn't always the right plug-in to just throw in the mix and crank up, because at the end of the day you don't have the ability to tweak it exactly how you want it. The One Knob Brighter, although expressive in its own way, lacks enough flexibility for me to really recommend it as a worthwhile product to invest it, but if you get it as a part of the Mercury bundle I would encourage you to try it out just to know how it sounds. There are certainly great situation where the exact One Knob Brighter sound is what you need.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Running in Ableton Live 8 on my MacBook Pro with a 2.7Ghz Intel Core i7 processor and 4GBs of RAM, Waves' One Knob Brighter is as smooth as clockwork. Being a fairly light plug-in with regards to CPU usage, it is stable and reliable even in situations with many other effects and VSTs operating simultaneously. That said, I do not use the One Knob series too much. This is for the simple fact that they don't offer enough versatility. There is literally one, and only one way to affect the signal. Although easier for producers who may not want to go through the trouble of learning more complex interfaces for raising high-ends, is it worth the money? The product can either be purchased as a part of the Waves One Knob package deal, or with the Mercury bundle. If you are really dying the try it, get a much better deal by buy the Mercury bundle and getting the entire library of other top-of-the-line plug-ins that comes with it.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall I wasn't totally satisfied with the One Knob series by Waves, but there were some viable pros to help balance the cons. The pros: their simplicity, stability, and superior sound quality. Raising the brightness with this plug-in couldn't have been easier and sounded really great, not just boosting the highs, but enriching them. The cons: lack of versatility in expression, and limited realistic use in a professional production environment. Although there is a One Knob to solve everything, it isn't always the right plug-in to just throw in the mix and crank up, because at the end of the day you don't have the ability to tweak it exactly how you want it. The One Knob Brighter, although expressive in its own way, lacks enough flexibility for me to really recommend it as a worthwhile product to invest it, but if you get it as a part of the Mercury bundle I would encourage you to try it out just to know how it sounds. There are certainly great situation where the exact One Knob Brighter sound is what you need.