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Hatsubai « Instantly make anything sparkle »
Published on 06/14/11 at 19:13Waves has recently released a new products for those who need something very simple to use. The software is part of the OneKnob series, and just as the title says, these plugins only have one single knob to control the effect. In a way, these plugins are a bit gimmicky. However, they really do work quite nicely. The plugin is very simple to use. To increase the treble of your mix, you simply add this to whatever bus you want brighter, turn the dial until you get the brightness you want and leave it be. It's that simple. The OneKnob Brighter is included in the OneKnob package series or the Mercury bundle. Both of these will get you the product, so it's not like you're just buying a single plugin. In one way, it can be a bit of a pain as the OneKnob package alone is around $300ish. Even though it includes seven of their plugins, I find it to be a bit of a ripoff. The Mercury bundle makes it a bit easier to swallow, but that thing costs a ton anyway, so you'd better be getting every single plugin that Waves offers.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Waves plugins have always been some of the most stable plugins I've experienced. They're cross platform compatible, so they'll work with both PCs and Macs. As a Mac user, that's a huge advantage for someone like me. They run in 32 bit mode, but Logic uses a wrapper-like application that runs so you don't interfere with your 64 bit interface. I've tried this on various different buses, and it seems to work on anything with ease. It even works nicely on MIDI, which I found a bit surprising. There are no performance issues at all, and that's a huge plus when working in a DAW filled with all kinds of synths and tracks running tons of plugins. These plugins came with my Mercury package, and I've had that for a few months now. When I'm doing quick mixes or just need to do something real quick without a huge EQ change, I'll throw one of these in the bus. I find it's a bit more musical than just notching the EQ in the upper KHz range.
OVERALL OPINION
The OneKnob Brighter is definitely a good plugin, but it also has its flaws. For one thing, you can't cut. For another, you can't really do anything except make the mix brighter. Because of that, the actual OneKnob bundle is a bit expensive for what it is. Thankfully, these plugins are included in the Mercury bundle, so it's more of a "bang for your buck," but it still leaves something to be desired when using these in a pro setting. I have a feeling they're geared more towards beginners who don't want to deal with all of the knobs and different settings some of the deeper plugins can do.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Waves plugins have always been some of the most stable plugins I've experienced. They're cross platform compatible, so they'll work with both PCs and Macs. As a Mac user, that's a huge advantage for someone like me. They run in 32 bit mode, but Logic uses a wrapper-like application that runs so you don't interfere with your 64 bit interface. I've tried this on various different buses, and it seems to work on anything with ease. It even works nicely on MIDI, which I found a bit surprising. There are no performance issues at all, and that's a huge plus when working in a DAW filled with all kinds of synths and tracks running tons of plugins. These plugins came with my Mercury package, and I've had that for a few months now. When I'm doing quick mixes or just need to do something real quick without a huge EQ change, I'll throw one of these in the bus. I find it's a bit more musical than just notching the EQ in the upper KHz range.
OVERALL OPINION
The OneKnob Brighter is definitely a good plugin, but it also has its flaws. For one thing, you can't cut. For another, you can't really do anything except make the mix brighter. Because of that, the actual OneKnob bundle is a bit expensive for what it is. Thankfully, these plugins are included in the Mercury bundle, so it's more of a "bang for your buck," but it still leaves something to be desired when using these in a pro setting. I have a feeling they're geared more towards beginners who don't want to deal with all of the knobs and different settings some of the deeper plugins can do.