AD are known for exotic effects, but with Rough Rider Pro they've decided to buck the trend. Are they playing it safe?Audio Damage have built up an enviable reputation for consistency in cm, with almost every release receiving top, or nearly top, marks. However, looking back over their list of products, they pretty much specialise in groundbreaking plug-ins, or at least very original takes on older ideas. The only obvious exception to this was their awesome ADverb (originally called Reverence). However, now they've unleashed another 'traditional' effect -it's a multiband version of their acclaimed freeware compressor plug-in, Rough Rider. And, this new one has been given the Pro treatment.
At first glance, the familiar Audio Damage layout is evident, which is an encouraging start. Less impressive, though, is the very small interface and hard-to-read displays - this has become a worrying trend with Audio Damage. It's easier to overlook with their more creative plug-ins, but, if you can't tell whether something is -1OdB or +1OdB on a tiny dial, you're in trouble.
Each band has the expected compression parameters: Ratio, Attack, Release, Sensitivity (ie, threshold) and Makeup, as well as a metering section that shows the input, output and gain reduction levels. Annoyingly, there's no bypass switch for each of the individual bands. Sure, you can set the knobs to zero to achieve the same result, but it's a fiddly way of doing things.
Riding roughshod
Sound-wise, though, things improve greatly. We tried out Rough Rider Pro on a variety of material, including finished tracks ready for mastering, and found the bass frequencies to be particularly punchy. However, the mid- and top-end started to become a little digital when pushed hard, especially when compared to really high-end multiband processors.
A quick flick through the presets reveals a whole range of creative uses. You can squash signals pleasantly, or drive them to distortion. For such purposes, we can't really fault it.
Ultimately, a plug-in should be judged on a number of factors - its practicality, sound quality and ease of use being right up there. Naturally, there's no debating the usefulness of a multiband compressor, and Rough Rider Pro is particularly strong in creative applications, too.
As for the quality, bearing in mind the plentiful options out there, this plug-in is capable of some serious results. It's impressive how much you can tighten up your bass, and it's even acceptable for mastering electronic material where transparency isn't essential.
But, Rough Rider Pro is not the most accessible of plug-ins. For example, there's no A/B button (very useful when applying dynamic effects) or auto-gain. Ultimately, the interfacie niggles and obstructions make using AD's latest a bit of a chore, which is a great shame.
So, while the sound is excellent for the price, and more than a match for higher priced competitors, we can't award Audio Damage their usual top marks. While it's worth getting hold of this plug-in, Rough Rider Pro is very much in need of a revision.
Web: www.audiodamage.com
≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌
Band manager
Unlike many other multiband compressors, Rough Rider Pro offers three bands instead of four. But we reckon this is ample for most uses and, indeed, most users - without prior experience, additional options can simply translate into more ways to mess things up.
So, for the best results, use the on/off buttons to isolate the band you want to dial in, then use the frequency sliders to select the range (the high and low cutoff points define the mids), Then, adjust the settings as you would any other compressor.
The only other thing you need to worry about is whether to run things in Multi or Series mode. The former splits the three bands, processes them separately and recombines them at the output stage, while the latter sends the signal to the top band, then the middle and finally the bottom. Both are useful, but we found Multi mode to be very clinical, while Series is more traditional and less surgical.
≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌
System requirements
(PC) PIII 800MHz, 512MB RAM, Windows XPSP2 or Vista
(MAC) G4/G5/lntel CPU, 512MB RAM,
OS X 10.4
Test system
(MAC) Mac Pro Duel Intel Xeon 2.8GHz_ Quad-Core, 4GB RAM, OS X 10.5.6
Alternatively
Sonalksis CQ1 N/A»N/A»£160
Showing its age now, but still a good multiband compressor
Waves C4 Multiband N/A»N/A»$400
Never ones to disappoint, this Waves plug-in is a stunner
Verdict
FOR
- Excellent sound
- Versatile range of applications
- Great presets
- Innovative band-routing option
AGAINST
- No A/B button
- Hard tomake out the display
- No band-bypass switches
The sound and features are right on the money, but this isn't the smoothest operator available right now
MARK: 8/10
Subscribe to Computer Music Magazine:http://www.computermusic.co.uk/
No comments:
Post a Comment