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This page: M-One Dual Effects Processor; Going Inside
M-One Dual Effects Processor
Though its seven reverb algorithms – hall, room, plate 1 & 2, spring, live, and ambience -- are the M-One's main draw, it boasts many other effects as well, including delays, choruses, flangers, pitch shift, tremolo, and phaser. The chorus is particularly impressive -- I never got tired of the way it fattened up analog bass synth sounds. The compressor/limiter and gate/expander are worth a couple hundred dollars alone -- dial these up and say goodbye muddy rhythm tracks, hello punchy beats.
M-One's elegant LCD spells out the goings on of each effects program. (click for a close-up) |
The M-One's extensive routing capabilities set it apart from most processors in this price range. With two separate effects engines inside the unit, you can set up six different mono and stereo routing schemes:
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Dual Send/Return. The left input is sent to effects engine one, and the right input to effects engine two. The output of each engine is combined to one stereo output. This routing is recommended for use with two effects sends.
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Parallel. Both effects engines are fed the same stereo input; best for adding two separate effects to one stereo input.
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Parallel/Serial. Similar to Dual Send/Return, but the output of engine one can be routed through engine two. For example, this could be used to treat the repeats of a long delay with a reverb.
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Serial. Both inputs pass through effects engine one before engine two.
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Stereo Linked. Both engines perform identical functions, producing a true stereo effect. This could be used, for instance, to treat an entire stereo mix with compression or parametric EQ.
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Dual Mono. Both engines work as entirely independent mono effects processors.
Each of the M-One's presets has a routing assigned to it, but you can use Routing Lock to keep your chosen routing constant as you scroll through them.
The ins and outs of the M-One
(click for a close-up)
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Going Inside
Each effect algorithm can be edited rather heavily. The front panel is organized so nicely that I was quickly editing and storing patches without browsing the manual. Buttons for Edit 1, Edit 2, Store, Enter, Exit, two cursor keys, and the data wheel make the whole process simple -- at least in most cases.
The reverbs offer 12 editable parameters, including decay, predelay, size, high cut, high color, low color, reflect level, reverb level, and modulation parameters. Only the parametric EQ is more editable, but (the one exception to the M-One's easy-edit vibe) I just could not get comfortable tweaking an EQ with only one text line on the LCD and a data wheel. Sometimes, knobs and levers can't be beat.
Delay time, and chorus, flange, phaser, and tremolo rate can all be set with the Tap key. A few taps will get you close to where you want to be, at which point you can fine tune with the edit wheel. The tempo can be shown in milliseconds or BPM, and there are 16 response resolutions to the tapped tempo -- from whole note to thirty-second note triplet. The tempo can lock to external MIDI clock when MIDI Sync is enabled. I tested this with a Yamaha RM1x hardware sequencer, and the M-One locked up like a charm.
MIDI enthusiasts will be glad to know that all your tweaks can be transmitted by MIDI and recorded to a sequencer. Sys-Ex memory dumps are an option, as well as MIDI program changes. Unfortunately, the MIDI continuous controller numbers that correspond to the M-One's parameter changes are not listed in the manual, but they can be found on T.C.'s website.
Next Page: D-Two Multi-tap Rhythm Delay; Dig the Rhythm....
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