KNOCK
808 harmonic-knock saturatorAn 808 harmonic-knock saturator with parallel triode/pentode drive and a clean sub-lock crossover. Make 808s and bass cut on any system while keeping the low end solid.
- Parallel triode (even) + pentode (odd) drive
- Sub-Lock keeps the fundamental clean
- Pitch-locked Sub-Synth + attack Click
- 808s that knock anywhere
- Check it on a phone or laptop speaker, then in the car. That's the whole job — the 808 has to read on a speaker with no low end and still feel solid on a system that has one. Tell us how it does on both.
- Sub-Synth on a gliding 808. Pitch-tracking through a slide is the trick we're most proud of here — let us know if it holds.
- Take the drive all the way up. We'd love a second opinion on how the harmonic density feels up there — richer, or busier than you'd want?
- Click on a soft 808 — does it give you usable attack?
Learn KNOCK
QUICK-START · 6 MINMake an 808 read on a phone speaker while the sub stays clean and tight underneath.
- 01
Set the SUB LOCK
Set the SUB LOCK crossover (40–160 Hz) just above the 808's fundamental — everything below it stays clean and out of the saturation. This is the reason KNOCK doesn't turn your sub to mud.
- 02
Drive it
Push INPUT into the saturator and turn on AUTO GAIN so you judge tone, not level. Blend TRIODE for even-harmonic warmth and roundness against PENTODE for odd-harmonic edge and bite.
- 03
Turn up KNOCK
KNOCK is the signature control — it emphasises the punchy attack and midrange so the 808 stays audible on small speakers and phones. Dial it while monitoring on something small; that's the target device.
- 04
Reinforce the sub
On the SUB tab, raise SUB SYNTH to regenerate a clean pitch-locked sine at the tracked fundamental — it rebuilds a weak 808's sub and holds through glides. Set MONO to collapse everything below ~120 Hz for a centred low end.
- 05
Add attack
On the BASS tab, raise CLICK for a defined point of impact, TUNE it to sit with the beat (lower = thud, higher = tick), and set DECAY short for a tick or longer for a pluck.
- 06
Finish the output
Use MIX for parallel blending if the full-wet version is too much, set the CEILING a dB or two down as a safety clip, and match OUTPUT against bypass.
- FOCUS tilts just the saturated harmonics darker or brighter without touching the clean locked sub — use it instead of EQ after the fact.
- Character voicings: Smooth for melodic 808s, Aggressive for distorted bounce; KNEE Hard snaps into clipping for a harder break-up.
- DELTA solos only what KNOCK is adding — a fast way to hear whether you're adding knock or just fizz.
- Check the result on a phone speaker AND a system with sub. The phone tells you if KNOCK worked; the sub tells you if SUB LOCK did.
Every control, its range, and what it actually does — the complete KNOCK manual.
Download manual (PDF)All manualsActivation
iLok (PACE) — machine, iLok Cloud or iLok USBLicense lands on your iLok
Accepted testers get every Wave-1 plugin deposited to their iLok account — machine activation, iLok Cloud or iLok USB, your call.
Open the plugin
Insert KNOCK in your DAW (AU · VST3 · AAX). First launch asks for activation via iLok License Manager.
You're in until August 30, 2026
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