PlusOne FX — User Manual

Welcome to PlusOne FX

PlusOne FX turns one finished lead vocal into two new supporting takes of the same part: Take A and Take B. Same singer, same lyrics, same notes, but each take has its own timing, pitch behavior, tone and dynamics, as if the singer had stepped back to the mic twice more.

The EVA RePerformance Engine analyzes your recording, re-performs it twice and rebuilds each take as its own waveform. Everything runs locally inside the plugin: no voice model, no cloud, no audio upload.

You get three separate layers to work with: the Original, Take A and Take B. Use all three as a vocal stack, keep only one supporting take, or print either take to audio and process it like any other vocal track.

Installation and system requirements

PlusOne FX is a 64-bit effect plugin for VST3, AU and AAX hosts on macOS, and VST3 hosts on Windows.

System requirements

PlusOne processes each instance on a single CPU thread, so the speed of one core matters more than the number of cores. When you use several instances on different tracks, your DAW usually spreads them across cores.

On Windows, Celeron, Pentium, Atom, Core m3 and Y-series processors are not recommended.

On a recommended computer, one instance uses only a small share of the CPU, so you can run many instances in a session. On a minimum-spec computer, a 512-sample buffer can cause occasional clicks: raise the buffer to 1024 samples, switch Quality to Draft, or bounce offline. PlusOne does its main work in blocks of 1024 samples, so on slower computers buffers of 128 or 256 samples are likely to click.

Install on macOS

1. Download the macOS installer (.pkg) from My Account → My Downloads on evainstruments.com.
2. Open the .pkg file and follow the installer. It places the VST3, AU and AAX plugins in the correct folders, so there is nothing to copy by hand.
3. Restart your DAW, or rescan plugins if PlusOne does not appear.

Install on Windows

1. Download the Windows .zip archive from My Account → My Downloads on evainstruments.com.
2. Unzip it. Inside you will find a short instruction file and the PlusOne FX .vst3 file.
3. Copy the .vst3 file to your VST3 folder, usually C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.
4. Restart your DAW, or rescan plugins if PlusOne does not appear.

Quick Start

1. Insert PlusOne after your vocal editing. Put it on a stereo vocal track after comping, tuning and timing correction, so the takes inherit the cleaned-up performance.
2. Lower INPUT a few dB. Three voices at the same level sum to a much louder signal than one, so a little headroom keeps the output from clipping.
3. Press play and turn up BACKINGS. At 0% you hear only the original. As you raise it, both takes get louder and spread wider across the stereo field. Around 30–50% thickens and widens the lead; toward 100% gives a full multi-voice stack.
4. Press NEW TAKES only when you need to. It replaces the current pair with a new one. Use it if a take has a glitch or drifts too far from the lead in timing or pitch.
5. Turn on DS, EQ and SPACE. These preset processors place the backings slightly behind the lead, for a finished sound straight away.

The current take pair is saved with the project, so it sounds the same every time you reopen the session.

Interface overview

The window is organized around one big control: BACKINGS in the center sets how much of the two takes you hear, with each take’s own strip on either side.

Controls reference

Numbers match the callouts on the interface overview.

1–2 · Take A and Take B

Each generated take has its own channel strip with a level meter.

With the Lock closed (default), the Level and Pan knobs follow BACKINGS and show its current values. Solo and Mute always work.

3 · Lock

The Lock chooses who controls the takes’ level and pan.

• Closed (default): BACKINGS controls both takes together. The Take A and Take B knobs are inactive.
• Open (lit orange): BACKINGS is inactive, and you set level and pan for Take A and Take B independently. The take knobs start from exactly the values BACKINGS had set.

When you close the Lock again, both takes return to the level and pan set by the current BACKINGS position. Your manual settings are not kept, so note them before closing if you want them back.

4 · BACKINGS

The main control. BACKINGS sets the level and the stereo spread of both takes at once, mirrored left and right. At 0% you hear only the original. As you turn it up, the takes get louder and move further apart. The right value depends on your material and the result you want. Around 30–50% makes the lead a little wider and fuller. Toward 100% you get a true multi-voice stack. Open the Lock if you need to set each take by hand.

5 · Original

Solo (S) or mute (M) the source vocal. Mute it when you want only the generated takes, for example when PlusOne runs on a bus or when you print the takes to separate tracks.

6–7 · Input and Output

8 · NEW TAKES

Replaces the current pair with a new one generated from the same recording. The new takes are different waveforms with a different frequency response, but by ear the difference is usually subtle: NEW TAKES is not a way to look for a better sound. Use it when a take has a glitch or drifts too far from the lead in timing or pitch. It also lets you go beyond two backing voices: print the current pair to audio, press NEW TAKES and print again (see Print the takes to audio).

9 · Quality

Sets the reconstruction quality and CPU load: Draft, Normal, High or Render. See Quality modes, CPU and latency.

10 · Backing FX

A preset processing chain for the generated takes only; the original is never processed. The three processors have fixed settings tuned for a finished sound out of the box. With all three on, the backings sit slightly behind the lead vocal.

11 · Seed A and Seed B

The numbers at the bottom identify the current take pair. They are display only and cannot be typed in. The pair is saved with your DAW project and recalled exactly when you reopen it.

Workflows

PlusOne was designed to run on a bus: your lead stays untouched on its own track, and the two takes arrive on a separate channel you can process freely. Inserting it directly on the vocal track is the quickest alternative.

Recommended: PlusOne on a bus

Best for most mixes. You keep full control of the lead and get the backings as their own channel.

1. Create a stereo bus (aux / FX channel) and insert PlusOne on it.
2. Send the lead vocal to that bus.
3. In PlusOne, press M on Original. The bus now outputs only Take A and Take B.
4. Raise BACKINGS to set the level and width of the takes.
5. Process the bus as a backing-vocal group. If you use your own EQ, de-esser and reverb, switch the Backing FX section off.
6. Balance the backings against the lead with the bus fader.

Quick: PlusOne on the vocal track

Best for demos, sketches and songwriting sessions.

1. Insert PlusOne on the finished lead vocal (stereo track).
2. Lower INPUT a few dB, then raise BACKINGS until the stack feels full but the lead still leads.
3. Turn on DS, EQ and SPACE for a finished sound out of the box.

Shape the stack per section

Best when the verse and the chorus need different treatment.

• Automate BACKINGS. One knob moves level and width together, so a low value in the verse and a higher one in the chorus makes the stack grow with the song.
• Use one take for verses. Mute Take B for a subtle thickening, and unmute it for the chorus.
• Set takes by hand. Open the Lock to give each take its own level and pan, for example one take closer to the center and quieter than the other.
• Audition the takes in solo. Solo each take to check it holds up on its own; if one has a glitch, press NEW TAKES.

Advanced: print the takes to audio

Best for final mixes, when you want to edit each take like a recorded vocal.

1. Switch Quality to RENDER.
2. Solo Take A and render or freeze it to a new audio track. Repeat with Take B.
3. Switch the Backing FX section off and process each take with your own chain.
4. Edit the printed takes like any vocal: trim breaths, tighten endings, nudge phrases.
5. Need more than two backing voices? Press NEW TAKES and print the new pair as well.

Quality modes, CPU and latency

Every mode runs in real time; the modes differ in reconstruction quality and CPU load. On a modern computer, High is a comfortable everyday setting. In a heavy session with many plugins, Normal keeps the CPU load down, and on an older or slower computer Draft is the safe choice.

Render is the most demanding mode. It plays in real time, but even on a fast computer it takes a noticeable share of the CPU. Switch to it before you bounce, or use it in light sessions and on powerful workstations, rather than leaving it on while you work.

Why PlusOne has 220 ms of latency

PlusOne always adds exactly 220 ms of latency, at every quality setting and sample rate. This is not a side effect of slow code; it is how the engine works.

A singer recording a double already knows the line: which note comes next, where a phrase ends, when the next word starts. To re-perform your vocal convincingly, PlusOne needs the same knowledge. The 220 ms window lets it look ahead in the performance, understand where each note and phrase is going, and only then rebuild Take A and Take B. Without that look-ahead, the takes would react to the vocal instead of singing along with it.

Your DAW compensates for the latency automatically when plugin delay compensation is on, so the takes stay in time with the session. Because of the look-ahead, PlusOne is a mixing tool and is not suited to live monitoring while recording.

Tips, troubleshooting and FAQ

Tips for the best results

• Feed it a clean, dry, single voice. PlusOne works best on a solo vocal without heavy reverb, delay or background noise. Add your time-based effects after it.
• Tune and comp first. The takes follow the source performance, so fix pitch and timing before PlusOne, not after.
• Keep the backings behind the lead. If the stack sounds crowded, place the takes farther back with DS, EQ and SPACE or your own bus processing, rather than turning them down until the stack thins out.

Troubleshooting

FAQ