TheSteven
This looks like it works similar to the Waves MV2 except with a 3rd overall compressor, no wup and a lot more affordable.
Please let us know what you think of it.
I also own the Waves MV2.
I had purchased the MV2 for this very reason: bring up the low level details in the music without crushing the high level transients. I was never able to get the MV2 to do what I wanted it to do with music.
It "sort-of" worked, but not good enough. I think the attack/decay timings weren't adjustable enough for music.
If I recall correctly, it was designed for dialogue; for leveling voice-overs and such. It works well for that purpose.
Hornet Dynamics Control:
So far, I would choose the Hornet over the MV2 (for music) based on the sound I got from it, but...
I am still trying to understand it. The three compressors interact (expected, but it causes confusion).
It is hard to understand what it is doing at times ( FWIW, I did not read the manual).
When I got it sounding like it was bringing up the low level details without crushing the transients, the output level was very high. There is no "makeup gain" control to turn it down. Not a big problem. I am using it on a bus. I can turn down the bus fader.
The "Upward Compressor" has a soft knee. I would prefer a hard knee to get maximum impact from drums.
When I got it to achieve the sound I was trying to achieve, I had the top and bottom compressors off (ratio 1:1),
the middle compressor on with a ratio of 6:1. The graphic had a shape like a backslash key.
I cannot give an accurate opinion of it yet. I need to read the manual and try it again.
Setting it up is the biggest problem. The GUI is not intuitive enough. Perhaps it needs three separate colors on the graph to distinguish the three compressors? It needs a makeup/attenuation gain knob. It needs three separate bypass buttons on the three compressors.
Download the demo and give it a try.
The demo version has full functionality except that it lowers the output volume every minute for a few seconds.