easlern
Boredom artist
I've been trying out different daws lately, doing mike senior (cambridge) multitracks. I recently got harrison mixbus on sale and did a couple mixes on it. I haven't tried tracking on it but mixing is a trip. Mixbus is made to emulate a console, so it naturally sounds different from other daws, but even more important I think is how it shapes your workflow compared to other daws. For example the waveforms aren't visible in the mixing screen, which causes you to jog back and forth to find where a track punches in/out. That may be a feature or a failure depending on who's talking but I guess harrison's goal is to emulate console/tape work, and they're serious about it.
Each track has its own eq and compressor built right into the display so you don't have to open windows to mess with them. The eq is neve-like, three bands with two knobs each, and a high-pass filter. The compressor on each track is three pieces: a fader for threshold, a knob for attack/ratio/release, and a knob for makeup gain. I'm not sure how I like the compressor yet but the fact it's right on the strip means I use it all the time. The different compressor modes are really useful- like the limiter mode doesn't fuck around, it's a brick wall if you want it. The built in tape saturation goes from subtle to obvious and make-up gain is automatic (and accurate!) which is really nice. The eq and compressor have no markings (except for the min and max values on the eq) and that really makes you listen, although it would be nice to be able to peek at what the knobs are actually pointing at.
First plug in I reached for was a gate, but when I opened it I got nagged to buy it. So I had to pull in a waves plugin to get a gate. I really don't like having demos in my plugin list, although you can make your own "favorites" list, so you can save having to sort through the upsells. In fact you're probably gonna want a good complement of third-party plugins because mixbus comes with no free, useful plugins that I could find- even reaper has more basics.
Anyway the sound is real nice and full, quite a bit fuzzier than you'd get without emulation but it is "that" sound they promise if you use mixbus, so they do make good on it. I have had some trouble getting plugins to work like they do in other daws- there's quite a bit of lag dragging dials for example. For the most part I've been sticking with the eq and compressor on each track though- having those right there to manipulate is wonderful, I don't miss opening plugin instances and dragging dials around to do basic stuff. I find I'm happier with a track using fewer plugins too- other than effects and the occasional 1176, the stock eq and comp are pretty much all I need.
I do wish they allowed for more than eight buses, I run out pretty quickly because I like to run instruments into groups and that only leaves me one or two buses for effect sends. I may be able to just send tracks into a new aux track, that could solve my problem but I haven't experimented that far.
Despite my nitpicks I did like it enough to consider getting the 32C upgrade (I haven't pulled the trigger yet). I can see myself using logic to track and mixbus to mix, it's got a holistic vibe that makes it really fun to work on, and the results are pretty unique.
Each track has its own eq and compressor built right into the display so you don't have to open windows to mess with them. The eq is neve-like, three bands with two knobs each, and a high-pass filter. The compressor on each track is three pieces: a fader for threshold, a knob for attack/ratio/release, and a knob for makeup gain. I'm not sure how I like the compressor yet but the fact it's right on the strip means I use it all the time. The different compressor modes are really useful- like the limiter mode doesn't fuck around, it's a brick wall if you want it. The built in tape saturation goes from subtle to obvious and make-up gain is automatic (and accurate!) which is really nice. The eq and compressor have no markings (except for the min and max values on the eq) and that really makes you listen, although it would be nice to be able to peek at what the knobs are actually pointing at.
First plug in I reached for was a gate, but when I opened it I got nagged to buy it. So I had to pull in a waves plugin to get a gate. I really don't like having demos in my plugin list, although you can make your own "favorites" list, so you can save having to sort through the upsells. In fact you're probably gonna want a good complement of third-party plugins because mixbus comes with no free, useful plugins that I could find- even reaper has more basics.
Anyway the sound is real nice and full, quite a bit fuzzier than you'd get without emulation but it is "that" sound they promise if you use mixbus, so they do make good on it. I have had some trouble getting plugins to work like they do in other daws- there's quite a bit of lag dragging dials for example. For the most part I've been sticking with the eq and compressor on each track though- having those right there to manipulate is wonderful, I don't miss opening plugin instances and dragging dials around to do basic stuff. I find I'm happier with a track using fewer plugins too- other than effects and the occasional 1176, the stock eq and comp are pretty much all I need.
I do wish they allowed for more than eight buses, I run out pretty quickly because I like to run instruments into groups and that only leaves me one or two buses for effect sends. I may be able to just send tracks into a new aux track, that could solve my problem but I haven't experimented that far.
Despite my nitpicks I did like it enough to consider getting the 32C upgrade (I haven't pulled the trigger yet). I can see myself using logic to track and mixbus to mix, it's got a holistic vibe that makes it really fun to work on, and the results are pretty unique.
