You guys are gonna love this...

[pathdoc]

I don't see what's the big deal. This is just a plugin with a bunch of different effects. The program appears to help the user by suggesting commonly used effect for the selected instrument. No bid deal to me.

 

[moresound]

I don't see what's the big deal. This is just a plugin with a bunch of different effects. The program appears to help the user by suggesting commonly used effect for the selected instrument. No bid deal to me.

.^^^^^^yup! exactly what everyone is trying to say here^^^^^^
That and it's not going to work for everyone for everything.

 

[loveofjazz]

I love to play music.
I love to write.
I love to record.
I am okay with finding a mix that I like.
I'm not so good at achieving a decent mastered recording. I'm learning more and more each time I do it, but it's going to take some serious time to get it right.
Nothing that I have written and recorded has needed to sound a certain way.
Nothing that I have written and recorded was going to be used as an audition, or a manner of measuring my abilities against others in hopes of landing some awesome gig.
If I had something that was going to be used commercially, I'd search out one of the mastering professionals on here and hire them to master my recordings. To me, that makes sense. That would be me putting my best foot forward...recording the best possible performance that I could give, and allowing a true professional to help make it sound even better.

That being said, EZ Mix could be useful for someone like me.
This could help me focus on the part of the creative process that I'm most familiar with. I'm bad about getting lost in the smaller details, and when it comes to my own recordings I have been known to keep fiddling with the song, tweaking this & that until I just kill it.

I love to record, and do believe that as time wears on I will become more and more familiar with making a decent home recording. I can honestly say that EZ Mix could be very useful for recording myself and creating a solid audio recording. It will never replace a professional. Anyone with half a brain knows that.

 

[G-Jay]

I read this thread before I saw any specifics about the product. So I went and checked out the review posted here and the website.

It looks like the EZ mix thing has to be applied to each track.
It offers presets and presumably uses basic compression, EQ, and maybe some effects like chorus and verb. It also does bit crushing.

It does NOT judge levels, panning, or when to mute the lead guitarist who continues to solo through all the verses etc.

No big deal, looks like its just a bunch of cheap plugins with a bunch of presets which the USER MUST SELECT.

A plug in which could judge levels, panning, eq, compression etc with minimal user input would be quite an achievement but I still don't think it could get anywhere near a human being when it comes to decisions like when to let the compressor pump, creative effects, or when to mute that damned lead guitarist.

By the way, whether SSG can write songs and/or shred on a guitar is irrelevant to me. No one says "Hey Carlos Santana you're a wicked guitar player but how good are you at tracking and mixing records?......" SSG knows his stuff and gives a lot of good advice on this forum.

I am interested in his (sometimes controversial) views on the recording process. I don't care if he can whistle Dixie let alone play The House Of The Rising Sun.

 

[loveofjazz]

I read this thread before I saw any specifics about the product. So I went and checked out the review posted here and the website.

It looks like the EZ mix thing has to be applied to each track.
It offers presets and presumably uses basic compression, EQ, and maybe some effects like chorus and verb. It also does bit crushing.

It does NOT judge levels, panning, or when to mute the lead guitarist who continues to solo through all the verses etc.

No big deal, looks like its just a bunch of cheap plugins with a bunch of presets which the USER MUST SELECT.

A plug in which could judge levels, panning, eq, compression etc with minimal user input would be quite an achievement but I still don't think it could get anywhere near a human being when it comes to decisions like when to let the compressor pump, creative effects, or when to mute that damned lead guitarist.

By the way, whether SSG can write songs and/or shred on a guitar is irrelevant to me. No one says "Hey Carlos Santana you're a wicked guitar player but how good are you at tracking and mixing records?......" SSG knows his stuff and gives a lot of good advice on this forum.

I am interested in his (sometimes controversial) views on the recording process. I don't care if he can whistle Dixie let alone play The House Of The Rising Sun.

Well, after reading through this last night I got real curious. Since I already own EZ Drummer*, I went and checked out EZ Mix. When I realized what potential it had, I ponied up and downloaded it from Toontrack's website.

It's just preset plug ins, nothing more. When I'm creating music, I have the potential to get lost in details. While I try to make sure that the sound I record is the best possible, I have found that sometimes certain tracks need tweaking. I can see the usefulness of this product. I haven't spent years behind a console like a lot of you. I've spent most of my musical existence on a stage.

I am still learning about how to get a good mix. I probably will be for some years to come. When I'm writing a song and still refining it, this will have it's place.

As I mentioned, I downloaded this last night. First thing this morning, I fired up Reaper and opened up the last song I had been working on (slow acoustic strummed country ballad). Direct recorded bass, acoustic rhythm and acoustic lead as well as EZ Drummer. I applied EZ Mix on all tracks. It didn't do any harm. In fact, it showed me what I might have been missing.

I can honestly say that EZ Mix will not replace knowledge. Knowledge will trump this program every time. I'd rather have the knowledge, but I get to worry about that when I complete the writing that I'm working on now. It's going to take time that I prefer to devote towards writing music at this moment in time.

I'm busy as hell until Monday between going to Atlanta in a bit and gigs all weekend. Still, if you'd be interested I'll be glad to post a couple of versions of the same song next week. I'll actually mix the first version (and keep records for reference), then use EZ Mix on the second version so you can hear the difference.


* Yes, I own EZ Drummer. My drumming isn't as solid as I need it to be right now, and EZ Drummer has made completing song ideas a reality for me. You can hear it on "FunkPlay" on my Soundclick page http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8925708

 

[kcearl]

I read this thread before I saw any specifics about the product. So I went and checked out the review posted here and the website.

It looks like the EZ mix thing has to be applied to each track.
It offers presets and presumably uses basic compression, EQ, and maybe some effects like chorus and verb. It also does bit crushing.

It does NOT judge levels, panning, or when to mute the lead guitarist who continues to solo through all the verses etc.

No big deal, looks like its just a bunch of cheap plugins with a bunch of presets which the USER MUST SELECT.

A plug in which could judge levels, panning, eq, compression etc with minimal user input would be quite an achievement but I still don't think it could get anywhere near a human being when it comes to decisions like when to let the compressor pump, creative effects, or when to mute that damned lead guitarist.

By the way, whether SSG can write songs and/or shred on a guitar is irrelevant to me. No one says "Hey Carlos Santana you're a wicked guitar player but how good are you at tracking and mixing records?......" SSG knows his stuff and gives a lot of good advice on this forum.

I am interested in his (sometimes controversial) views on the recording process. I don't care if he can whistle Dixie let alone play The House Of The Rising Sun.

and there was i thinking it would actually mix the track for me, thanks for clearing that up..

oh yeah...and get a room

 

[ez_willis]

By the way, whether SSG can write songs and/or shred on a guitar is irrelevant to me.

it's relevant to the conversation. he is approaching this subject from an engineer's perspective and has gotten real defensive about it. if he was primarily a songwriter that wanted to get a useable mix to get onto the next song, he may feel differently about it.

 

[loveofjazz]

it's relevant to the conversation. he is approaching this subject from an engineer's perspective and has gotten real defensive about it. if he was primarily a songwriter that wanted to get a useable mix to get onto the next song, he may feel differently about it.

Hit the nail on the head.
It won't make a spectacular mix for you. That requires an ear for the job and some talent to boot.

 

[ez_willis]

Hit the nail on the head.
It won't make a spectacular mix for you. That requires an ear for the job and some talent to boot.

no one ever said they expected this software to produce a spectacular mix.

 

[miroslav]

...are you writing your own songs and tracking every single instrument on every recording you make? AND working 40 hrs/week?

Ahhhhh....yeah...that's pretty much been it for me for many years now.
Well...OK...I have a drummer do my drum tracks these days, though I've been known to get behind a kit and bang out some basic beats from time to time if no one was watching.

There's nothing *wrong* with using presets...maybe just to get an idea for something…just don't ever dilute yourself into thinking that YOU actually made all the decisions when you use them on everything.
It's like wondering what color to paint your room and some hands you a can of green paint...and then afterwards you step back and say "Yeah, I think I like the green color".
You’re basically appreciating someone else's idea of how something should look...
…and sound.
Maybe you like their idea so you adopt it as your own...but that is NOT what recording/mixing is really all about. I'm not saying everyone HAS TO dive deep into recording/mixing...but there IS a difference between that and those that just skim the surface and look for quick/easy "press this button for a great mix" solutions.

 

[grimtraveller]

I think any term with 12 or more syllables kicks ass.

Taliopanthropicalizationism = "Study of the inability to kick"

 

[ez_willis]

There's nothing *wrong* with using presets...maybe just to get an idea for something…just don't ever dilute yourself into thinking that YOU actually made all the decisions when you use them on everything.

i don't use them on anything. all i've been saying is i can see where someone would.

I'm not saying everyone HAS TO dive deep into recording/mixing...but there IS a difference between that and those that just skim the surface and look for quick/easy "press this button for a great mix" solutions.

no kidding?

 

[grimtraveller]

Who will win the general election ?

I love these debates in which some of the participants show who they are and what they feel and get defensive, knowledgable, sarcastic, demeaning, argumentative, wise etc, etc, etc. I honestly find many of them really helpful.
For me, this particular thread simply reinforces the reality that there is not simply one road to travel and that "recording", home or otherwise, is a vast continent with many ways of getting around it, many modes of transport, many roads and many different items of clothing needed/desired.
Truth be told, if there was no one that could or would use this product, it simply would not exist. I can see where it could be useful to somebody, somewhere, because we are not all in the same situation with the same feelings about what we do or with the same experience or ability or ears. That has been pointed out blatantly by a number of posters.

To be honest with you, I wouldn't use it but neither do I think no one should. I quite enjoy trying to mix but of the entire process of writing, arranging, recording and mixing, it's my least fave rave. It's a necessity with the capacity for pleasure. And EZmix is, like so many others, simply a tool. If you feel it can help whiten your teeth, go for it. If you're happy with the way you've been progressing/doing it and you baulk at such products, cool. Call me a wishy washy purveyor of wivvle wavvle but you're all right on this one as it applies to you.

 

[Atom Bomb]

This shit looks great.

I can see how it would take the wind out of someones sails who is primairly a mixy mastery engineer guy who spends 90% of his time setting up mics and flicking faders around. totally see it from that side.

But for those of us that spend 50% of the time writing composeing arrangeing and 50% on post production and flicking faders....

This appears to be the cats fucking pyjamas. Really though. One less thingot spend a weekend fucking with.

I'm definitely going to check it out. No Question.

 

[miroslav]

But see...that's exactly what is wrong with this type of product.
It makes some people believe that it actually CAN do something for them that they can't/won't do on their own.

"I don't want to waste time on mixing --- toss in a mix preset = done."

"I'm not sure how to mix this song --- toss in a preset = done."

Oh I'm sure your mix will sound like "something" with one of those presets...
...but WHY oh WHY should/would a preset know how your mix should sound if you don't….???

Oh...and the reason this product exists is because someone saw that there was a growing crop of "recordists" that either don't have the time, desire or knowledge to mix (or don't want to take the time getting it)...
...so like any "too good to be true" product, they filled a need, but they filled it with something that really doesn't "mix" SHIT...it just applies a bunch of preset processing from a “black box”.
There is NO DECISION MAKING...the product HAS NO CLUE what your mix sounds like.
GET IT?

Is it always about shortcuts….?

 

[miroslav]

all i've been saying is i can see where someone would.

Oh sure...I can see how some would too!

 

[ez_willis]

But see...that's exactly what is wrong with this type of product.
It makes some people believe that it actually CAN do something for them that they can't/won't do on their own.

every product sold in america promises shit they can't deliver on. no one is forcing anyone to use it.

 

[G-Jay]

There is NO DECISION MAKING...the product HAS NO CLUE what your mix sounds like.
GET IT?

Is it always about shortcuts….?

All the mixing decisions will be made by the user who chooses which presets to use in which combinations.

If you are putting together demos of songs for bandmates or whatever then maybe the presets will get you where you want to go.

If you are releasing material seriously then it probably won't get you where you want to be.

 

[Monkey Allen]

His eyes dart around like a murderer

Fasterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[XLR]

All the mixing decisions will be made by the user who chooses which presets to use in which combinations...

Speaking of decisions... so many things in music production just depend on good judgment. For instance, nothing done in mixing will matter much if, say, the guitar playing isn't in tune.

Which reminds me. I just listened to an HR member's new release at CD baby. Nicely recorded. Beautiful elec guitar tone. Lush but clear drums. In fact the gtrs and drums sounded so good it made me re-asses my opinion of the person's engineering skills, 'cause their stuff I heard previously made me think they were pretty bad. And the songs were very well mixed. Certainly way better than EZmix could do. But the lead guitar lines, prominent through every song, are way out of tune on notes in almost every phrase. ...It's not the guitar's intonation adjustment - it's the player (who's also the mixer/producer) pulling notes accidentally out of tune. Guess they needed to hire a producer to tell them that.

Or get EZmix and spend more time on their guitar skills.