#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS MAC OS X#
#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS PRO#
#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS CODE#
#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS FREE#

On the surface, that doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you begin to realise that you don't need to have a certain tool selected in order to get to a function or menu, it becomes apparent that, after a little time spent with Mixbus, you can get things done a lot more quickly. It's clear that the makers of Mixbus set out to combine well‑loved features from other DAWs while avoiding the quirky and sometimes cumbersome flaws of others.Īfter noodling around for a bit, I started to notice that almost any function can be accessed through right‑clicking. Fortunately, handy tooltips aid in acquainting yourself with the program. The transport area holds more functions than any other DAW I've come across. Once you've opened a session in Mixbus, you're greeted by a window that should look pretty familiar to users of other DAWs: tracks going down the left side, transport on top, and loads of buttons and switches to call up different functions. This is a very enticing feature, since it allows users to continue using their current DAW, yet have their tracks mixed in Mixbus. The other added benefit of using Jack is that if you want to use just the mixing element of Mixbus, it will allow you to run the output of your favourite DAW tracks into Mixbus. Setting up Jack is pretty straightforward and, besides allowing you to use Mixbus, it also enables other cool routing options, such as piping the output of iTunes into your DAW.

Jack recognises any Core Audio interface, and has a simple workaround for use with the internal Mac soundcard.

#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS FREE#

Jack is a separate, free application that enables simple to complex routing of audio inside your Mac. To get started in Mixbus, you first need to set up Jack Pilot. With that kind of credibility, you have to take notice when they claim to have created a virtual mixer based on their 32‑series and MR‑series consoles, especially when it's being offered at an introductory price of $79. In case the name Harrison is not familiar, to you, they are best known for the top‑end, large‑format consoles used to mix all your favourite films, as well as a little collection of toe‑tappers called Michael Jackson's Thriller. Many of the features described in this review are, of course, common to Ardour and Mixbus, but for the sake of simplicity I'll refer to Mixbus throughout.

#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS CODE#

Mixbus itself is thus not open‑source, as the mixer uses proprietary code developed by Harrison Consoles. Broadly speaking, it combines the existing Ardour recording and mixing functionality with a custom mixer.

#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS MAC OS X#

Mixbus is a customised Mac OS X version of the open‑source program Ardour (which, unlike Mixbus, is also available for the Linux platform). |t was with this notion in mind that the makers of Mixbus set out to create a new DAW that, while not reinventing the wheel, improves in areas where others fall short and offers something no other DAW can boast: a million‑dollar mixer. Just about every music production professional, amateur and even dilettante is already committed to one of the current crop of major digital audio workstations, and so fully entrenched in its eccentricities that switching to another is probably not a viable consideration.

#RECORDING THROUGH PLUGINS MIXBUS PRO#

Note the red gain‑reduction meters of the compressor.ĭoes the pro audio market need another digital audio workstation program? Harrison Consoles and Ardour believe the answer is 'yes'. Easy access to EQ and compressor controls is one of its strengths. Here you can see I'm using Mixbus as the mixer for my Logic session, a great way to get your feet wet with the new program.

Recording through plugins mixbus