Mixbus32C v8 - with Clip Launching - Now Available!

[Ben@Harrison]

Mixbus32C v8 - with Clip Launching - Now Available!

Existing Mixbus32C customers should receive an upgrade coupon today via email. The upgrade price for Mixbus32C v8 is $79 from any prior version of Mixbus32C.

The Mixbus community was drawn together because of Mixbus's sound; but we've received many requests for creative arrangement tools like those found in products like Ableton Live™ and Apple Logic™.  You wanted to use Mixbus for the entire creation process, not just mixing.

Our job is to meet your expectations, and version 8 delivers!

Mixbus32C v8 Features:

• New Cue Page : Launch Clips, create dynamic arrangements with Follow Options, and launch Cue rows
  
• New Ripple Editing modes including Ripple All
  
• New MIDI Editing menus for note length, channel and velocity
  
• Improvements to Mackie MCU devices, like the iCon ProX
  
• Updated Mac builds use the latest Apple tools
  

With the new Cue page, Mixbus supports 4 distinct workflows:  Launching Clips, Multitrack Band Recording, Professional Editing, and "True Analog" Mixing.

  Click for a full-size image of the new Cues page!

Learn more about the new Cue page in the manual


Some of the refinements that separate our Clip-launching implementation from other DAWs include:

• A 'Cue Marker' concept which allows you to trigger a Cue (row of clips) from a marker on the timeline
  
• Simplified 'Follow Options' with a Jump action that can include multiple random targets
  
• Menu actions to set slot properties for rows, columns, or the entire grid with one click
  
• Audition MIDI files with our built-in General MIDI Synth or your preferred synth
  
• Override a MIDI file's program-changes, per-slot.  Change those boring MIDI drums to 808's  !
  
• Multi-timbral MIDI files can be loaded in a slot: layer a regular kick with an electronic sub-kick, support a true snare 'flam' by playing the same note on 2 different channels, or stack multiple channels of string pads into a single region.
  
• Import dozens of file formats from nearly any loop provider, including the Apple .CAF audio loop format.
  
• Our selection of bundled material is usable in a wider range of popular music than is found in most DAWs. We provide great material to kickstart your arrangements but leave plenty of room for your own creative ideas and execution!
  

Clip Launching

• Drag and drop loops and one-shot samples into the Grid
  
• Select from the bundled content, or use your own library of loops and effects
  
• Audio clips are automatically time-stretched to fit the tempo of your timeline.  Or change their tempo for artistic effects!
  
• Trim the length of clips and choose how many times they will repeat before they trigger a Follow Option
  
• Develop an automated sequence of clips using Follow Options: Forward, Reverse, and Jump
  
• Select multiple targets for the Jump action, to introduce random fills and unexpected twists to your arrangements.
  
• MIDI clips can have 16 midi channels, and every Clip can have its own patches (sounds) assigned
  

Bundled Content

• The new Clips tab, found on both the Cue Page and the Editor Page,  provides over 5,000 Bundled Audio and MIDI Clips.
  
• Use your own loop content that you purchased or downloaded from the internet
  
• Add folders to your Clip Library by navigating to them, or drag&dropping the folder on the Clip tab.
  
• Generate your own loops and drop them onto the Clip tab to store them in your User Library for use in other sessions or to distribute. 
  
• Bounce from the linear tracks into your User Library, and use your own tracks as clips in the Cues grid.
  

Cues

• Cues (the orange circles on the left of the grid) allow you to launch a row of clips with one click
  
• Combine Cues with Follow Options to trigger complicated arrangements on-the-fly
  
• Combine Cues with Cue Markers (below) to create a repeatable, linear arrangement that you can jam with
  
• Set the Cue Isolate on any clip so it won't play (or launch) when you fire that Cue row.  This allows you to generate quite complicated arrangements using Follow Options and Cues together.
  
• Capture a live multitrack band recording, and then bounce live tracks to a Cue row A,B,C so you can trigger those parts like a sampler, program them with Follow Options, or stick them to the timeline with Cue Markers.
  

Cue Markers

• Cue Markers are incredible!
  
• Once you've built your Cue rows on the Grid, you can arrange Cue Markers to fire your clips from the timeline.
  
• Build your arrangement with Cue Markers, and then replace or tweak your clips until they fit perfectly.
  
• Cue Markers can be recorded live onto the timeline, or placed manually from the editor ruler.
  
• Cue Markers are shown on the mini-timeline in the Cue and Mix page, so you can see your song structure everywhere:
  

• Cue playback is continuous:  you can even locate between cue markers, and the entire arrangement is calculated up to that point: so even if you start your session with only a single drum clip, you can locate anywhere on the timeline and hear your clip playing!
  
• There is a Stop cue marker which stops all of your clip playback on the timeline.  Then you can re-start it with another cue marker later!
  
• Individual clips can be assigned Cue Isolate which prevents them from firing (or stopping) with Cues, allowing you to fire those clips manually even if "Play Cues" is enabled.
  
• Why didn't anyone think of Cue Markers before?
  

Improved MIDI Editing



Mixbus32C v7 had powerful MIDI editing features.  But it wasn't always clear what was happening.  Now in v8 the new MIDI Draw tools allow you to specify exactly what notes you will draw in the editor.

When you select the Draw tool, you'll see 3 new menus appear; you can choose the Channel, Length, and Velocity of the notes you will draw.

Or select 'Auto' to use the previous behavior, where Mixbus guesses those values from the surrounding notes in the Region.



Improved Ripple Editing



New Ripple Editing Modes: in Ripple All, a Range selection will always propagate to all tracks;  and deleting the Range will both ripple the tracks and the timeline markers in that time range.  Ripple Interview is an exclusive Mixbus feature that is intended for podcasts and interviews:  if you delete time from only one track, the edit does not ripple.  This lets you cut out a cough or 'hmm' during an interview without affecting the overall timing.  But if you select more than one track, your changes will ripple across the later regions on all selected tracks!


Version 8 adds several improvements for devices that use the Mackie MCU fader protocol as well as new, dedicated support for iCon devices including the iCon ProX.

[Image: QconProX-3D.jpg]





Try a free demo at our Software Downloads page

[Scardanelli]

hmmm...Cues - not to be confused with headphone mixes for studio musicians.

First thoughts. Why? Trying to move into Ableton or Logic loop territory leaves me completely cold. If I want that sort of loopology I'd use tools more suited to the job. There is so much more that Version 8 could have brought to enhance compositional tools - for example decent midi editing. Impossible to use MB for any serious MIDI tasks, and here they are chasing loops and sample playback. Sorry guys I simply do not understand where this is going or why.

[jeff_sloan]

Ben,

I love and support Mixbus and Mixbus 32C.
And I thank the guys there for what you do, and the support you guys personally give.
I will be buying 8.

But...
A concern I have is:
"Version 8 adds several improvements for devices that use the Mackie MCU fader protocol as well as..."

This is something that should be provided as a patch or fix for current versions like 7.
It is not new functionality; it is something that should have worked from the start, of course "In my opinion".
Lacking that, when fixes for very mature protocols and controllers that you have said you support, put out videos on how to, etc., when you find something not working up to snuff, you shouldn't charge for an update to get it to work as it should have in the first place.

Are there any release notes on what is fixed or enhanced, or "improved" on the Mackie MCU fader protocol?

[Sojuzstudio]

I look forward to the link in the email and the clock is ticking. My wallet is already in my hand.

[Ben@Harrison]

hmmm...Cues - not to be confused with headphone mixes for studio musicians.

First thoughts. Why? Trying to move into Ableton or Logic loop territory leaves me completely cold. If I want that sort of loopology  I'd use tools more suited to the job. There is so much more that Version 8 could have brought to enhance compositional tools - for example decent midi editing. Impossible to use MB for any serious MIDI tasks, and here they are chasing loops and sample playback. Sorry guys I simply do not understand where this is going or why.

Hi Simon! 

Regarding 'Cues' nomenclature:  yes we had a difficult time naming the concept.  I've seen the term "Scenes" used for this concept, but we wanted to preserve the word Scenes for 'mixer scenes' which are also in development.  In a live performance, a Cue is an event that happens 'at a certain time' so we decided that was the most applicable term.  (in fact the Cues could certainly be used to run a light show that responds to midi messages)   Finally we didn't have a conflict with the 'headphone cues' concept because we (fortuitously) used the word Foldback there.

Regarding 'First Thoughts':  we anticipated that some people would prefer that we stayed in our lane (traditional multitrack studio).  But we also have a lot of fans that don't want to leave Mixbus for creative/arranging tasks.  We therefore made a conscious decision to design the Cues page into a separate window so that it does not 'spill over' into the traditional recording/editing/mixing space if you don't want it to.   

Your comment about 'serious midi tasks' is a salient one BUT I have a couple of thoughts there:   (1)  we are a long way from recreating a midi 'scoring' tool, but that shouldn't excuse us from making 'something' for creative arranging.  (2) anecdotally, most people don't really want 'serious midi' at all... they just want the abstract concepts of flexible musical arrangement, variety of sounds, tempo changes without audio compromise, and, in short, a drum-machine/jam-along buddy which the new Cues page does extremely well.    

Also also also,  before you condemn the Cues page too much, I highly encourage you to investigate the "Cue Markers" feature which (afaict) does not exist in any other DAW, and takes clip-launching to another level when applied to 'linear' song arrangements.

Thank you very much for your thoughts.

-Ben

[Andy76]

Why? Trying to move into Ableton or Logic loop territory leaves me completely cold. If I want that sort of loopology  I'd use tools more suited to the job. There is so much more that Version 8 could have brought to enhance compositional tools - for example decent midi editing. Impossible to use MB for any serious MIDI tasks, and here they are chasing loops and sample playback. Sorry guys I simply do not understand where this is going or why.

This is an Ardour team decision. I can see the logic here is that there is no Abletone-type software under Linux which is the main target audience for Ardour. There is Reaper with its MIDI for Linux. So maybe they thought that this looper functionality would attract a lot of new and young users to Ardour raising the support and the financial stability for the project.

Mixbus is just a proprietary mixer on top of Ardour so it follows Ardour.

Anyway, it's a great accomplishment and let's praise developers for their outstanding effort. It is so amazing that they keep pushing new boundaries for audio under Linux, I believe it is very important to mankind in general.

[jeff_sloan]

Andy76,

"proprietary mixer on top of Ardour so it follows Ardour."

The OCD in me wants to see the main version of Mixbus and 32C follow the release numbers of Ardour.
With 7, I am a little forgiving with Ardour being at 6.9...
But now 8 with Ardour not even being at 7 yet?
But it is just a number, Jeff, dont have a cow...

[Andy76]

Andy76,

"proprietary mixer on top of Ardour so it follows Ardour."

The OCD in me wants to see the main version of Mixbus and 32C follow the release numbers of Ardour.
With 7, I am a little forgiving with Ardour being at 6.9...
But now 8 with Ardour not even being at 7 yet?
But it is just a number, Jeff, dont have a cow...

I believe using a paid version which is 8 can cure any OCD and give a superiority complex instead. XXI century problems need out-of-the-box solutions!

[jeff_sloan]

Andy76,

"proprietary mixer on top of Ardour so it follows Ardour."

The OCD in me wants to see the main version of Mixbus and 32C follow the release numbers of Ardour.
With 7, I am a little forgiving with Ardour being at 6.9...
But now 8 with Ardour not even being at 7 yet?
But it is just a number, Jeff, dont have a cow...

I believe using a paid version which is 8 can cure any OCD and give a superiority complex instead. XXI century problems need out-of-the-box solutions!

Well Andy,

I PAY for Ardour as well, and have been monthly for years, even though I haven't downloaded it since I adopted Mixbus.

[bjohnh]

With 7, I am a little forgiving with Ardour being at 6.9...
But now 8 with Ardour not even being at 7 yet?

Actually Ardour 7 is available in the nightly builds, and includes the clip-launching feature, which was announced and demo'd some months back. It just hasn't been released yet. Some features make their public debut in Mixbus before Ardour and vice versa.