Mixbus, Mixbus32C v8.2 - Now Available!

[Ben@Harrison]

We have published a new, free software update for Mixbus and Mixbus32C : version 8.2!

This software update is FREE for both Demo and Licensed users of Mixbus32C.  If you have a license for v8, it will be found by the new v8.2 software with no additional steps required.

You can get the new Mixbus32C software from the Mixbus32C demo store page or Mixbus from the Mixbus demo store page.  Due to high download volume, we use the FastSpring download service to provide you with localized, fast downloads of the Mixbus32C software.  You will be prompted for your email address and area-code so FastSpring can provide you a fast download link.

v8.2 introduces a great new XT plugin, the XT-CQ Console EQ.  This is arguably our best EQ ever, with the sound of our MPC digital console plus an innovative Search Bar to help you find and fix troublesome frequencies.  The XT-CQ is pre-installed in v8.2, but like all XT plugins it requires a license to enable the control panel.  Watch your email for a special offer on this new plugin.

v8.2 includes dozens of user-suggested fixes and improvements: 32C EQ presets, Opaque MIDI regions, Quick Export, Loop Download Manager, and more!

As always, I look forward to your opinion of these new features and I hope you'll write us (mixbus@harrisonconsoles.com) to tell us your thoughts!

Best,
-Ben Loftis
Harrison Mixbus product manager





NEW:  XT-CQ Console EQ (license purchased separately)



XT-CQ is a full-featured, unapologetically digital, parametric equalizer with a unique Search Bar that helps you find and eliminate troublesome frequencies

• 8 EQ bands with 20-20kHz range, 8 shapes including Notch, Q's up to 100, and 18dB boost/cut
  
• 2 'steep' filter bands (A&B) with HP/LP slopes up to 48dB/octave and a wide-notch shape 
  
• Symmetric digital ('de-cramped') EQ & filter shapes are pre-warped to balance the response near Nyquist
  
• Wide Notch filter shape provides a notch with a wider footprint to eliminate main power hum
  
• Innovative Search Bar provides a waterfall display of your signal, allowing you to see and hear the frequencies you need to adjust:
  
• Grab a triangle to solo the equalizer band, and fine-tune the frequency you need to boost or cut
  
• Piano display helps you visualize the connection between frequencies and their musical significance
  
• Input & Output meters, and an output-trim slider, allow you to match the level of the equalized & dry signal
  
• 6 preset 'starting points'  provide common settings for the most common EQ tasks 
  

Plugin Presets



Presets for the Mixbus and 32C EQ's represent one of the most common feature requests from our users. We've added a new Preset submenu to the plugin right-click context menu, so now you can store and recall presets for any plugin, including the channelstrip EQ and Compressor, directly from the mixer strip.

• Right-click on any plugin to access its presets directly from the mixer strip
  
• Save user presets, or remove them, without opening the plugin window
  
• Some formats (AudioUnits) commonly provide factory presets that are populated automatically
  
• We've provided a 'greatest hits' collection of Mixbus and 32C EQ presets
  

We've also re-organized the plugin context menu.  Instead of showing "New Plugin" at the top of the menu,  the topmost items are associated with the selected plugin: items like "Inline Controls" are no longer placed in the middle of a long menu list.


Opaque MIDI Regions, Layered Editing, Sound On Sound Recording

(Image of transparent layered editing)

One of Mixbus's most distinct features is our 'layered editing' model, where regions can be stacked atop each other in a track.

By default, audio regions are 'opaque' ... this means that you only hear the topmost layer. The layers below are visibly and audibly obscured. But if you right-click on the region and uncheck the Opaque checkbox, then the region becomes visibly and audibly transparent, meaning its sound is mixed with the regions below it.

In the past, MIDI regions were transparent by default, so you would see and hear the notes in the regions below.  This was useful for MIDI sequencing where you might record the kick&snare in the first pass, and then overdub hi-hats or other parts.  However, because MIDI represents a constant stream of data, there were technical issues to solve (like mathching note-on/off events) before we could implement 'opaque' midi regions.

MIDI opacity

In v8.2,  MIDI regions can now be 'opaque'  (and are now imported and created opaque, by default).  This matches the behavior of audio regions and it allows for many improved workflows with MIDI.

Editing with Layers

As in the past, regions are always drawn semi-transparently so you can see the regions beneath when you are dragging a region.  This is very useful when you are replacing a vocal phrase and you want to line up the timing 'just right' by overlaying the new take atop the old one.

The Grid has been noticeably improved:  regardless of the number of stacked layers, the grid is now shown consistently across all regions.  It's no longer necessary to decrease the opacity of regions to see the Grid below them.  This can greatly improve workflows that are based on stacked transparent midi regions.

Recording with Layers



The Record Mode pulldown (at the top of the main window in the Rec/Punch toolbar) has been expanded to provide 3 recording modes:

• Layered: traditional Mixbus recording method always records OPAQUE regions, on top of the existing audio regions
  
• Non-Layered: also creates an opaque region, but deletes all regions below the newly-recorded region, resulting in fewer layers and a more linear/tape-like track
  
• Sound On Sound: (NEW!): like Layered, this mode records a new layer atop your existing regions but the newly created regions are set Transparent (not Opaque), resulting in a sound-on-sound recording.
  

Sound-On-Sound recording is great for cases where you need layers of sounds (like clap/snap tracks, gang vocals, bgv's, or a densely stacked lead vocal) and you don't want to make a separate track for every take.

When recording, a further workflow improvement is that the automatic track input monitoring (with nether IN or DISK selected) will follow the record mode:  Sound On Sound will monitor both the Input and Disk playback, while Layered and Non-Layered modes will only monitor the input.



Quick Export





Mixbus's Export features are extensive;  but sometimes you just need to make a quick reference file without all those options.

Session->Quick Export is your friend!

Quick Export prompts you for the format (mp3 or wave), export range (the session's start/end, a named range, or just the Range selection) and whether you want to open the folder when it's done.

Quick Export uses the Presets from the Export dialog.  Users can create their own Export Presets or edit the provided presets to meet your needs.  An Export Preset is a combination of multiple Formats, which means you can store a preset that generates every deliverable from a watermarked preview mp3, an archival wave, and multiple files at different loudnesses for streaming services, all in one click.  This makes a powerful but little-used feature much more accessible.



Loop Download Manager



Window->Download Manager provides a list of free, curated loops in various styles.   Click the "install" button to download a library to your system; it will appear in your "Clip List" pulldown on the Cue and Editor pages.

In the future, we plan to extend the Download Manager to provide tabs for free plugins, soundfonts, reverb IRs, presets, demo sessions, and other materials.

P.S.  If you have some loop content (using the Creative Commons license) that you want to share, we are accepting contributions!


What else is new in Mixbus v8.2?

Mixer Scenes

• The last-selected scene is now highlighted
  
• Option to recall only the "selected" tracks (access this by right-clicking on the scene button)
  

Per-region Polarity switch:

• Double-click on a region to see its properties. 
  Click the
  Polarity:Invert checkbox to visibly and audibly reverse the polarity of the audio region.
  

MIDI markers & lyrics:

• When you import a region, the MIDI lyrics and marker-text are now imported and shown on the MIDI region
  
• Right-click any MIDI region and select "MIDI ->Convert Region Cue Markers to Location Markers" to put those lyrics in the main ruler
  

Import dialog:

• Significantly sped up display of MIDI file information in the preview window
  
• Use 'natural sort order' (10 comes before 2) when importing a list of files to tracks
  
• Improved the layout of buttons in the Import dialog
  
• Added a Sort-by dropdown
  

Bouncing Regions:

• Various changes to naming of regions, per user suggestions
  
• If 1 region is selected: suggest "Region-name (Bounced)"
  
• If more than one region is selected and ...
  
• ...at least two regions are on the same track: hide the "add to trigger-slot" option, allow user to specify a prefix
  
• ...all are on different tracks: allow the user to specify a prefix
  

Policy change: hiding a Group (in the editor or mixer list) will no longer affect its enablement

• In the past, the default behavior was: hiding a group would disable it, and then showing the group would re-enable it; the problem occurs when user has disabled a group; hiding and showing it unexpectedly re-enabled the group
  

Plugins:

• Preference to destroy plugin UIs, instead of keeping them in memory but hidden: this can significantly reduce cpu usage with some brands of plugins, especially on windows VSTs. 
  Enable this new mode by visiting Preferences ->
  Plugins
  

MIDI editing & recording:

• Policy change: MIDI copies are now <em>unlinked</em> by default
  
• Unmodified scroll in edit mode scrolls contents of the MIDI region
  
• Shift+scroll zooms in and out on contents (i.e. vertical zoom for MIDI)
  
• When you 'unlinked' a MIDI
  region, any MIDI outside the region bounds was lost/ignored.
  This has been fixed.
  
• MIDI editing: if nudge clock says zero, use the grid for nudging notes
  
• MIDI combine: new region is created with the same extents as the combined regions, and then extends new region's end to the next bar
  

Control Surfaces

• In Preferences -> Triggering, you can select a MIDI keyboard or pad device to bind notes to trigger individual clips in the grid
  
• Add support for triggering clips from the Ableton Push2 controller
  

MacOS:

• Fixed an issue that plugin windows cannot be re-stacked but were always stacked in the order they were opened.
  

General Improvements

• New Rubberband v3 engine provides better audio quality when timestretching clips and regions
  
• Add action for "Create a Named-Range from Selection", and prefer that over the Region variant
  
• Editor region list: allow name column to be resizable
  
• Allow VCAs to control A/PFL solo
  
• Cue Markers ruler now has Clear All Cues command in the context menu.
  
• Cue Markers option to the main menu (View  -> Rulers) allows hiding/showing the cue ruler with a bindable action
  
• Graphical improvements to the MIDI step-entry dialog (accessed by right-clicking on a track Rec button)
  
• Record page: add shortcuts for Undo and Redo
  

General fixes

• The region gain curve was getting corrupted during some edit operations; this has been fixed
  
• Fixed jump_forward_to_mark in the case where the playhead is already located on a marker
  
• Fix placement (snap) of percussive-mode drawn notes
  
• Automatically choose correct alignment style when bouncing the Click to a track
  
• Fix erratic timecode detection when extracting LTC from video, in certain cases
  
• Tweaks to behavior when editing automation lines & points
  
• Fix a crash related to importing MIDI type1files with duplicate track names
  
• Hundreds of additional small fixes
  

[krans]

Amazing!
Thank you so much. And happy holidays. 

[andysharifi]

Thank you!

I installed the update, but when I look for the EQ presets, they aren't there. It just shows the New Preset option and to reset the plugin. 

I would also like to suggest expanding the Cue section. Do you plan on adding more rows and the option to record audio/midi into the cue scenes? I believe this would bring on a lot of Ableton users, or those who don't want to buy the Ableton suite just for this feature.

[Andy76]

Very good, thanks!

[dspasic]

Thank you!

I installed the update, but when I look for the EQ presets, they aren't there. It just shows the New Preset option and to reset the plugin. 

I would also like to suggest expanding the Cue section. Do you plan on adding more rows and the option to record audio/midi into the cue scenes? I believe this would bring on a lot of Ableton users, or those who don't want to buy the Ableton suite just for this feature.

i confirm this

[Dingo]

Thank you!

I installed the update, but when I look for the EQ presets, they aren't there. It just shows the New Preset option and to reset the plugin. 

What OS are you running ? I am seeing EQ presets on macOS Intel and ARM versions with build 32C v8.2.66

I would also like to suggest expanding the Cue section. Do you plan on adding more rows and the option to record audio/midi into the cue scenes? I believe this would bring on a lot of Ableton users, or those who don't want to buy the Ableton suite just for this feature.

Yes, Ben has previously flagged that more Cue slots are on the roadmap of development .

[andysharifi]

I'm using Windows 11.

"Yes, Ben has previously flagged that more Cue slots are on the roadmap of development"
Sweet!  

Thank you

[Skyking11]

I guess there is no option to kill plugin GUI when closed like what ardour has. I hope I don’t have to pay for it in mixbus v9

[Dingo]

From OP:
Plugins:
Preference to destroy plugin UIs, instead of keeping them in memory but hidden: this can significantly reduce cpu usage with some brands of plugins, especially on windows VSTs. 
Enable this new mode by visiting Preferences ->
Plugins

[Skyking11]

I noticed when opening a 8.1 session into 8.2 it has very slow GUI performance, but opening a new session in 8.2 it seems to be ok until I add tracks and when I save and exit back come back it has very slow zoom in and out, that amazing performance is gone. the mixer did seem ok but I dont know whats going on.
I will have to go back to 8.1 because of this.

im using Apple M1.