Harrison Mixbus 3 – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Harrison Console has an illustrious history in hardware recording consoles, renowned worldwide. Their remarkable MPC5 console is a fixture in professional studios, film, and broadcast setups globally. It came as a complete surprise then when the company introduced the fully featured DAW Mixbus a few years ago, a digital emulation of their iconic 1980s console. What could possibly go wrong?
For a company rooted in the tradition of crafting genuine, analogue recording consoles from the ground up, the sudden announcement of a digital audio workstation was unexpected. Equally was their unconventional decision to license an open-source, community-based Linux project called Ardour as the foundation for their software.
Mixbus was then marketed as a comprehensive recording and editing system with an emulation of an analogue-style mixing console, loosely inspired by Harrison’s classic 32-series consoles from the 1980s, the very ones used to record superstars like Michael Jackson and AC/DC.
While the initial Mixbus had somewhat limited capabilities, with complaints stemming from the absence of MIDI and proper VST support, it garnered a dedicated following that provided enough support for Harrison to release a subsequent version, and now a brand-new iteration – aptly named Mixbus 3.
Back in time, we go
Upon diving into Mixbus, the most striking aspect is its unmistakable old-school look and feel, particularly if you’re accustomed to working with any of the other top-tier software DAWs available. Harrison is unapologetically aiming to offer a more tactile experience with Mixbus 3, reminiscent of the golden days when hardware reigned supreme.
Graphically, Mixbus 3 may appear as a step back in time of about a decade. While it’s bright and functional, it doesn’t quite measure up to its major DAW competitors. While it’s not a beauty contest, comparing Mixbus 3 to, say, Cubase Pro 8 is akin to placing Windows 95 next to Windows 7 in some respects.
Thankfully, you can remove the somewhat dated gradient effect, which significantly freshens up the interface. Furthermore, the entire UI is customizable, so if you feel inspired, you can dive in and apply your own personalized colours.
The editing environment feels somewhat clunky as navigating the project demands memorizing a range of somewhat obscure ctrl/alt/shift key combinations or navigating menus. The editing tools might seem a bit quirky at first, but they provide all the functionality you need.
In the mixing page, the ‘one knob per function’ approach leads to some screen real estate overcrowding. For instance, plugin routing occupies nearly 25% of the screen, which could have been put to better use since most of the time, you either don’t need to see that information once it’s set, or it’s not relevant as you have no plugins enabled.
While it’s interesting to observe this signal pathing and understand that Harrison aims to capture as much of the original console’s design as possible, the mixer would feel less cramped if this section could be hidden when not needed.
The graphical readouts that display crucial control adjustments are quite challenging to read. For instance, the channel strip name area changes to reflect the setting of the dial you’re adjusting at that moment and then reverts back to displaying the channel strip name when you release it.
It’s a clever concept, but you have no idea about any settings unless you click the respective knob again. This might be Harrison’s design choice to encourage users to rely on their ears for mixing rather than their eyes. However, it would be helpful to have a quick visual reference for important settings like compression ratio, pan, and EQ gain, as there’s no graphical feedback, and these processes can be quite dependent on RMS levels.
Interestingly, you can always see the volume fader levels at the bottom of the strip. However, it can be confusing because the channel peak hold is right next to it, leaving you wondering if it’s showing the volume or indicating that the channel is too quiet.
In daily use, I found that Mixbus certainly possesses a distinct personality. Once I had invested a significant amount of time familiarizing myself with it, I found the environment to be intuitive and comfortable, despite some interface limitations.
Road Test
Unlike other DAWs that offer a blank canvas for you to fill with third-party plugins, Mixbus provides a complete, ready-to-use analogue-style mixing environment right from the start. While you can always add more plugins if necessary, you generally have everything you need right at your fingertips, just as it was in the old days.
Mixbus 3 ships with a handy transient shaper called Dyno-Mite, featuring a simple one-fader interface that enhances sustain or punch, depending on which way you adjust the control. Additionally, you receive demo versions of all other Harrison plugins available for separate purchase.
All Harrison plugins, including the standard channel, BUS, and master strip effects, are world-class and deliver incredible sound quality. The algorithms for compression, channel saturation, filtering, panning, and summing are top-notch, as you would expect from the creators of the real consoles that Mixbus 3 is modelled after. There is plugin delay compensation, allowing for parallel compression if that’s your preference, and you also have access to a comprehensive metering bridge available in a separate window.
Harrison has placed significant emphasis on the new support for VST and VSTi instruments, and the ability to load synths and third-party effects is a valuable addition. VST effects perform as expected, and Harrison’s range of proprietary effects delivers excellent performance.
While Harrison’s expansion DLC effect plugins may be a bit pricey and lack comprehensive presets, they enhance the already excellent built-in effects included in Mixbus by providing greater control. This is particularly useful if you find the factory channel EQ and compression controls a bit heavy-handed.
Some might argue that having so much pre-allocated DSP on every track all the time, whether you need it or not, could potentially limit CPU power. While this may hold true for certain budget systems, Mixbus appeared well-optimized on our test machine, exhibiting only around 5%-8% higher overall CPU usage on projects mixed in Mixbus 3 compared to Reaper (our benchmark test DAW) with no effects applied at all.
Considering that you will likely use fewer plugins overall because Mixbus already provides most of what you need, performance should not be a significant concern with any modern studio PC.
MIDI
Mixbus 3 introduces MIDI editing, which is unusual because there isn’t a dedicated MIDI editing section. Instead, you zoom in closely on the track and begin editing directly on the arrange screen, similar to Propellerhead Reason’s approach.
The MIDI editing capabilities are basic but sufficient for most needs. Tasks like editing patch numbers or other MIDI operations can be frustrating due to the need for right-clicking and navigating through menus. It’s worth noting that Mixbus MIDI is still in its early stages, with no support for SYSEX editing or advanced features.
The latest version, v3, brings a substantial list of improvements over the previous iteration. However, many of these improvements are under the hood, such as the upgraded analogue mixing processing engine.
The new GUI is cleaner and better organized, and it includes a new virtual instrument called ‘SetBfree’ along with several MIDI filter plugins. You now have the capability to side-chain the channel compressors, and, of course, you can insert VST/AU/LV2 instruments and effects.
Diamond in the rough?
Mixbus 3 represents a complete rewrite, now optimized for 64-bit and multicore processing. Given that it has been available for less than two months, it’s natural to encounter some issues on certain platforms. Initially, we faced significant stability and performance issues on our studio test machine, which, interestingly, disappeared when tested on a different machine.
We suspect that these issues were related to our Tascam digital mixer and the firewire interface. However, obtaining support for older hardware with new software like Mixbus can be challenging. Manufacturers will need time to include it in their testing processes, gradually increasing stability.
Mixbus 3 now boasts full 64-bit and ASIO support, features that most other DAWs have supported for many years. While version 3 brings Mixbus up to par with most other DAWs, the new features are relatively standard and can be found in many budget DAWs.
So, it’s advisable to be prepared for a few minor inconveniences or possibly some more significant ones, depending on your current setup. These are typical challenges when adopting a complex product like this in its early stages.
However, persistence pays off, and the fact that a reputable company like Harrison has ventured into this domain, offering a rich-sounding and powerful platform at an exceptionally affordable price, deserves recognition. Luckily, there is an excellent support team and a community forum where you can address any issues that may arise.
How does it feel?
Reviewing Mixbus 3 poses a dilemma as it feels like two distinct software titles coexisting under one roof – and I don’t believe it’s a harmonious match. On Harrison’s side, the mixer with its ‘knob per function’ design, EQs, compressors, saturation, and other features is simply outstanding. The mixer environment offers a wonderful place to work and create, reminiscent of my analogue days.
However, the audio and MIDI editing side of Mixbus 3 is clunky, old-fashioned, and best avoided. While it can perform most audio recording and editing tasks, it lacks intuitive out-of-the-box usability. Frequent VST crashes can disrupt your workflow. Mixbus 3 still lags behind the mainstream competition in terms of editing features, although it is capable enough to serve as a decent editor and recorder with some adjustments to key commands and GUI layout.
Nevertheless, the exceptional sound quality ultimately outweighs the primarily cosmetic downsides of the sequencer. Mixbus 3 delivers possibly the best overall sound quality on the market right now, with no close competition out of the box.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the mixer side of Mixbus is an absolute joy to use, encouraging a mix engineer’s mindset rather than that of a computer programmer. The eight-bus limitation forces you to be deliberate and thoughtful in your project, particularly if you’re accustomed to unlimited buses in your regular DAW. Paying attention to gain staging and the master bus becomes crucial, mirroring real-world mixing practices.
The phase and k-meters are valuable tools for achieving a balanced mix. On a large monitor, the mixer screen looks impressive with a full project running, allowing you to scan your mix and observe gain reduction on channel compressors without needing to navigate through plugins – a notable strength of Mixbus 3.
While Mixbus has some major rough edges, Harrison knows where to prioritize – sound quality. This all-in-one mixer and plugin design successfully executes an idea that others have struggled with in the past.
Regrettably, there’s no demo available, which is a missed opportunity as one listen is enough to convince you. The website offers numerous tutorial videos to help you understand how it works, and at a price of $79 USD, it’s an absolute steal.
Mixbus 3 is a hidden gem, especially for those who find digital mixing too sterile and miss the days of hardware mixing. I’m confident that stability issues will be resolved over time, becoming a distant memory once you experience the incredible mixer in action. However, those accustomed to the iPad generation’s interface might need to explore other options. With more Harrison proprietary plugins on the horizon and rumoured hardware interfaces, Mixbus has an exciting future.
The entry price is a no-brainer for anyone seeking to infuse character into their mixes, and I’m delighted that the traditional approach to mixing is thriving in Nashville, Tennessee.
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