Harrison Mixbus - Virtual Harrison Mixer plus full-featured DAW for OS X

[lydpik]

Originally Posted by dougb415

What a lame comment... Just because you haven't experienced them, so what? Others have had bugs with their PT HD systems. I'm a Logic user and there have been plenty of bugs in versions 8 & 9. I've had Logic crash in the middle of a tracking session. MixBus has only crashed on me a few times, and since I only use it as a mixing platform there is no panic and embarrassing moments, because I'm alone in the studio then.

This is the best $80 we've spent for our studio, period

So you're saying Mixbus are more stable than Logic, well good for you - 80 bugs well spend, I agree.

I don't know about Logic. But I know for sure that I have never heard of all these bugs from anyone I know who has a PTHD system.

Sure there are minor bugs in PTHD and I too know a few. But nothing that makes my computer crash like you or other good folks have mentioned earlier in this thread.

Sorry for the lame comment. I sure Mixbus will be great over time and I'm looking forward to try it out, when it becomes more stable AND if I can find a way to use it with Pro Tools.

[dougb415]

Originally Posted by lydpik

So you're saying Mixbus are more stable than Logic, well good for you - 80 bugs well spend, I agree.

Not saying that at all - what I am saying is that all DAWs have bugs. To expect anything else is not realistic. However, my final mixes sound much better to me when I mix via MixBus. I make sure to Save often, and there are a couple other work-arounds that have to be done, but the results are worth it.

I am only running a demo studio and that also may factor into the small amount of problems I experience. I track in Logic, bounce individual WAV files out of Logic, import them into MixBus, do my final mix, export a mix WAV out MixBus, read that into Bias Peak, do any final edits & level settings, save that file and I'm done.

-Doug

[Fidelis]

Originally Posted by dougb415

10 years vs how many months - 6? Was PT 1.0 perfectly stable? tutt

My first Protools was v 4.3 on an audiomedia card (two in/out). And it was totally stable. I bought this together with Logic (v.3 I think) cause Protools didn't have MIDI at that time. And I tell you that Logic was NEVER stable...

Originally Posted by dougb415

I am only running a demo studio

-Doug

That's the point. For demo studioI'm shure it's fine and I know it sounds good!. But you don't want to have any piece of software quiting all the time in front of your clients. Don't get me wrong bro, I'm on your side too. I just hope it gets beteer, and better. We'll see how it goes.

[Bartosz Idzi]

Is there a possibility of save a consolidated version of a session, even when you started with files that mixbus didnt copy to his audio folder, and made a reference files instead? So you can be sure that all files are in place after unarchiving an archived session someday. Right now mixbus creates just 4kb wav files when the option of always copying files is not on. Is there an option that manually copies the files that had been referenced before?

[Seablade]

Originally Posted by IRONHEAD

how did you get jack work with mixbus
my problem is if i run ardour by it self it start up fine without any problem but when i try to run mixbus i keep getting this msg
Ardour could not start JACK
There are several possible reason
You requested audio parameters that are notsupported..
2) JACk is running as another user.
Please consider the possibilities, and perhaps try different parameters.

Make sure you got the correct architecture of Mixbus then(PPC vs Intel). Otherwise get in touch with Harrison, I would suggest using the IRC method if you can. Instructions are in the download documentation.

Seablade

[Seablade]

Originally Posted by bartosz idzi

Is there a possibility of save a consolidated version of a session, even when you started with files that mixbus didnt copy to his audio folder, and made a reference files instead? So you can be sure that all files are in place after unarchiving an archived session someday. Right now mixbus creates just 4kb wav files when the option of always copying files is not on. Is there an option that manually copies the files that had been referenced before?

Not as of right now that I know of.

Seablade

[Bartosz Idzi]

Originally Posted by Seablade

Not as of right now that I know of.

Seablade

thanks a lot for your answer!

B

[lowen]

Originally Posted by lydpik

PT has minor bugs here and there as all software has. But it's still the most stabile DAW out there.

And that was the meat of my comment. It's just that Pro Tools has been around that long, and there are still some (not too awful many, but some) bugs even after all that time.

If Mixbus really sounds as good as people says, I wouldn't mind chance. But a stable system is the most important thing for me... Time is money.

I have run into a few quirks, but I'm not doing some of the things others have done (like tracking in Logic or something else and piping into Mixbus to get the mix engine; I'm tracking, editing, and mixing everything in Mixbus).

It has thus far been stable for me in many hours of use; the biggest problem I had was my making, while doing a backup that I accidentally did the wrong way.... The biggest issue I've had with Mixbus itself has been with some sessions that came from Ardour on Linux, and have some 'weird' properties that create some fun. The other issue I had was with a third party LADSPA plugin suite that had issues in that version.

And the sound, to me, has been worth it. It just sounds fantastic.

And, as you say, time is money. Mixbus has made me twice as fast (or faster) in getting the mix in the ballpark, saving me time.

[sonicdefault]

Does anyone know an easy way to remove a send from a channel. I can disconnect it no problem, but I thought there'd be an easy way to remove it (ie. within the right click option menu)

-SD

[bluefonia]

Does anyone know an easy way to remove a send from a channel. I can disconnect it no problem, but I thought there'd be an easy way to remove it (ie. within the right click option menu)

Just right-clik the send and click "delete"

[BenLoftis]

or hold shift and right-click it. That's a shortcut for deleting lots of stuff, including plugins, regions, and automation points. It's shown in the keyboard command "cheat sheet"

-Ben Loftis
Harrison Consoles

[sonicdefault]

Originally Posted by bluefonia

Just right-clik the send and click "delete"

Originally Posted by BenLoftis

or hold shift and right-click it. That's a shortcut for deleting lots of stuff, including plugins, regions, and automation points. It's shown in the keyboard command "cheat sheet"

-Ben Loftis
Harrison Consoles

Thanks guys, that really helped! Maybe we should start a Mixbus Shortcuts thread

-SD

[sonicdefault]

There's another thing that's alluded me, and it's automating channel mutes buttons. Am I overlooking something? I thought it would be the same as automating the channel faders. But when I put the channel in Write mode and perform the mutes... nothing happens when in Play mode.

I know I need to read the Ardour manual. I just kinda jumped right in. But I'm getting more serious with it now. After the next update, I think I'll be able to use MB very proficiently.

-SD

[BenLoftis]

Hi sonicdefault,

Unfortunately the channel mutes aren't automatable. You can automate the assigns to the busses, though, which is sometimes good enough. Or you can automate the input trim, or use region gain curves to mute sections. Automatable mutes are already in the bleeding-edge version of Ardour, so they will appear in Mixbus eventually.

-BenLoftis
Harrison Consoles

[sonicdefault]

Originally Posted by BenLoftis

Hi sonicdefault,

... Or you can automate the input trim, or use region gain curves to mute sections. Automatable mutes are already in the bleeding-edge version of Ardour, so they will appear in Mixbus eventually.

-BenLoftis
Harrison Consoles

Thanks. Last night I did resort to simply using gain curves.

-SD

[dumBass]

Damn! Been running MixBus 1.1 for a few weeks on a MacBook Pro (10.5.8) with great success.
Installed it on my studio computer (G5 Dual 1.8 running 10.4.11) and it won't launch.
It'll jump in the dock... then stop. Even went as far as reinstalling a fresh OS.
I read that when first running, it takes a few seconds to install the fonts. Maybe thats where it is hanging? Anyone else have this issue?

[BenLoftis]

hi DumBass

On 10.4.11, you have to be COMPLETELY updated to the latest OSX software. Just click on the Apple>Software Update menu, and get all the updates from Apple. This is explained in our FAQ.

If you don't do this, Mixbus will just bounce in the dock before launching.

Best Regards,
Ben Loftis
Harrison Consoles

[dumBass]

Thanks Ben!!! I didn't have all the latest and greatest from Apple...
... and thanks for the way-to-fast reply!!

2/4/10 update: installed all updates... it WORKS!!!

[25ghosts]

Originally Posted by dougb415

Not saying that at all - what I am saying is that all DAWs have bugs. To expect anything else is not realistic.

Yeah - times we dwell in - sure are bad. My fingers are smoking these days writing bug reports. I think software makers should man-up and start getting their code solid. This whole software show is starting to remind me of of a freak show. Only really stable software around is Protools and Photoshop. Sure both have a few bugs but you can work with them on a pro level.

Bought Mixbus a while back and to my standards this software is still among the buggiest around. It even beats bias peak in unexpected behavior and THAT is a HAAARD thing to do.

[lowen]

Originally Posted by 25ghosts

Yeah - times we dwell in - sure are bad.

The probability of a certain number of bugs is directly proportional to the number of lines of source code, inversely proportional to the age of the software, directly proportional to the speed of the development of new featues, and inversely proportional to the number of developers actively working on bugs. Whew.

At the same time, electromechanical systems are not immune to bugs; the very first 'bug' in fact was a moth stuck in a relay, and Admiral Grace Hopper coined the term. I certainly have seen my share of electromechanical bugs with various tape decks from Studer, Tascam/Teac, Ampex, and Otari. The difference is that preventive maintenance deals with most of those; but sometimes you do get that design flaw that you have to work around. I've seen a few with professional 2- and multi- track reels.

And many of those mechanical bugs are triggered by certain usage patterns; my usage pattern for a pair of old Ampex beasts at one radio station triggered some reelly odd issues, until I realized that just changing a few steps cleared the issue, which was a mechanical interference issue that was dependent upon the way the decks were mounted, and some pieces of the rack that should have been better fabricated.

Likewise, software bugs can be triggered by certain usage patterns; I've learned the patterns that have caused me the most issues with Mixbus (and I never really experienced lots of issues; Mixbus has operated very smoothly for me since I fixed an issue with a plugin I was having (which was the plugin's fault; an update and recompile of the plugin and things are fine)), and have found that when I use it in a slightly different way that it has become rock-solid in virtually all cases; haven't had an issue since I learned what I was doing that triggered an issue. Now, when the issue is fixed I'll check it, but, you know, working the other way isn't any less efficient, so I may just continue working this way, as I'm finding I'm just as productive doing things just a tad different.

[mjau]

FWIW...I finally spent some time mixing on MB last night, and the end result was a significantly better mix than what I've come to expect with other DAWs - the imaging, especially, was noticeably improved.
That said, I experienced a serious bug with using two UAD plugs on one of the busses - a loud, low oscillation that initially scared the shit out of me. I was able to avoid the issue by using just one plugin on each of the busses.
I'm eager for MB to work out the kinks, because it's a better sounding DAW than what I've grown used to.

[dougb415]

Originally Posted by 25ghosts

Bought Mixbus a while back and to my standards this software is still among the buggiest around. It even beats bias peak in unexpected behavior and THAT is a HAAARD thing to do.

I guess I'm a lightweight then. I've had a few crashes in MixBus, maybe one in Peak. My workflow:

Tracking - Logic - has bugs - rarely bother me
Mixing - MixBus - has bugs - rarely bother me
Final edits - Bias Peak - has bugs - rarely bother me

I've only had Logic crash once when a client was here. Luckily that was my wife! Now I hit Save more often and have not had any problems.

I just finished one project, and had the client in here to do some tracking this past Saturday. I did a prelim mix for him in Logic and he was happy with it. I imported the session into MixBus and did the final mix on Monday and Tuesday. I sent the final mix to him Tuesday night and he is ecstatic. He's already sent it around to some folks, and I am getting calls for more work.

All due to MixBus? No. But definitely a big part of the equation

-Doug

[Sonic Supreme]

Hey Ben Loftis,

Can I run Harrison Mixbus on a PPC Dual 1.8 with OS 10.5.8?

[BenLoftis]

Originally Posted by Sonic Supreme

Can I run Harrison Mixbus on a PPC Dual 1.8 with OS 10.5.8?

Yes - any Dual is supported.

[Sonic Supreme]

Thanks Ben but I def wanna make sure that I can run it with that particular OS 10.5.8 because I use pro-tools & i can't really upgrade any further with that OS.

[audiopablo]

I forgot to come back and represent

Mixed in the Harrison Mixbus:

"Wonderful" on Soundcloud

[25ghosts]

Originally Posted by audiopablo

I forgot to come back and represent

Mixed in the Harrison Mixbus:

"Wonderful" on Soundcloud

You are definitely the winner of the loudness war... I have never seen a mix with less dynamics. 1 dB of dynamics... My meters weren't moving at all. ;-)

[dougb415]

Mixed in The Harrison MixBus:

"Not Just A Name On The Wall" by Earl Watts

[audiopablo]

Originally Posted by 25ghosts

You are definitely the winner of the loudness war... I have never seen a mix with less dynamics. 1 dB of dynamics... My meters weren't moving at all. ;-)

dynamics


I'm smashing less these days...

[TRA]

Is there a plan for midi?