Mixbus

10 — Last update: 1 May 2024

Harrison Consoles

Harrison Consoles Copyright Information 2023No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, transmitted, stored on a
retrieval system, or translated into any language, in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of an authorized
officer of Harrison Consoles, 750 Jim Parker Drive Smyrna, Tn 37167.
Table of Contents
1. Intr
Introduction
oduction ......................................................................................................................... 10
1.1. About This Manual (online version and PDF download) ................................................12

2. Featur
eatures,
es, Specifications and F
FA
AQ .........................................................................................
.........................................................................................14
14
2.1. System Requirements ................................................................................................. 16
2.2. What are the Demo Limitations? ................................................................................. 18
2.3. What’s Included in your Mixbus purchase? ..................................................................19
2.4. What’s Different About Mixbus?................................................................................... 21
2.5. What’s New in Mixbus v10 .......................................................................................... 23
2.6. What’s New in Mixbus v9 ............................................................................................ 29
2.7. What’s New in Mixbus v8 ............................................................................................ 32
2.8. What’s New in Mixbus v7 ............................................................................................ 34
2.9. What’s New in Mixbus v6 ............................................................................................ 35
2.10. Operational Differences from Other DAWs .................................................................40

3. Installation .......................................................................................................................... 43
3.1. Installation – Windows ................................................................................................ 45
3.2. Installation – OS X ....................................................................................................... 47
3.3. Installation – Linux ...................................................................................................... 49
3.4. License Installation – All Platforms .............................................................................. 51
3.5. CPU Usage .................................................................................................................. 53

4. Getting Started .................................................................................................................... 55

4.1. Mixbus Conventions & Tips.......................................................................................... 57
4.2. First Time Configuration .............................................................................................. 62
4.3. Starting a Session ....................................................................................................... 64
4.3.1. Opening a Recent Session ................................................................................... 66
4.3.2. Opening an Existing Session ................................................................................ 68
4.3.3. Creating a New Session ....................................................................................... 69
4.4. Session File Management ............................................................................................ 71
4.4.1. Session Snapshots ............................................................................................... 73
4.4.2. Session Archive ................................................................................................... 77
4.4.3. Session Templates ............................................................................................... 78
4.5. Audio Midi Setup Dialog .............................................................................................. 79
4.5.1. Latency and Buffer Size ....................................................................................... 85
4.6. Status Bar ................................................................................................................... 89
4.7. Adding Tracks and Buses ............................................................................................. 92
4.7.1. Track Templates ................................................................................................... 97
4.8. Managing Tracks ......................................................................................................... 99
4.8.1. Coloring Tracks .................................................................................................. 102
4.9. Audio Input & Output ................................................................................................ 103

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 4.10. Transport (Play, Stop, etc) ....................................................................................... 112
4.10.1. Transport Toolbar ............................................................................................. 113
4.11. Primary Windows: Editor, Mixer, Recorder and Cues ................................................127
4.12. Navigating the Editor Canvas .................................................................................. 134
4.12.1. Scrolling and Zooming in the Editor Window ....................................................136
4.12.2. Transport, Markers, and Rulers......................................................................... 141
4.12.3. Summary View ................................................................................................ 147
4.12.4. Mini-Timeline ................................................................................................... 148

5. Recor
ecording
ding .......................................................................................................................... 149
5.1. Record Window ......................................................................................................... 151
5.1.1. Recording Takes with Playlists............................................................................ 171
5.2. Audio Tracks.............................................................................................................. 174
5.3. Monitoring................................................................................................................. 175
5.4. The Click (Metronome) .............................................................................................. 180
5.5. Punch Recording ....................................................................................................... 182
5.6. Pre-Roll Recording ..................................................................................................... 186
5.7. Recording with Varispeed .......................................................................................... 188

6. Editing ............................................................................................................................... 190

6.1. Edit Window Overview............................................................................................... 191
6.1.1. The Editor List ................................................................................................... 196
6.1.1.1. Tracks & Buses Tab .................................................................................... 198
6.1.1.2. Sources Tab ............................................................................................... 201
6.1.1.3. Regions Tab ............................................................................................... 202
6.1.1.4. Clips Tab .................................................................................................... 204
6.1.1.5. Arrangement Tab ....................................................................................... 205
6.1.1.6. Snapshots Tab............................................................................................ 206
6.1.1.7. Track & Bus Groups .................................................................................... 207
6.1.1.8. Ranges and Marks Tab ............................................................................... 209
6.1.2. Track Headers.................................................................................................... 210
6.2. Auditioning ............................................................................................................... 212
6.3. Regions and Ranges .................................................................................................. 214
6.4. Object (Region) Editing ............................................................................................. 218
6.4.1. Region Groups ................................................................................................... 227
6.5. Editing Tools & Modes ............................................................................................... 229
6.5.1. Grid Tool ............................................................................................................ 237
6.6. Range Editing............................................................................................................ 239
6.6.1. Section Editing .................................................................................................. 242
6.6.2. Automation Range Editing ................................................................................. 244
6.7. Ripple Editing............................................................................................................ 245
6.8. Snap and Grid ........................................................................................................... 247
6.9. Rhythm Ferret Window .............................................................................................. 251

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 6.10. Region Sync and Alignment ..................................................................................... 252
6.11. Editing with Playlists ............................................................................................... 254
6.11.1. Playlist Selector dialog .................................................................................... 258
6.12. Polarity Optimization ............................................................................................... 260

7. Triggering Clips and Cues

Cues...................................................................................................
................................................................................................... 265
7.1. Cue Window Overview............................................................................................... 267
7.1.1. Cue Window Terminology: Slots, Clips, and Cues ................................................271
7.1.2. The Trigger Grid – Rows and Columns ................................................................ 272
7.1.3. Showing and Hiding Tracks in the Cue Window ..................................................275
7.2. Playing and Stopping Clips ........................................................................................ 277
7.3. Launching Cues (Rows of Clips) ................................................................................. 280
7.4. Auditioning Clips ....................................................................................................... 282
7.4.1. Selecting Patches for Audition of MIDI Files........................................................ 287
7.5. Bundled Clip Content ................................................................................................ 291
7.6. Adding New Clip Content........................................................................................... 294
7.6.1. Saving Clips to your User Clip Library ................................................................ 297
7.7. Slots and Clip Properties ........................................................................................... 298
7.7.1. Clip Properties ................................................................................................... 302
7.7.2. Launch Options ................................................................................................. 304
7.7.3. Follow Options ................................................................................................... 306
7.7.4. Stretch Options ................................................................................................. 308
7.7.5. Dragging and Dropping Clip Properties .............................................................. 310
7.7.6. Setting MIDI Patches for a Clip ........................................................................... 311
7.8. Arranging with Follow Options ................................................................................... 314
7.9. Arranging with Cue Markers ...................................................................................... 316
7.9.1. Recording Cue Markers in real time ................................................................... 321
7.10. Combining Clips and Linear Tracks (advanced) ........................................................ 324
7.11. Comparisons to Ableton Live™ ................................................................................ 325

8. Mixing
Mixing................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................ 328
8.1. Metering ................................................................................................................... 329
8.2. Gain Staging ............................................................................................................. 338
8.3. Mixer Window Overview ............................................................................................ 343
8.3.1. Mixer Sidebar .................................................................................................... 346
8.3.2. Mixer Scenes ..................................................................................................... 349
8.4. Signal Flow................................................................................................................ 352
8.4.1. Mono vs Stereo.................................................................................................. 355
8.4.2. Bussing ............................................................................................................. 360
8.5. Input Strip ................................................................................................................. 362
8.5.1. Rec/Input (“Switcher”) Section .......................................................................... 374
8.5.2. Processor Section .............................................................................................. 377
8.5.3. Immersive Section ............................................................................................. 378

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 8.5.4. Gate/Expander Section ...................................................................................... 382
8.5.5. Compressor/Limiter Section ............................................................................... 384
8.5.6. EQ Section......................................................................................................... 387
8.5.7. Sends Section.................................................................................................... 392
8.6. Mixbus Strip .............................................................................................................. 396
8.7. Master Strip .............................................................................................................. 404
8.8. Monitor Strip ............................................................................................................. 410
8.9. VCA Strip .................................................................................................................. 420
8.10. Foldback Buses ....................................................................................................... 427
8.11. “DAW Style” Mixing Buses ....................................................................................... 431
8.12. Mute and Solo ......................................................................................................... 442
8.13. Redirects: Plug-ins, Sends & Inserts… ..................................................................... 446
8.13.1. Processor Signal Flow ...................................................................................... 449
8.13.2. Plug-ins ........................................................................................................... 454
8.13.2.1. Plug-in Selector........................................................................................ 457
8.13.2.2. Generic Plugin Controls ............................................................................ 461
8.13.2.3. Plugin Favorites ....................................................................................... 463
8.13.3. Sends and Inserts ............................................................................................ 465
8.14. Sidechain Compression ........................................................................................... 470
8.15. Mastering Techniques .............................................................................................. 478
8.15.1. Normalization .................................................................................................. 483
8.16. Loudness Analyzer-Normalizer................................................................................. 485
8.17. Immersive Mixing .................................................................................................... 494
8.17.1. Immersive Mixing: Getting Started .................................................................. 498
8.17.2. Immersive Mixing: Automation ........................................................................ 503
8.17.3. Immersive Master Bus: Meters, Modes and Loudness.......................................505
8.17.4. Exporting a Dolby Atmos Master File (ADM) ..................................................... 508
8.17.5. Immersive Monitoring: Speaker and Binaural Connections ...............................510
8.17.6. Advanced Immersive topics: Beds, LFE, etc ..................................................... 515

9. Plug-ins ............................................................................................................................. 517

9.1. Scanning for Plug-Ins ................................................................................................ 522
9.2. Plug-in Tags............................................................................................................... 524

10. Gr
Groups
oups.............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................. 528
10.1. Group Bar ............................................................................................................... 534
10.2. Quick Groups .......................................................................................................... 538

11. Automation ...................................................................................................................... 539

11.1. Fader, Pan and Plug-in Automation .......................................................................... 540
11.2. Region Gain Automation .......................................................................................... 551

12. Using MIDI ....................................................................................................................... 555

12.1. MIDI Tracks.............................................................................................................. 556

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 12.1.1. Adding MIDI tracks........................................................................................... 558
12.1.2. Recording MIDI ................................................................................................ 559
12.1.3. MIDI Track Operations ...................................................................................... 563
12.1.4. MIDI Filters ...................................................................................................... 564
12.2. Virtual Instruments ................................................................................................. 566
12.2.1. Multichannel instruments ................................................................................ 570
12.3. Sending to an external MIDI device ......................................................................... 573
12.4. Multitimbral and “General MIDI” ............................................................................. 574
12.5. Step Entry ............................................................................................................... 577
12.5.1. MIDI Step Entry: Tutorial video ......................................................................... 578
12.6. MIDI Banks and Patches .......................................................................................... 579
12.6.1. Adding MIDI Patch files .................................................................................... 585
12.6.2. MIDI Follow Selection ....................................................................................... 588
12.7. Editing MIDI Regions ............................................................................................... 589
12.7.1. Editing MIDI Notes and Controls....................................................................... 591
12.7.2. Velocity Lollipops ............................................................................................. 594
12.8. Virtual MIDI Keyboard .............................................................................................. 595
12.9. MIDI Channels ......................................................................................................... 597
12.10. MIDI Plugins .......................................................................................................... 598

13. Scripting .......................................................................................................................... 599

14. Templates ........................................................................................................................ 603

15. Importing F
Files
iles ................................................................................................................. 605
15.1. Freesound search & import...................................................................................... 610

16. Exporting F
Files
iles ................................................................................................................. 612
16.1. Post-Export Command Reference ............................................................................ 628

17. Tempo, Metr

Metronome,
onome, & the Grid ........................................................................................ 632
17.1. Tempo Maps ............................................................................................................ 636
17.2. Audio Time vs Beat Time ......................................................................................... 640
17.3. BBT Markers (Bar markers)...................................................................................... 644

18. Menu R
Refer
eference
ence ............................................................................................................... 646
18.1. Session Menu .......................................................................................................... 647
18.1.1. Metadata ......................................................................................................... 648
18.1.2. Session Properties ........................................................................................... 650
18.1.3. Clean-up .......................................................................................................... 659
18.2. Transport Menu ....................................................................................................... 661
18.3. Edit Menu................................................................................................................ 664
18.3.1. Preferences Window ........................................................................................ 669
18.3.1.1. General.................................................................................................... 670
18.3.1.2. Appearance ............................................................................................. 673

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 18.3.1.2.1. Recorder .......................................................................................... 676
18.3.1.2.2. Editor ............................................................................................... 677
18.3.1.2.3. Mixer ................................................................................................ 681
18.3.1.2.4. Toolbar ............................................................................................. 682
18.3.1.2.5. Size and Scale .................................................................................. 684
18.3.1.2.6. Colors............................................................................................... 687
18.3.1.2.7. Quirks .............................................................................................. 688
18.3.1.2.8. Translation ....................................................................................... 689
18.3.1.3. Editor....................................................................................................... 690
18.3.1.3.1. Snap ................................................................................................ 697
18.3.1.3.2. Modifiers .......................................................................................... 699
18.3.1.4. MIDI ......................................................................................................... 701
18.3.1.4.1. Midi Port Config ................................................................................ 703
18.3.1.5. Transport ................................................................................................. 704
18.3.1.5.1. Chase ............................................................................................... 708
18.3.1.5.2. Generate .......................................................................................... 710
18.3.1.6. Plugins ..................................................................................................... 713
18.3.1.6.1. GUI................................................................................................... 716
18.3.1.6.2. VST .................................................................................................. 718
18.3.1.7. Monitoring ............................................................................................... 721
18.3.1.8. Signal Flow .............................................................................................. 724
18.3.1.9. Metronome .............................................................................................. 727
18.3.1.10. Control Surfaces .................................................................................... 729
18.3.1.11. Metering ................................................................................................ 731
18.3.1.12. Performance .......................................................................................... 733
18.3.1.13. Video ..................................................................................................... 736
18.3.1.14. Triggering .............................................................................................. 738
18.4. Region Menu ........................................................................................................... 739
18.4.1. Strip Silence .................................................................................................... 750
18.4.2. Normalize Regions ........................................................................................... 751
18.4.3. Region Cue Markers ......................................................................................... 753
18.5. Track Menu.............................................................................................................. 754
18.5.1. Mix Tools.......................................................................................................... 757
18.6. View Menu .............................................................................................................. 763
18.7. Window Menu.......................................................................................................... 777
18.7.1. Locations Window ............................................................................................ 786
18.7.2. Audio Connections Manager Window ............................................................... 787
18.7.3. Meterbridge..................................................................................................... 790
18.7.4. Plugin Manager................................................................................................ 794
18.7.5. License Manager ............................................................................................. 797
18.7.6. Plugin DSP Load............................................................................................... 798
18.7.7. Performance Meters......................................................................................... 799

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 18.8. Help Menu............................................................................................................... 801

19. Keyboar
eyboardd Shortcuts
Shortcuts..........................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................... 802
19.1. Windows/Linux ........................................................................................................ 804
19.2. Mac ......................................................................................................................... 816
19.3. Using the Number Pad............................................................................................. 827

20. Video ............................................................................................................................... 828

21. Prefer
eferences
ences......................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................... 837

22. Clocks & Synchr

Synchronization
onization ................................................................................................. 838
22.1. External Synchronization ......................................................................................... 840
22.2. Transport and Timecode Sync.................................................................................. 842
22.3. Transport Masters.................................................................................................... 845

23. Exter
External
nal Contr
Control
ol ............................................................................................................... 847
23.1. MIDI Control Surfaces .............................................................................................. 849
23.2. Mackie MCU-compatible fader controllers ................................................................ 851
23.3. Presonus Faderport (original)................................................................................... 857
23.4. Presonus Faderport, Faderport8 and Faderport16 ....................................................859
23.5. Tascam US-2400...................................................................................................... 860
23.6. External Transport Control ....................................................................................... 880
23.7. SSL UF-8 / UF-1 ....................................................................................................... 881

24. Har
Harrison’s
rison’s X
XTT plugins for Mixbus ...................................................................................... 882
24.1. XT-3D Triple Delay ................................................................................................... 883
24.2. XT-BC Bass Character .............................................................................................. 886
24.3. XT-CC Console Compressor...................................................................................... 888
24.4. XT-CQ Console EQ ................................................................................................... 891
24.5. XT-DC Drum Character ............................................................................................ 894
24.6. XT-DM Dyno-Mite..................................................................................................... 896
24.7. XT-DS De-Esser ....................................................................................................... 898
24.8. XT-EG Expander/Gate .............................................................................................. 900
24.9. XT-GV Gverb+ ......................................................................................................... 903
24.10. XT-LC Lookahead Compressor................................................................................ 905
24.11. XT-ME Mastering EQ .............................................................................................. 906
24.12. XT-MG Micro Glide ................................................................................................. 908
24.13. XT-MC Multiband Compressor ................................................................................ 909
24.14. XT-SC Spectral Compressor ................................................................................... 911
24.15. XT-SP Stunning Phaser .......................................................................................... 914
24.16. XT-TG Tom Gate..................................................................................................... 917
24.17. XT-TP Tremolo Panner ............................................................................................ 919
24.18. XT-VC Vocal Character ........................................................................................... 922

25. Included (FREE) Plug-ins .................................................................................................. 924

Page 8 of 1025
 25.1. ACE Plugins ............................................................................................................. 925
25.2. x42 Whirl (Simple)................................................................................................... 939
25.3. Stereo Routing ........................................................................................................ 940
25.4. x42 Instrument Tuner .............................................................................................. 941
25.5. x42 DPL Limiter....................................................................................................... 943
25.6. Instruments............................................................................................................. 944
25.6.1. ACE Fluid Synth ............................................................................................... 945
25.6.2. ACE Reasonable Synth ..................................................................................... 946
25.6.3. AVL Drumkits: Black Pearl and Red Zeppelin ....................................................947
25.6.4. General MIDI Synth .......................................................................................... 949
25.6.5. SetBfree Tonewheel Organ ............................................................................... 950
25.7. MIDI Plugins ............................................................................................................ 952
25.7.1. MIDI Filters ...................................................................................................... 953
25.7.2. MIDI Arpeggiators ............................................................................................ 956
25.8. XT-EQ Equalizer ....................................................................................................... 958

26. x42 Plugins (r

(requir
equire
e a separate license) ..........................................................................
..........................................................................960
960
26.1. x42 EQ .................................................................................................................... 961
26.2. x42 Whirl ................................................................................................................ 962
26.3. x42 Meter Bundle .................................................................................................... 963

27. Power
ower-User
-User T
Topics
opics ............................................................................................................ 968

28. Appendix A
A:: Common Support Questions .........................................................................
.........................................................................973
973

29. Appendix B: Known Issues ............................................................................................... 976

30. Appendix C: V
Videos
ideos (T
(Training
raining and T
Tutorial)
utorial) .......................................................................
.......................................................................977
977
30.1. Quick Start Guides .................................................................................................. 978
30.2. Mix Tips................................................................................................................... 982
30.3. Pro Tips ................................................................................................................... 990
30.4. EQ Tips.................................................................................................................... 994
30.5. Quick Tips ............................................................................................................... 997

31. Appendix D: MIDI P

Primer
rimer ................................................................................................ 1002

32. Contact Infor

Information
mation ....................................................................................................... 1017

33. Copyrights, License T

Ter
erms,
ms, and GPL compliance ............................................................ 1018

Page 9 of 1025
Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

1. Introduction
Mixbus – Bringing Premium Analog Console Style Mixing to
the DAW!

Welcome to Mixbus! Mixbus is a premium “analog-style console” that has been

incorporated into a Digital Audio Workstation. The Mixbus engine was developed at
Harrison Consoles, where we have been designing high-end digital and analog
consoles for over 40 years.

Many great-sounding, influential, and legendary works were recorded and/or mixed
on Harrison consoles, including:

• Michael Jackson “Bad” and “Thriller” (the best-selling album of all time).
• AC/DC “Back in Black”
• Mik
Mikee Oldfield “Amarok”, “Tubular Bells II”
• Janet Jackson “Rhythm Nation”
• Queen “The Game”
• Sade “Diamond Life” including the hit single “Smooth Operator”
• Paul Simon “Graceland”
• Supertramp “Breakfast in America”

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

• many, many recordings on Manfred Eicher’s ECM Recor

ecords
ds
• ABBA – everything!
• much more by artists such as Led Zeppelin
Zeppelin, U2
U2, Madonna
Madonna, and Frank Zappa
Zappa.

Harrison continues to be a major force in the ultra-high-end professional audio

community. World-class facilities like Sony Pictures use Harrison consoles to mix
top-tier films.

Image:
Harrison MPC4-D Console at
Sony Pictures
Sound Stage 6
Culver City, CA

For more information about Harrison, visit our website at

https://www
https://www.har
.harrisonconsoles.com
risonconsoles.com..

Mixbus is not a tool for beginners. Although we strive to make Mixbus easy-to-use,
digital audio editing and mixing is a very complex topic. This document assumes
that you are already comfortable with typical Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
conventions. Additional online resources are available from the Mixbus “Help” menu
and at:

https://www
https://www.youtube.com/user/Har
.youtube.com/user/HarrisonConsoles
risonConsoles
https://forum.har
https://forum.harrisonconsoles.com
risonconsoles.com

Page 11 of 1025
Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

1.1. About This Manual (online version and

PDF download)
The following image will help you understand a few conventions used in the online
version of the Mixbus manual. Don’t forget to use the “Feedback” feature near the
bottom of each page. (Feedback is intended for manual specific items only. If you
need tech support or would like to make a feature request please email us or visit
our user forum.)

* To download a PDF version of the manual for offline reading, please scroll to the
bottom of the Table of Contents and click the “Download PDF” button. On Mobile
devices, the Table of Contents is accessed from a menu in the top-left corner of
the screen.

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

2. Features, Specifications and FAQ

Mixer Features:
• Mixbus uses precision DSP algorithms developed by Harrison for our world-
renowned large format digital mixing consoles. Mixbus also incorporates
elements from the rich history of Harrison analog designs. Mixbus has been
optimized to provide a classic Harrison sound.
• Straightforward “what you see is what you get” mixer layout based on
Harrison’s renowned 32-series and MR series music consoles.
• Unlimited stereo or mono input channels (based on available CPU power)
featuring EQ, filter, compressor, gate/expander, tape drive, mix bus sends, and
mappable plug-in controls on every channel.
• Like a hardware mixer, the DSP horsepower for EQs and compressors is pre-
allocated. Enabling a compressor or EQ will not increase the CPU usage of the
computer.
• Dedicated stereo mix buses (can be used for groups or aux buses) featuring
tone control, compression, and tape saturation.
• Stereo Master that features tone control, compression, tape saturation, and
final limiting.
• K-meter on master output helps you make dynamic, polished-sounding mixes.
• Stereo phase correlation meter indicates mono-compatibility of your mix.
• Plug-in delay compensation to support effects such as parallel compression.
• Plug-ins may be pre or post fader in the channel strip signal flow.
• VCA faders allow arbitrary grouping of fader and mute/solo between channels.
Multiple VCAs may be attached to any channel.
• Spill buttons are provided on each mixbus and VCA to show only the tracks
that feed it.
• Monitor Section provides dedicated plugins, solo options and speaker-
management features.
• Foldback section provides an unlimited number of cue feeds for your artist
headphone mixes.
• Comprehensive metering with peak, peak hold, and compressor gain reduction
visible on every track and bus.
• The engine is internally dithered, ramped, and gain staged so that sound
quality is preserved as close to analog as possible.

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

Editor Features:
• Unlimited audio, MIDI, and virtual instrument tracks.
• Every track/bus has unlimited pre- and post-fader inserts, sends, and plug-ins.
• MIDI tracks with MIDI output to external devices OR virtual instruments.
• Non-destructive, non-linear editing with persistent undo.
• Comprehensive project management with Snapshots, Playlists, Templates,
Mixer store/recall, and more.
• Fast and intuitive audio editing with “smart” mouse editing modes.
• Dynamic automation of fader, pan, and plug-in parameters.
• Pitch/time stretching, transient detection, and varispeed playback.
• Object-oriented, per-region volume, dynamic volume, crossfade in/out, and
mute functions.
• Standard file formats (BWF, WAV, WAV64, AIFF, CAF, MP3 & more…).
• Supports industry standard plug-in formats and I/O devices on each supported
platform.
• Transport control via Level 2 MMC or MTC (master/source, or destination/chase
).
• LTC (SMPTE) and MTC chase and generation.
• Assign MIDI CC knobs to mixer controls with just 1 click.

General
• Refined workflow and graphics, including scaling and support for HiDPI (Retina)
displays
• Multicore DSP processing allows more simultaneous tracks and plug-ins
• 64 bit builds provide extended memory for virtual-instrument sample libraries
• Synced video-playback window, with import and export
• Lua scripting engine allows automated workflows

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

2.1. System Requirements

Mixbus runs on nearly any desktop or laptop computer running a 64 Bit version of
Windows, Mac, or Linux.

You may download the software directly from the product page (in the Downloads
section) to try the software on your system. The software operates in evaluation
mode until you purchase and apply a license.

Apple MacOS:
Intel Macs: 10.14 Mojave or newer, including Sonoma
For Apple Silicon (M1 and M2), a ‘native’ ARM build is provided. Requires MacOS 11
(Big Sur) or newer, including Sonoma
Any CoreAudio-compliant audio device is supported. Multiple devices can be
combined into one virtual device using MacOS “Aggregate” devices.
Supported plugin formats on Mac: AudioUnit, VST, VST3, and LV2.

Microsoft Windows:
OS version: 64 Bit Windows 7 or newer
ASIO audio devices are preferred for high performance. But Mixbus can also use
built-in soundcards (choose the MME driver).
Supported plugin formats on Windows: VST, VST3, and LV2.

Linux:
64 Bit system with kernel version 2.6 or higher. A realtime-audio focused
distribution such as AVLinux, UbuntuStudio, or CCRMA is recommended.
ALSA or JACK-supported audio device.
Supported plugins on linux: VST, VST3, and LV2.

All platforms:
2+ cpu cores/processors are highly recommended.
2Gig or more RAM is highly recommended (or much more, if you use sample-based
virtual instruments).
A standard 3-button mouse with scrollwheel is recommended. Trackpads and

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“Magic Mice” also work well, but you should check your Control Panel settings to
enable operation for 2nd and 3rd mouse buttons.
A full-size keyboard with number pad is recommended (extra transport controls on
the number keys) but not required
600 MB available hard disk space (for program installation only).
A video monitor with a height of 900 pixels (or more) is required. A monitor with a
height of 1200 pixels (or more) is highly recommended.

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2.2. What are the Demo Limitations?

When running the Mixbus software without a paid license (Mixbus, Mixbus Plus, or
Mixbus Pro) the software runs in Demo (evaluation) mode.

In Demo mode
mode, these limitations are enforced:

• Upon launching the Mixbus application, the Mixbus store page will be opened
in your system’s preferred web browser
• A quiet ‘hiss’ noise is injected randomly, lasting for a few seconds. This noise is
not recorded to your tracks, but it is applied on the program outputs (including
file exports).
• Exporting of ADM (Dolby immersive master) files is disallowed in Demo mode
• The bundled XT plugins will prevent access to their control-panel after one
minute of evaluation

In Demo mode : the Dolby Atmos immersive panners, SSL 9000J EQ, and
channelstrip Gate are available so you can evaluate them. The XT plugins will
operate in Demo mode, as described above.

When a Mixbus (basic tier) license is applied, the Dolby Atmos immersive panners,
SSL 9000J, and channelstrip gate will be visibly darkened and will have no effect.
The XT plugins will operate in Demo mode, as described above.

When a Mixbus Plus license is applied, the channelstrip Gate will be sensitized, and
the XT plugins will work without limitations. The Dolby Atmos immersive panners
and SSL 9000J EQ will be visibly darkened and have no effect on the signal.

When a Mixbus P Prro license is applied, the Dolby Atmos Immersive panners and the
SSL 9000J EQ will be sensitized. The channelstrip Gate will be sensitized, and the
XT plugins will work without limitations.

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2.3. What’s Included in your Mixbus

purchase?
Software Installers:
Mixbus is a fully-featured Digital Audio Workstation with the ability to record,
arrange, edit, mix, master, and export your mix for distribution.

You may download the current version of Mixbus software from the Mixbus product
page. If no license has been purchased, the Mixbus software runs in Demo mode for
your evaluation.

Software License:
Your purchase provides a “license key” for your tier (Mixbus, Mixbus Plus, or Mixbus
Pro) which is used to eliminate the demo limitations. This page describes how to
apply your license.

Included Plugins:
All versions of Mixbus come with a set of bundled plugins which are free to use.

Mixbus Plus and Mixbus Pro provide complete access to all 19 of the XT plugins. In
the Mixbus (basic) tier, the XT plugins are limited as described above in Demo
Limitations.

These additional plugins are bundled in the Mixbus installer, but require a
separately purchased license to enable them:
x42 EQ x42 Whirl x42 Meter Bundle

Additionally, some promotional bundles will come with additional plugin licenses for
Harrison (or partner) products.

Bundled Loop Content:

Mixbus (all 3 tiers) comes with a collection of bundled audio loops from Goldbaby,
MIDI loops from Groove Monkee, and others.

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Upgrade Policy:
We occasionally publish software updates for Mixbus. When you purchase Mixbus,
you will be registered to receive updates according to our upgrade policy.

Major updates (11.0, 12.0) incur an upgrade fee.

Minor updates (10.1, 10.2) are provided free of charge.

Update notifications are sent via email, and some important updates will trigger a
popup message in the Mixbus startup window.

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2.4. What’s Different About Mixbus?

“True Analog” Sound
Harrison is unique among audio companies: In 1985, we launched digitally-
controlled analog consoles which were installed at many world-class music and film
mixing facilities. A few years later, digital recording and playback became the new
standard, and our customers requested a complete digital signal path in their
facilities. Harrison made a bold proposal: we would replace the existing analog
processing racks with a digital system, and leave the control surface in-place so the
mix engineers could continue to work with the same workflow and sound that had
served them well. Of course, to make this practical we had to make the digital
engine “sound” exactly like the analog engine it was replacing.

During this process of replacing an analog console processor with a digital version,
we made many discoveries about how to make digital sound less like digital, and
more like analog. We’ve been refining these technologies for over 35 years since
the launch of those first digital consoles. Harrison has made several generations of
analog and digital consoles since that time, and has been continuously improving
our DSP. This unique development path is what gives Mixbus a different sound than
traditional workstations.

Analog-style Workflow
Most DAWs were first introduced in the stone-age days of computers. Processors
were rated in megahertz and memory was measured in kilobytes.

At that time, the standard tool was the studio console; it provided nearly every
feature that was needed for day-to-day recording, editing, and mixing tasks. With
the addition of a few outboard boxes (such as reverbs, delays, and maybe a final
compressor ) it was possible to create a polished album.

When computers were introduced, they were unable to recreate the features of
then-standard tools such as a 48-track tape machine and console. Those early
computer systems could only play back 4, 8 or 16 channels; and because CPU
power was so desperately limited, you had to choose which of those channels would
be assigned an EQ. In this model, even the most basic console features had to be
treated as “outboard” gear. And so was born the “Plug-In” !

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Fast-forward to the present, and you know that computers are fast enough to run
hundreds of channels, each with a half-dozen plug-ins. As a new-generation
workstation, Mixbus takes advantage of today’s fast computers to take the load off
of the engineer, and return to the fun and creativity of mixing music.

Open Source, Open Standards, Open Community

Mixbus is largely open-source and is the collaborative effort of a worldwide team
including musicians, programmers, and professional recording engineers. Many
workstations provide “open” control or plugin protocols… Mixbus goes far beyond
that. Like a good piece of vintage hardware, you can open the box and look inside.
This transparency encourages Mixbus development to happen with integrity. We
spend our time on the issues that users want and need; not just items that look
good in an advertisement. In the crazy world of DAW software, it is nice to know
that a sane option exists for your business or personal use.

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2.5. What’s New in Mixbus v10

New features, new product tiers, same great brand:
Mixbus is now available in 3 tiers: Mixbus
Mixbus, Mixbus Plus
Plus, and Mixbus P
Prro.

• Mixbus is a full-featured DAW with the legendary Harrison 32C EQ on every

channel and12 integrated stereo bus sends from every track (formerly only
available in our Mixbus32C product)
• Mixbus Plus adds a flexible Gate/Expander to the channelstrip, as well as the
complete set of XT plugins which leverage Harrison’s extensive history in
music and post-production DSP
• Mixbus PPrro adds the ability to export an Immersive music mix (for Dolby
Atmos-compatible streaming services) as well as the option to use an SSL
9000J equalizer in the channelstrip

* Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.

Immersive Mixing (Mixbus Pro only)

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Starting in v10, Mixbus P

Prro can export ADM files: a Dolby Atmos™ compatible file
format that can be uploaded to distribution services like DistroKid, which will post
your immersive mixes on Tidal, Amazon and Apple Music.

Immersive panning allows more panning ‘width’ across the front soundstage, as
well as adding the new dimensions of front/back and height (elevation).

Mixbus P
Prro makes the process easy by providing a 3d surround panner on every
channel … no plugin windows to manage! …. and an integrated surround bus that
provides immediate feedback of speaker levels and loudness, as well as providing
extensive auditioning features.

Once uploaded to your streaming service, your immersive mixes can be played
back on a variety of systems: headphones; home surround with a few speakers; or
theater systems with extensive speakers ….. all from a single upload format. Each
track’s position in space is potentially rendered on-the-fly for the specific user’s
system, conveying a greater sense of space and weight than traditional channel-
based stereo or surround systems which might only use a subset of your speaker
setup.

For users without surround speakers, a binaural listening mode is provided so you
can simulate a surround experience, and get an authentic feel for what your music
will sound like when auditioned on headphones, as the vast majority of listeners will
experience it. Immersive binaural listening provides additional stereo width which
encourages clearer, cleaner, and wider mixes that don’t depend on over-
compressed loudness to make a statement.

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Selectable EQ Models: Harrison 32C or SSL 9000J (Mixbus

Pro only)

Mixbus PPrro adds the ability to select between 2 different EQs in the channelstrip:
the original Har
Harrison
rison 32C equalizer … an accurate model of the EQ used on huge
records from the 70s and 80s. Or select the SSL 9000J
9000J, with SSL’s ultra-clear
“superanalogue” sound that picked up the analog banner to meet digital-studio
needs, and was used on countless hits since its introduction in 1995.

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Pre/Post switching on mixbus sends (Mixbus, Mixbus Plus,

Mixbus Pro)

Mixbus version 10 (all tiers) now provides the ability to switch a mixbus’s sends
from post-fader to pre-fader.

In addition to utilitarian tasks such as a separate submix or headphone feed, the

inclusion of pre-fader sends allows you to use a very common mixing technique
used in the late 60s and early 70s, whereby you build your mix into the reverb
sends, and then raise faders to slowly introduce your ‘dry’ mix to assign more
clarity to the drums, lead vocal and instruments. This can recreate the dreamy pop
and country songs that were popular in that era.

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Improved control of channelstrip elements

In version 10, we’ve added 2 new elements that you can hide and show: the
Immersive panning window, and the Processor (plugin) box.

By adding the ability to hide the processor box, we have reclaimed some valuable
vertical space which you can use to show 1, 2, or more of the channelstrip
elements, depending on your screen’s height. And each element has been slightly
increased in size to accommodate more room for knobs, switches and text within
the control panel.

Shortcuts are provided to hide and show each element. With a little practice, you
can FLY through your mix even with a small screen!

Additionally, we’ve consolidated the Compressor, Gate, and EQ “mode” controls to

a consistent location at the bottom of each channelstrip element.

Additional fixes and improvements

Since the last official v9 release (v9.2), there have been dozens of minor fixes and
improvements.

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various feature additions and fixes for the Launchpad series of products, for
triggering clips on the Cue page

.midname (midi patch and controller definition) files for the Yamaha SY85, Lexicon
MPX100, and Donner DMK25

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2.6. What’s New in Mixbus v9

v9: New Mixer: New Look, New Sound!

Version 9 pr
provides
ovides the first major upgrade to the Mixbus32C mix
mixer
er since its
inception 7 years ago: We’ve updated the sound, look, and operation of the mixer
page:

• A new high contrast design with an expanded look and feel of a full-
featured analog console strip. You can emulate a life-size console on a 4k TV or
monitor.
• A re-engineer
e-engineereded 32C EQ that provides an even more accurate recreation of the
original 1975 analog circuit, with updated EQ curves and a more accurate text
representation of the frequency and gain in the channelstrip text display.
• A new full-featur
full-featured
ed Compr
Compressor
essor on every channel and mixbus, providing all of
the sound and control you would expect in a standalone compressor while
retaining the popular “mode” selections found in previous versions of Mixbus.

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The new ‘Emphasis’ knob allows you to access more vintage character by
forcing the compressor to react more quickly to harsh sounds. The result is
smoother mixes!
• An exciting new full-featur
full-featured
ed Gate/Expander that can tame the bleed in
your live tracks, or add more expressive and dynamic articulation to pre-
recorded loops and sounds. The new gate reports its gain-reduction beside the
fader, just like the channelstrip compressor. The reciprocal push/pull action of
the reduction LEDs provides great feedback ‘in context’ without having to open
any plugins or even the channelstrip element.
• A new Drive feature on every input channel strip can add harmonic density to
bass and vocal tracks, which helps them stand out in a busy mix.
• A high-pass filter on the mixbus ‘tone’ equalizer allows you to filter your
instrument groups and effects without visiting each track in the group.
Filtering the bass from unnecessary elements helps to keep your mixes clean
and focused.
• 2 Tape Saturation colors are now provided for each of the 12 mixbuses,
allowing you a choice of 2 differ
different
ent tape-saturation colors (‘yellow’ and
‘orange’) as well as the ability to disable the tape saturation entirely by
disabling both buttons. The new ‘orange’ mode provides a richer harmonic
profile than the old tape saturation, and doesn’t break-up as much when driven
hard.
• The Master bus compr
compressor
essor has been re-voiced to work together with the final
limiter. Instead of 3 modes, we now provide a carefully voiced master-bus
‘glue’ compressor with a progressive ratio, Emphasis knob, and internal
3-stage design that follows your track dynamics to gel your mix.

Multi-bus VST3 Instruments

Mixbus now supports multiple optional busses (when defined by a VST3 plugin) and
can create appropriately named tracks. Mixbus informs the plugin about the user’s
configuration, and smart VST3 plugins can now adapt when your track signal-flow
changes.

NEW! “Blonde Bop” Drum Instrument from AVL Drums

“Blonde Bop” by AVL Drumkits is a multisampled drum library provided in two

versions: a regular stick version and a super-phat version played with Promark Hot
Rods. Like the other AVL drumkits “Red Zeppelin” and “Black Pearl”, Blonde Bop
comes in a stereo variant and a multichannel variant with separate channels for

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kick, snare, hihat, tom, floor tom, cymbals and percussion. Blonde Bop is Included
FREE in version 9.

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2.7. What’s New in Mixbus v8

v8: A major milestone for arranging, editing, and creation
Mixbus32C v8 is a major milestone in Mixbus’s development, with many under-the-
hood improvements in arranging, MIDI sequencing, and editing. Our customers
have found Mixbus to be their preferred mixing tool, but many requested that we
provide more features for arranging and creation. You spoke, and we listened!

The new Cue Page means that Mixbus provides 4 discr

discrete
ete workflows to help you
meet your production goals:

• use the Cue page to trigger clips to creatively build a song’s foundation.
• use the Recor
ecorder
der page to capture multiple channels like a traditional multitrack
tape studio
• use the Editor page to automate, trim, fade, cut, copy and paste your
arrangements
• … and mix it all through the Mix
Mixer
er page with Harrison’s dedicated “True
Analog” Engine

The ‘Cue’ Page (NEW!)

Mixbus 32C v8 adds exciting creative tools for triggering of clips, looping and sound
effects via the Cue page. On the Cue page, you can:

• Drag and drop ‘clips’ into the trigger grid. Use your own files, or use the free
content provided in Mixbus
• Trigger combinations of clips to make arrangements and beats in real-time
• Bounce your linear recordings (vocal, guitars, drums, etc) into a Clip so you
can loop and arrange it with other clips
• Define “Follow Options” which trigger at the end of a clip, and introduce some
random elements to your arrangements
• Use Cues to trigger a ‘row’ of clips in the grid
• Record or place those Cues as markers on your linear timeline, and then find
the clips that best suit your arrangement

MIDI Arranging and Editing improvements

• an updated MIDI sequencing engine (we call it ‘NuTempo’) provides much

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better synchronization between the musical (MIDI) and audio times on the
timeline. This multi-year development effort resolves many tricky issues with
midi and event timing. NuTempo opens the door to many future improvements
including better tempo-mapping, looping and stretching regions with warp-
markers, and many more improvements both subtle and dramatic.
• In the editor, choosing the Draw tool will now display dedicated pulldown
menus to select the note length, channel, and midi velocity. These controls
make it easier to specify exactly what you want to draw in a MIDI region. For
those who prefer Mixbus to make a ‘best guess’ using the surrounding notes
and track settings, you can select ‘Auto’ to get the old behavior.

Ripple Editing improvements

* Ripple editing has been expanded with 2 new modes: Ripple All and Interview
Interview.
Learn more here: “

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2.8. What’s New in Mixbus v7

Mixbus 32C v7 adds the following new features and
improvements:
Dedicated “Recorder” window with TapeX

• TapeX™ workflow is optimized for the task of multitrack band recording

• Provides a compact view of your track’s record & monitor status plus a
simplified timeline that keeps everything in view at once
• Provides a dedicated meter-bridge for your soundcard inputs: you no longer
have to create a Track to see which hardware input you are plugged into
• Allows you to rename your device’s hardware inputs to match your studio
connections: “Vocal Mic”, “Guitar Mic”, “Bass DI” … these names are retained
across sessions

Mac and Windows installers are now Signed and Notarized: no more security
prompts during installation!
Updated Mac builds use the latest Apple tools to support the new Waves v12
plugins (among other benefits)
Updated ASIO driver for Windows: improved cpu performance and better support for
ASIO devices that use milliseconds to set the buffersize rather than samples

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2.9. What’s New in Mixbus v6

Mixbus v6 adds the following new features and
improvements:
• 5th generation processing engine including extensive latency compensation
and cue-monitoring.
• Graphical operation improvements, largely suggested by forum users, that
improve Mixbus’s usability on smaller monitors.
• Foldback buses allow the building of multiple custom cue mixes for artists.
• Region List is redesigned and a new Source List that helps you manage
recording takes and organize imported files such as loops.
• “Cut” Tool provides a faster and clearer way to split regions with a dedicated
tool mode.
• MP3 import/export on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
• Virtual MIDI keyboard window allows you to “play” MIDI notes into a track when
you don’t have a physical device available.

5th Generation Mixbus Engine

The v6 release involves several deep improvements in the 5th generation Mixbus
engine
engine.

The 5th generation engine incorporates almost 3 years of continuous behind-the-

scenes development. Many subtle behaviors, like the ringing-out of reverb and
delay tails after transport stop, are greatly improved.

Mixbus v6 launches faster than v5, and the transport (play, stop, locate) is much
smoother and more responsive. You should also notice improvements in looped
recording, looped playback, and varispeed.

Some of the specific improvements are listed below:

Latency compensation:
• In addition to the Mixbus console (which has always been latency-
compensated), it is now possible to add additional buses alongside the tracks,
which can be used for additional grouping, effect returns, and other tasks. And
these buses are now fully latency-compensated just like the regular

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mixbuses>master path.
• Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) can now be disabled. This might be useful
when recording live tracks while monitoring prerecorded tracks.
• To disable PDC, you must first click Preferences->Toolbar->“Display Latency
Compensation Info” to expose the latency-compensation toolbox.

Monitoring improvements:
• By default, MIDI tracks will now monitor both the “input” and “Disk” when they
are in automatic mode. Users can override this on a per-track basis and choose
to monitor the input or Disk, only.
• Audio tracks can now monitor both the input and disk simultaneously.
• The SDIO ( separate disk I/O ) will also allow the addition of the “record-wet”
feature (reserved for a future release)

Operational Improvements
• Slates now show the track number and use a larger, higher-contrast font.
• Track number turns red if the track is record-armed.
• Renaming a mixbus will automatically display the new name inside the channel
strip bus enable buttons.
• Channel VCA and phase buttons are now always visible at the bottom of the
channel strip.
• The EQ knobs now show “freq” rather than percent. This is a popular request
from users on our forum.

Source List + Region List

• The “Region List” has been redesigned to show only the regions actually in use
in the current snapshot. The secondary function of the region list (showing the
source files for every region) has been moved into its own dedicated section,
the “Source List”

Region List

• The “Region List” shows only the regions that are used in the current snapshot.
Selecting a region in the list will select the corresponding region on the editor
canvas. This allows you to reverse-interrogate your edits by, for example,
sorting regions by their start time and then selecting them.

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Source List

• The “Source list” shows the file sources used by the session, whether they are
used in the current snapshot or not.
• Sources have a “capture time” ( i.e. Take ) stamp, so the user can find other
regions captured at the same time

Tagging Regions and Sources

Regions and Sources may be “tagged” together, which can help in session
management. For example, you can tag all the regions that were part of a good
overdub; or you can tag regions with the particular artist who recorded them. See
Edit->“Tag selected regions” in the main menu.

Separately Pannable Utility (“Aux”) buses

• In addition to the Harrison console signal flow structure, you may add an
unlimited number of audio buses (sometimes called “Aux” or “Utility” buses).
• When a track has a “Send” to a utility bus, you can double-click the send to
access the Send’s level and pan-control (if any) from the channel’s fader area.
• Click “Show Sends” on the bus, and the mixer window will “spill” the attached
tracks into view, and provide the send-level and pan from the channel’s fader
area.
• Learn more here: DAW Style Mixing Buses

Foldback buses
• Foldback buses can be used to create headphone mixes for your talent
(artists). Foldback buses represent a send to a headphone mix. The mix for a
foldback bus can be the combination of any mixer strip, either pre- or post-
fader; the foldback bus has its own plugins and fader, allowing you to create a
complete custom sound for each artist. Furthermore, it is possible to remotely
control foldback mixes from an OSC-enabled tablet or phone application.

Enhanced transport syncing

• Mixbus can now record when an external transport sync source is varispeeding
(playing at a speed other than 100%). This improves the ability of Mixbus to
transfer tracks from analog tape, among other benefits. It will also allow us to
emulate traditional analog recording studio tricks. We plan to expose controls
for those new features in the 6.x update series.

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A new “Transport Masters” dialog is provided to display all current sync sources,
and their speed and location. You can select which external synchronization source
to chase on-the-fly. This is a huge advantage for demanding tasks like on-site live
broadcasts or providing backing tracks for a live show.

“Cut” tool
• Additional to the built-in region splitting capability, a Cut (scissor) tool is added
similar to those used in other DAWs.

Virtual MIDI Keyboard

• An on-screen keyboard is available to enter rhythms and melodies when you
don’t have a physical MIDI keyboard available. The virtual keyboard maps your
QWERTY keyboard into a note-input device.

• The Virtual MIDI Keyboard can be accessed in the “Window” menu. By default,
the Virtual MIDI Keyboard is connected to the input of the currently-selected
MIDI track. For more details, see: Virtual MIDI Keyboard

MP3 Import
• In the past, only the MAC version could import mp3’s using the Apple built-in
decoder. Now Windows and Linux can also import mp3 directly.
• On import, MP3 files are converted to a .wav file (inside the session folder) for
internal use.

Default preferences and behavior changes:

Waveforms now Logarithmic

• Many of our users preferred the “Logarithmic” waveform display option. The
default value for waveform displays has been changed to “Logarithmic”. If you
were using that option in the past, then you might notice your region
waveforms now appear visually larger. ( you will not hear any difference,
though )

Auto-Input behavior
• “Tape Machine Mode” has been replaced with “Auto Input does Talkback”,
which is defaulted OFF. In the past, if you had Auto-Input engaged, the default

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behavior was to monitor the inputs when transport was stopped. In a multi-
room studio, this can help performers hear each other and rehearse between
takes. But this is not so useful in a typical DAW studio when everybody is in the
same room, and it might lead to feedback. So we changed the default
operation of Auto Input. If you want the old operation, then enable the option
“Auto Input does Talkback” in Preferences->Signal Flow.
• Auto-Input is now defaulted “ON” for new users.

Elimination of Separate Sidechain Bussing

• The discrete sidechain bus of earlier versions is eliminated in V6. Sidechain
controlled compression is replaced with a plugin-based approach.

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2.10. Operational Differences from Other

DAWs
If you have some background in audio, but are new to computer recording, then
you’ll find Mixbus very easy to learn and navigate. If you are coming to Mixbus from
another DAW, here are some of the conventions that might seem different to you:

Console-like signal flow

Most DAWs allow the user to create tracks and buses, but the user is expected to
assemble the tracks and buses into a sensible signal flow. To do this, you create one
or more buses as-needed, and then assign the track output(s) to the bus inputs. If
you later realize that you want another track assigned to that bus, you’ll have to
make that connection; and at the end of the day you might have lots of nearly-
invisible and arbitrarily-ordered connections all over the place!

Mixbus provides a fixed signal flow, modeled after an analog console. You don’t
have to “choose” how many buses you will need, or where they are assigned. This
provides several benefits. The bus assignments/sends are displayed in a fixed
order, so you can quickly determine what channels are feeding the reverb bus, for
example. Additionally, the assignment and/or send-level to a bus can be
automated.

Flexible signal flow in the channel makes lots of tasks easy!

Mixbus allows you to drag&drop the order of the plugins in the signal flow. This
includes the channelstrip inline EQ, compressor, and fader as separate elements. If
you’d like to add a reverb “post fader” ( so the reverb continues to ring-out when
you turn down the volume of the instrument… ), you can do that directly in the
mixer strip. This saves you from creating a “bus” for adding effects to a single
track.

Advanced users can right-click on a plugin and choose “pin connections” …. this
opens up additional possibilities ( depending on plugin capabilities) such as
sidechaining, mono->stereo effects, mid-side, or similar tasks. This is another way
that Mixbus can save you from adding additional “aux buses”, with all of their
complexity and overhead, that is normally required in other DAWs.

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Plug-ins are encouraged, but are not considered part of the

core workflow.
Most other DAWs serve as a “container for plug-ins”. They provide little or no signal
processing or bussing, by default. They expect third parties to develop the actual
DSP processing.

Mixbus is different! Harrison provides our own high-quality DSP processing for the
channel strip EQ and compressor. We’ve tweaked the various EQ, compressor,
saturation and limiter stages to complement each other. You may still add plug-ins
if you wish, but it is no longer necessary to purchase, and choose between, multiple
plug-ins each time you want to change your sound. You can make a great mix
without any plug-ins at all!

Regions may be stacked in layers

Each audio “region” (or “clip”) is a discrete sound that exists on the timeline track,
and it may have other regions stacked above or below it – on the same track.
Deleting the topmost region layer does not create a hole; instead, you will
see&hear the audio that was hidden underneath it. You might think of this like the
layers of an image editing program. Like an image editor, it is even possible to
make regions “transparent” so that the regions underneath it are still visible (or in
this case, audible).

This provides 2 benefits. Firstly, it allows you to record an overdub, or part

replacement, on top of an existing track. You can then move, trim & fade (or even
delete) the replacement part without having to worry about the audio layer(s)
underneath it. Secondly, you can use “transparency” to stack lots of sounds (such
as bird chirps) on a single track, and effect them together, without having to
allocate multiple tracks so each individual sounds is heard.

Region Fades are Crossfades

The start and end of each region has a “fade”, which gradually raises or lowers the
volume. When you listen to the region by itself on a track, you hear it fade from
silence into the audio, and then back to silence. But if the region is on top of
another region, then something even more interesting happens: you will hear a
cr
crossfade
ossfade from the underlying region, into the top region, and then back to the

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underlying region. This allows you to stack regions on top of one (or more!) regions
underneath it, and set your crossfade to match perfectly. Later, even if the
underlying audio is changed, you’ll still preserve the fade of the topmost region.

Because digital audio streams don’t like abrupt changes in the audio stream, EVERY
region has a start and end fade. Mixbus’s default fades make it easier to edit with
confidence that you won’t introduce a click.

Less emphasis on Tools, more emphasis on Actions

Most DAWs have a set of “tools” (or “mouse modes”) which modify how the mouse
behaves. For example, you select the “scissor” tool to make cuts, and the “trim”
tool to trim region ends. In Mixbus, we have very few tools. You can do most of your
work using the “Grabber” (hand) tool. Point where you want to perform the action,
and then use the keyboard shortcut to initiate an action such as “S” for split, or “J”
to trim a region’s start (you can also grab the edge of the region to trim it, but the
keyboard actions are faster).

* For more helpful details about Mixbus’s operation, please visit: Mixbus
Conventions & Tips in the Getting Started section.

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3. Installation
Platform-specific information

Mixbus works on 3 different desktop operating systems ( Mac, Windows, and Linux
). Each system has its own conventions for installation. Rather than force the user
to learn an unconventional installation procedure, we have made Mixbus follow the
conventions of the OS you are using.

• On Mac OSX, Mixbus is provided as an application “bundle” inside a DMG file.

Just open the bundle, and drag Mixbus to your Applications folder.
• On Windows, Mixbus is provided with a step-by-step installer that prompts you
for the installation location and then installs Mixbus.
• On Linux, Mixbus is provided as a zip file that, when unzipped, provides an
installation script.

The following pages explain the details for installing Mixbus on various operating
systems:

• Windows
• OS X
• Linux

When you first run Mixbus, you will be prompted to enter the license for your
purchase. You can learn more about that here: License Installation

System Requirements

Mixbus runs on nearly any desktop or laptop computer running Windows, Mac, or
Linux. There is a free “demo” version to see if Mixbus works with your setup.

Mac OS:

• MacOS version: Mac 10.10 (Yosemite) or newer

• M1 systems are natively supported with a separate installer for Mac ARM (M1,
M2) computers
• Any CoreAudio-supported audio device
• Supported plugin formats: AudioUnit, VST, VST3, LV2

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Windows:

• OS version: 64 Bit Windows 7 or newer.

• ASIO audio devices are preferred for high performance. But Mixbus can also
use built-in soundcards (choose the MME driver).
• Supported plugin formats: VST, VST3, LV2

Linux:

• Kernel version 2.6 or higher. An audio-based distribution such as AVLinux,

UbuntuStudio, or CCRMA is recommended.
• ALSA or JACK-supported audio device.
• Supported plugins: VST, VST3, LV2

All platforms:

• 2+ cpu cores/processors are highly recommended.

• 2Gig or more RAM is highly recommended (or much more, if you use sample-
based virtual instruments).
• A 3-button mouse with scrollwheel is highly recommended. ( Mac touchpads
and magic-mouse are OK if you know how to right-click on them )
• A full-size keyboard with number pad is highly recommended.
• 600 MB available hard disk space (for program installation only).
• For Mixbus: A monitor with a height of 900 pixels (or more) is highly
recommended.
• For Mixbus32C: A monitor with a height of 1200 pixels (or more) is highly
recommended.

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3.1. Installation – Windows

Mixbus on Windows uses the Windows standard installation process. Double-click
the installer to launch the process, and follow the directions for a “Typical”
installation. This will install Mixbus to the default location.

After the program installation, complete the installation process by installing your
license files, see Install the Mixbus License file

! If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Mixbus, it is advisable to keep

your previous version of Mixbus installed on your computer in the event you
need to revisit old sessions. It is possible that opening a session created with a
previous version of Mixbus may lose some functionality.

! Windows systems, and particularly laptop systems, often require some system
optimizations to operate without clicks and pops. Most importantly, you should
visit the System->Advanced settings dialog, and tell Windows to optimize for
“background tasks”. This will dramatically improve the stability of audio I/O. For
laptops, we highly encourage you to leave your laptop plugged-in, and select the
high-performance CPU mode when it is plugged-in. There are many other
optimizations (such as disabling virus-checks) that may be beneficial. You can
find some of these choices here: optimizing windows for audio recording.

A note about “Audio Setup” on Windows:

On Windows, Mixbus will detect sound cards with a MME, WASAPI, or ASIO driver.
This means that you will likely see sound cards appear multiple times in the audio
setup menus. If provided, the ASIO driver option is preferable for stable, low-latency
operation.

Many built-in desktop sound devices will not provide an “Input device” if a
microphone is not physically plugged in. If you plan to record with Mixbus, you must
plug a device into the sound card’s input before you launch the audio engine. If you
would like to use Mixbus without a capture device, choose “None” for the Input
device. Mixbus does not provide a “None” option for the playback device.

When you select an ASIO device, the “Buffer size” setting will be automatically
changed to the current preferred buffer size of your ASIO device (normally set in the
device’s manufacturer-supplied control panel). It is important to use the device’s
preferred buffer size. Otherwise you might incur a “buffer size adaptation” process

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which reduces efficiency and may affect latency (delay) through Mixbus.

Non-ASIO devices will default to a buffer size of 1024 for stable operation. Changing
this setting is possible but is unlikely to have much effect on the performance
because of the Windows sound infrastructure.

A note about VST plug-ins on Windows:

After the initial installation, Mixbus will not have any knowledge about your third-
party VST plugins. You must add the path(s) to your VST plugins in the Edit-
>Preferences->Plug-in tab, and then initiate a “Scan”. For more information about
plugins, click here.

Continue to Download and Install the License File

Uninstalling Mixbus
You can use the uninstaller provided in “ Start Menu -> Programs -> Mixbus”, OR
you can uninstall the program from the Windows “Control Panel” menu.

Remember you can have multiple versions of Mixbus installed on your computer at
the same time.

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3.2. Installation – OS X
Installing Mixbus:

! If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Mixbus it is advisable to keep your
previous version of Mixbus installed on your computer in the event you need to
revisit old sessions. It is possible that opening a session created with a previous
version of Mixbus may lose some functionality.

To install Mixbus, download and double-click the .dmg archive to unzip it. Drag the
Mixbus icon to your Applications folder (or anywhere that you like to store your
applications; Mixbus doesn’t care which folder it is started from). If you would like
Mixbus to be shown in the Dock, then you should drag Mixbus from your selected
location to the Dock.

! Do NOT drag Mixbus directly from the .dmg archive to the Dock; this would
create a shortcut to the Mixbus application inside the DMG file. If you do this,
then when you click Mixbus in the dock, OS X will have to extract and mount the
.dmg file before launching Mixbus. This will make Mixbus run very slowly.

After the program installation, complete the installation process by installing your
license files, see Install the Mixbus License file

Audio Input and Output:

Mixbus can use any CoreAudio-supported interface. Many newer soundcards work
without a dedicated driver; but some older interfaces (such as the Digi 00x series)
may require a special driver from the manufacturer before they appear in the list of
CoreAudio devices.

Newer Mac computers have separately-clocked input (mic/line-in) and output

(headphone/line-out) devices. Prior versions of Mixbus required that you create an
“Aggregate” device to combine the internal soundcard input and output into a
single device. Mixbus v3, and newer, provide a method to select separate input and
output devices without making an aggregate device; Mac will create an invisible
“aggregate” for you. When possible, it is always best to use a professional I/O card
to avoid any internal sample-rate conversion that may be performed by OSX.

You can combine multiple devices into an “Aggregate” device which provides all the

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I/O as if it were a single device.. For example, you can “aggregate” 2 different
8-channel devices so that you can record 16 channels into Mixbus. In a few cases,
we have found that troublesome devices that don’t work well in Mixbus can be
improved by creating an “aggregate” device, selecting the device’s input and
output for the aggregate. This provides an extra level of separation from the
device’s driver into Mixbus. To create an “Aggregate” device, consult the Apple
documentation for your version of OSX.

A note about third-party plug-ins on Mac OSX:

After the initial installation, Mixbus will not have any knowledge about your third-
party AU plugins. You must visit Edit->Preferences->Plugins to scan your AU, VST,
and VS3 plugins and make them available in Mixbus. For more information about
plugins, click here.

To finish your installation, please continue to Download and Install the License File

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3.3. Installation – Linux

* A note about Linux distributions (distros): While an expert system administrator

can adapt nearly any distro for use with Mixbus, it is easier for most users to
start with a distro that is designed for use in high-performance audio.

Some distro’s are designed for audio (such as Ubuntu Studio). A further list of
distros is at: http://www.linux-sound.org/distro.html. It is beyond the scope of this
document to compare these distros.

Sound card (I/O) support:

Support for professional sound I/O is limited on Linux. However there are some
excellent options available at various price ranges. Normally, no driver or
configuration is needed to use a sound card if it is supported by your distro. It is
important to choose a distro that has good pro-audio support.

Unfortunately, support must be determined on a per-device basis. The ALSA project

provides a fairly comprehensive list of USB, PCI, and built-in devices. There is a
separate list of FireWire devices. When in doubt, check with your distribution’s
documentation, user forums, or support.

Downloading and Installing Mixbus:

! If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Mixbus (v2.x or v3.x) it is

advisable to keep your previous version of Mixbus installed on your computer in
the event you need to revisit old sessions. It is possible that opening a session
created with a previous version of Mixbus may lose some functionality.

After your purchase, you will receive a link to download the installation package.
You must first unzip the package using your desktop’s archive utility.

Once unzipped, a folder will appear with the installer (Mixbus_something.run). On

most systems, you can double-click the .run file in your file browser. If that doesn’t
work, then you can launch Terminal, navigate to the download directory, and run
the installer manually by typing: ./Mixbus_(whatever).run

The installer will prompt you to uninstall previous versions. The installer will check
the suitability of your system for real time audio, and report any problems that it

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finds.

Continue to Download and Install the License File

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3.4. License Installation – All Platforms

License Installation
At startup, Mixbus checks to see if a license is installed. If no license has been
installed, you will see the following “UNLICENSED” dialog:

The dialog provides 2 options:

Paste and Apply License

After purchasing Mixbus, you should visit your Account on the Harrison store
(accessible in the top right corner). Navigate to “My Products” -> “Software
Products” and scroll down to find “Harrison Text Licenses”. This is your license that
unlocks the program tier that you have purchased. To apply this license:

1. Click the Copy button to copy the license string into your computer’s paste
buffer.
2. Click the Paste button in the dialog.
3. Mixbus will verify the license’s signature and then allow you to Apply the
license to the program.
4. Click the Apply button.

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NOTE: Your license has your name encrypted in it so you should never share it with anybody!

Continue in ‘Demo Mode’

Mixbus will immediately launch your web browser and prompt you to buy a license.
However, it will only do this once per program run and you can close your browser
tab if you choose. Mixbus will then continue loading in Demo Mode for your
evaluation.

* This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the
OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)

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3.5. CPU Usage

Why does Mixbus require more CPU usage than my other DAW?

Because Mixbus is emulating the operation of an “analog console”, it requires

significantly more CPU resources than a typical DAW. Mixbus’s EQs, compressors,
and other features are always active. The benefit of this operation is that you can
always confidently enable the channelstrip features without worry of overloading
your system. Once the mixer is running, it does not increase the load when you
operate the controls.

Although Mixbus requires a high CPU usage by default, it is actually quite efficient
compared to other DAWs, once you’ve added plugins equivalent to the high-quality
EQ, compression, bussing, tape saturation, limiting, metering, and the other built-in
features of Mixbus.

How do I increase the number of tracks or plugins that I can use?

• Increase the “buffer size” in the Audio Setup dialog
• On Windows and Linux, you must take steps to optimize your system for audio
( see our Installation section )
• Use high quality audio devices and drivers
• And of course using a faster computer, with more CPU cores, is desirable.

General comments about computer audio performance:

The CPU meter on your computer averages the cpu usage over a very long period
(perhaps one second).
In digital audio, the timing is much more sensitive. When the soundcard passes us a
buffer, then we have to wake up, process the audio buffer, and return it to the
soundcard before the soundcard needs to play it out. If we don’t wake up in time, or
we don’t get finished in time, then you hear a “click” caused by the dropout (we
call these xruns, short for over-run or under-run).

In the case of a 1024 buffer size, this has to be done within (1024/44100) 25ms, or
about 1/40th of a second.

This is complicated by the fact that it’s the OS’s job to “wake us up” and tell us that
the soundcard has some data for us. Some OS’s and drivers are better at this than
others. But let’s say it takes 5ms before we are even alerted that some data is

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available. We now have 20ms left to process the audio. If it takes us 10ms to
process the audio, then we are finished within 50% of the allotted time and that’s
what we display in the meter. This is a very accurate indication of your computer’s
ability to process audio.

This also explains why the selected buffersize is so critical to the DSP load. A
256-sample buffersize is about 6ms, so if your computer sometimes waits 5ms after
receiving the soundcard interrupt before it “wakes us up”, we only have 1ms
remaining to do our work.

For more information on factors impacting the performance of your computer

please see this video:
CPU Performance vs. Real-Time Performance in Digital Audio Workstations

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4. Getting Started
Getting Started (Overview)

Mixbus is an editor that works on a document format called a Session

Session. A session is a
folder on your hard drive that stores all of your recordings, edits, and mixer settings
together. Unlike a word processor, Mixbus does not allow you to start an empty
document and then “save” it later. Instead, when you first launch Mixbus, it will
guide you through creating or selecting a session before you can start to record,
import, edit or mix your project.

A session is a collection of tracks

tracks. Use the “Add Track/Bus” dialog which can be
found in the Session and Track menus. You can also create tracks by right clicking in
the gray track area under the track headers, or by right-clicking in empty mixer-
window space, or by clicking the blue “+” button in the top of the mixer window’s
left-side panel.

Alternatively, you can create new tracks by Importing existing audio from the
Session-Import menu.

If you find yourself starting the same way for each session, you can create a
session template which will be available as a starting point next time you start a
new session. You’ll find the list of available templates when you create a new
session. Click Session Templates to learn more.

You can save multiple snapshots of your settings inside that session. Snapshots
conveniently save your entire editing/mixing session for later recall. Saving a
snapshot is instantaneous and takes up essentially no extra disk space (snapshots
all share the same audio data in the session folder). Click Snapshots to learn more.

If you make a mistake while recording or editing, you can click “Undo” to revert
your changes. Only a few editing operations (such as adding or removing a track)
cannot be undone. One of the cool features of Mixbus is the fact that your “Undo”
history for each session snapshot is stored when you save the session; This means
that you can return to a session after a few days, and still undo the last changes
you made, if you decide that they weren’t a good idea.

When you are finished, you can Export your session to an audio file using the
Session->Export menu item. The exported file can be shared online or burned to a

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CD.

* Mixbus uses the right mouse button for many features. Try right-clicking on
tracks, regions, mute buttons, solo buttons, group panes, regions, selected
ranges, markers, mixer redirects, clocks, the region list, and the marker bar area.
Each will launch a context menu that provides many features.

Need Help?

Getting started with a new DAW can be a challenging task. While Mixbus shares
conventions with many other popular DAWs, it can still be a little difficult at the
beginning. Rest assured that it is worth your time and effort to learn Mixbus. For
technical issues, bug reports, and feature requests, email support is available from
Harrison Consoles: [email protected].

If you’d like to interact with other users of Mixbus, you can visit our forum:

http://harrisonconsoles.com/mixbus/forum/

“Once you have rreached

eached the level of a Har
Harrison
rison Console, you ar
aree rready
eady for new
flights of engineering imagination. Unlimited. Unhalter
Unhaltered.
ed. Uninhibited by the
bounds of technical obstructions. YOU BECOME THE STUDIO STUDIO.. Y
You
ou ar
aree the living
extension of the electr
electronic
onic link between the perfect sound and the perfect
master
master.. Y
You
ou ar
aree the ultimate conductor in the universe of rrecor
ecorded
ded music” –
Harrison 4032 brochure, circa 1975

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4.1. Mixbus Conventions & Tips

General Conventions
Over 40 years, Harrison developed a methodology for our user interfaces. We aim
to make the easy things very easy, while keeping the hard things possible. If you
are going to access a feature hundreds of times each day (like: boost the bass, or
start playback), then we assign it a very prominent space. If you use a feature only
a few times a day, then we make it slightly less prominent: for example you might
have to right-click to access it. And if it’s a feature that you only access once per
week or once a year, then you might have to open a preferences dialog, or even
edit a text file somewhere.

The following tips will help you navigate Mixbus fluidly. These tips generally apply
throughout Mixbus and may not be documented in the individual sections where
they apply. New users should learn these conventions quickly, in order to avoid
developing “bad habits” that impede fast operation.

* Advanced Users: In addition to this information, advanced users might want to

visit Operational Differences and Power User Topics. If you are experienced with
several other DAWs and audio engineering conventions, these 3 pages will likely
provide you with everything you need to master Mixbus in just a few hours.

Menus and keyboard actions:

Mixbus follows your OS’s convention for the main menu. On Mac OSX, the main
menu will appear at the top of your monitor. On Windows, the main menu will
appear on the top of the main window.

Every menu item can have a keyboard shortcut assigned to it; you will see the
assigned keyboard shortcut next to each menu item, if one is assigned. You can
change the keyboard shortcuts, but if you are a new user we suggest that you learn
the existing shortcuts before making changes. The existing shorcuts have been
painstakingly developed to be easily learned, be ergonomic, and provide access to
the most-used features of Mixbus. One exception to this rule: if you are using a non-
US, QWERY keyboard, then you might find the need to remap some actions for your
keyboard layout.

Keyboard shortcuts are MUCH faster than accessing the menu item; so if you find

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yourself using a menu item frequently, you might consider memorizing the action.

Selections:
• A Mixbus “selection” can be one of:
◦ One or more Tracks ( or their equivalent Mixer Strips, in the mixer )
▪ Optionally in addition to the track selection, there can be a “time”
selection on those tracks.
◦ One or more Objects on the timeline ( Regions and/or Automation Control
Points )
◦ One or more MIDI notes inside a MIDI region
◦ One or more plugins in a mixer strip

However, these selections are mutually e

exxclusive
clusive: you can select several tracks, but
you can’t select a track and a region. This avoids some common causes of
confusion. For example, if you have selected a region in the editor, and a plugin in
the mixer, then what should happen when you press “Delete”? Mixbus prevents you
from selecting unlike items to avoid this possibility. The selection might change
when you select tools. For example if you have a Range selection with the range
tool, and then you switch to the “Object” tool, the range selection will disappear. (
in the very rare case when you didn’t want this, there is an “undo selection change”
in the Edit menu )

In almost every case, a selection will be identified with a “red border” around the
selected items. And in most cases the items will change to a red color to indicate
selection.

* The ESC (Escape) k key

ey will clear the current selection, so there will be no selected
tracks, regions, notes, or automation control points.

Mouse wheel:

Mixbus uses the mouse-wheel ( or 2-finger drag, on a touchpad ) extensively. Here

are just a few of the things you can do with the mouse wheel:

• Zooming the editor canvas timeline by mouse-wheeling in the ruler-bar, or

anywhere by holding Ctrl. ( “Cmd” on a Mac ).
• Adjusting knob and fader values.
• Adjust the metronome volume, by mouse-wheeling on the metronome button.

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• Nudge the playhead forward & backwards in the Mini-Timeline.

• Advancing a clock value (such as bars) by mouse-wheeling over the
appropriate number in the clock.

Right-click:

Mixbus uses the right mouse button extensively. Nearly every item has a context
menu that can be accessed with a right-click. Try right-clicking on tracks, regions,
mute buttons, solo buttons, group panes, regions, selected ranges, markers, mixer
redirects, clocks, the region list, and the marker bar area.

Right-click actions are those items that aren’t necessary to see hundreds of times a
day, but perhaps dozens of times in a day. So for example the Solo button is
activated with a click; but if you want to “isolate” the solo (so the channel always
plays even if other channels are solo’ed), then the Solo Isolate function is accessed
from the right-click menu on the Solo button.

! macOS users: make sure to enable the “secondary click” functionality of your
touchpad, in System Preferences, so you can access the right-click functions.
Cmd+Click is NOT a right-click!

Shift+Right-click: (Delete shortcut)

Shift+Right-click is a shortcut to Delete objects. Some examples include regions,

plugins, and automation control points. Holding shift while right-clicking on one of
those objects will delete it.

Shift+click on mixer controls: (Group Override shortcut)

When two or more channels are in a “group”, and the group has “gain” enabled,
many mixer functions will function together. For example: if you drag a fader, then
the grouped channels will all move together. But if you hold Shift when you click the
fader, then only the clicked fader will move; not the grouped channels. This is
called a group override. This also applies to “momentary” mutes and solos as
described below.

Shift+Ctrl-click: (applies to ALL tracks)

Holding Shift and Ctrl (Shift+Cmd for Mac users) while clicking on a track button will
apply that operation to “all” tracks. Some examples include the Mute, Solo, and

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Record-arm buttons. Clicking on those buttons with Shift+Ctrl held will apply your
click to ALL tracks. This is a fast way to un-solo all tracks, or to rec-arm all the
tracks in a session simultaneously. Other functions also respond to Shift+Ctrl+Click:
for example if you hold these keys while selecting the “meter point” for a channel,
the menu selection will apply to all channels.

Middle-click: (non-latching mute/solo)

Clicking a Mute or Solo button with the middle mouse button will trigger a “non-
latching” button push; this means that when you release the mouse button, the
solo/mute button will also release. This provides a quick way to temporarily mute or
solo a track while you hold the mouse down.

Mixer Knobs and Faders:

• When a knob is in the “default” position, the indicator is very dim. This allows
you to scan the mixer for settings that are not at default.
• Mixer strip knobs can be double-clicked to instantly return them to their default
value.
• Holding Ctrl/Cmd while turning the knob provides a fine-adjust mode, while
Shift+Ctrl/Cmd allows super fine adjustments.
• Hold Shift to override any actions that might be grouped; ( see Group Override,
above )
• Mixbus knobs and sliders incorporate an “in-on-change” feature. When any
knob or fader is clicked and changed, it will automatically enable the control by
also setting the “in” or “on” control for that section.

Floating-Point processing:

Mixbus uses a floating-point internal architecture, it is possible to exceed 0 dBFS

(decibel full scale i.e: the loudest sound in the digital domain) on the channel and
mix bus strip meters without ill effects. For this reason there is no colored indication
of overly-loud signals on input and mix bus strips.

Master Bus Volume:

The master bus is not a “volume” knob for your speakers. The master fader level is
applied to the exported file; so if you turn it down to make your speakers quieter,
you will likely make a very quiet mix, on export.

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If you are not using the monitoring section built into Mixbus
(Session>Properties>Monitoring tab) you will use the volume knob provided by
your computer or I/O device to control the loudness of your speakers. If you are
using the fader of the Master strip to control speaker volume, remember to set the
fader to the correct level before you export your project to a .wav file. Use the K-14
meter to verify that the export volume is at a reasonable level.

“If you asked a hundred engineers, mixers and producers to define the “perfect
console” you would probably get a hundred answers. The answers, however,
would all contain the same salient points.
The “perfect console” would have totally transparent sound, capturing the true
musical quality of all performances. It would have unlimited features, facilities,
and functions. It would perform all required tasks with a minimum of operator
effort. It would be totally reliable and require no preventive or corrective
maintenance…
You can spend the rest of your life looking for the “perfect console”. You’ll never
find it. You will find, however, that we have what you need.”- Harrison MR20
brochure, circa 1982

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4.2. First Time Configuration

First Time Configuration Dialog boxes:

The first time you launch Mixbus on your machine, Mixbus will prompt you for a few
basic setup options. You can change these preferences later.

A welcome message will appear. Click the“Forward” button to continue

An option to change the default session folder is given. If you have a preferred hard
drive you would like to use, the dropdown box will allow you to browse to it.
Choosing a drive other than the one that your OS or the Mixbus application resides
on may increase performance (this is dependent on your computer configuration).

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The last window you can hit the Apply button to move to the next session in
opening your first session.

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4.3. Starting a Session

What is a Session?
A “session” is the document type that Mixbus opens and edits. When a new project
is started Mixbus will create a session folder where it stores all information
regarding that particular project. When a session is saved and later opened, Mixbus
will reload the saved settings and information so that all work previously done is
restored.

By default, a session has one snapshot file inside it. This snapshot is automatically
generated for you, when you create the session. The first snapshot will share the
same name as the session folder.

A session folder can contain multiple snapshot files. For example, you might create
a Session to record your band’s live performance. And then you can save individual
snapshots, each with their own track edits, mixer settings, and locate-points that
are specific to one song in the recording. But the audio data is all stored in the
session folder and is not required to be duplicated for each snapshot in the session.

Session setup:

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3 options are given in the session setup window:

1. Open a Recent session list will be blank for first time users). The black window
with in the dialog box displays a list of a saved session’s name, sample rate, and bit
depth.

2. “Click to create a New session”: When creating a new session a dialog box will
allow you to name the session, choose a location, and choose a Template to use for
the new session.

3. “Click to open an Existing session”: If a previously created session does not show
up in the session window, for example if previous sessions have been stored in a
different location from other sessions, you can use the browser function to the left
to locate and open an existing session.

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4.3.1. Opening a Recent Session

The most common way to open a session is to select it from the list of recently
opened sessions. By default, Mixbus will remember the last 10 sessions that you
opened.

The black window with in the dialog box displays a list of a saved session’s name,
sample rate, and bit depth.

If more than one snapshot is available in the session, an arrow next to that session
will appear. Notice the arrows next to the sessions “Jazz session” but no arrow next
to “Rock session”. Clicking on the arrow will show all snapshots available in this
session, as displayed for “Jazz session”.
You can click on a column header to sort the session list by date or by name. Click
again to reverse the sort order ( oldest to newest, or newest to oldest ).

You can right-click on a session to remove it from the recent sessions list (note that

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this does NOT delete it from your disk drive)

* If you hover the mouse over a session, it will report the full path to the session
folder on your system.

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4.3.2. Opening an Existing Session

Opening an Existing Session on Disk

Navigate your computer’s file system to locate the desired session snapshot file.

* When navigating to a session, you’ll actually choose one of the session

‘snapshot’ files to open. This means you have to navigate fully into the desired
session folder, you can’t just choose the session folder itself.

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4.3.3. Creating a New Session

Template selection:

Click on a template (on the left side), and a description of the template will appear
on the right side of the dialog.

Session Location:

“Create Session Folder In”: click this button to choose a different location for your
session. For example you might choose to store a band’s recording on a dedicated
external hard drive.

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* You can change the default session location when Mixbus is first launched on
your computer, or you can later change it in Preferences->General.

Naming a Session:

When creating a new session a dialog box will allow you to name the session,
choose a location, and choose a Template to use for the new session.

By default, a date-stamped temporary session name is created for you. In this case,
you will be prompted whether to keep the session, or discard it, when you close
Mixbus. This is a convenience for those times when you are making a temporary
session but you don’t want to commit to keeping it. Note that the temporary
session and all its data does already exist on disk and is preserved (within some
limits) even if there is a power-outage. But you will be prompted to either name &
save it, or delete it, when you close the session.

If you enter a custom name, then Mixbus will store the session on disk and it is not
necessary to rename it later.

! A session’s sample rate is determined when it is created. You cannot change the
session’s rate after it is created. If you plan to target CD as your primary
deliverable, you should choose 44.1 kHz. For most projects, Harrison
recommends 48 kHz for today’s internet- and video- centric world.

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4.4. Session File Management

Session Folders
Every session is stored on your disk as a folder. A session folder contains everything
pertinent to the session: Audio files (or links to them), snapshot files, the waveform
display cache, your exported mixes (unless the default location has been changed)
and many other things. Deleting a session’s folder will completely remove the
session and all of its recorded audio (if any).

* If you move the session folder to another location, Mixbus will no longer be able
to find it, and it won’t show your session in the “Recently Opened” list. But you
can navigate to the session folder and open one of the snapshots to re-add it to
your history.

In the main menu “Session”, you will find several options to open a new session; or
close, save and copy the currently open session.

New
New: Calls up the Session Setup dialog and allows a new session to be created. This
will save and close any currently open session.

Open
Open: Allows the user to open an already saved session. A navigation dialog will
appear so that you can locate your session.

Recent
ecent: Contains a list of recently opened session that can be opened.

Close
Close: Exits the current session. If any changes have been made to the session a
dialog box will present a save option.

Save
Save: Saves the current session

Save As
As: Saves the entir
entire currrent session’s folder with a new name and/or new
e cur
location

• Switch to newly-saved version: Closes the session you are currently working
with and opens the new session.
• Copy media to new session: All files within the interchange folder (audiofiles,
midifiles, and videofiles) will be copied to the new session/interchange folder. If
this option is not checked Mixbus will refer back to the previously named

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session’s interchange folder.

• Copy external media into new session: Same as above but also moves any files
that may be located in other directories or hard drives. See topic clean-up, sub
topic real world example for similar functionality and why you may need it.

Rename currrent session’s folder

ename: Renames the cur

Snapshot (& k
keep
eep working on cur
currrent version) ……: Makes a copy of the opened
session snapshot in its current state for later recall. ( See: Session Snapshots )

Snapshot (& switch to new version) … …: Saves a copy of the opened session
snapshot in its current state with a new name and/or location. ( See: Session
Snapshots )

Save TTemplate
emplate: Session templates are a fast way of recalling common session
“layouts” such as hardware connections, plug-ins, and number of tracks. If you find
your current session is a common one, you can save the it as a template (no audio
will be saved).

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4.4.1. Session Snapshots

What is a session snapshot?
A “snapshot” is a file that stores the current session settings including the track
layouts, audio & midi regions, markers, tempos, faders, EQs, and plugins.
Snapshots all share the same audio data in the session folder.

Snapshot files require very little disk space, so you can store snapshots for multiple
mixes or edit sessions without worry.

Snapshots are a great way to keep a backup history of your session’s settings. You
can save snapshots while you work, and then return to a snapshot for futher
editing, later.

Snapshots are also very useful in sessions that have more than one song on the
timeline. After making basic mix and edit decisions on the main timeline, you can
create a snapshot for each song, and this allows each song to have its own edits,
mixer settings, plugins, automation, export settings, etc etc.

Creating snapshots:

Snapshots are created from the main menu (and associated shortcuts): see Session
Menu for more details.

Selecting a snapshot:

Snapshots are accessed via one of these methods:

1. In the New Session dialog, you can click a triangle next to your session to
display the list of snapshots in the session.
2. In the editor sidebar, you can select from a list of this session’s snapshots.

* Each snapshot has its own persistent undo history. If you open an old snapshot
and click UNDO, you will undo the last editing operation that was applied to that
snapshot.

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Choosing a snapshots from the New Session Dialog:

When a session includes multiple snapshots, a small triangle will appear to the left
of the session’s name. Double-clicking a snapshot will open that snapshot directly.

The bundled demo session “Mixbus_Test_Session” provides some snapshots for you
to choose between. Note that the snapshots can be drastically different, with
completely different Cues, Tracks, Mixer and plugin settings.

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Selecting a snapshot from the Editor List:

In the Editor List, select the Snapshot tab on the right side. Double-click a snapshot
to select the snapshot.

The current snapshot is highlighted, to show which snapshot file you are currently
editing. (this is the file that gets overwritten when you choose “Save” from the
main menu)

Backup Snapshots

By default, Mixbus automatically overwrites a backup snapshot every few minutes.

The backup snapshot changes its name every hour. So there is a backup snapshot
stored for every hour that you have worked on a session; in addition to the most-
recent backup file.

To recover from a snapshot in the backup folder, you must first drag it up one level
into the main session’s folder. Then you can open it normally. If you try to open it
from within the backup subfolder, it won’t find the audio files.

Here are the steps to recover a backup snapshot from the backup folder:

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1. Quit Mixbus
2. Open the session folder and find the “backup” subfolder.
3. Choose the last-created snapshot file ( the file ending in .ardour )
4. Copy the file up to the main session folder
5. Launch Mixbus
6. In the “recent sessions” list, you should see a triangle next to your session;
click the triangle and choose the backup snapshot.

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4.4.2. Session Archive

Using the “Archive” utiliity, you can create an “Archive” of a session snapshot which
automatically compresses the snapshot, the audio+midi files, and other necessary
files into a single compressed file.

• Archive Name: the name of the resulting archive file.

• Target directory/folder: the location of the resulting archive file
• Audio Compression: Choose FLAC to reduce the size of the audio files using
lossless compression. The FLAC format preserves the exact digital values of
the audio .wav file, but takes about half the space This requires additional time
for the archive process, but results in a smaller archive file. Choose 24bit for
full-quality archive, or 16bit for slightly lesser quality, and significant disk-
space savings.
• Exclude unused audio sources: if this is enabled, then the archive will not
include any audio or midi files that aren’t currently in use by the snapshot.

! note that the session archive only stores the snapshot and source files for the
currently-open snapshot file. This is a convenience when delivering a single song
to a publisher or collaborator, and they don’t need the full session folder. The full
session folder and all its contents should be part of your regular disk backup
routine. Always back up your important data!

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4.4.3. Session Templates

What is a Session Template?
Once you’ve created a session and set up your track routing, plug-ins, etc, you may
want to reuse that setup for a future project. A template contains everything except
the actual audio and midi data: track layouts, plug-ins, and your channelstrip EQ/
Compressor/Bussing setup.

Any session can be stored as a session “template” for future sessions.

Using Session templates:

To save a template, choose Session->Save Template from the main menu, and
name the template something meaningful so you can find it in the future.

To use a template, you have to create a NEW session. In the New Session dialog,
there is a list of your templates, in addition to the factory-supplied templates.

Managing & Sharing session templates:

Session templates can be later renamed, edited, or shared using the Template
Manager: see Templates

Where are my templates stored on disk?

Templates are stored in the user config area, under a folder called “templates”. You
can find more details about the user’s config folder in Power-User Topics.

* Some plugins can store additional data that won’t fit in the session file. For
example, a convolution reverb might include the user-selected impulse response
files. For that purpose, there is also a “plug-ins” folder inside the template folder
which stores this additional information.

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4.5. Audio Midi Setup Dialog

Audio MIDI Setup
Windows

Mac

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The Audio Midi Setup dialog appears automatically when you create a “New”
session. This step allows you to choose the session’s sample rate, as well as the
soundcard settings and other details.

* The sample rate that is selected during the initial session setup cannot be
changed later. However you can later change the soundcard setup, buffersizes,
and other I/O details.

You can also launch the Audio Midi Setup dialog from the main menu, under
“Window”.

Start/Stop

As seen in the figure there is an indicator showing “STOPPED” in red while you are
setting up these parameters. When you are done with the settings, press the
“START” button to connect to the selected audio device.

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* It is sometimes useful to click the “Stop” button while you have a session open.
This will disconnect Mixbus from the audio device, and therefore use no cpu
power. The audio device must be re-started if you want to save your session.

Audio System:

The “Audio System” selection tells Mixbus which way you will connect to your
devices.

• To use your audio devices on Mac OS X X, select “Cor

Coree Audio
Audio” (this option is only
available on Mac).
• To use your audio devices on Windows
indows, select “PPortAudio
ortAudio” (this option is only
available on Windows).
• To use your audio devices on Linux
Linux, select “ALS
ALSAA” (these options are only
available on Linux).
• “JJACK
CK” uses the JACK server to talk with your sound card and other software on
your system. It is only available if you have already installed JACK on your
system. If the JACK server is already running, then Mixbus will connect to the
JACK server. If not, then Mixbus will start the JACK server for you (the JACK
option is available on Mac, Windows and Linux). You can learn more about JACK
here.

Driver (Windows-Only)

This menu specifies the driver software protocol for the selected input and output
devices detected. the choices for Driver are:

• ASIO (preferred): Dedicated audio devices (usually connected with USB or

similar) should be provided with an ASIO driver by their manufacturer. ASIO
provides multiple channels of high quality sound, at low latency.

• MME: use MME for built-in devices or other soundcards that do not have an
ASIO driver. MME devices are limited to 2 channels of input and output, and
incur additional latency (delay) of the audio signal.

Input Device & Output Device:

• Select your preferred audio interface from the pulldown list. For best results,
you should use Mixbus with a high-quality audio interface.
• Some combinations of input & output devices will not work. Normally, you

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should choose the same or similarly-named device for both input and output.

Sample rate:
• A drop down list with supported sample rates by your selected audio interface
will be displayed with a maximum of 192k.

Buffer size:

In conjunction with sample rate, buffer size is used to control latency and to
manage hardware resources. See more here.

Hardware monitoring:
• Mixbus does monitoring: when this is selected, Mixbus will sometimes
(depending on settings) allow you to hear your input signal through the mixer.
However, this incurs a latency (delay) caused by the soundcard buffering,
plugins, operating system overhead, and other potential sources of delay.

• Hardware does monitoring: when this is selected, Mixbus expects you to

monitor yourself through your soundcard’s audio device or built-in mixer. This
avoids the latency caused by entering and leaving the computer’s operating
system.

You can learn more about track monitoring, and the settings that drive it, here

* prior to v8.1, this control was provided in Preferences. It is now provided on the
Audio MIDI Setup dialog because it is common to change your monitoring needs
when you select a different sound card.

Device Control Panel:

This opens the control panel of the audio interface that has been selected on the
“Device” list, when one is provided.

Autostart

When enabled, Mixbus will skip the “Audio Setup” dialog, whenever possible (for
example: when opening an existing session, and the last-selected audio device is
capable of the session’s sample rate).

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When creating a New session, the Audio Setup dialog will always appear so you can
select a sample-rate for the session.

Refresh Devices

This re-scans your audio hardware to provide all the available devices in the Input/
Output device menus.

Use Buffered I/O (Windows-only)

The “Buffered I/O” button tells Mixbus to use an older ASIO protocol which works
better on some devices, including Roland “Capture” devices. If you have trouble
launching the audio system, and/or you are unable to set the buffersize and sample
rate, you might try enabling “Use Buffered I/O”

Advanced Settings

MIDI System

This selection will default to the MIDI framework supported by your OS. You can
select “None” if you think the MIDI system is unneeded, or is delaying startup.

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Setup & Calibration

This button will call up a dialog that lists your MIDI devices and allows you to assign
a delay (latency) for the device. The latency will be accommodated by entering
notes ‘earlier’ on the timeline, after they are recorded.

Hardware input * output latency:

When audio is routed from outboard equipment and back to Mixbus it must undergo
a conversion from analog to digital (ADC), the time it takes for this conversion can
be entered to compensate for latency so that all audio remains time aligned (This
process can be automated, see “Calibrate Audio” below).

* Most users will find that it is unnecessary to calibrate the input & output latency.
The converter latency is very small when compared to the delay incurred by the
computer buffer-size. Furthermore, small system changes (such as unplugging
and re-plugging a USB device) can cause this value to change.

Calibrate Audio:

This calls up a latency measurement tool with step-by-step instructions to

compensate latency introduced by external equipment and the digital to analog,
and analog to digital conversion process.

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4.5.1. Latency and Buffer Size

How do I choose a buffer size? And how does computer
audio (really) work?
Although Desktop computers are blindingly fast inside, they are optimized to
interface with the world at “human speed”… a user sends dozens of keyboard
commands every second, at best; and the screen is updated perhaps 30-50 times
per second. But audio events ( or more accurately, “samples” ) typically occur
44,100 times per second, or more! Computers are not intended to be ‘interrupted’
by the outside world this often; and if you did, it would severely compromise the
amount of work that the computer can attend to.

When a computer soundcard ( whether internal, USB, Thunderbolt, or something

else ) gathers audio data from the Analog-to-Digital converters, it can’t “wake up”
the computer CPU 44,100 times per second. So it has to gather (or: “buffer”) the
audio for a while, and then pass this larger buffer to the computer for processing.
This buffer size can be changed by the user to balance the system’s stability and
power, versus latency and responsiveness.

If you choose too low a buffer size, you will likely encounter ‘clicks’ when your
system gets busy. If you choose too high a buffersize, then you might hear a delay
through the system, or notice that the computer is not very responsive to you.

This video by Richard Ames provides an overview of your computer’s audio system,
and why the buffer size is such an important factor in your computer’s
performance.

Latency

“Latency” is the amount of time it takes for digital audio to pass from the
computer’s input to output. The buffer size has a direct effect on latency: Larger
buffer sizes will incur a longer latency. In many cases, latency doesn’t matter much.
If you just need to play your tracks for mixing, then a fairly large buffersize will
provide the best system stability.

Due to the nature of computers and digital audio, there will always be some latency
in a DAW. Even if the soundcard operated with no buffer ( a buffersize of “1” ) then

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the process of converting Analog to Digital, and then back to Analog, will incur
about 2-3 milliseconds.

If audio arrives at the output later than desired then it is considered to have high
latency. If the latency is minimal, we may not be able to perceive it. Low latency is
desirable for recording, tracking, overdubbing, etc. But there is a lot of debate
about how much latency is too much. And it varies depending on the situation and
the performers.

Buffer

A buffer is an area in the sound-card’s memory that is set aside to temporarily store
digital audio. By temporarily storing digital audio we can prevent any interruption in
the flow of sound. Interruptions will be heard as clicks and pops. We can set the size
of the buffer to achieve a specific delay, usually measured in milliseconds. The
memory stores samples of audio, and the more samples that are “buffered”, the
more latency will be exhibited. Hence, the size of the buffer also determines the
latency. Setting the buffer too small can cause buffer underruns with audible pops
and clicks. Setting the buffer too large might cause a noticeable delay in the sound
or operation.

In digital audio, buffer sizes are almost always defined in blocks of powers-of-2. Your
soundcard driver will define the available buffer sizes for you to choose. The most
commonly available values are: 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, and 2048.

Generally speaking, a buffer of 1024 is a good balance of stability and

responsiveness when you are mixing. That’s the default value that we choose for
Mixbus. But if you are recording yourself and you want to play through the
computer, you might choose a smaller buffersize. Just be aware that you might
cause pops & clicks in your recording if you exceed the capabilities of your system.

Sample Rate Vs. Buffer size

If you choose to run at 96 or another high rate, you’ll notice 2 things:

1. Your soundcard’s buffer now “fills up” faster, and it wakes the computer more
often.
2. Your computer is now processing twice as many samples, and therefore
working harder.

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For those 2 reasons, you will likely need to increase the buffersize when you use
higher sample rates, to maintain the same performance.

If you want to absolutely minimize the latency through Mixbus, you could choose
the lowest possible latency and the highest possible rate. This will minimize the
latency from input to output. But it will likely exceed your computer’s capabilities
very quickly, and you might get clicks&pops in your recording.

Buffer size while mixing or editing

While mixing or editing, a large buffer will prevent pops and clicks at the expense of
a slightly less responsive system. This lack of responsiveness may be evident when
pressing the play button and a slight delay occurs before audio can be heard. Many
times this delay is so small you may barely notice it. So while mixing or editing, a
larger buffer is advisable. A buffersize of 1024 samples is typical.

Buffer size while recording

If monitoring through a DAW and an artist needs to listen to themselves while

recording ( such as a vocalist listening to a headphone mix ) then low latency audio
will be required. Adjust the buffer size to achieve a latency of 10 ms or so. A value
of 128 samples is typical. Furthermore it is important to avoid using plugins that
cause additional latency.

Our friends over at Sound on Sound have some great information on this topic
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/pcmusician.htm

Hardware Vs. Software Monitoring

If you plan to record with Mixbus, one of the most important options is the
Monitoring mode.

If you choose “Mixbus does monitoring” then:

1. Mixbus can control which channels you are hearing (subject to the Monitoring
rules … see section “Monitoring” ). So, for example, Mixbus will only “monitor”
the inputs that are currently record-armed.
2. The inputs will automatically be mixed into the master output of Mixbus, so
you can hear them in context with your mix.
3. You will be able to hear any effects (eq, compression, and/or plug-ins) that are

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applied to the tracks.

4. HOWEVER: the signal path through your converters, Mixbus, and plug-ins can
add up to a significant latency. The latency can be minimized by using a small
buffer size, and avoiding the use of plug-ins with long latency

If you choose “Hardware does monitoring” then:

1. You will not incur the latency penalty of getting into and out-of the computer.
However if your interface or mixer uses digital signal processing, there may
still be some latency.
2. You must use your external I/O controls, and/or mixing console, to build
monitor mixes for your talent.
3. Mixbus cannot control which channels you are hearing. Record-arming a track
in Mixbus will not automatically route that track into the monitor mix.

* Some artists may be more sensitive to latency than others. If the artist is not
performing as expected, one thing to check is latency; even if the artist does not
perceive or complain of latency. In some anecdotal cases, singers have been
bothered by the “comb filter” (frequency cancellations) caused by a very short
delay between their headphones and internal vocal cavities. In this case you can
try decreasing the latency to see if that helps. (sometimes increasing it will also
help). If the singer finds this objectionable then you should consider a all-analog,
hardware-monitoring setup instead.

! On Windows, using ASIO drivers, you must sometimes choose the buffer size
from the device’s control panel. In a few cases, Mixbus does not have control
over ASIO buffer sizes.

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4.6. Status Bar

The status bar provides information about Mixbus’s status including current settings
and realtime performance indicators. Right-click on the status bar to enable or
disable the available displays:

The status bar provides the following information, indicators are abbreviated
compared to the selector menu:

• Path to Session (Path): Shows the directory path of the session

• Snapshot Name and Modified Indicator (Name): Shows the session name. An
asterisk ahead of the name indicates that some properties in the session have
been changed since opening.

• Active Peak-file Work: This selection box turns off and on an indication that
Mixbus is very busy calculating peak signal information, which might impact its
responsiveness or performance. Like the XRun indicator (described below) it is
normally invisible and only displays when this condition actually occurs.
Enabling this indicator is intended for users (or developers) who suspect that
such activity is bogging down Mixbus processing.

• File Format (File): Audio file format setting (from Session->Properties->Media)

• Timecode Format (TC): Time code format (from Session->Properties-

>Timecode)

• Audio (Audio): Sample rate / Buffer latency (from Window->Audio/MIDI

Settings)

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• Disk Space (Rec): Estimated remaining recording time, given the current
settings and number of record-armed tracks.

• DSP (DSP): Time required to process an audio block / duration of the audio
block, compared to the available buffersize timing. This displays the worst-case
maximum (not average).

• Wall Clock: Displays the current time of day.

Not normally displayed on the menu tab:

• (X): Number of XRuns : an XRun ( under -run or over -run ) is caused when
Mixbus cannot keep up with your soundcard. ( see below ). NOTE that this
indicator only displays when an XRun actually occurs.

Of these reports, the Xrun counter is the most important. If the xrun counter is
increasing while you are recording or playing, it means that you have exceeded the
capabilities of your system, and you are likely hearing clicks and pops.

The typical methods to minimize the CPU load are:

• increase the “buffer size” in the Audio Setup dialog

• optimize your system for audio performance; such as choosing “optimize for
background tasks” in Windows.
• use a lower sample rate, reduce the number of tracks
• reduce the number of plugins in your session.
• And of course using a faster computer, with more CPU cores, is desirable.

The CPU meter on your computer averages the cpu usage over a very long period
(perhaps one second).
In digital audio, the timing is much more sensitive. When the soundcard passes us a
buffer, then we have to wake up, process the audio buffer, and return it to the
soundcard before the soundcard needs to play it out. If we don’t wake up in time, or
we don’t get finished in time, then you hear a “click” caused by the (we call these
xruns, short for over-run or under-run).

In the case of a 1024 buffer size, this has to be done within (1024/44100) 25ms, or
about 1/40th of a second.

This is complicated by the fact that it’s the OS’s job to “wake us up” and tell us that

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the soundcard has some data for us. Some OS’s and drivers are better at this than
others. But let’s say it takes 5ms before we are even alerted that some data is
available. We now have 20ms left to process the audio. If it takes us 10ms to
process the audio, then we are finished within 50% of the allotted time and that’s
what we display in the meter. This is a very accurate indication of your computer’s
ability to process audio.

This also explains why the selected buffersize is so critical to the DSP load. A
256-sample buffersize is about 6ms, so if your computer sometimes waits 5ms after
receiving the soundcard interrupt before it “wakes us up”, we only have 1ms
remaining to do our work.

For more information on factors impacting the performance of your computer

please see this video:
CPU Performance vs. Real-Time Performance in Digital Audio Workstations

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4.7. Adding Tracks and Buses

Adding Tracks, Buses and VCA’s
This section describes how to add tracks, buses, and VCA controls to your session. If
you wish to import existing media, you should visit the Importing Files section.

What is the difference between Tracks, Buses and VCA’s?

Mixbus supports several kinds of objects that can appear in the editor and mixer
windows:

• Audio tracks contain a sequence of audio “regions” on the timeline. Audio

tracks also provide the mixer features such as fader, panning, bussing, eq,
compressor and plugins.
• MIDI tracks contain a sequence of midi regions on the timeline, so they can be
recorded, edited and played. MIDI tracks sometimes have a Virtual Instrument
(VI) plugin, which converts the MIDI regions into audio. When a VI is used on
the track, MIDI tracks provide the mixer features such as fader, panning,
bussing, eq, compressor and plugins. If no VI is provided, then the MIDI data is
sent directly to an output; either to a MIDI Bus, or to an external gear.
• Audio buses are just like audio tracks, but they have no playlist of audio
regions; the bus is only used to process audio from another track or live input.
• MIDI buses are just like midi tracks, but they have no playlist of audio regions;
the bus is only used to process midi from another track or live input.
Sometimes, a MIDI serves as a good location for a single VI that is fed from
multiple MIDI tracks.
• VCA channels are described here: VCA’s
• Foldback Buses are typically used to create a cue (headphone) mixes for the
artist. These are audio mix buses, not recorded, which are completely separate
from the main mix buses. Foldback buses are described here: Foldback Buses

* A note about buses, and Mixbus’s mixing workflow

workflow: Unlike typical DAW workflow,
where track outputs are connected to other track(bus) inputs, the Audio Buses
added here are not intended to be used as part of the mixer panning & summing.
The goal of Mixbus is to revert to the buss-style mixing that is used in “hit-
making” studios. It’s a subtle difference but very important. Audio Buses are best
suited for utilitarian tasks such as “live” inputs from an external reverb, or
grouping 2 similar tracks together for processing, before they are assigned to a

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mixbus or master bus.

There are 4 ways to open the “Add Track/Bus” dialog:

• Use the “Add Track/Bus” menu item, which can be found in the Session and
Track menus.
• Right-click in the empty gray area in the editing canvas.
• Right-click in the empty gray area of the mixer window.
• Clicking the “plus” button to the right of the last channel strip (you may need
to scroll to the last channel or resize your window to see it).

The “Add Track/Bus/VCA” dialog

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The “Add Track/Bus/VCA” dialog provides a list of the track types and templates that
are available to be created.

At the top of the list, there are generic entries for New Audio Track, New MIDI Track,
etc. When one of these items is selected, some of the options below will be

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provided:

• Add: Multiple audio tracks can be added at one time via the “add” setting.
• Name: A custom name may be assigned to the audio track before it is added. If
multiple audio tracks are added they will be sequentially numbered.
• Configuration: ( for Audio tracks only ) Allows for stereo or mono tracks with
mono being the default.
• Instrument: (for MIDI tracks only) – this allows the user to choose the VI
(Virtual Instrument) that will be inserted in the MIDI track.
◦ Selecting a synth for the track will change the audition synth.
• Group: Assigns the new audio track to a group. Whether a group is selected or
not you can change the group assignment at anytime after the audio track is
added.

Session Templates

If a Template is selected, instead of the generic “Add Track/Bus” selections, then

you can view the description of the template, and any unused controls are greyed-
out.

Mixbus supports 2 different kinds of templates, which both appear in this list:

• Scripted Templates: these templates are developed as Lua Scripts, and can
prompt the user for more input when they are run. It is possible for users to
add their own scripts. These scripts currently report “{Factory Template}” in
the Created With column.
• User Templates: these templates are created by the user, and are created
when the user clicks Session->Save As Template in the main menu. These
templates report the version of Mixbus (or Mixbus32C) that was used to create
the template. It is not guaranteed that templates made in one version of the
program will work perfectly in a different version.

At the bottom of the dialog, you’ll find 3 buttons:

• Insert: Determines where in the Mix/Edit window the new audio track will be
placed.
◦ Before Selection: In the Mix window this will place the new track to the left
of the selected track. In the Edit window this will place the new track
above the selected track.
◦ After Selection: In the Mix window this will place the new track to the right

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of the selected track. In the Edit window this will place the new track
below the selected track.
◦ Last: This will place the new track in the last position in the Mix/Edit
window.

• Add (and leave dialog open): this adds the selected track(s) and leaves the
dialog open, so more tracks can be added

• Add and Close: this adds the selected track(s) and closes the dialog

* NOTE: You can re-order tracks anytime, using either the Editor List, or by
selecting tracks and then using the Track menu { “Move Tracks Up/Down..” } to
move the selected tracks together.

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4.7.1. Track Templates

Track templates store the settings of a track so it can be re-used in another session.
Track templates store the track’s name, plugins, and mixer settings ( such as
panning, EQ, compressor, and mixbus/master sends )

Creating Track templates:

To create a track template, right-click on the track name on the Mix page and
choose “Save as Template”

Using Track templates:

In the “New Track” dialog, you will see your saved templates, along with the
factory-provided templates, in the left column of the New Track dialog.

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Managing & Sharing track templates:

Track templates can be later renamed, edited, or shared using the Template
Manager: see Templates

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4.8. Managing Tracks

On the left side of the editor canvas, you’ll find the Track Headers for each track.
From the track header, you can mute, solo, or otherwise affect the track.

Mixbus provides several methods to rename and re-order your tracks to help your
workflow. You can rename and reorder tracks from the editor view or the mixer
view.

The editor list is a great place to manage your tracks, because it typically shows
many more tracks at the same time, and you don’t have to scroll the main editor
canvas to rename or re-order tracks.

Naming Tracks

* No two tracks or buses can share the same name. If you try to rename a track to
something that already exists, Mixbus will show an error dialog (when practical),
or append a number to the end of your newly named track.

• In the mixer window, you can double-click on the track’s name-slate to rename
it. Or right-click and choose “Rename” from the menu
• In the editor window, double-click on the track’s name to edit it. Press TAB to
advance to the next track.
• In the editor list, “Track/Bus” tab, double click the track name to change it.
Press TAB to advance to the next track.
• In the mixer sidebar, right-click on the mixer-strip name, and choose “rename”
from the popup menu.

* You can’t rename a track while it is record-enabled, because the track name
defines the resulting audio wavefile name, and a record-armed track has an
associated wave-file that has already been assigned on disk, ready to be written
to.

Re-ordering tracks
There are 3 ways to change the order of tracks:

• In the editor window, you can select tracks by turning them red (clicking on

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them to select them), then use the menu item Tracks->Move Tracks up/down
(or the associated keybindings) to move the selected tracks up and down
together.
• In the editor list, you can drag and drop tracks to reorder them.
• In the mixer sidebar, you can drag and drop tracks to reorder them.

Selecting tracks
Click on the track “header” ( the area which holds the mute, solo, and track name )
to select a track. The track should highlight, with a red border, as shown below:

When you “select” a track, Mixbus will make an effort to scroll that track into view,
in both the editor and mixer windows.

* Unlike some DAWs, selecting a track does not select the “regions” in the track. In
Mixbus, you select tracks and time-ranges with the Range tool, and Objects
(Regions) with the Grabber tool. Those are distinct operations and they are used
for different tasks. You can’t have both selected at once.

You can multi-select tracks by using standard modifier keys:

• Hold Shift while selecting to select a contiguous range of tracks.

• Cmd+Click on a track to add or remove it from an existing selection.

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What can I do with selected tracks?

With tracks selected, you can perform a wide range of operations including:

• Call operations from the Track menu, like “Remove” or “Move Up/Down” … this
will apply to all selected tracks
• Right-click on a VCA, and choose to “assign” (or de-assign) the selected tracks
to a VCA
• Right-click in the Group box, and choose “make a new group -> from selection”
• Use items in the toolbar, or the View menu, to Fit the selected tracks in the
editor

Other ways to select a track:

• Clicking anywhere in a mixer strip will select the mixer strip, and this also
selects the associated track in the editor.
• Initiating a “Range” selection on a track will select the track. See: Range
Editing
• Clicking on the track in the editor sidebar ( Tracks/Buses tab ) will select the
track, and also scroll it into view if it is not currently shown.
• By default, “Alt + up&down arrow keys” will advance the selection up or down
through the tracks.

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4.8.1. Coloring Tracks

Each track (or bus, or VCA) may have a color assigned to it.

To edit a track’s color, right-click on the track header (in the Edit window) or on the
channel name-slate (in a mixer strip) and choose “Color”.

You can also assign a track to a Group, and then set the color of the group, which
the track will inherit while it is part of the group.

Default track colors, and the track color palette

When a new bus is created, (including the 12 mix-buses), they are sequentially
assigned a color from a palette. So if you have a specific bus layout and color
scheme, you can use the palette to enforce the color scheme on new buses and
VCA’s.

* starting in v9, Mixbus no longer assigns ‘random’ colors to new tracks when they
are created. If you want to revert to the prior behavior, you can visit preferences-
>appearance->colors and check the box for “use color palette…..”. Buses and
VCA’s are still assigned sequentially from the color palette.

Once you’ve selected a color from the color wheel, you can drag & drop colors into
the palette, in the bottom right corner. Changes to the palette will be saved in your
preferences.

When a new track is

assigned, it will be
assigned the top-left
color of the palette.

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4.9. Audio Input & Output

Input
Mixbus uses an internal audio routing system to make audio connections between
Mixbus, your I/O hardware, and other parts of Mixbus.

With a new session, Mixbus automatically makes these connections by default:

• The master bus is connected to the first two physical output ports.
• Track/Bus inputs are assigned sequentially from the physical inputs whenever a
new track/bus is created.
• The Auditioner and the Click are connected to the first two physical output
ports.

However it is possible to change any or all of these connections using buttons in the
mixer strip, or selecting the pulldown Window->Audio Connections.

Track I/O Selections

Track inputs can also be assigned directly from the channel strip, by selecting the
“switcher” near the top of the channel strip to reveal the channel’s redirect page.
The Switcher may be displayed using the “Input” button beside the Pan knob:

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The image above shows a channel strip befor

beforee its switcher has been activated

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The same channel strips af

after
ter its switch has been activated.

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To change the input to a channel click on the IN button. A selection of input sources
will be displayed. It is possible to:

- completely disconnect the input from anything

- connect it to the source of any other channel (if you want to do parallel processing
for example)
- add an additional audio or MIDI input to the channel (for example: adding one
audio input to a mono channel makes it a stereo channel)
- access the Routing Grid for completely flexible selection of the source

See the switcher page for more details.

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Output
For convenience, the Master Bus has an “output” button which can be used to
select the ports that the master bus output will feed. Normally, the Master Bus
output is connected by default to the first 2 channels of your audio interface
outputs.

In the above image the master bus has both of its outputs connected to the audio
interface stereo output, or the first 2 channels on a multichannel interface.

By clicking on the button the output may be rerouted as desired. Hovering the
mouse over the button makes a pop-up showing the current routing destination:

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If you are using the Mixbus Monitor section, the master output will be routed to the
Monitor input:

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Note how the popup now shows the Master output connected to the Monitor input.

NOTE that this connection is for monitoring your recording through the physical
interface. The Master output is still the source of your final mix. See the section
Monitor Strip.

* Note: The redirect capability may not display a connection until you select it
from the menu. The redirect input and output points are provided as a quick way
to override the current setting, not a method to see what the track is connected
to.

Audio Connections Manager – the Routing Grid

The Audio Connections Manager window allows you to connect any output port to
the track/bus input:

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In the above image an audio interface with 16 inputs is shown (viewed via the
hardware tab on the left side). The bottom tab labeled “Mixbus Tracks” shows a
total of 4 tracks in the session. The green dots indicate Mic1 is connected to the
Mixbus channel strip input labeled VOX and Mic 2 is connected to the Mixbus
channel strip input labeled GTR. The other two channels labeled keys and drums
have no connections because in this example those tracks had been recorded
previously. This is an example of having drums and keys already recorded and a
vocalist and guitar player coming to the studio for an overdub session.

* Note: audio connections use a floating-point 32-bit format, which means that
headroom is essentially unlimited. You don’t have to worry about “clipping” the
sound when routing from one application to another. You may route a single
output port to several inputs, and an input port can be routed from several
different outputs (the summing of these signals is done automatically).

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The image below shows the output of the Master bus. You can use the grid to
connect the master bus to your speakers, and a stereo bounce track, and any other
connections:

4.10. Transport (Play, Stop, etc) >>

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4.10. Transport (Play, Stop, etc)

“Transport” is the term used to describe the motion of the playhead. Mixbus can
play forwards, backwards, and at various speeds. Furthermore, you can instantly
“locate” the playhead wherever you like. All of these functions are considered
Transport functions.

Transport is a fundamental operation, so there are many different ways to control

the transport:

• Buttons in the Transport Toolbar

• The Transport menu
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Remotely, from an external device

…and probably many more!

* All of the operations in the Transport Menu can be assigned to a keyboard

shortcut, so advanced users will most often use keyboard shortcuts to navigate
the timeline and control the transport. But you can use the menu actions, and
the buttons in the toolbar, until you’ve mastered the keyboard shortcuts

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4.10.1. Transport Toolbar

Transport Toolbar:

The Transport Toolbar resides at the top of the main window. The transport buttons
(far left) are always available; many of the other elements can be shown or hidden
from Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar

Transport buttons:
The transport buttons control the playhead’s location, speed and record-enable.

Transport controls are (from left to right):

MIDI Panic
anic: Send note off and reset controller messages on all MIDI channels
Metr
Metronome
onome: Enable/Disable audio click ( see The Click to learn more )
Start
Start: Go to session’s Start marker
End
End: Go to session’s End marker
Loop playback
playback: Plays loop range
Play
Play: Activates “play”, starting from the current playhead location (shortcut: space
bar)
Stop
Stop: Stops the transport (shortcut: space bar)
Recor
ecord-enable
d-enable: Toggles master record-enable ( you must also have tracks rec-
enabled, to record on them )

Jog/Shuttle contr
control
ol: Allows for increased or decreased playback speed, the slider
control returns to center position when mouse is released.

Right-clicking on the slider allows adjustment of the maximum playback speed from
1.5 X to 8X of “play” speed:

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The “VS” button controls the range of the varispeed adjustment, clicking on the
button allows you to set the range limits in Semitones and Cents:

To the left of the varispeed slider is Time Sync Button

Button: This button toggles between
Mixbus’s internal transport control, and synchronization to an external device ( LTC
(SMPTE), MTC (MIDI Time Code), or JACK ):

Right-clicking on the button brings up the control window which allows you to

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choose the source to sync the transport.

To learn more, visit: Clock Synchronization.

Record & Punch options:

To enable the “recording options” section of the toolbar, visit Preferences-
>Appearance->Toolbar and enable “Display Record/Punch Options”.

• “In” enables the punch-in marker ( see Punch Recording )

• “Out” enables the punch-out marker
• “Non-Layered” is a special recording mode: when a new region is recorded,
then all of the regions that existed below that range will be removed, and the
last-recorded audio will be the only region in the layer stack. See: Object
Editing

Transport modes:
The Transport toolbar has 2 mode buttons which change the behavior of the
playhead:

Follow Range Mode ( previously called “Follow Edits” or “Join Playhead” )

Follow Range Mode is enabled with the button right of the transport control buttons.
Follow Range Mode automatically moves the playhead to follow the mouse when it
is clicked on a track, and/or to allow quick auditioning of the selected time range.

Behaviors with Follow Range Mode on:

• Starting playback (with the spacebar or any other means) will play the Range
selection, if there is one.
• A single click in Range (or Smart-Range) mode will locate the playhead to that
location.
• When a Range selection is made, the playhead will be located to the beginning

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of the range.

Behaviors with Follow Range Mode off:

• Editing clicks (such as object grabs or range selections) will have no effect on
the playhead location.

Auto Return Mode

• If Auto Return is on
on, then the playhead will always return to the location where
playback started.
• If Auto Return is off
off, then when the playhead is stopped, it will remain in the
location when “stop” was pressed.

* Tip: The combination of Follow Range Mode and Auto-Return mode provide a
wide variety of possible operations. If you are familiar with another workstation’s
conventions, you should experiment with these settings to see if one of them
matches your expectations.

Clocks
By default, Mixbus provides 2 clocks at the top ( Note: if your screen is small,
Mixbus will automatically omit one of the clocks ). You can manually disable the
secondary clock by visiting Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar

The clocks have identical operation, and each clock may operate in one of 4
different modes:

• Timecode
• Bars:Beats (musical time, or sometimes called BBT for Bars-Beats-Ticks)
• Minutes:Seconds
• Samples

To select a clock’s mode, you right-click on the clock to present the clock context
menu:

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• Copy contents to clipboard: copies the clock text to the clipboard, for pasting
elsewhere
• Display Delta to Edit Cursor: when this is enabled, the clock will show the
“difference” in time between the playhead and the mouse cursor. This is a
useful tool for measuring distances on the timeline.
• Tempo and Meter selections will launch the appropriate dialog. Learn more
here: Tempo, Click & Grid

* In all clock modes, you can use the mouse-wheel to adjust the subdivisions of
the clock. For example, in the Bars:Beats mode, you can mouse-wheel on the
“Bars” value to increment or decrement the Bar value.

* You may also click on a clock to enter the timecode manually. In this case, a
Right-to-Left convention is used. To locate to 1-hour in the Timecode clock, you
would enter “1” followed by 7 zeroes.

* You may also enter “relative” times, by first typing a “+” or “-” before entering
the value to offset the current clock position.

Timecode Clock Mode:

In Timecode mode, the display shows timecode in Hours, Minutes, Seconds, and
Frames.

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Bars:Beats Clock Mode:

In Bars:Beats mode, the clock shows position in Bars (i.e. Measures), Beats, and
Ticks. “Ticks” are sometimes called “pulses per quarter note” or PPQN, and Mixbus
uses 1920 Ticks per beat.

Minutes:Seconds Clock Mode:

In Minutes:Seconds mode, Mixbus shows the position in “wall clock” time.

Samples Clock Mode:

In Samples mode, the clock simply displays the sample-offset from time 0.

Pull-up/down values are displayed underneath the Samples clock. To change the
pullup/pulldown value for the session, visit Session->Properties->Timecode

Alerts

These 3 buttons will blink “red” when one of the following occurs:

• Solo will blink red when any channel or bus is Solo’ed

◦ This is sometimes called the “rude solo indicator”
◦ Click the Solo button to clear all solos in the session
• Auditioning will blink red when an “audition” is occurring
◦ An “audition” is when Mixbus is playing a file directly to the speakers,
bypassing the mixer engine

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◦ Auditioning can be triggered (for example) in the Import dialog, if the user
chooses to audition a file before importing it.
◦ Click the Audition button to cancel the audition.
• Feedback will blink red when Mixbus detects a feedback loop in the mixer
processing order
◦ Each time the transport is “stopped”, Mixbus recalculates the latency
offsets and other information for the mixer engine
◦ If, when calculating the graph, Mixbus finds a “loop” or otherwise can’t
determine the necessary latency offsets, this button will blink
◦ If Mixbus can’t determine the engine offsets, then it will not play audio.
◦ If this happens, you should consider the last few routing assignments, and
consider whether you should revert one of your most-recent changes.

Selection Clock

By default, the selection clock is not shown. You can enable it in Preferences-
>Appearance->Toolbar.

If enabled, the “Selection clock” shows the start, end and length of the current
selection. The selection clock works for a “Range” selection as well as a series of
Region selections.

Mini-Timeline

The mini-timeline provides a compact and convenient way to

navigate the session.
Learn more here: mini-timeline

Master bus meter

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This simplified meter gives an indication of the master bus level. By default, this
meter is a K-14 meter, using the same scale as the K-14 on the master bus, but
shown in a different format.

You can adjust the “scale” of this meter in Preferences->Meterbridge->Default Type

for Master Bus.

The vertical button on the far right will turn “red” when clip (0dBFS) is reached on
the master bus. Click the button to clear the red indication.

Scripted Action Buttons

By default, the Scripted Action Buttons are not shown. You can enable them, in
pairs, in Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar.

These buttons can be used to directly trigger one of:

• Actions ( anything that can be bound to a key-binding ). Select “Shortcut”, and

then click “Add”. You will be prompted for which action you’d like to assign to
the button.
• “Scripted actions”. Learn more in the Scripting chapter. Select from the
available scripts in the menu. Some scripts even provide their own icon!

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These buttons may be customized for many functions. In the picture button #1
happens to be configured to do a Mixer screen shot. Button #2 is configured to
provide a quick list of the plugins currently in use. These buttons can be configured
as a single-click trigger of a keyboard shortcut, as a trigger of a LUA script which
you might write, and many other functions.

Assigning these buttons is done by right clicking. Here right-clicking was done on
button #3:

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When you hover your mouse cursor over an unassigned button, the “No Action
Bound” box will pop up to let you know its function is unassigned. Right clicking on
the button will bring up the “Add Shortcut or LUA Script” box shown.

“Shortcut” is the default function in the select tab but is not the only function you
can select:

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If you select “Bus Organizer” for example and click on the “Add” button, button #3
will now control the Bus Organizer function:

Putting the mouse cursor over the button, the popup box will tell you how to change
or clear the button function:

If you select “Shortcut” and click on the “Add” button, you can select from a HUGE
number of functions you can assign to this button:

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Page selection buttons

These buttons are used to switch between the 4 pages of the main window – Editor,
Mixer, Record and Cue pages.

You can drag these buttons to your desktop to detach any page into its own
window.

You can right-click on these buttons to detach or re-attach the windows to the main
page.

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4.11. Primary Windows: Editor, Mixer,

Recorder and Cues
This topic will reference the Editor, Mixer, Recorder and Cue windows. These are the
four primary windows that are used to operate Mixbus since Version 8. You can
navigate between the windows using the buttons at the top right corner of Mixbus:

The Mixer, Editor and the Record buttons and pages are the same as in previous
versions of Mixbus. Version 8 added the Cue page which also has a dedicated
button.

You can detach any screen by right-clicking on a button and choosing the Detach
option, or by dragging the button to the Desktop. This is useful in multiple monitor
setups.

The Transport Toolbar

The top portion of the Mixbus main window is dedicated to the transport toolbar.
The transport toolbar provides transport buttons ( Play, Stop, Rewind ), the main
Clock Displays, and the mini-timeline. You may add or remove elements from the
transport toolbar in Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar. For example, when
recording you might wish to show the “Punch” and “Monitoring” controls; but then
you can remove those when need more room for the tasks of editing and mixing.

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The Editor Window

The first main window in Mixbus is the Editor window. The Editor window presents
the Audio, MIDI and Cue tracks that make up your session. You can reorder, resize,
and rename the tracks from the Editor window. Generally speaking, the Editor
window provides all the features you need to edit your arrangement, while the
Mixer window allows you to balance the sounds in the arrangement so they can all
be heard.

The top of the editor screen provides the transport buttons ( play, stop, etc) as well
as the main clocks that display the location of the playhead in the session. Just
below the transport buttons are the editor tools which are used to edit your
arrangement.

The top right of the editor screen provides the Mini-T

Mini-Timeline
imeline, which allows you to
jump around the timeline. Left-click to jump to a specific place, or scroll the mouse
wheel while hovering over the timeline to jump around. You can hold down Control
for finer jumping, and Control+Alt for still finer jumping. Right-clicking on the Mini-
Timeline allows you to select a time display range. If you create Location markers,
they will appear on the Mini-Timeline. You can click on a marker to jump to that
location.

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Just below the editing tools, you’ll see the ruler bar which helps to indicate your
timeline position using Min:Sec, timecode, samples, bars/beats, as well as providing
a place to set Markers, Time Signature or Tempo changes, and Loop and Punch
ranges. Learn more about the rulers here.

The main editor canvas shows your tracks, and any regions (selected slices of an
audio track) that are present.

On the right of the editor is “Editor List”. The Editor List may be shown and hidden
via the “View” menu. Learn more about the Editor list here.

On the lef
leftt of the editor is the “Editor Mixer”. The Editor Mixer shows the mixer
channelstrip for the currently-selected track or bus. The Editor Mixer may be shown
and hidden from within the “View” menu or the associated keyboard shortcut
(Shift+E by default).

The bottom of the editor is the Summary view. The summary view shows a light
grey box that encompasses your current view, with the entire session behind it. You
can move the grey box around your session to quickly move your view. The
Summary may be shown and hidden via the “View” menu.

The Mixer Window

The Mixer Window may be shown using the “Window” menu, or the keyboard
shortcut (ex: Alt/Opt+M) which toggles between the editor and mixer windows. If
you have the editor and mixer windows on different monitors (screens), then the
“Toggle Editor/Mixer” shortcut does not have an effect.

When viewed in the Mixer Window, Mixbus resembles a traditional analog console.
Input Channels are on the left, while the busses and master are located on the right
side.

The audio signal flow is generally left-to-right. The signal starts at the input
channels (which might be live inputs, playback tracks, MIDI tracks, or virtual
instruments), progresses through the mix buses, and into the master. The signal
path’s EQ, filter, gate/expander, compressor, panning, bus summing, and master
bus processing are performed inside Harrison’s proprietary signal path, are always
present, and do not require user-supplied plug-ins.

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In Mixbus, like other audio workstations, each recording track has its own mixer
strip. These mixer strips resemble the input channels of a traditional analog mixing
console. Input channels can be created to be mono or stereo and by default include
all the DSP processing as a real analog console channel. This is the major difference
between Mixbus and other DAW mixers. No time is wasted searching for and adding
the necessary high-quality mixing tools.

Just to the right of the input channels are the 12 mix bus channels. Mix bus
channels are used to collect the outputs from the input channels into groups. For
example, in a typical music project, you might send the drums to mix bus 1, the
vocals to mix bus 2, instruments to mix bus 3, and use mix bus 4 as a parallel
effects bus, like reverb. This allows you to easily adjust the relative levels of these
groups and apply processing to them.

The master channel is the final mixer strip on the right. Typically, the master
channel will be connected to your monitoring system (speaker outputs). The output
of the Master channel is the final output of your project i.e. your 2 track master file.
This output is rendered to the final .wav file when you export the session.

The monitor section on the far right is has been made available for those who do
not have access to a dedicated external monitoring section.

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The Record Window

The Record window allows you to view, meter and monitor your physical inputs to
Mixbus. This picture shows an example:

The number of inputs shown is equal to the number of physical inputs on your audio
interface. In the picture you see 32 inputs although this particular interface has 64
inputs. The other inputs could be viewed using the window scroll bar at the right. In
this example, which came from a live concert, there are 13 inputs on the physical
interface feeding 13 tracks with 11 inputs active, the other 2 inputs were other
vocalists not singing at that instant on the timeline.

As in previous versions of Mixbus, physical inputs can feed as many tracks as you
want, there is NO 1:1 restriction. The Record page provides a quick way to assign
physical inputs to multiple tracks, as an alternative to using the routing tool.

Looking around the Record Window we see the following sections:

• the Transport toolbar remains as on the Mixer and Editor windows

• at the bottom of the page the physical inputs are shown. They are displayed
horizontally until the number of inputs is more than 16, then they display

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vertically
◦ each input has a real-time level meter (with peak hold bar) and a realtime
5-second waveform display, buttons to display or add tracks connected to
the input, and to PFL the input

• above the physical inputs is a section representing the tracks in use, with
buttons to control track arming, input source, playlist, track name, and
monitoring options, and a horizontal meter

• to the right of the track controls is a timeline which shows record status vs.
time for each track

• there is also a recording counter, and global track arming and monitoring
buttons

More details about the Record window can be found in the topic page titled Record
Window

The Cue Window

Cues and clips are managed in the Cue window, which is accessed by a button in
the upper right of any Mixbus page:

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A Cue Channel or Cue Strip can be thought of as an audio or MIDI track that
contains a list of audio or MIDI clips. In the case of a Cue Channel containing audio
clips, the audio comes from these audio clips rather than an actual audio input or
recorded track. A Cue Channel containing MIDI clips does not create any sound on
its own, but outputs MIDI information to an internal software synthesizer or external
synthesizer, both of which DO produce sound from the MIDI information in the clip.
As Mixbus by default contains a generic MIDI synthesizer, sounds may be heard
from MIDI clips by default.

Maximize Mixer/Editor space

The “Maximize” commands can be found under menu> View. Enabling this function
causes the editor window to occupy all screen real estate. The title bar will be
hidden as will the task bar. The exact behavior of this function depends on your
OS’s desktop “fullscreen” conventions. The same function is available for the Mix
window. To exit this mode uncheck Maximize Editor in Menu>View. ( if you are
unable to see the main menu, try moving your mouse to the top of the screen, and
wait for the main menu to appear )

4.12. Navigating the Editor Canvas >>

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4.12. Navigating the Editor Canvas

Mixbus provides several ways to navigate the editor canvas.

Keyboard commands, buttons, the mouse-wheel (or 2-finger scroll on a touchpad ),

and scrollbar-like widgets are supported, and each method has its own strengths
(and weaknesses).

Why is this so complicated?

Editing digital audio is not an easy task. Relatively few people have the interest, or
need, to investigate all the details that go into a high-end professional workstation.
It’s a multi-dimensional problem with unlimited tracks, which might be audio, midi,
or even video. And it’s all changing on a timeline: a concept you won’t find in a
word processor or spreadsheet. Screen space is limited and there is a LOT of
information that can be presented.

Users have different expectations, different workflows, and different devices ( mice,
touchpads, etc ). Nearly every workstation has a different set of conventions, and if
you’ve learned the conventions for one DAW, you might expect those same
conventions to work on Mixbus; but alas there is not a widely-accepted way of
working. ( the same problem occurs in image-editing and other software … there
are very few conventions that transfer from one system to another )

Furthermore, conventions that work on some software don’t apply well to an audio
workstation. Consider a scrollbar: you’ve probably found that a scrollbar works
great for a spreadsheet until the number of items in the list becomes several
hundred screens worth of data; then the scrollbar jumps around too fast to be
useful. In an audio workstation, the timeline is potentially 24 hours long or more,
and you can zoom in to see a screenful of individual samples. This can require
upwards of 100,000 screens of information, which doesn’t fit well on a scrollbar.

Learning to navigate the editor canvas

The best way to learn about Mixbus’s conventions is by watching an experienced

user – in person or via video. An experienced user will navigate the timeline
effortlessly, using each of the available tools for their specific purpose.

These chapters provide an overview of the most common navigation features:

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Scrolling and Zooming in the Editor Window

Basic Transport Features

Summary View

Mini Timeline

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4.12.1. Scrolling and Zooming in the Editor

Window

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JY4mTboOow?rel=0

Scrolling
The editor canvas may be scrolled up/down and left/right to display a different
selection of tracks or time on the timeline.

Vertical Scrolling
• Mouse Wheel: The primary method of vertical scrolling is the mouse scroll
wheel ( or the 2-finger drag, on a touchpad ).
• Keyboard: The up/down arrow keys will scroll the view vertically
• Selections:
◦ Ctrl+up/down arrow (CMD+arrow on a mac) will move the selection up &
down, which will cause the editor to scroll to keep the selection in view.

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◦ Selecting a track header will cause the track to be scrolled fully into view.
◦ Selecting a track name in the “editor list”, or the mixer window, will cause
the selected track(s) to be scrolled into view.
• Dragging an object:
◦ Dragging a region to the top or bottom of the screen will cause the canvas
view to be scrolled
• Using the Summary View: Scrolling can be accomplished by grabbing the gray
box in the summary view window and dragging it, or by clicking the arrow
buttons at the left and right sides of the window.

Horizontal Scrolling:
• The primary method of horizontal scrolling is to move the Playhead ( these
operations require that “Follow Playhead” is engaged )
◦ Click and release in the ruler-bar area to locate the playhead there;
◦ Click & drag in the ruler-bar area to drag the playhead. When you
approach the left or right edge, the screen will scroll to keep it in view.
◦ The editor canvas can be scrolled horizontally by locating in the Mini-
Timeline.
◦ Various transport functions like “to start”, “to end”, or next/previous
marker will move the playhead and therefore scroll the view.
• Keyboard Shortcut: the menu item View->Scroll Timeline can be assigned a
keyboard shortcut to allow scrolling from the keyboard.
• Mouse Wheel: Hold “Shift” while turning the mouse wheel to scroll the timeline
left/right.
• Mouse with side-scroll wheel ( or Touchpads with a 2-finger side-to-side drag. )
• Dragging an object:
◦ When you try to drag a region, MIDI note, or automation control point off
the left or right edge of the canvas, the screen will scroll to keep it in
view.
• Using the Summary View: Scrolling can be accomplished by grabbing the gray
box in the summary view window and dragging it, or by clicking the arrow
buttons at the left and right sides of the window.

* Power-User tip: zooming with the mouse-wheel is a very fast way to horizontally
navigate the timeline. First zoom far out, until you can see the entire timeline.
Then point the mouse where you’d like to zoom, and zoom in to the desired zoom
scale at the new location.

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Following the Playhead

In most cases, you’ll want the screen to automatically scroll sideways to keep the
playhead in view. Mixbus has 2 settings in the Transport menu which control this
feature:

• Follow Playhead: when this is enabled, the screen will scroll sideways to keep
the playhead visible, each time the playhead leaves the one side of the screen,
the screen will move to show it again.
• Stationary Playhead: when this is enabled, and Follow Playhead is enabled, the
playhead will remain in the center of the screen, and the waveforms will scroll
underneath it.

Sometimes, you might prefer to scroll to a location, and prevent the playhead from
moving your view. For example you might zoom in very close to make an edit, and
you want to remain looking in the same place while the playhead plays over a
selection. In that case, you can disable “Follow Playhead”.

Zooming
“Zooming” adjusts the scale of the timeline to show a greater or lesser portion of
the timeline.

• Mouse Wheel: zooming with the Mouse Wheel is the preferred method:
◦ Hold “Ctrl” ( “Cmd” on Mac) to zoom in or out on the mouse’s location
• Zooming with the Summary view
◦ Dragging up/down in the summary view will zoom the session.
• Zooming with the ruler-bar (playhead)
◦ If the option “Preferences->Editor->zoom with vertical drag in rulers” is
engaged, then dragging up/down in the ruler-bar will zoom around the
playhead.
• Keyboard: + (plus) and – (minus) keys increase or decrease the zoom around
the Zoom FFocus
ocus. (see below)
• Zooming on a Range
◦ Select a Range with the range tool (or smart tool) and then click “z” to fill
the screen with the selected range
• View>Zoom Menu items:
◦ Zoom to Session: Brings the entire sessions audio clips into view.
◦ Toggle Zoom State: Alternates between the last 2 zoom states

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• Zoom Presets widget: this button allows the user to select from predefined
zoom scales:

Zoom Focus

Menu: View>Zoom Focus

Zoom Focus provides an anchor point by which keyboard zooming occurs around.
For example, some users expect the screen to zoom towards and away from the
playhead (this is the default).

Additional zoom focus options are available under View>Zoom Focus. They include:

• Lef
eftt : leftmost side of the summary view is anchored
• Right : rightmost side of the summary view is anchored
• Center : center of the summary view is anchored and zooming occurs around it
• Edit PPoint
oint : edit point is anchored and zooming occurs around it

Track Size & Waveform Scale

Track Size

Track heights can be adjusted using one of several methods:

• Grab the bottom edge of a track header to adjust its height with the mouse.
• Right-click on a track header, and choose the Height submenu

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• Select a track and use View->Fit ( shortcut: “F” ) to fill the screen with the
track contents
• Select a track, and use Track->Height from the main menu
• Track Height presets: Use the button in the editor to select predefined track
views:

Waveform scale

The waveform scale can be globally increased, so that quiet signals are more easily
visible. Visit Preferences->Appearance->Editor:

• Linear: Displays the audio waveform in a linear fashion.

• Logarithmic: Displays the audio waveform so that quiet sounds can be more
easily seen on the screen. The display is disproportionate. This setting does
not change the gain of the signal, it is strictly a visual aid.

* Additional waveform display options can be found in

Menu>Edit>Preferences>Editor. Click here for more.

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4.12.2. Transport, Markers, and Rulers

Ruler Bar

The ruler bar runs along the top of the edit canvas. A number of timelines can be
shown via View>Rulers, or by right clicking in the blank area just to the left of the
marker labels.

Available Rulers include:

• Min:Sec : Minutes and Seconds elapsed since time “0”

• Timecode : Video timecode in SMPTE formats. Choose the display format in
Session->Properties->Timecode.
• Samples : raw digital samples
• Bars & Beats : musical time
• Time Signature
• Tempo
• Range Markers
• Loop/Punch Ranges
• CD Markers
• Location Markers
• Cue Markers
• Arrangement Markers
• Video Timeline

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Marker bars in the ruler area

Marks can be set in the following ruler areas:

• Time Signature( a marker initiates a new musical timebase )

• Tempo ( a tempo marker initiates a new musical tempo )
• Range Markers ( Ranges can be exported simultaneously in the Export dialog )
• Loop/Punch Ranges
• Markers ( Location markers are typically used to quickly locate to a new time in
the project, such as “verse 1” ).
• Arrangement Markers (see Arrangement Tab)
• Cue Markers (see Arranging with Cues)
• CD Markers ( CD markers are used in the Export dialog to define CD track

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markers )

To set a marker in any of the rulers, simply right click to pull a dialog box.

The Time Signature Marker:

A quick dialogue box can also be obtained by left-click on the Time Signature
button:

The Tempo Marker Dialog Box:

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Right-clicking in the timeline along the Tempo ruler will quick-set a Tempo marker
according to the setting of the button above:

The Range Marker Dialog Box:

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The Loop/Punch Ranges Marker Dialog Box:

The range start will be positioned at the mouse position. Click and drag a marker to
move it around along the timeline.

The CD Markers Dialog Box:

Video Timeline Ruler

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The “video timeline” ruler can show a thumbnail of a video, if you have imported a
video file.

4.12.3. Summary View >>

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4.12.3. Summary View

The “Summary View”, located at the bottom of the edit window, is a condensed
view of the entire session between the “start” and “end” markers.

By default, the Summary view is not shown. But you can enable it by visiting the
“View” menu.

Within the Summary view you can see a small representation for each audio/midi
region on the timeline, and a lightly shaded box that indicates your current edit
canvas view. You can grab the light shaded box to pan up, down, left, or right. And
you can grab the edges of the light shaded box to stretch or shrink (zoom) in either
dimension. Additionally, arrow buttons are provided at either end of the view box
for maneuvering the shaded box if you prefer.

The height of the view box can be made larger or smaller by grabbing its top border
and dragging.

In the image above three regions are shown with the shaded box fully
encompassing the region contained in track 2, indicating it will be fully visible in the
edit canvas. The start of regions 1 and 3 will not be visible but the regions ends will
be.

4.12.4. Mini-Timeline >>

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4.12.4. Mini-Timeline
The mini-timeline appears in the transport toolbar, and it shows a condensed view
of the timeline including markers.

One of the benefits of the mini-timeline is that the scale remains fixed, regardless
of the scale of your editor window. This allows you to zoom very close or very wide
in the editor, and still view the markers and make 20- or 30-second jumps in the
timeline.

Click on a marker to locate to the marker.

Click anywhere in the mini-timeline (except on a marker) to locate to that time.

* NOTE: unlike locating from the editor, the mini-timeline does NOT apply the Grid/
Snap settings.

Right-click anywhere on the mini-timeline to change the zoom scale between

several presets.

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5. Recording
Quick-Start for recording: following these steps to record
some audio tracks!
1. First, add one or more tracks via the main menu: Track>“Add Track or Bus”.
2. Record-arm the track by clicking the button with the red circle on the new
track
3. Record-arm the transport by clicking the big button with the red circle, at the
top of the main window ( both the track(s) AND the transport must be armed
before anything will be recorded )
4. Now press “Play”, and you will be recording! Rewind to the beginning of the
track and press “Play” again to hear your recording.

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You may arm tracks and/or the main transport anytime; so if you prefer, you can
start playing first, and then press the record buttons to start recording.

Once you’ve recorded a track, you might investigate some ways to refine your
recordings further:

1. Set the tempo (optional). Click on the Tempo button (in the main Clock) to

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change the current tempo. By setting the tempo, you can play the Click, and
this will make editing the track much easier.
2. Change the way you hear yourself by visiting Monitoring.
3. You may choose any input to feed the track. Expose the “Input” button and
choose the soundcard input you’d like to record to this track.
4. Use “Punch Recording” to pre-select a recording range, and Mixbus will
automatically punch-in the transport Record-arm when the punch-in point is
reached.
5. Use “Pre-Roll Recording” to provide some count-in before your recording
actually starts.

Recording Modes:

Mixbus can record in 3 different modes:

• Layered (default) : in this mode, any new recordings will be added as regions
on a “layer” atop the existing audio regions in the track.
• Non-Layered: In this mode, the underlying audio will be replaced with the
resulting new region.
• Sound on Sound : in this mode, each new recording is transparent so you can
hear any underlying audio.

All 3 modes are “non-destructive”, meaning that you can undo your changes, or re-
layer and re-trim the regions to expose the parts that were hidden.

The mode switch is provided in the transport toolbar. If you don’t see this button,
visit Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar and enable “Record/Punch Options”

To learn more about layers, visit Region Editing

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5.1. Record Window

Record Window
The Record window allows you to view, meter and monitor your physical inputs to
Mixbus as well as presenting just the information and controls you need while
rolling in Record mode. This picture shows an example:

Access the Record page by clicking “Rec” in the top-right corner, or choosing it from
the Window Menu.

Physical Inputs

The lower part of the window shows details of the physical inputs on the interface.

The number of inputs shown is equal to the number of physical inputs on your audio
interface. In the picture above you see 32 inputs although this particular interface
is 64 inputs. The other inputs could be viewed using the window scroll bar at the
right. In this example, which came from a live concert, there are 13 inputs on the
physical interface feeding 13 tracks with 12 inputs active, the 13th track/input was
another vocalist not singing at that instant on the timeline.

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As in previous versions of Mixbus, physical inputs can feed as many tracks as you
want, there is NO restriction. Note that an input will be shown as long as it
physically exists, even if it is not assigned to a track.

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The following features are available on each physical input:

Input Display

For fewer than 16 inputs, the input displays will be horizontal. For more than 16
inputs, they will be displayed vertically as shown here.

Level Meter

This meter measures the input level, with peak level indicator.

Input Waveform

This is a real-time display of the input waveform with 5 second history.

Track Connection Indicator

The number in parenthesis indicates the number of tracks connected to this input.
When this button is pressed, the track display above will “spill” (display only
only) the
tracks connected to this input.

PFL

The input can be solo’d if you are using the Mixbus monitor section.

“+” Button

Add a track. Clicking on this button will create a new track attached to this input.
This provides a quick way to assign physical inputs to multiple tracks, as an
alternative to using the routing tool.

Input Name

The Input Name tab allows renaming of the input. An important feature of this name
is it is specific to the physical interface, not your Mixbus session. Once set, the
input name you enter will be displayed whenever any Mixbus session opens this
interface. If you have different physical interfaces, their inputs can have different
names. The input names specific to the interface being used will be displayed, for
any Mixbus session that uses it.

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Tracks Section
Above the physical inputs are the tracks connected to the inputs:

Each track has the following indicators and controls:

Track Arm Button

These buttons arm the track for recording. Recording on this track will not begin
until Record mode is invoked using the Transport buttons above, or by punching in.

When a track is record-armed, its input source is highlighted with a red box drawn
around it.

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Input Selector

Clicking this button provides a way to disconnect or reassign the input to this track.
Either a left-click or right-click can be used. Left-click provides a simple list of
sources:

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Right-click opens the Router page for this track’s input:

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Playlist Select

This button allows selection or creation of a specific playlist to record to for this
track. Think of a playlist as a separate piece of tape, or a 3rd dimension (into the
screen) with different versions of your track or section of a track. More about
Playlists can be found in the section titled Playlists.

Clicking on this button brings up a menu with several options:

Here, the first playlist for the kick drum has been named kik.1 by default. The menu
allows you to rename it, or create a new playlist, either an empty one or one which
is a copy of the current one.
“Clear Current” will erase everything presently recorded to the selected playlist.

“Select From All” allows you to create a new playlist on this track by copying from
any other playlist, even from a different track.

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Track Name

Double-clicking allows you to change the name of the track. If a track is record
armed, it is not possible to change its name.

Monitoring

The “In” and “Disk” buttons control individual track monitoring and are analogous
to “Bus/Tape” monitoring selection on a tape recorder (“PEC/Direct” for you film
guys). “In” monitors the physical input and “Disk” monitors the playback from what
is already recorded on the track. When both buttons are selected, the sum of both
is heard.

The monitoring control buttons operate in two modes. When they are outlined in
color it means they are being controlled by Mixbus according to the state of the
transport:

Clicking on a button to manually set it makes it solid color, and it will stay in that
monitoring state regardless of the state of the transport:

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Level Meter

The meter displays the signal level on the track, and has a peak indicator. Double
clicking in this area will reset that track’s peak indicator.

Track Number

The track numbers are displayed here. Right clicking on the track number presents
a few options such as changing the colors, input and output router pages, renaming
the track and adding a hidden comment.

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Record Timeline

The Record Timeline indicates the recorded portion of the tracks vs. time. The area
always shows the full length of the recording, there is no scrolling of the timeline.
When tracks are in record and the transport is rolling the track timelines are red:

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When the transport is stopped the tracks change color and indicate the time span
of the recording:

If recording on a track is disabled by turning off the track arm (either while the

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transport is rolling or by stopping, turning off the track arms, then restarting the
transport) the display will show a “hole” where the track has not been recorded:

The “hole” in the recorded tracks appears similarly, a blank area, in the Editor
window.

Record Toolbar

On the Record page the Record Toolbar is just below the Transport toolbar:

Record Counter

This shows the elapsed recording time of the current take (NOT the total time of the
recording). When in record this counter will be red in color. If you stop the transport
it will hold the time length of the last recording. If you then restart recording, the
counter will be reset before continuing.

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Discard Last Take

This button will remove ONLY the last recorded take. There is no history to this,
once the last take has been removed, NO previous takes can be removed. Removal
of the last take is destructive and cannot be undone.

X-Run counter

This counter shows the number of X-Runs that have occurred during the current
take. An X-Run indicates that new audio samples have arrived prior to the previous
ones being grabbed from the input buffers and saved to the recording. When this
happens you may hear a click in the recording. Normally this counter should read
“0”.

Global Track Arming

These are speed buttons providing one-click arm or disarm of all tracks.

Monitoring Controls

“All In” sets monitoring of all tracks to Input. “All Disk” sets monitoring of all tracks
to Disk. “Auto Input” selects the track input monitoring to follow the state of the
transport.

When the “All In” or “All Disk” buttons are filled in color, it is the same as having
manually set all of the individual track monitoring buttons to that state (with color
fill). As described above, their setting in this mode is hard set and will NOT change
with the state of the transport:

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Auto Input

Auto Input selection is provided to facilitate monitoring when overdubbing.

Auto
Auto-Input
-Input OFF
OFF:

When playing prerecorded tracks, playback will be from disk EXCEPT for any tracks
that are record-armed, these will monitor from the input:

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When placed into Record (via the master record button at the top) monitoring of the
recorded track will remain on Input. This may be useful when adding a new track to
previously recorded tracks:

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Auto
Auto-Input
-Input ON
ON:

This mode is commonly used for overdubbing. When playing prerecorded tracks,
playback will be from disk INCLUDING any tracks that are record-armed, so you can
hear what was recorded before on that track:

When recording on the armed track is engaged, monitoring automatically switches

to Input, so the new material for that track can be heard along with the prerecorded
material:

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Monitoring is a complex topic with many different modes that is explained in detail
in the section Monitoring.

Available Disk Space

This indicator shows how long the current recording, at the current sample rate and
number of tracks, could be if it were to completely fill your hard disk. It is not
recommended to make recordings that long.

Reset Peak Hold

This button will reset the peak hold indicators on all track meters at once.
Remember that individual track peak holds can be reset by double-clicking in the
meter area of that track.

Basic Recording
Recording involves the following steps:

• arm the individual tracks to be recorded

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• set track monitoring as desired

• click on the master record button in the transport toolbar. The record button
will flash until the transport is started:

• press the Play button to start recording:

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Basic Overdubbing
Overdubbing involves the following steps:

• arm the individual tracks to be recorded

• typically, set track monitoring to “Auto-Input” and “Disk”
• set the transport in Play
• listen to the playback up until the point where recording the new material is to
begin
• click the master record button at the top to start recording at the desired
point. If “Auto-Input” is selected monitoring of the armed tracks will
automatically switch to “Input” so you can hear the new material along with
the prerecorded material.

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5.1.1. Recording Takes with Playlists

Using Playlists as ‘Takes’
When you are recording yourself or a band with live instruments and vocals, it is
common to record multiple attempts or takes, and then sort through these takes to
find the best parts.

One option for recording multiple takes is to record over each track repeatedly.
Mixbus supports this by recording each successive take in a layer. However, editing
these layers together can be tricky … especially when you are recording multiple
tracks, and each track has its own stack of layers.

Another option is to use Playlists to record your takes. Playlists have some benefits
over layers for this task:

• playlists maintain their order better than layers: you can’t trivially shuffle the
order like you can with layers
• if you record on multiple tracks at the same time, Mixbus knows to assign
those playlists to a ‘playlist group’ or pgroup
• if you switch a track’s playlist, other tracks with an associated pgroup can
switch to follow

You will be prompted to name each playlist (take) so you can organize them later.

Comping the best takes into a new Playlist

Once you’ve recorded several takes, you can make a new empty playlist for your
tracks (or start from the best one….) and then copy/paste the best phrases from
each take into this Comp take

You can learn more about comping playlists here: “

Playlist actions in the Track menu

The available Playlist actions, and their shortcuts, are listed in the Track menu:

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• Show Playlist Selector : (this option is only available if a Track is selected) –

learn more here: Editing with Playlists

• New Playlists for All T

Tracks
racks : creates a new, empty playlist on all ALL tracks
• New Playlists for R
Rec-Ar
ec-Armed
med T Tracks
racks : creates a new, empty playlist on all all
tracks that are record-armed
• New Playlists for Selected TTracks
racks : same, but for selected tracks

• Copy Playlists for All T

Tracks
racks : copies the existing playlist on ALL tracks, and
assigns a new new name to the playlist
• Copy Playlists for R
Rec-Ar
ec-Armed
med T Tracks
racks : creates a new, empty playlist on all all
tracks that are record-armed
• Copy Playlists for Selected TTracks
racks : same, but for selected tracks

Naming Playlists
Whenever you create a new playlist (either an empty playlist or a copy), you will be
prompted for a name. You can just click ‘Enter’ to accept the default value.

It is also possible to rename a playlist after it is recorded. This action is available in

the track ‘P’ Playlist menu. If you rename a playlist that is part of a playlist-group,
then all of the accompanying playlists on other tracks of the same group will be
likewise renamed, so they stay in sync.

Use playlist names to keep tabs on your best takes (“after lunch”) or parts of takes

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(“great guitar in 2nd chorus!”)

Record Window ‘Playlist’ buttons

The Record window has dedicated buttons for the most common playlist tasks:

• New Playlists for All T

Tracks
racks : This is a good option if you want to completely
empty the track timeline, but keep the existing material as a backup. (you’re
not actually deleting the prior material, just stashing it away so you can return
to it later)

• New Playlists for R

Rec-Ar
ec-Armed
med : This is a good option if you want to clear the
timeline on the tracks you are recording, but some tracks (like a midi drummer
or backing track) should remain unchanged.

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5.2. Audio Tracks

What is a track? How do I create one?
A track is the fundamental building-block of a Mixbus session. You can create new
tracks by creating empty tracks ( using the New Track/Bus dialog ) or by Importing
existing audio files as new tracks. Mixbus supports audio tracks and MIDI tracks.
The track type (audio or MIDI) defines what kind of data you will see in the editor.

What is an Audio Track?

An audio track is a series of audio regions, sequenced in a Playlist, that receive the
same channel processing (the eq, compressor, plugins, panning, bussing, etc )

Each audio rregion

egion (sometimes called “clip”) is representative of an audio file on
disk. The region might represent only a small part of the audio file, because you can
edit the region non-destructively: this means that whatever you do to the audio
region in Mixbus, it doesn’t actually change the audio in the file.

You can record new audio into an audio track at any time. Because Mixbus is non-
destructive, the previous audio on the track will be preserved, so you can always
revert to the previous recording if you want to.

How do I edit an audio track?

The track’s Playlist defines the order of audio regions (files), as well as properties
such as their mute state, volume levels, fade in/out, etc. So when you are editing a
track with the editing tools, you are actually editing a Playlist. The various editing
tools and features are described in the Editing chapters:

• Object (Region) Editing

• Range Editing

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5.3. Monitoring
Monitoring

“Monitoring” is the process of hearing the prerecorded tracks (and/or hearing

yourself) while the transport is playing. There are several options that control how
Mixbus will monitor the inputs of each track.

When the Switcher is displayed, as shown in the picture below, you’ll find selection
buttons for “In”, and “Disk” at the top of each channel:

If the “In” button is selected as in the leftmost channel above, then the input to the
track will be heard. If the “Disk” button is selected as in the second channel, then
you will only hear the playback of the track. If neither button is selected, then
Mixbus will use automatic monitoring to switch between In and Disk. Automatic
monitoring is represented with an outline around the currently-selected option.

Monitoring preferences
Mixbus has 2 global preferences that control automatic monitoring. You select the
mode with the pulldown tab in Preferences->Monitoring:

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* Recor
ecord
d Monitoring Handled by by:: Audio Har
Hardwar
dware
e This option is best used with
audio interfaces that have the ability to monitor the inputs to the interface.
Some interfaces come with a software application to control this while others
may have a knob or button on the interface to allow direct monitoring. Other
interfaces may need to be configured using the operating system’s volume
control application. In this case Mixbus will never automatically monitor the
input, because you are going to use your hardware device to hear yourself. When
Hardware monitoring is available, it is generally a better option because it
provides lower-latency monitoring. However it does not allow you to hear the
effect of Mixbus’s processing or plugins, because you are bypassing the
computer in your monitor path.

* Recor
ecord
d Monitoring Handled byby:: Mixbus This setting is also known as “software
monitoring”. With this setting, when Mixbus is recording audio it will route the
inputs of the record-enabled tracks through the tracks instead of playing back
the previously recorded audio. This is best used on systems that work well with
very low buffer sizes (128 at 44 or 48 kHz or 256 at 96 kHz). Very small buffer

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sizes are used to minimize the monitoring latency.

Automatic monitoring is also affected by the “Auto Input” mode, which is found in
the Transport menu. “Auto Input” is enabled by default. When Auto-input is enabled,
then Mixbus will monitor record-armed tracks any time that you are aren’t playing.

Auto Input
Auto Input changes the behavior of the monitoring system in the case where (a) the
transport is rolling and (b) the master rec-arm is enabled. If Auto Input is disabled,
then you will hear the Input being monitored whenever a track is armed, even if you
aren’t actually recording. If Auto Input is enabled, then you will hear playback when
the transport is rolling, and the tracks will only switch to Input when the master-
record arm is engaged (so you are actually recording). Auto Input is most useful
when you are “punching in” on an existing track … you want to hear playback up
until you actually “punch in”, and then you want to hear yourself only.

Auto Input Does Talkback

Finally, there is an option to enable “Auto Input does Talkback”. If “Auto Input does
Talkback” mode is enabled, then Mixbus will monitor the input of all tracks, even
unarmed ones, during stop. In a multi-room setup, this feature allows easier setup
of your instrument or communication among members of a band, because all the
live mics are passed through to the master bus output so everyone can hear
themselves through the monitoring system (which might consist of foldback buses).
This option only takes effect when Auto Input is enabled in the Transport menu.

* Note: in versions prior to v6, the option was called “Tape Machine Mode” and it
had the reverse effect as “Auto Input does Talkback”. The option was changed to
(hopefully) make it less ambiguous, and to change the default value so that Auto
Input does not monitor all tracks, only the rec-armed ones.

Mixbus Monitoring Modes Chart

The following chart shows how the monitoring interacts with various settings in
Mixbus.

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Monitor Is The T
Track
rack R
Rec
ec Is The Master R
Rec
ec Auto Input Transport
Meter Monitor
Mode Enabled? Enable On? Status Mode

Track Track
Normal No No On Stop
(silence) (silence)

Track Track
Normal No No Off Stop
(silence) (silence)

Track Track
Normal No No On Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Track Track
Normal No No Off Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Track Track
Normal No Yes On Stop
(silence) (silence)

Track Track
Normal No Yes Off Stop
(silence) (silence)

Track Track
Normal No Yes On Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Track Track
Normal No Yes Off Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Normal Yes No On Stop Input Input

Normal Yes No Off Stop Input Input

Track
Normal Yes No On Play Input
(Audio)

Normal Yes No Off Play Input Input

Normal Yes Yes On Stop Input Input

Normal Yes Yes Off Stop Input Input

Normal Yes Yes On Play Input Input

Normal Yes Yes Off Play Input Input

Talkback No No On Stop Input Input

Track Track
Talkback No No Off Stop
(silence) (silence)

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Track Track
Talkback No No On Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Track Track
Talkback No No Off Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Talkback No Yes On Stop Input Input

Track Track
Talkback No Yes Off Stop
(silence) (silence)

Track Track
Talkback No Yes On Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Track Track
Talkback No Yes Off Play
(Audio) (Audio)

Talkback Yes No On Stop Input Input

Talkback Yes No Off Stop Input Input

Track
Talkback Yes No On Play Input
(Audio)

Talkback Yes No Off Play Input Input

Talkback Yes Yes On Stop Input Input

Talkback Yes Yes Off Stop Input Input

Talkback Yes Yes On Play Input Input

Talkback Yes Yes Off Play Input Input

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5.4. The Click (Metronome)

The Metronome (or click) can be activated by toggling the Metronome button in the
upper left of the edit window, or the associated keybinding.

Enabling this function allows Mixbus to generate a click that musicians can play
along to. If a song is recorded to the “click” then editing can be eased with “snap”
settings that automatically select snap to measures, beats, or subdivisions of a
beat. ( see Editing with the Grid 5.5. Punch Recording >> for more details )

Once enabled, a click sound will be produced when the transport is engaged. An
audible click with an emphasis will be produced at the first downbeat of every bar.

* If you are recording to the click, you should take care to set the tempo for the
song before you start.

Right clicking on the metronome button is a shortcut to open the Preferences dialog
box, where more Click settings can be found including the specific sound and
volume of the click.

Mouse-wheel (or vertical scroll, on a touch-pad) on the Metronome button as a

shortcut to adjust the click’s level.

* An audio file can be substituted for the default click sound.

By default, the metronome connects itself to the first 2 soundcard outputs, or into
the Monitor if you are using a monitor section.

Sometimes (particularly if you switch the “monitor” section on and off), the
metronome will lose its connection. To re-connect it, open Window->Audio
Connections and restore the connection from the metronome to your speaker
outputs, like this:

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5.5. Punch Recording

What is Punch Recording?
Punch Recording (sometimes called “Auto Punch”) is a method to let Mixbus
automatically initiate recording during a part of the timeline.

A common usage of punch recording is the case of a person recording themselves,

during an instrumental solo. The player would like to hear the audio playback up to
the punch point, and then have Mixbus begin recording automatically when the solo
section is reached.

How do I punch-record?

To enable punch recording, you must define a punch-range and enable the Punch In/
Out buttons:

1. Pre select a time-range to record (example: the guitar solo) by dragging the
mouse in Range mode.

2. Enable the punch markers by right clicking in the range and selecting “Set punch
from selection” or by pressing the { key on your keyboard

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notice the punch markers have been added.

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3. Enable the Punch In/Out buttons in the transport toolbar. (If you don’t see these,
you can enable them in Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar

4. Move the playhead before the punch point and press Shift+Spacebar to start
recording. As the transport rolls, recording will only occur as the playhead rolls over
the defined area protecting existing audio before and after the range.

• If the “In” button is enabled, then Mixbus will initiate the transport Record-arm
when the punch range is entered.
• If the “Out” button is enabled, then Mixbus will stop recording when the punch
range is exited.

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* It is a good idea to set your “punch” points slightly before and after the desired
range; this way you will capture slightly more audio in case you start playing
slightly early or late. You can trim the region(s) later.

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5.6. Pre-Roll Recording

What is Pre-Roll Or Count-In Recording?
These recording modes allow the user to hear some prior material, or a count-in,
before recording is initiated.

* Another benefit of recording with pre-roll is that Mixbus is actually capturing your
signal during the count-in period. So if you start to record slightly early, you can
advance the region’s start time until your full performance is revealed.

How do I Record with Pre-Roll?

Record-with-preroll is an action that may be triggered from the Transport menu or
by using the < shortcut.

* You can adjust the Pre-Roll time in Preferences->Transport. You can set the pre-
roll time in either Seconds, or Bars (Measures)

When this action is initiated with the playhead at location “A”, Mixbus will rewind
the specified preroll amount, and play through it, before reaching the playhead
location “A” where recording is to begin. The resulting region will start at “A”, but
you can trim the region back to expose more of the recording, if needed.

How do I Record with Count-In?

Recor
ecorddWWith
ith Count-In is very similar to record-with-preroll, but there are 2
differences:

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• You hear only the metronome click before recording starts, you don’t hear the
previous material
• The tempo of the metronome is that of the recording start-point, not the prior
material

Use Recor
ecorddWWith
ith Count-In if you want to record at the very start of the session, so
you can hear a count-in before the music starts. Alternatively, you can use record-
with-count-in if you don’t want to hear the prior material and you want to “punch-
in” after a countoff of the previous tempo

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5.7. Recording with Varispeed

Varispeed is a traditional tape effect/technique where the tape speed was sped-up
or slowed-down for the recording, compared to the regular Play speed. Because you
recorded at a different speed, the resulting playback of that track would be slightly
or dramatically detuned from the other tracks.

Varispeed recording is most-often used for one of these 2 tasks:

• Slow down a recording by one or two semitones, and play along at the lower
pitch to master a tricky solo, or retune a song to match a singer’s range.
• Change the recording by a few cents and detune your guitar to match: now
record a shimmering doubled guitar without having to use a different guitar for
each pass.

The main controls for Varispeed is the “VS” button in the Transport area, and the
resulting Varispeed dialog:

The “VS” button blinks red when varispeed is operational. Clicking the button, or
closing the dialog, will disable the varispeed setting. (the last-used setting is
remembered so you can revert to regular playback for auditioning, then re-enable
varispeed for additional recording passes)

Watch this video to see how varispeed might be used artistically:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LN9lr8tCeY?rel=0&autoplay=1&start=186&end=390

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6. Editing
In Mixbus, audio and MIDI data is presented as “regions” on a timeline. All editing
operations apply to the regions. Some of the things you can do to a region: move it,
trim the start/end, set the fade-in/out length, and adjust the gain. Additionally there
are many, many ways that you can manipulate those simple features of a region to
accomplish your task:

• Using editing tools

tools, like the “Range” tool: A “range” is a selection on the
timeline that can span over multiple regions, and make cuts or moves as if
they were a continuous piece of audio.
• Using editing modes
modes, like Ripple mode: if you make a deletion or insertion
using Ripple mode, then the later regions (to the right) will respond to your
moves so you don’t have to re-shuffle them if you make cuts earlier in the
session.
• Using the Edit PPoint
oint: You can choose to make edits on the location of the
playhead (“what you hear”) versus the mouse (“what you point at”).
Sometimes it makes more sense to edit with one point, and sometimes it
makes more sense to edit with the other. Learning when to use each mode is
an important skill to develop.
• Using the Grid
Grid: You can use the “Grid” to limit your edits so they only happen
on musical times (such as measure, or quarter notes)

Combining these techniques gives you a nearly limitless opportunity to work with
regions on the timeline. Like the tools and modes of a drawing application, you
have to learn the combinations of the tools to get your work done most efficiently.

* UNDO: with all of these ways to edit, it is unavoidable that you will make
mistakes. Mixbus provides an “undo” feature that allows you to revert your
changes. Perhaps more interestingly, Mixbus supports persistent undo. Each time
you save your editing session, the “undo” information is saved alongside the
session in a separate file. Upon reopening the session, you can still “undo” the
edits that happened prior to your closing it. The main session file, and each of
the snapshot files in the session folder, have their own persistent undo storage
file.

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6.1. Edit Window Overview

Basic Editing Concepts

Users familiar with other DAW conventions will quickly adapt to the recording and
editing features of Mixbus.

* LOGIC users: you will notice that dragging a region to the blank area below the
editor tracks will automatically create a new track for the region. This is a quick
way to separate out a region and make a new track for it.

Track Management

On the far left of the edit window, the Editor Mix

Mixer
er can be displayed via
Menu>View>Show Editor Mixer. The Editor Mixer is a single mixer channel strip that
“follows” the selected track. To see all of the mixer strips for the tracks and buses
on one window, show the Mix Mixer
er window. Alt+M ( or Ctrl+M for Mac ) toggles
between the Mixer and the Editor windows. Located near the top of the mixer strip
is an Input button for selection of the physical input that feeds the track. For
example if you have 8 tracks but only a 2 input sound card, you must route the
inputs to the tracks as-needed.

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The right side of the screen is a pull-out window which accommodates several
different functions. Most panels have a right-click context menu for additional
features:

• Tracks/Buses – drag & drop to reor

eorder
der tracks
tracks, or click to show/hide them.
• Regions – shows all of the recorded or imported regions. Drag & drop from here
into the editor.
• Snapshots – Click a snapshot to recall all of the settings in the snapshot.
• Edit Groups – Click the +/- buttons to create edit gr
groups
oups, and enable them.

* Note: Normally “snapshots” are used as backup states. You store the snapshot
and continue working on the main session. Future “save” operations will apply to
the selected session, not the snapshots. If you prefer that future “save”
operations go into the newly-created snapshot, then you will want to invoke the
“Save As” command.

* Tip: You can also select tracks in the editor and use the “Move tracks Up/Down”
command from the track menu.

Using Tracks

To the left of the editing canvas are the track headers.

You can select or deselect a track by clicking on the empty area. You may shift-click
to select a range of tracks, or Ctrl/Cmd-click to select and deselect individual
tracks. Right-clicking the empty track area will open the track conte
contextxt menu
menu.

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Certain functions such as mute, solo, and record-arm can be applied to ALL tracks
simultaneously by Ctrl-Alt-Shift-clicking (Cmd-Opt- Shift-click). You can manipulate
multiple tracks at once by selecting them and then using operations from the
“Track” menu in the main application. Hovering the mouse near the bottom of the
header causes 2 horizontal lines to appear allowing the track to be resized
vertically.

The “P” key on each track allows selection of the track’s playlist. Playlists can be
used to enable multiple takes in a single track, or the sharing of playlist data across
multiple tracks. Some users create a new playlist for each recording “take” while
others use Layers to manage takes.

Tracks also support automation of the fader, panner, and other processing
parameters including those of plug-ins. The “A” button in each track opens the
automation menu which allows editing of automation data. Each parameter has
multiple dynamic automation states: Manual, Play, Write, and Touch. These control
whether dynamic automation will play back or be recorded while playing.
Automation lines can be created and edited with the Draw Mode (green box in the
image below).

You may also select a Range of automation for deletion, or to raise/lower the
selected range.

Groups

Tracks may be assigned to “edit groups” using the G button. When tracks are
assigned to an edit group, and the regions align exactly on the start and end times,
then all changes to one track will be applied to all other tracks in the edit group,
regardless of whether the grouped tracks and regions are selected for editing. This
is very convenient for editing multitracked instruments. Another convenience is
that some playlist operations (such as “New”) will apply across the edit group. Edit
groups are created and enabled in the Mixer List to the right of the screen. To
enable the Mixer List go to menu>View>Toggle Mixer List See more on Groups here.

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* Note: In addition to edit groups, you can create mix groups from the mixer
window. Mix groups allow the same sort of features as edit groups, but they
apply to mixing functions such as fader, mute, solo and record-arm. This is
another convenient feature for multitracked instruments.

* Tip: Holding “Shift” will temporarily override a mix group assignment for the
fader and mute. For example, if you have 2 tracks in a mix group, the faders will
move together if you move one. But if you would like to move a single fader
without disabling the mix group, you can hold “Shift” while you move the fader,
and it will not cause the other grouped fader(s) to move.

Recording, Loops and Punch Ranges

Above the recording tracks is the “ruler bar

bar”” area (highlighted by the yellow box in
the image below).

Left-click anywhere in the ruler bars to locate the playhead. You can also locate the
playhead to the current mouse location with the “p” key. Right-clicking in each of
the “ruler bar” areas will allow you to create location markers (cue points), CD
markers, tempo markers, or meter markers. Clicking and dragging in the “range” or
“loop punch” ruler bars will allow you to define song ranges, loop ranges
ranges, or punch
in/out ranges
ranges. Right-clicking on the ruler bar names will allow you to show or hide
the various rulers.

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Navigating in the Editor window: Zooming and Panning

The area of the editor where the regions is shown is called the “canvas”. There are
several ways to navigate (pan and zoom) the editor canvas.

Go to Menu>View>Zoom Focus to select the zoom focus

focus. The “zoom focus” affects
the operation of the zoom buttons and the zoom key commands by changing the
focal point for the zoom.

Zoom focus can be one of:

• Left: Zoom focus is the left side of the summary view gray box.
• Right: Zoom focus is the right side of the summary view gray box.
• Center: Zoom focus is the center of the summary view gray box.
• Playhead: Zoom operations will center on the playhead.
• Mouse: Zoom operations will center on the mouse position (only makes sense
when using the zoom keyboard commands; when buttons are clicked the
Playhead is used as zoom focus).
• Edit Point: When the Playhead is the Edit Point, it is used for zoom focus.

In addition, there are several scroll-wheel commands that can be used to navigate
the editor canvas:

• Scroll: Scrolls vertically.

• Shift+scroll: Pan the editor canvas left/right.
• Ctrl/Cmd+scroll: Increase/decrease the zoom (note: this always uses the
Mouse as zoom focus).
• Alt/Ctrl+scroll: Increase/decrease the height of the track that is currently under
the mouse.

The Transport Menu and Toolbar

Many items in the Transport Menu and Toolbar are self-explanatory. For more details
click here

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6.1.1. The Editor List

Track and Bus Management in the Editor

To the rightmost side of the editor window you can display the Editor List
(Menu>View>Show Editor List).

On the right side of the Editor List there are several tabs. The tabs that may be
selected are:

- Tracks & Buses

- Sources
- Regions
- Clips
- Arrangement
- Snapshots
- Track & Bus Groups
- Ranges & Marks

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6.1.1.1. Tracks & Buses Tab

Selecting the “Tracks & Busses” tab will show the status of all of the tracks and
buses in use. The Tracks/Buses tab is used to manage tracks. You can click on the
checkboxes to hide/show tracks, and you can drag/drop the tracks to change their
order.

Features of the “Tracks & Busses” tab

• Name: Clicking on name will show that track/bus at the top of the Edit Canvas.
Double click to rename the track/bus
• V: Toggles the track or bus to Visible/Invisible in the edit canvas
• A: Toggles the track/bus to Active/Inactive
• I: MIDI input Enable/Disable
• R: Rec enabled button/indicator

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• RS: Record/Safe button/indicator

• M: Mute button/indicator
• S: Solo button/indicator
• SI: Solo Isolate button/indicator
• SS: Solo Safe Lock/Unlock

Tracks/busses can be reordered by clicking while dragging the track to the desired
location.

* Right clicking anywhere within the tab displayed calls up a context menu. “Show
Tracks With Regions Under Playhead” is a method which allows the users to
quickly maximize the editing canvas space.

A right-click menu provides these options:

• Hide/Show all.
• Hide/Show all tracks.
• Hide/show all buses.
• Hide/show all MIDI tracks
• Show tracks with regions under playhead (only shows the tracks that have
active audio regions right now).

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Double-click on a track to jump the editor to show that track.

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6.1.1.2. Sources Tab

The “Sources” tab shows the file sources used by the session, and whether they are
used in the current snapshot or not.

You can click on the sources in the list to select an entire track (or set of tracks).
The example below shows the bass track highlighted.

* Right clicking anywhere within the tab displayed calls up a context menu. On this
tab this displays the source removal control.

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6.1.1.3. Regions Tab

This shows the audio regions that have been recorded or imported into the session.
The full-length audio file is shown and the underlying “regions” are the different
excerpts from it. You can grab a file, or a region excerpt, and drag it into the
timeline.

Pointing at a file shows the path to the file on your disk(s)

Right-click on a region entry to:

• audition (simply plays the wave file, outside of any context in the mix)
• hide
• Import a new file to the list (see: Import)
• Delete any regions that aren’t used in your session (see: cleanup)

For convenience, the table shows you the region’s start time, length. In the current
version, these properties cannot be modified.

It also shows properties such as muted, locked, etc. (see Object Editing) which CAN
be modified.

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* Right clicking anywhere within the tab displayed calls up a context menu.
Various controls such as layering and gain controls are presented.

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6.1.1.4. Clips Tab

The Clips tab is identical to the Clip List on the Cue Page

Clips dragged to the editor timeline do not automatically loop or stretch to meet the
session’s timeline. They will appear as normal audio or MIDI regions on the timeline.

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6.1.1.5. Arrangement Tab

The Arrangement tab is used to quicky re-arrange your song arrangement (typically
Verse and Chorus sections).

Before a section can appear in the Arrangement tab, it must be assigned an

Arrangement Marker in the Arrangement Ruler:

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6.1.1.6. Snapshots Tab

The snapshot list:
A “snapshot” is a complete recall all of the track, region, mixer strip, and plug-in
information.

All of the snapshots share the same session audio data; this means you can have
multiple “snapshots” ( i.e. songs, mixes, or remixes ) without recreating copies of
all the audio data.

Double-click a snapshot to select the snapshot.

The current snapshot is highlighted, to show which snapshot file you are currently
editing. (this is the file that gets overwritten when you choose “Save” from the
main menu)

Snapshots are also accessible in the New Session Dialog, when launching Mixbus.
See “Starting a Session”

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6.1.1.7. Track & Bus Groups

Track & Bus Groups
This tab allows you to see all your groups and change the state of each one
including their visibility, On/Off Status, Selection etc

Click on the groups color to bring up the Color Selection window

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6.1.1.8. Ranges and Marks Tab

The R
Ranges
anges & Marks tab summarizes 3 editor functions:

- Loop/Punch ranges: time ranges where looping or punch-in recording are active
- Markers: times where a marker has been placed
- Ranges: time ranges that have been defined in the editor

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6.1.2. Track Headers

The “Track Header” provides quick access to key functions

Red Dot
Dot: record-arm
M: Mute Button
S: Solo Button
P: Playlist Button : see Editing with Playlists
A: Automation Button : see Automation
G: Group Selection Button : see Groups

The horizontal slider servers as a fader.

Right Clicking in the track header pulls up a context menu.

Selected tracks can be muted, solo’ed, record-armed or gain-adjusted directly from

the keyboard.

Track Height
The waveform displayed in the editor canvas area can be made to appear larger or
smaller by simply hovering the cursor near the bottom of the track header. A double
arrow and 2 lines will appear, at this point click and drag the cursor downward to
increase the size, or click and drag upwards to decrease the size. You can perform
this action to multiple tracks at one time by shift clicking a range of tracks or ctrl
clicking for discontiguous selection.

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Alternatively the menu item Track>Height will provide additional methods.

* This action has no effect on the gain of the track, it is simply a visual aid.

For additional information about track size and zoom, click here

For additional information about track reordering, naming, or selecting, click here

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6.2. Auditioning
Before you can edit, you must be able to hear what you are editing. Mixbus
supports 2 different kinds of auditioning:

Auditioning a raw sound file or region with the “Auditioner

Path”:
Mixbus provides a secondary audio path called the “Auditioner”. Whenever the
Auditioner path is in use, the “Audition” button will blink in the top of the Editor.

Typically, you will audition files through the Import dialog. On the right side of the
dialog, you will find a fader and meter that control the level of the auditioned file.

You can also audition regions that are shown in the editor by right-clicking on the
regions and choosing “audition”. This will start playback from the beginning of the
region. You may also audition the regions in the region list, to the right of the editor

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window. This is useful if you have a list of often-used soundfx imported to the
session already.

By default, the “auditioner” path is routed directly the first 2 outputs of your
soundcard. You can choose a different destination for the auditioner path.

If you have a “monitor” bus enabled, then the auditioner will feed the monitor bus
automatically.

* MIDI files, of course, must be rendered to audio before they can be auditioned.
You can set the default MIDI-file renderer (for auditioning) in Preferences->MIDI.

Auditioning a sound in-place with the “Audition Action” in

the editor:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VAEx2MPPCX8?rel=0

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6.3. Regions and Ranges

Editing in Mixbus is based on two closely related but different ways to select audio
in the Editor window: the “Region” and the “Range”.

Regions

A Region is also commonly called a “clip”. It is a piece of an audio track spanning a

defined period of time. A track can comprise one Region, or a track can be
composed of multiple Regions. A Region can be edited and manipulated in many
different ways, which will be presented in the next topic of this manual. Regions can
be created by recording a track, importing a file, pasting a selection into an existing
track, separating part of a track into a new region, or drawing a new MIDI region.

This picture shows that one track in this session is comprised of 3 Regions. The
middle Region in this track is highlighted in red. The other tracks in this session are
comprised of only one Region.

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Ranges

A Range is a selection of one or more audio tracks spanning a defined period on the
timeline. A Range can also be edited and manipulated in many different ways. The
track selections within a range can contain portions of or entire Regions of a track.

This picture shows a Range selecting a time slice of several tracks. As most of the
tracks are made of only one Region, the Range is selecting only part of their Region.
However note that as in the previous picture the keys track has 3 regions. The
Range selection is selecting the entire second Region, but only part of the track’s
first and 3rd Regions (which in this case extends to the end marker of the session).

Separating a Region Out of an Existing Track

Let’s say you need to tweak part of an existing track without affecting the other
parts of the track. To separate out a new Region on a section of an existing track
(which may itself have one or several regions), first select the Range tool (or click
the keyboard shortcut ‘R’):

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Next, use the range tool (by left-click and drag) to select the desired timespan on
the track that will be made into a new region:

Hover the cursor over the highlighted timespan and right click, then choose
“Separate” (or click the keyboard shortcut ‘S’):

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The selected timespan will now be in a separate Region from the rest of the track.
This Region can be edited and manipulated separately from the rest of the track, for
example fading it in and out at its boundaries, giving it a different gain scaling from
the rest of the track, and numerous other options.

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6.4. Object (Region) Editing

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aFWfLfrn_vU?rel=0

Click above for video instructions.

Object (Region) Editing

The basic element of audio editing in Mixbus is the Region. Another common name
for a Region is a “clip”. A region represents an audio file (or a portion of an audio
file) on disk. Regions can be moved, stacked, trimmed, copied, deleted, and
otherwise edited. The maximum length of a region is the length of the file that it
uses as a source, but it can be much shorter. A region might represent just a small
segment (such as one syllable or drum hit) from the source file. Editing or deleting
a Region does not change the source file in any way. This is called non-destructive
editing. Audio regions can only exist on audio tracks. You cannot drop an audio
region onto an audio bus, or a MIDI track. Similarly, a MIDI track can only hold MIDI
regions.

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* The fastest way to learn about region actions is to right-click on a region. This
will provide a list of operations that you can apply to the selected region(s). The
items in the Region menu (in the main application menu) may also be applied to
any selected regions. If you don’t have any regions selected, then most of the
items in the Region menu will be disabled.

Regions have several “hot spots” that can be modified using the left mouse button
when in Object or Smart-Object mode. Object edits follow the Grid selection, so
operations will snap to the nearest Grid location if it is turned on.

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Move Click in the wavefor

waveformm ar
area
ea to drag the rregion
egion in time or acr
across
oss tracks.

Start/End Near the start/end of a rregion,

egion, the mouse will change to a “trim” tool, allowing you to
Trim trim the start/end of the rregion.
egion.

Fade In/
Grab the handle in the top cor
corner
ner on either end to change the rregion’s
egion’s fade.
Out

Fade Grab the handle in the lower cor

corner
ner to lengthen or shorten the rregion’s
egion’s fade time,
Length while leaving the endpoint of the fade fix
fixed.
ed.

* Tip: When you move/drag a range, it becomes visibly transparent. This allows
you to see the regions underneath. This sometimes helps if you are recording an
overdub or replacing one drum sound with another.

* Tip: You can select multiple regions at the same time using Ctrl/Cmd-click or
selecting them with a rubberband box. Regions selected this way will edit
together: you can move, trim, or fade them all at the same time.

* Tip: Combining the Trim, Fade In/Out, and Fade Length, you have complete
control when assembling a crossfade between two regions. With these operations
you can find the perfect location and length of a crossfade with a minimum of
effort.

Additional mouse commands on regions include:

Drag the rregion,

egion, over
overriding
riding the edit mode. If the mode is Slide, then the rregion
egion
Middle-click will be lock
locked
ed in time and will only move up/down acr
across
oss tracks. If the edit mode
drag is L
Lock,
ock, then this will over
override
ride the lock and allow the rregion
egion to slide side-to
side-to-side
-side
in time

Ctrl-click drag Drag the rregion,

egion, while making a copy

Ctrl/Cmd-lef
Ctrl/Cmd-left-
t-
egion Slide the contents of the audio file inside the rregion,
click on rregion egion, leaving the rregion
egion
start/end (slip start and end times intact
edit)

right-click
Open the R
Region
egion Conte
Context
xt menu (see below)
anywher
anywheree in a

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region

right-click in
the cr
crossfade
ossfade Change the shape of the fade in/out
ar
area
ea

For more keyboard shortcuts view Keyboard Shortcuts

* Note: For many region operations, you don’t have to actually select the region.
Just hover the mouse over the region, and use the shortcut key. The shortcut
keys are listed in the Region menu. This is a fast way to mute/unmute regions in
a session, for example.

Region Layers

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iLmHPtUiU5Y?rel=0

Regions may be stacked on the same location in the timeline. This is called
“layering”. Normally only the top region is heard; it covers the audio regions below

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it. However there are cases where the region below can be heard. One example is
the top region’s fade-in or fade-out. Region fades operate as crossfades. If a region
is stacked on top of another region, then the region underneath will audibly “fade
out”, while the topmost region “fades in” across the length of the crossfade. The
second way to hear a region below the topmost region is if the topmost region is
not *opaque *(the Opaque flag can be turned off in the Region menu and/or the
right-click Region context menu).

Region layering can be changed on-the-fly by the user. Try right-clicking on a region
to change its layering. Layering is one way to manage multiple “takes” of a
performance. Each time a track is recorded, a new region is written onto the
topmost layer. But the layers underneath still exist. There are global options that
define the default behavior of crossfades and layers. While the defaults are suitable
for most users, understanding these options can be very important for advanced
users (see Crossfade and Layer Modes in Section 26.0 Mixbus Options).

You can see the stacked “takes” by right-clicking on a track header and choosing
Layers->Stacked.

Mixbus can create a loop and record stacked takes. Just define your loop range,
then define a “punch” range inside it, and start rolling. Each successive recording
pass will generate a layer on top of the previously recorded regions.

Audio region fades

Every Audio Region has a fade-in and fade-out. By default, the region fade is very
short, and serves to de-click the transitions at the start and end of the region. By
adjusting the region’s fade length, a more gradual transition can be accomplished.
Important: In Mixbus, each region’s fade is a crossfade with the audio below it. In
other words, if the beginning of a region overlays a region(s) below it, you will hear
a gradual fade from the underlying region(s), and a fade-in of the topmost region.

You may right-click on a region’s fade-in or fade-out to choose the shape of the
fade.

Deactivate
Deactivate: The fade is completely deactivated. The audio in the region will be
heard exactly as-is.
Linear
Linear: Cuts off abruptly at lower levels. Used as a crossfade between 2 audio
regions. The signals are each -6dB attenuated at the midpoint. This is the correct
crossfade to use with highly-correlated signals (such as test tones) for a smooth

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transition. This mode is rarely used on “real” material because you will hear a
distinct dip in the middle of the crossfade.
Constant P Power
ower: Used as a crossfade between 2 audio regions. The signals are each
attenuated -3 dB at the midpoint. This is the correct crossfade to use when you
want to smoothly fade from one sound into another.
Symmetric
Symmetric: This is not mathematically correct like the Equal Power or Linear curves,
but it provides a slower fade-out at low volumes. This is sometimes useful when
editing 2 entire music works together so that the transition is more gradual.
Slow
Slow: Normally used as a region fade-in or fade-out. This curve is similar to
gradually lowering a fader. It starts very gradually but then rapidly fades to silence.
It is well-suited to fading out the end of a song.
Fast
ast: Normally used as a region fade-in or -out. The level is reduced at a constant-
dB rate, so it sounds very smooth.

* While it can be tempting to manipulate the crossfade shape, the location of a

crossfade is far more important than the crossfade shape. Placing a short
crossfade before a loud transient (like the downbeat of the new material) is
generally the best and easiest way to make a crossfade, and the “shape” of the
fade is essentially moot.

* NOTE: MIDI regions do not have have fades

Region Context Menu

The region context menu (launched by right-clicking a region) has many of the
same operations as the main Region menu. The Region context menu always
operates on the single region that was right-clicked on, while the Region menu
operates on all selected tracks. Many items in the Region Menu are self-explanatory.

Region Gain

Every region in Mixbus has a level control (called Region Gain in some menus) that
applies to the whole region. The Region’s level can be modified by the Region
menu, or from the right-click context menu:

• Increase/Decrease Region Gain (Increase is limited to +10 dB)

• Reset Region Gain to Unity
• Normalize (Raises or lowers gain so that the highest value in the region is 0
dBFS, limited to +10 dB max gain)

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The Normalize entry will say “Denormalize” if the region is already normalized. This
will return the region gain to unity.

* Note: If you normalize a region, it will raise the region gain so that the waveform
shown in the region reaches 0 dBFS. If the region is extended to represent more
of the underlying audio file, this audio may reach above 0 dBFS.

* Note: Mixbus has 5 built-in gain stages in a track: Region Gain, Region Envelope,
Input Trim, Fader, and Makeup Gain (when compressor is enabled). Each gain
stage serves an important purpose, and the combination of these stages makes
it easy and fun to mix in Mixbus.

* Tip: Simply point the mouse at the region and use the gain up/down key to
quickly adjust region gain. You can also select multiple regions at once and then
use the region gain key commands to raise or lower all the regions
simultaneously.

Description of Region Properties:

• Mute
• Opaque
• Lock
• Lock to Video: this is set when a video is imported with sound. The resulting
regions have the “video lock” enabled so you can’t accidentally nudge them
out of time with the video. This is separate from the normal region Lock
function. You must disable this lock before you can move the region on the
timeline.

Region Specific Editing Options

In the picture below a particular region (called 10.4) has been selected. Notice that
there are a considerable number of editing options available by right-clicking on the
selected region. “Gain” as discussed above is just one of the available options.
Many of these options are only available by right-clicking directly on the region and
will not be displayed on the “Region” pulldown at the top of the screen, even if a
particular region is selected. The same editing options are made available when
right-clicking on the desired region in the Editor List which is also shown here.
Notice how region 10.4 is highlighted in the Editor List when it is selected on the
waveform.

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In this picture the user has selected the pitch change option.

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Nudging
What is “Nudge”?
Nudge has a lot of meanings.

If there is a selection on the timeline ( like some Regions, Markers or Notes), then
clicking “nudge” will move the selected items.

If there is no selection, then Nudge will move the playhead.

What is the “Nudge Clock”?

How do I nudge?
When a REGION (audio or MIDI) is selected for nudging,

• if Snap is enabled in the editor, then the Grid selection (quantization) is used
for the nudge size
• if Snap is disabled, then the nudge clock value is used.

When a MIDI NOTE is selected for nudging,

• if Snap is enabled in the editor, then the Grid selection (quantization) is used
for the nudge size
• if Snap is disabled, then the nudge clock value is used.

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6.4.1. Region Groups

Region Groups allow you to associate regions with each other. Associated regions
will respond to ‘selection’ together

Implicit region groups: facilitate edits in a track-group

Region-groups are implicitly assigned when you record, import, or paste new
regions to the timeline. You can access these groups by making a track group (like:
Drums). Now, all the ‘takes’ of a recording will be implicitly grouped for you.
Splitting any grouped region(s) will retain their relationship. The associations
between tracks are now much better retained, even if you use overlapping region
layers and crossfades that cause the regions to start & end at different times. The
regions remember which ‘take’ they belong to.

Explicit region groups: connect groups regardless of their track or track-group

affiliation

To explicitly Group regions, you should first select them, and then right-click to
access the context menu, or open the main menu->Region:

By default, you can use the shortcut Cmd+G (Ctrl+G on PC) to “group” your
selected regions. Or use Shift+Cmd+G to ungroup the selected regions.

Explicit region groups can span multiple tracks: if you want your regions to select &
edit together across multiple tracks and track groups, just assign them to a group

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and have your way!

Un-grouping your explicit region groups:

Alternatively, if regions are selecting together and you don’t like it, it you can
explicitly un-group them to break the relationship, even when the track group is
trying to enforce it.

Overriding the region group:

You can momentarily override region groups with the Ctrl/Cmd modifier, if you just
want to grab “one” region.
If the regions are highlighted you will need to press the ESC key to deselect the
regions then hold the Ctrl/Cmd modifier.

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6.5. Editing Tools & Modes

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uwOwtYJDSZ0?rel=0

Click above for video instructions.

Edit Modes

The edit mode selector is to the far left, directly underneath the transport controls.
There are 3 different editing modes when moving regions:

circled in yellow in the image above, you may select:

1. Slide is the normal mode that allows regions to be moved without any
limitations.
2. Lock allows trimming, fades and track shuffling, but does not allow the region

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to be moved in time.
3. In Ripple mode, changes to a region are “rippled” to other regions on that track
in the future. For example, deleting a Range or Region will move the regions
after (to the right of) it, to the left. Thereby closing the gap. Learn more :
Ripple Editing

Editing Tools

The Edit Toolbar allows selection between several different editing tools. Each tool
also has an associated shortcut key, and can be changed via the Edit menu.

Object Tool ( see Region Editing )

The object tool appears as a “pointer finger” icon while hovering over regions. Just
a few of the operations of the Object tool include:

• Click on a region to select it for editing, or drag a region to move it.

• Click inside the colored bar at the bottom of a region to trim the start or end
points.
• Click on a region’s fade-in or fade-out handle to adjust the fade length

* If the “Smart” button is selected, the Object tool will also gain many features of
the Range tool; see “Smart Editing” below for more details.

Range Tool

The Range tool allows the user to select and drag across a range of time. The time-
range can span across multiple tracks and regions, as if the range were a
contiguous piece of audio tape. Tracks that are selected in the current range are
highlighted red in the edit window. You can add or remove tracks to the selection by
clicking with the mouse.

• Drag across a range of time to create a contiguous selection.

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• Grab the edges of the selection to lengthen or shorten each end of the
selection.
• Right-click on the selection to launch a menu that allows looping, bouncing,
exporting, consolidating, or analyzing the selection.
• Use the functions in the Edit menu to cut/copy/paste or otherwise manipulate
the selection.

( see: Range Editing for more details about the Range tool)

* How to “Scrub”: “Scrubbing” is a term used for auditioning a short piece of audio
– perhaps by dragging the cursor over the desired audio. Mixbus doesn’t have a
dedicated “scrub” tool, but you still scrub effectively by starting playback, and
then holding down the “P” shortcut while pointing the mouse where you want to
listen. The “P” shortcut will locate the playhead to wherever you point the
mouse.

Cut (scissor) Tool

The Cut tool allows you to split any region(s) under the cursor.

TimeFX Tool

The TimeFX (“stretch”) tool allows the user to stretch regions to be longer or
shorter, without changing the region’s pitch.

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To use the TimeFX tool, drag on a region to lengthen or shorten the region. This will
launch a dialog:

• Strict Linear: Click this to force Mixbus to use a simple resampling method (not
typically used with musical content).
• Contents: Choose an advanced resampling mode that best matches the sound
of the region.
• Stretch/Shrink: Initiates the stretch operation.

Draw Tool

The Draw tool allows the user to draw midi notes and automation control points.

• Click inside a MIDI region to create a MIDI note event. Drag to set the length of
the note
• Click on a region to create a new gain automation point. For more details, see
“Region Gain and Automation”.
• Click on an automation track to create a new automation control point

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Contents Tool

The Contents tool allows the user to edit the “internal” contents of a region. For
example you can use this tool to select midi notes inside a region and move or
delete them.

• Click and drag inside an audio region to select region gain control points
• Click and drag on a MIDI note to move it
• Click and drag inside a MIDI region to select one or more MIDI events
• Click and drag inside an automation track to select automation control points,
and then move or delete them

“Smart” Editing

When Smart Mode is engaged, the “Object” Mouse mode takes on some of the
features of the Range mode. The top-half of a track operates in range mode
(allowing the user to drag-select a time range on one or multiple tracks). The
bottom-half of the track operates like Object mode, allowing the user to grab a
single region, or rubberband-select a group of regions. Other features of Object
mode (such as trimming regions or adjusting fade lengths) are still possible in this
mode. The cursor will change to show either Range or Object tools when the user
transitions from the top of the track to the bottom of the track. “Smart” mode is
only lighted when the Object (hand) tool is engaged, but the Smart setting is
remembered at all times.

Selection conventions

Selected items ( Regions, Tracks, MIDI Notes, Plug-ins, or Automation Control Points)
will be outlined in RED.

Selection categories ( tracks, plugins, regions) are mutually exclusive. In other

words, you can only have Region(s) or Track(s) selected at one time. For example, if
you have a Region selected, and you select a Track, then the Region will be de-
selected.

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A Range selection implies a single time range selection and one or more Track
selections. Range and Track selections work together, they are not mutually-
exclusive. You can’t have a Range selection without a track. A Range selection
implies that one or more tracks are selected. However you CAN have one or more
Tracks selected without a time range.

This convention makes it clearer, for example, what will be deleted when you click
the “Delete” key.

Pressing the ESC (Escape) key will clear all selections.

Operation Priority

When an editing operation occurs, Mixbus must determine where the operation
applies. This depends on many factors including the type of operation, the location
of the Edit point, the existence of a selected Range, and Track Selections. Most of
the time Mixbus will do exactly what you expect it to. If not, then it might be due to
an unexpected operation priority. See the table below.

Object (R
(Region)
egion) Edit P
Point
oint Range Editing Nudge
Delete F
Functions:
unctions:
Editing F
Functions:
unctions: Functions: Functions: Functions:

Example: Mute,
Example: Delete, Examples: Split, Examples: Examples:
Normalize,
Backspace Trim, Align Separate, Crop, Nudge
Reverse, Transpose

Priority: Priority: Priority:

1. Any 1. Any 1. Any
Selected Selected Selected Priority:
Range, Regions, Regions at 1. Any
2. Any 2. Any the Edit Selected
Selected regions on point, Priority: Regions
Regions, selected 2. Any regions 1. The 2. The
3. The region tracks on selected selected Playhead
directly under the tracks Range (if
under the edit point under the nothing
mouse (even if the edit point else
(even if the regions (even if the selected)
region isn’t aren’t region isn’t
selected), selected) selected),

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IF the Edit
3. A region 3. The region
Point is
directly directly
“Mouse”
under the under the
4. Selected
mouse mouse
Plug-ins
(even if the (even if the
5. Selected
region isn’t region isn’t
MIDI Notes
selected), selected),
6. Selected
IF the Edit IF the Edit
Automation
Point is Point is
Control
“Mouse” “Mouse”
Points

The Edit Point

Functions on regions such as splitting, trimming, and pasting will happen at the
currently defined edit point. The edit point can be the mouse cursor or the
playhead. Mixbus allows you to choose between the two modes on the fly using the
edit point button.

in the above image the Edit Point is set to “mouse”.

The settings for Edit Point are:

• Playhead : Mixbus will use the Playhead position to determine the location of
an edit.
• Mouse : Mixbus will use the Mouse cursor position to determine the location of
an edit.

* Note: In order to use the Mouse edit point, the mouse must be located inside the
editing area. This means you can’t use commands from the “menu”, because
Mixbus doesn’t know where you are trying to apply the edit. So if you want to
use the Mouse as your edit point, you’ll need to learn some of the basic editing
keybindings ( such as “S” for split, and “J”/“K” to trim the start/ends of regions)

* Tip: Another advantage of using the mouse is that Mixbus can guess which track

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you want to edit without having the track explicitly selected. In other words: in
Playhead mode, Mixbus has to know which tracks (or regions) are selected
before it can edit. In Mouse mode, if no tracks or regions are selected, then
Mixbus will assume you want to edit the region you’re currently pointing at. For
these reasons, the Mouse mode can be faster for experienced users.

* Tip: However some users like to edit with their “ears”, and in this case choosing
Playhead as the Edit Point might be the preferred choice. Using Playhead mode,
you can use your ears to start fades, trims, and selections while the playhead is
rolling. Selecting the track(s) that you want to work on means that you can
operate the editor using only the keyboard and your ears, without referring to
the screen at all!

* Tip: In both Mouse and Playhead mode, all of the keybindings work. For example,
the “,”/”.” keybindings can be used to mark the start and end of a range
selection while playing through a section in Playhead mode.

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6.5.1. Grid Tool

The Grid Tool is a special tool that does not affect regions on the timeline directly;
instead, it adjusts the musical grid (ruler lines) to match them to a live performance
of either Audio or MIDI on your timeline.

When the Grid Tool is activated, you’ll notice that the cursor changes to represent 2
different cursor modes. Measure lines can be assigned a tempo; whereas ‘beat’
lines can only tweak the ramp between 2 tempo markers.

• clicking on a measure line where no tempo marker exists, will immediately

create a new tempo marker in the tempo ruler
• dragging on a measure line that already has a tempo marker, will warp the
position of the tempo marker without moving any prior or later tempo markers
• dragging a measure line beyond the ‘last’ tempo marker will set the tempo of
the immediately prior marker, and also continue that tempo through the last
marker
• dragging on a measure line that is between 2 tempo markers will adjust the
prior and middle marker, without moving the position or tempo of later
mark
markers
ers
• dragging a beat line will ‘ramp’ or ‘warp’ the tempo between 2 tempo markers.
This accommodates a band’s natural tendency to speed up or slow down in the
final beats before going into a new section (chorus or breakdown or …)

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* When mapping a performance, you’ll want to start by locating a measure line on

the first beat of the song, and then advance through the song from left to right.
Typically you will only advance one or several measures at a time. It is not
important that the measures or beats land ‘exactly’ on the beat, because you
can go back and fix that later. However it is important that the correct number of
measures or beats are counted-off during the process. If you create a measure
line for 4 bars, but only 3 bars have elapsed in the performance, then it will
require manually deleting or undoing the tempo markers after that change, to fix
it.

Advanced users: if you have multiple songs on a timeline, or some other reason to
require non-contiguous tempo markers, then you should investigate BBT Markers.
BBT Markers will prevent tempo-changes from propagating through the entire
tempo-map.

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6.6. Range Editing

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gWs9TWv91fg?rel=0

Click above for video instructions.

Range editing allows you to select and delete contiguous selections of times, on
multiple tracks, without worrying about the individual regions in the track. Once a
range is selected, the most common operations are:

• Delete everything inside the Range by clicking Delete or Backspace

• Cut or Copy the Range to the paste buffer
• Use the Edit menu to operate on the range
• Right-click on the Range to perform one of many tasks

* The fastest way to learn about Ranges is to create a range on the timeline, and
then right-click on it. This will provide a list of features that you can accomplish
with the selected range. Most of the items in the “Edit” menu are also applicable
to the selected range.

• Play Range : Locates the transport to the start of the range, plays through it,

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and stops at the end.

• Loop Range: Sets loop makers in the ruler bar and loops the range.

• Zoom to Range: Re-sizes the canvas to accommodate the range.

• Spectral Analysis: Performs spectral analysis on the regions within the range.

• Optimize Polarity click here for more

• Move Range Start to Previous Region Boundary, etc: these functions help to fit
the range to the boundaries of nearby regions ( you can also use the Grid for
this task )

• Separate : Splits the Region(s) inside the range, on each of the start/end
boundaries of the Range.

• Select All in Range : Selects all the regions that are touched by the Range
selection. ( Note: there’s also “Edit->Select->Select all within Edit Range”
which only selects the regions completely inside the range)

• Set Loop from Selection : Sets the Loop Start/End markers to match the Range
selection

• Set Punch From Selection : Sets the Punch In/Out markers to match the Range
selection

• Set Session Start/End from Selection : Sets the Session Start/End markers to
match the Range selection

• Add Range Markers : Creates a new “Range Marker”, which is a persistent pair
of start/end markers that can be used to re-select later, name CD track
indexes, or stored as an export range (for example, a song in a multi-song
project, or an excerpt of a song).

• Crop Region to Range : Trims the region start and end points to fit within the
Range

• Fill Range with Region : Using the selected Region in the Region list, this fills
the range with enough copies of that region to fill the range.

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• Consolidate Range : Removes all the region data in the Range, and renders all
the regions into a single region (and audio file). This file incorporates all region
gain setting, region gain automation, and fade in/out settings for the included
regions.

• Bounce Range to Region List : Combines all the selected regions in the range,
and creates a single audio file that will appear in the Region List of the edit
window.

• Export Range… : Launches the Export Dialog with the selected range defined
as the export time

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6.6.1. Section Editing

When copying a ‘section’ of a song (like the chorus, verse, or similar), it is desirable
to operate on the entire timeline. Section Editing provides a way to re-arrange your
timeline including the timeline data like unused playlists, hidden automation lanes,
and markers.

When you make a Region or Range selection (regardless of which tracks you select)
you will see the extents of your selection represented in the topmost time ruler.
This represents the timeline extents that you can Copy or Paste to another part of
the timeline:

New actions in the Edit menu: “Cut/Paste Section” and “Copy/Paste Section” are
now available. Watch the video, below, to learn more!

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_FLOTmCtOQ?rel=0

! in 9.1, the tempo-map is not copied with the timeline edits. A dialog warning
appears if you try to paste to the timeline, when multiple tempo markers exist on
the timeline.

! this feature is under development and will be extended to support 4-point edits
and a persistent ‘section ruler’ that allows reordering by dragging-and-dropping
of named sections.

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6.6.2. Automation Range Editing

Select a range of automation or region-gain, and drag the whole range of control
points up/down.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0&start=135

• Click the “R” key to select the Range tool.

• Sweep a range across a Region, OR on an automation track.
• Click “D” to switch to the Draw tool.
• Click in the selected range, and drag up/down to move the automation line up/
down during that time.

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6.7. Ripple Editing

What is Ripple Editing?
A “Ripple” edit means that any changes you make on the timeline should be
reflected in a change to the regions ‘later’ (to the right) on the timeline.

For example if you delete a cough or ‘ummm’ from a voiceover, you might want the
later regions to move ‘left’ to close the gap that was originally filled with the cough
or ‘ummmm’.

Ripple editing is rarely used in a music project (except perhaps to remove the
pauses between complete songs).

What operations are affected by Ripple?

• If you select a time-range with the Range tool and Delete (or Cut) that range,
then the events to the right will ‘ripple’ leftwards to close the gap
• If you select a Region, dragging the region left or right will ‘ripple move’ the
regions to the right by the same amount

Types of Ripple Editing

When you select “Ripple” in the Edit Mode menu, an additional menu appears which
allows you to select one of 3 options for rippling:

• Selected
Selected: in this mode, the selected tracks will respond to the ripple edit, when
possible
• All
All: in this mode, your Range and Region selections are always applied to ALL
tracks, and any timeline deletions or moves will also be reflected in the ruler
mark
markersers
• Interview
Interview: in this mode, intended for use when 2 or more people are
conducting a chat or interview, you can cut one track without it rippling (for

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example, to remove a cough from one guest). But if you select more than one
track, Mixbus assumes you want to cut out that time on the other tracks as
well. In this mode the ruler markers do not ripple.

Ripple Edit demo

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_Zfrz4B3Zw?rel=0

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6.8. Snap and Grid

What is “Snap” and “Grid”?
Snap will cause mouse drags to jump to the nearest snap setting.
Snap can be set to multiple options: markers, region start/ends, Playhead, and the
Grid. ( those are all enabled by default, but you can change them in Preferences-
>Editor->Snap )

Grid can be enabled, and it will draw lines at selected intervals; which can be
musical, like 16th notes, or can be timecode based ( minutes and seconds ) . You
can leave the Grid enabled, but snap disabled, if you just want to see the lines but
not snap to them.

For example: if the Grid is set to “beats” and Snap-to-grid is enabled, then any
operations such as split, paste, or range-select will happen exactly on a beat,
according to the musical timeline and tempo.

Alternatively, you can leave “Snap” enabled ( so your mouse actions can snap to
Markers, or region edges ) but disable the Grid.

! The grid consist of lines running vertically in the edit canvas. If you zoom too far
out, you might see a coarser grid than you expect. Mixbus tries not to show “too
many” or “too few” grid lines depending on the zoom level. You might find that
items snap in-between the grid lines sometimes. That’s expected behavior. If you
can’t see or snap to the grid you’d like to use, you may have to zoom in or out.

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Snap Options:

General Snap Options:

• Snap Thr
Threshold
eshold (pix
(pixels)
els) (default 25) : when you are within this distance of a
snap-able location, the mouse will jump to the snap-able location.
• Appr
Approoximate Grid/R
Grid/Ruler
uler Granularity (pix
(pixels):
els): in order for grid lines to appear,
there must space between the grid lines. This preference sets the distance
between grid lines.
• Show “snapped cursor ”: when enabled, and you are using the Mouse as Edit
cursor”:
Point, a blue line will appear where the “snap” is going to occur.
• Snap rubberband selection to grid: when you select a “box” with the grab tool,
this determines whether the box edges will Snap, or not.

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• Grid switches to alter

alternate
nate selection for Inter
Internal
nal Edit tools: when you switch
from a regular tool to an “internal editing” tool ( Draw or Edit ), the Grid will
automatically switch modes. In the past, this was used to increase the Grid
precision when drawing MIDI notes. With the current “Scalable Grid”
implementation, this is no longer very useful so it is defaulted “off”.
• Grid mode selection may change ruler visibility
visibility:: This option allows the user to
select whether rulers automatically appear and disappear when changing Grid
selections, as contrary to the next option below “Rulers automatically change
to follow the Grid mode selection”. See the section Transport, Markers, and
Rulers for a refresher of the terminology.
• Rulers automatically change to follow the Grid mode selection: If enabled,
when you select a Grid, the appropriate ruler for that grid will appear.

! If the Grid setting seems to be changing arbitrarily, it’s probably because you are
switching between Region-editing and Content-editing tools. You should disable
the option “Grid switches to alternate selection for Internal Edit tools”

“When Snap is Enabled, Snap To”

It is possible to select multiple “Snap” options simultaneously.

• Playhead: When enabled, and the Edit Point is set to Mouse, then the mouse
can snap to the Playhead location
• Mark
Markers:
ers: When enabled, Mouse Operations will snap to the nearest timeline
location marker
• Region Sync PPoints:
oints: Mouse operations will snap to the nearest region Sync
Points
• Region Start: Mouse drags will snap to the nearest region “start”
• Region End: Mouse drags will snap to the nearest region “end”
• Grid: Mouse operations will snap to the visible grid lines, which correspond to
the selected grid unit.

* To use Region Starts/Ends/Syncs as “Snap to” resolutions, you must have either
• No tracks selected, which allows “Snap to” regions on any track.
• One or more tracks selected, which allows “Snap to” regions on all selected
tracks.

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Grid override:

To temporarily disable the Grid while dragging, hold “ALT” while dragging. ( this
option can be changed in “Preferences->User Interaction”)

Relative Snap:

Sometimes you want a region to move in units of the grid ( eight-notes, quarter-
notes, or whatever ), but you want it to maintain the same offset from the grid. In
this case, hold “Shift+ALT” while dragging, and the region or note will retain it’s
relative offset from the grid. ( this option can be changed in “Preferences->Editor-
>Modifiers” )

Grid Units:

No Grid If this is selected, then no grid will be visible or effective.

Bar Whole bars.

Beats (i.e. quarter Grid units consisting of various note-lengths (quarter-notes, sixteenths,
notes) triplets, etc)

Timecode The timecode duration refers back to the session settings.

MinSec Hours, Minutes, Seconds.

For CD mastering. The CD Frame is the smallest data entity in the Red
CD F
Frames
rames
book standard.

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6.9. Rhythm Ferret Window

The Rhythm Ferret dialog is accessed by right-clicking on a region and selecting
“(Region Name)->Edit->Rhythm Ferret”. This provides a method to quickly “split”
an audio region (or selection of regions) based on events. This can be useful when
separating a recorded performance into its component strikes or notes for further
editing.

• Mode
Mode: Determines whether the Ferret will trigger on percussive onsets for
unpitched percussion instruments, or note onsets (for pitched instruments).
• Thr
Threshold,
eshold, Sensitivity
Sensitivity: adjust these parameters to refine the detection of
events
• Trigger gap
gap: the shortest distance between events that the Ferret will allow.
Increase this number if you get multiple triggers on a single note.
• Analyze
Analyze: displays the results of the analysis on the selected track(s).

Once you are satisfied with the points that the Ferret has chosen to split, you can
click “Split on Onsets” to automatically split the selected regions on the marks.

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6.10. Region Sync and Alignment

What is Aligning?
Aligning regions means moving one or more regions based on the edit point. An
alignment operation moves the region(s) so that some part of the region is
positioned at the edit point.

For example, you can select 10 regions in the timeline, and select “Align Regions”.
(typically these regions will be on different tracks, but that’s not necessarily so) .
The regions will be moved so they all start at the same time on the timeline.

Available alignment commands include:

• Align Region starts
Selected region(s) are moved so that their start is located at the current edit
point
• Align Region ends
Selected region(s) are moved so that the end is located at the current edit
point
• Align Region sync points
Selected region(s) are moved so that their sync point is located at the current
edit point
• Align Region starts relative
Selected region(s) are moved so that the start of the earliest region is located
at the current edit point, and all others maintain their relative position relative
to that region

What is the region’s “Sync Point” ?

By default, a region’s “sync point” is the start of the region.

However, consider the case where here is some blank space at the start of a region
which should not be trimmed away, but causes the region to align incorrectly with
other regions. For example, imagine the case where a drum hit is not at the
immediate edge of the region’s start, but slightly delayed after it. If you “snap” the
region to the grid, you’d like the drum hit to land perfectly on the grid, not slightly
off.

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By defining a region’s “sync point”, you can align and snap regions with each other
sensibly, while freely trimming the starts of the regions for crossfades and such.

Sync Point:

By default, a region’s leading edge will snap to the grid but often this edge is not
relevant to musical timing. By setting a sync point within a region (ex: on the
downbeat) the region can be snapped to the grid in a musically meaningful way.

To set a sync point:

Select the region and place the cursor where you would like the sync point. Press
the “v” key and a yellow line will appear. Now the region can be snapped to the grid
using the sync point as the reference.

To move a sync point:

Simply repeat the procedure above (there can be only one sync point per region).

To remove a sync point:

Select the track with sync point then choose: Menu>Region>Position>Remove

sync. (This effectively sets the sync point back to the beginning of the region)

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6.11. Editing with Playlists

What is a Playlist?
A track has a series of Regions on a timeline. Each Region represents a part of a
sound file (or MIDI file). The order of these regions, and additional region properties
such as gain/controller curves, fades, and mute/unmute status, are stored in the
track’s playlist
playlist.

Think of a playlist as a separate piece of tape, or a 3rd dimension (into the screen)
with different versions of your track or section of a track.

Tracks can have multiple playlists, but only one can be selected at a time. The
selected playlist is the only one you can see and hear. But you can quickly select
any alternative playlist, or create a new one (or copy the current one) anytime.

Some users like to use playlists to manage the recording “takes” in a tracking
session. See: Recording Takes with Playlists

Accessing a Track’s Playlist functions:

Clicking the “P” button on a track header opens the Playlist menu:

At the top of the menu, you’ll see the available playlists for this channel. Selecting
a playlist will change the playlist (for this channel and its group members). This is

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convenient for the simplest cases where you have a single track, or a track Group,
with a few takes or edits that you need to select between.

The remaining items are:

• Select : this launches an advanced dialog that allows you to create and
manage playlists, potentially for multiple tracks at once. Learn more here:
Playlist Selector dialog
• Rename… : you will be prompted to rename the playlist. NOTE: all other
playlists with the same pgroup will be renamed to match
• New Playlist… : this creates a new empty Playlist. You will be prompted for a
name of the new playlist. This only applies to the selected track or group
• Copy Playlist… : this creates a new Playlist, with the same information as the
current playlist. You will be prompted for a name of the new copy. This only
applies to the selected track or group
• Clear : this deletes all the regions and their edits on this playlist. the playlist
itself remains, now empty.
• Advanced… (see below)

Advanced menu
The Advanced heading provides 3 additional power-user features. These features
allow you to select a playlist from some other track in the session.

• Copy From… : creates a copy of any playlist (on this or another track).
• Share with … : this allows the track to use the same playlist as the source
track. Any edits on the playlist from either track will be seen on both tracks.
• Steal from … : same as “Share with”, except the playlist is now ‘owned’ by this
track. It won’t show up in the P menu of the original track

The ‘copy’ option is useful when you duplicated a track, for example, but you forgot
to copy the playlist during the Duplicate operation.

The ‘share’ and ‘steal’ options can be used to create a parallel processing path: you
can have 2 tracks with different plugins and processing; and any edits will be kept
in perfect sync (since both tracks actually share the same playlist)

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Comping Playlists
A “Comp” is a composite take that is assembled from the best parts of several
original takes.

Mixbus does not have a dedicated ‘swipe-to-comp’ function. We allow overlapped

layers, and we allow multiple ‘comp’ playlists, and we allow you to ‘punch-in’
anytime, like a tape machine. Other DAW’s swipe-to-comp does not allow for those
real-world complexities. You’ll quickly see the benefit of using the full features of
Mixbus’s editor when you want to make a comped take (or multiple comps!)

To ‘comp’ a take on a single track, you might follow these steps:

1) prepare for editing by choosing the Range tool, setting your edit point to
Playhead, and enabling “Follow Range” so the playhead will always follow your
mouse’s Range selection
2) prepare to switch layers by opening the “Playlist Selector” dialog on the track
3) select your best overall take, click ‘Copy Playlist’ and name it ‘comp’. This is the
playlist that will hold your final result.
4) use the Range tool to select a phrase in the comp take, and press spacebar to
audition it
5) use the Playlist selector to switch to the alternate playlists, and decide which one
is the best phrase
6) when you’ve found the best phrase, copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C on mac)
7) switch to the comp playlist, and paste the phrase (if you already have some
material there, you might Delete first, unless you want the extra layers)
8) select the next phrase, and repeat steps 5,6,7 until you’ve comped the full
length of the track

Multi-track comps work the same way: Assuming the playlists share a pgroup, then
you only need to open a single track’s “Playlist Selector” and check the box for
“rec-armed tracks” or “ALL tracks”. You’ll also want to SELECT the desired tracks
that you want to edit (typically the rec-armed tracks, to match the selector, but not
necessarily). Your Range selections, copies, deletes, and pastes will be applied to all
selected tracks.

Using Playlists as a ‘backup’

A ‘snapshot’ stores the entire session state: editor and mixer.

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But sometimes it is convenient to return to a prior arrangement (including all the

edits, fades, and region-gain adjustments) without reverting your mixer and plugin
settings.

You can use playlists for this purpose. Try making a ‘Copy Playlists for ALL Tracks’
and name it something special, so you can return to. Then do another ‘Copy
Playlists for ALL Tracks’ to create a working copy while leaving the backup copies
intact and named appropriately. By creating the Copy on all tracks at the same
time, you can now switch between the copies and the other tracks will follow.

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6.11.1. Playlist Selector dialog

Every track has a single Playlist Selector dialog, and you may show more than one
track’s dialog at a time. You can show the Playlist Selector by clicking “P” in the
track header, or by selecting a track and using the shortcut in the Track menu.

The available playlists for the associated track are shown at the top of the dialog.

The left column is the name of the playlist, and the right column is the ‘Group ID’
which is a timestamp that is assigned to a playlist in one of these cases:

• In the case of an empty track, a group-id is generated when you first record to
the track. This allows your initial playlists to be grouped together automatically
when you make the first recording pass on multiple tracks.
• any user-action that creates a playlist: either a New or Copy action. All the
affected tracks will be assigned a group-id for the new playlist.

! NOTE: playlists created in versions of Mixbus before v7.1 will not have a “Group
ID” assigned, and some of the selection and renaming features will not work for
those older playlists. It is not currently possible to assign a Group ID to a playlist,
but you can select the playlists that you want to select together, and do a “Copy
Playlist” which will create new playlists and assign them a group-id.

The “Scope” checkbox is used to control the scope of both playlist selection and the
New/Copy buttons.

• Just this Track/Group : apply the action to this track, or the active Group.

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• Rec-Armed Tracks: apply this action to all tracks that are record-armed
• ALL Tracks: the action will be applied to all tracks.

Two buttons are provided to generate new playlists for this track (and any others
that correspond to the Scope selection).

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6.12. Polarity Optimization

https://www.youtube.com/embed/f_f8G5tnkfk?rel=0

What is Polarity Optimization?

Polarity optimization is a way to take multi microphone recordings and
automatically determine the best polarity setting for each of the tracks. The
resulting analysis uses RMS level as the criteria for deciding the “best sound”. This
mathematically optimized solution saves the user from comparing the many
combinations generated by individually toggling the polarity switches of every
track, in every possible combination.

Polarity optimization can be used in any situation where you have multiple
microphones recording the same source, and it is important to find the polarity
switch positions that generate the best sound.

The Polarity Optimizer finds the optimum polarity setting for your tracks, and then it

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utilizies the channel’s polarity invert switches within the Mixbus mixer strip to
implement the optimum polarity settings. After the Optimizer runs, you can further
view and edit the polarity selections by using the mixer-strip polarity buttons.

Using Polarity Optimizer

To initiate the polarity optimizer, use the Range tool (or Smart Tool) to select a time-
range. It is important to select a period of time that represents all of the
instruments being played.

* A mixture of mono and stereo tracks may be used in the analysis. Left/right sides
of a stereo track are treated as 2 separate mono sources.

Right click in the range, and choose “Optimize Polarity” from the context menu .

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Results Dialog Box:

Prepr
eprocessing
ocessing Options:
The top row of the dialog box lists the 7 preprocessing options. Click on any of
these buttons and roll the transport to audition the results. To accept the results
simply close the dialog box.

* The preprocessing options are applied only to the signal as it is being processed.
The processing isn’t actually applied to the tracks, it is just applied while the the
Polarity Maximizer is performing its calculations.

Explanation of the preprocessing options:

The preprocessing options help you make sure the the optimum polarity is found.

• The “normalization” options are provided to accomodate unusually quiet or

loud tracks, which cause the tracks to be over- or under- represented.
Normalization can be implemented as “peak” normalization, or “RMS” average
normalization.

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• A low shelf boost emphasizes the low end response (+6 dB at 160 Hz) and
biases the analyzer to prefer alignment of low frequency content which may
result in a more obvious low-end boost.

Optimization Results:

The Results dialog shows a grid of the selected tracks and the applied
preprocessing options. The buttons across the top can be used to set (and audition)
the calculated polarity settings, for each of the selected pre-processing modes.

• Old: The polarity of the selected tracks before Polarity Optimization was
applied
• N/N: Polarity optimization applied with no emphasis, and no normalization of
the tracks
• Peak: Peak normalized. Normalizes the peak volume before processing.
• RMS
RMS:: RMS normalized. Normalizes the RMS volume before processing.
• L:N/N: Low emphasis, not normalized.
• L:P
L:Peak:
eak: Low emphasis, peak normalized.
• L:RMS: Low emphasis, RMS normalized.

When “Old” is selected and the transport is rolled you will audition without the
results of the Polarity Maximizer. When any other option is selected and the
transport is rolling, you can audition the results of the Polarity Maximizer with the
corresponding preprocessing options applied.

In practice, you will find that most of the different preprocessing methods result in
the same settings. In most cases, you should select one of the options that has the
most “agreement” with the other selections. This indicates that the polarity settings
are robust enough to apply even when subsequent level and equalization is applied.

Track name rresults

esults list:
The name of all tracks used in the analysis are listed and whether the track has had
its polarity inverted as a result of the analysis.

* The Polarity Maximizer applies a high pass filter (DC offset removal) to attenuate
signals below 5Hz to remove it from the computation. This processing, like the
processing options listed above, is not applied to the audio tracks.

The underlying technology of the Polarity Maximizer was provide by Jim Davis Ph.D.
MIT, 2000 Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering at Ohio State University.

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http://web.cse.ohio-state.edu/~jwdavis/

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7. Triggering Clips and Cues

Video Demo : Triggering Clips and Cues

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DplR0QMEHSk?rel=0

The addition of the Cue Page brings a NEW workflow to Mixbus!

Using the new Cue page you can assemble a grid of Audio and MIDI clips to
creatively build a song’s foundation or to add embellishments to an existing
recording.

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Clip triggering can be synchronized to your music with bar- or beat-quantization.

Each Clip is an Audio or MIDI file that can be assigned its own Quantization, Length,
and other settings to define how it will play.

A row of Clips can be launched together, as a Cue.

You can use Follow Options to automatically advance the currently-playing clip, or
even ‘Jump’ to one or more random clips for a drum-fill, and then return to the main
groove.

Alternatively you can add Cue Markers to your timeline’s ruler, so you can build a
sequence of song elements (verse, chorus, bridge…) as Cues and then trigger those
repeatably on the timeline.

Or combine both Cue Markers and Follow Options to create an arrangement that
follows your song structure but still allows some algorithmic deviation for each part!
The possibilities are endless.

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7.1. Cue Window Overview

Clips and Cues are managed in the Cue window, which is accessed by a button in
the upper right of the main window.

You can right-click (or visit the View menu) to ‘detach’ the Cue page into its own
window. This can be useful on systems with multiple monitors.

A Cue Channel or Cue Strip is an audio or MIDI Track that contains a list of clips
which can be triggered. This ‘clip playback’ takes the place of the Regions on the
linear timeline.

* Tracks with Clips assigned in their grid (“Cue Channels”) still appear in the editor
timeline, so you can automate their plugin parameters. They also appear in the
Mix window, so you can mix the Cue Channels with your other tracks and buses.

An audio Cue Strip detail is shown here:

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Major sections of the Cue Strip are as follows:

• Clip Grid: This is a list of clips that can be ‘triggered’ to play through this Cue
Channel. Only one Clip in each channel can play at one time.

The remaining controls are similar to a regular track’s channel strip:

• Plugin Ar
Area:
ea: This area is for audio plugins inserted in the signal path. It is also
the area where input, processing and sends controls appear when selected by
the buttons beside the Pan knob.
• Input, P
Prrocessing and Sends selection: These buttons select the visibility of the
EQ, Gate and Compressor/Limiter/Leveler processing controls, Bus Sends
section, and Input Switcher section, as on a regular channel strip
• Master Bus Assign Button: This routes the audio signal to the master mix bus
• Pan Contr
Control:
ol: This knob pans the cues signal to the mix buses and the master
bus, with the same panning options as on a regular channel strip
• Channel Nameplate: This displays the track’s name. If you create a new track
by dragging in a clip, the clip’s name is used to name the track
• Mute and Solo Buttons: These provide muting and solo functions, as on a
regular channel strip
• Audio TTrim
rim contr
control:
ol: This knob provides front end gain or padding of the clip
audio
• Fader and Meter
Meter:: The fader adjusts the signal level to the master bus and any
mix bus assigned post fader. If any of the audio clips are stereo files, the meter
will be a stereo meter showing both left and right post-fader levels. The
channel fader on the Mix page follows the position of this fader
• Compr
Compressor
essor and Gate Meters: These meters show the operation of the Cue
Strip’s Gate and Compressor/Limiter/Leveler on the audio signal.

IMPOR
IMPORT TANT NOTE
NOTE:: Visibility of the EQ, Gate, Compressor/Limiter/Leveler, Bus Sends
section and Input Switcher section depends on the resolution of your video monitor.
Because of the vertical space taken up by the Clips Section, these may not display
on your monitor even if selected. We recommend a 4K HD monitor for unrestricted
visibility of all controls.

Cue Channels on the Mix Page

Cue Channels also appear on the Mix page with all regular channel functions
available. In this figure the two cue channels are additional to two regular mono

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audio tracks:

* There is no distinction between Cue Channels and other Channels, except that
Cue Channels appear on the Cue Page and (if they have a clip loaded) their
playback is generated by the clip grid instead of the linear track playback.

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7.1.1. Cue Window Terminology: Slots, Clips,

and Cues
Before getting into the details of Cues and Clips, we need to define some
terminology.

This image shows the main features of the Cue page, and some associated
terminology:

• a Slot is a compartment within which you can place an audio or MIDI clip of
your choice
• a Grid or Trigger Grid is the array of slots within a Track or multiple tracks on
the Cue page
• a Clip is an audio or MIDI file which may be loaded into a slot.
• a Cue is a command which triggers all the Clips on its associated row
• a Cue TTrack
rack or Cue Channel is differentiated from regular Tracks only in that
they have clips loaded into a slot, and they appear on the Cues Page.
• Cue Mark
Markers
ers appear on the session timeline at time points when playback of
specific clips are to begin. They correspond directly to the Cues on the left side
of the grid.

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7.1.2. The Trigger Grid – Rows and Columns

This figure shows details of the Trigger Grid for three Cue Channels.

The Grid is arranged in rows (Cues) and columns (corresponding to a Track). The
details of the individual Clips will be discussed later, but note that you can use the
leftmost column (Cues) and the bottom-most slot (Master Slot) to effect changes on
an entire row or column:

Right-click on a Cue to assign settings to an entire row:

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Right-click on a Master Slot to assign settings to an entire column (track):

Right-click on the Cue Master to assign settigns to the entire grid (all
all slots):

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/kDiCRLF8wYw?rel=0

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7.1.3. Showing and Hiding Tracks in the Cue

Window
If a track is created by one of these methods then it will automatically be shown on
the Cues page:

• Dragging a clip to the ‘+’ sign from the Clip Picker

• Selecting a Range or Region on an existing linear track and choosing Bounce to
Trigger Clip

By default, these Tracks do not show up on the Cues page:

• Tracks from v7 (or older) sessions

• Imported tracks
• Tracks created from the Rec page

When you create a new track from the “Add Track/Bus” dialog, there is a checkbox
to select whether the new track will appear on the Cues page:

However, in all cases it is possible to manually show or hide any Track on the Cues
page.

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Manually hiding and showing tracks from the Tracks list

There is a tab on the far right labeled ‘Tracks’. Select that tab to display a list of
available tracks in the session.

By clicking in the “C” column, you can choose to show, or hide, a track from the
Cues page. While hidden from the Cues page it might still show up in the Mix,
Editing and Recording pages. The ‘V’ checkbox hides a track globally from all
pages.

The “A” column, as on other lists in Mixbus, indicates the track is active in the
session. Clicking the checkbox for ‘A’ will de-activate the channel, which prevents it
from generating sound and using CPU resources. This can be useful when you
‘bounce’ a track: rather than delete the source track you can disable and hide the
track so you can return to it later, if needed.

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7.2. Playing and Stopping Clips

The basic operation of the grid is accomplished by launching (playing) the audio or
midi clips inside the grid.

To play a clip, you must first load an audio or midi file into the slot. This can be
accomplished by dragging from the Clip Picker window.

Playing a Clip
Once a file is loaded into a slot, you can click on the ‘Play” triangle on the left side
of the slot to play that clip:

Some notes about clip playback:

• Only one clip can be playing, at a time, on a track.

• A clip doesn’t start playing until its quantization boundary occurs. For example,
the default setting is for a clip to wait until a measure boundary. This allows
your clips to play in sync with each other, even if you don’t click the Play
buttons at exactly the same time.
• whenever you launch a clip, you’ll notice that the main session transport plays
as well. This is necessary because the clip needs to know the timeline position
(for quantized launching) and tempo (for stretching).

If you click a second clip’s Play button while the first clip is still playing, then the
prior clip will continue playing until the new clip’s quantization boundary occurs.
Then the new clip will take over playback and the prior clip will stop.

Clip Progress Indicator

When a Clip is playing in a Track’s trigger-grid, an indication is shown for the
playback progress of the current clip:

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The ‘pie chart’ on the left side shows the percentage of the clip that has been
played.

The “G” indicates the row of the currently-playing clip.

The “3/4” indicates that this clip has been assigned a ‘Follow Count’ of 4, and it has
already looped 3 times.

Stopping a Clip

There are several methods to stop a clip, depending on what you want to
accomplish:

1. Click on any empty Slot in the same track. That will stop the playback of the
current clip in this track (column), at the end of this measure.
2. If there is no easily available empty Slot, you can click the “trigger master” at
the bottom of the grid. That will stop the current clip in this track, at the end of
this measure.

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3. To stop “all” playing Clips at once, click the stop button in the Cues column (far
left column). That will stop ALL playing Clips, at the end of this measure.
4. Press the master transport Stop button. That will immediately stop all playing
Clips.

* Note that the first three methods all have the behavior of stopping “on the start
of the next measure” while the 4th method will stop all playback, immediately.
Also note that the first three methods do not stop the master transport, they only
stop clip playback.

Follow Options
When a clip reaches the end of its length, the clip’s “Follow Option” is triggered.
This might cause the clip to play again, to advance to the next clip, or to stop,
among other options. see Aranging with Follow Options

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7.3. Launching Cues (Rows of Clips)

What is a Cue?
A Cue is an event that triggers all the clips on a horizontal row of the trigger grid.

Cues are represented by orange circles on the leftmost column of the Clip Grid.
Cues are lettered A through H for easy recognition and assignment on the Cue and
Edit pages.

* It is currently impossible to add more than 8 cue rows, nor is it possible to re-
order or copy/paste rows. These feature is under development and will be added
in a future update.

Cues can be triggered in one of several ways:

• Left-click one one of the circular orange Cue buttons

• Place a Cue Marker on the timeline, and roll the playhead through that point
(see: Arranging with Cue Markers)
• If the Cue page is selected in the main window (or has keyboard focus when it
is detached in its own window), then the F-keys 1..8 will launch cues A..H

What is Cue Isolate?

Enabling a Slot’s “Cue Isolate” in the Launch Options will prevent it from responding
to the Cue button. This means it won’t launch the clip in this slot (if there is one) or
stop the playback of this track (if there isn’t one)

Example usage of Cues and Cue Isolate

In this image, the first Cue ‘A’ represents the verse of a song, and the second row

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‘B’ is the chorus:

Clicking the ‘A’ cue will launch the sounds for the verse
Clicking the ‘B’ cue will stop the clips on ‘A’ and start playing the chorus

The third row ‘C’ is a group of sounds that can be triggered anytime in the verse or
chorus. Since the ‘Cue Isolate’ is engaged on the first and third tracks, it won’t stop
the sounds that are currently playing on those tracks.

For more complex examples, see Arranging with Cue Markers and Arranging with
Follow Options. Note that you can combine both techniques. For example you can
arrange a verse with random fills, and a chorus with random fills. And then use Cue
Markers to sequence a specific series like verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge,
chorus ….

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7.4. Auditioning Clips

Video Demo – Bundled Clip Content

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rlJFgiVMnfc?rel=0

“Auditioning” is the ability to listen to and evaluate a clip before putting it into your
Mixbus session.

Click on a clip in the Clip Picker to select it for auditioning. If the “auto play” is
checked, the file will immediately start playing:

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You can use the arrow keys or the mouse to quickly jump between files in your
library. If ‘Auto Play’ is not checked then you must click the Play button to initiate
auditioning.

Special Considerations for Auditioning MIDI Files

MIDI files report some extra properties when selected. They report which MIDI
channels (1 through 16) are being used in the file, and also whether the file
includes any program (patch) changes.

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Since MIDI files contain no audio, a synthesizer is needed to listen to a MIDI clip.
Mixbus contains a built-in auditioning synthesizer by default, the “General MIDI”
synth. This synthesizer can respond to all 16 channels of MIDI. By default it uses a
piano sound on channel 1, and a drum sound on channel 10. However some MIDI
files will not sound correct with these settings. In those cases you can change the
patch settings for the auditioner synthesizer

If you have a preferred synthesizer for auditioning your midi files, you can select it
in the pulldown for the audition synth:

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7.4.1. Selecting Patches for Audition of MIDI

Files

https://www.youtube.com/embed//3vJQhfhmy8I?rel=0

In the case where a MIDI file is selected, a display is provided with some MIDI file
information including the type of MIDI file, then number of notes in the file, the
channels used, and whether program-changes are included or not.

Files that are created for the General MIDI specification will often have programs
(banks and patch information) provided to select the instrument. There might also
be cases where a MIDI file intended for a specific synth will have patches for that
synth. In the absence of any patch-change information, then it is necessary to
choose a suitable synthesizer (or patch on the synthesizer) so the correct sound (or
an approximation of it) is heard.

For this purpose, there is a small button in the bottom-right corner that allows you
to show the audition synthesizer’s GUI:

NOTE: This button is grayed out and does not become active until you audition
(play) the selected clip for the first time.

Each audition synth will have its own unique control panel. In the case of the
default synth, GMSynth, this displays a grid of 16 buttons, each button indicating a

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patch selection for the 16 channels:

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In the GMSynth, each MIDI channel selection offers a HUGE selection of patches to
pick from.

* why do my MIDI files sound differ

different
ent when I select them? some midi files have
program-changes (patch changes) embedded in them, and others do not. This
can result in cases where a midi file sounds like piano (for example) while
another .mid file (with patch-changes) sets the channel to use a drum patch.
Returning to the prior file (the one without any of its own patch changes), it
might now sound like drums instead of piano. By displaying the GMSynth’s GUI,
you can see the selected patches, and you can see when a midi file sets its own
patch.

! if a .mid file has patches defined for its channels, you will see the GMSynth’s
settings change to match the file’s settings. You cannot override those settings.
But when you drag the clip to a track, you can override its patch settings per-
slot, per-channel.

! if you are using a synth other than GMSynth, you should check the product’s
manual to see which channel(s) it responds to, and whether it responds to
program-changes or not. You might need to disable program-changes in your
synth’s control panel, and/or tell it to accept or ignore individual channels.

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7.5. Bundled Clip Content

Video Demo – Bundled Clip Content

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rlJFgiVMnfc?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rlJFgiVMnfc?rel=0

Upon opening the Cue page, you should see a list of clips on the rightmost left
pane:

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Mixbus Bundled Content:

• Gr
GrooveMonk
ooveMonkeeee MIDI Drums
Drums: This is a collection of drum arrangements played
with the ‘feel’ of a live drummer. These files have all notes on channel 10, so
the default GMSynth auditioner will play them as drum sounds. You can
override the patch setting to make the drums sound more laid-back,
aggressive, or electronic, depending on the patch selected or the synth used.
• Goldbaby Audio Samples
Samples: This collection of eclectic sounds was generated by
vintage synthesizers, drum machines, and other electronic gear. You can use
this material to add flavor and contrast to your session.
• Raw MIDI Chor
Chords
ds: This is a collection of over 1500 chords organized by the key
and major/minor variations. There are also chord progressions for each key,
provided as 1 bar per chord change. These .mid files have all notes on notes
on channel 1, so the default GMSynth auditioner will play them as piano

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sounds. You can override the patch setting to use an electric piano, organ,
strings, or even drum sounds.
• Raw MIDI Drums
Drums: This is a collection of over 2000 individual drum patterns,
organized by musical style and then provided as one or more of kick drum,
snare drum, hihats, cymbals, and percussion. These .mid files have all notes on
channel 10, so the default GMSynth auditioner will play them as drum sounds.
You can override the patch setting to make the drums sound more laid-back,
aggressive, or electronic, depending on the patch selected or the synth used.

! The ‘Goldbaby’ and ‘GrooveMonkee’ content has been licensed from the content
developers by Harrison, for your personal use. The content may be used without
license or additional payment in your projects. However you may not re-publish
the material without changes as your own. You can find the each individual
collection’s licenses by navigating to the bundled content folder in the Mixbus
application folder.

! Mixbus’s bundled content may change in the future. But any files that you’ve
imported to your sessions will remain playable in the session, even if the files are
no longer stored in our bundle.

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7.6. Adding New Clip Content

There are many sources online for third-party looping content. When you download
a folder of this content, you’ll want to make it easily accessible from the Clip
Selector.

At the top of the Clip Sector list, there is a button to select from various folder
sources on your computer. These are your Clip Library folders.

Click “Edit” to launch the Library editor; from here you can add new paths or
remove paths from your Clip Library:

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Items added to this dialog will appear as menu pulldowns at the top of the clip
selector.

* You can drag&drop a folder from your file-browser, and it will be added to your
library.

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7.6.1. Saving Clips to your User Clip Library

You may drag a clip from a slot into the Clip Selector. This will:

1. Create a new folder named “Clip Library” on your computer.

2. Add that folder as a new entry in your Clip Library list (the pulldown menu at
the top of the clip selector)
3. Display your user clip library in the Clip Selector
4. Store the new file there
5. Display a button to expose that folder in your file browser (this is a convenient
way to organize your files into folders, and zip them up for transmission to a
collaborator or collector)

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7.7. Slots and Clip Properties

What is a Slot?
Individual grid elements on the Cue page are called Slots
Slots. Slots are a container for
an Audio or MIDI Clip (depending on the type of track).

When a clip is loaded, the Slot displays 3 critical pieces of information:

• The Play button, which shows when the clip is stopped (triangle outline),
queued for playback (square outline), or is currently playing (solid triangle)
• the Clip’s name (with customizable color)
• an icon for this slot’s Follow Option, if any

Empty slots provide only a square ‘stop’ button which, when triggered by the user
or by the Cue button for this rrow
ow, will stop playback of all clips on this track.

Selecting a Slot
A slot may be selected by left- or right-clicking on it. A red border appears around
the selected Slot:

When a slot is selected, the clip’s Properties appear in the bottom portion of the
screen:

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When a clip is selected, 4 panels of clip properties are displayed; they are:

• Clip Properties
• Launch Options
• Follow Options
• Stretch Options (only shown on audio clips)

* An audio clip ‘trimmer’ and a midi piano roll editor are not yet provided, but are
a high priority. These features are in development for a future update.

* The ESC button on your keyboard always clears your selection. If you have a slot
selected, then pressing ESC will clear the selection and hide the slot properties
area, making more room for you to adjust plugins or other channel controls

* In the Cue page, only one of the clip properties, channelstrip EQ, or channelstrip
Sends can be displayed at once. Selecting any of those 3 items will hide the
others.

Slot Actions – context menu

Additionally, Right-clicking on a Slot will provide options to:

• Clear the slot (i.e remove the clip)

• Load a new clip from a file selection
• Change the color of the Clip

Launch Options
Right -clicking on the Play Ar
Arrrow (here, for the clip in Cue A) brings up a menu

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which allows you to set the clip’s Cue Isolate or Quantization properties:

Details of changing the Launch Options are covered here: Launch Options

* You can simultaneously set the Launch Options for a row, a Track, or the entire
grid using the row and column controls. See Trigger Grid: Rows and Columns

Follow Options
The rightmost area is the Follow Options icon. Right-clicking on the icon (here, for
the clip in Cue A) will bring up a choice of actions to occur when the clip reaches its
end:

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Details of changing the Follow Options are covered in Follow Options and Arranging
with Follow Options

* You can simultaneously set the Follow Options for a row, a Track, or the entire
grid using the row and column controls. See Trigger Grid: Rows and Columns

Stretch Options (Audio clips only)

Details of changing the Stretch Options can be found here: Stretch Options

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7.7.1. Clip Properties

Clip Properties Panel
The ‘Clip Properties’ panel displays basic information about the clip, like its file
source, name, and color.

In this panel the following is visible:

• Clip Name ; Double-click here to enter a name for this clip.

• Load button : Click here to load a file from disk, replacing the contents in this
slot (if any)
• Color Selection
Selection: This button brings up a color selection window, to give the clip
name a custom color in the slot. This can help to quickly identify related types
of clips.
• Gain AAdjust
djust: The gain of this clip can be adjusted relative to the other clips in
the same Cue Channel. This works for both audio and MIDI (by scaling the
Velocity of notes)
• Send P Patches
atches and MIDI Patches (MIDI clips only) : see Setting MIDI Patches for
a Clip

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7.7.2. Launch Options

Launch Options Panel

Launch Quantize
Quantize: When you launch a Clip (either by clicking directly on it, or by
clicking on a Cue, or when a Cue Marker is passed on the timeline), the clip will wait
until the launch quantization point is passed before the clip is actually triggered.
For example you can set your clips to fire on 4-bar boundaries, and then you have
up to 4 bars of time to choose the clips that you would like to launch; they will all
launch synchronously on the next 4-bar boundary. Choose ‘none’ to allow clips to
fire instantly when they are queued to launch.

Cue Isolate
Isolate: If this is selected for a clip, the slot will not respond to Cue events,
either starting or stopping.

• The clip’s Play-button (or Stop-button) is overlaid with a dark shadow from the
left side.
• If the slot is empty and the Follow Options would normally trigger this slot, it
would normally stop the sound of any triggers on the same track (indicated by
the square Stop symbol rather than a Play arrow). If Cue Isolate is enabled,
then the current clip will continue playing for this track and ignore the Stop
action.
• If the slot is populated with a clip, then the clip would normally start playing
when you fire the cue (row). If Cue Isolate is enabled, then the currently
playing clip (if any) will continue playing for this track, and this clip will not
launch.

* Ignore Cues can allow you to build a more complicated arrangement using Follow
Options. For example you can have a sequence of 4 clips that are initiated by the
topmost clip. You can prevent this arrangement from being interrupted by a Cue
by enabling the Cue Isolate on the lower 3 clips. This allows you to fire a Cue (or
Cue Marker) on other tracks, while leaving this track’s arrangement undisturbed.

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* Note that you can set ‘many’ quantizations at once by right-clicking on the Cue
button (for a row), the Clip master (for a track), or the Cue Master Stop button,
to set ALL your quantizations to a single setting. See:Trigger Grid – Rows and
Columns

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7.7.3. Follow Options

Follow Options Panel

Follow Options are triggered automatically when the clip reaches its end. The Follow
Options section has these controls:

Follow Options (Left and Right, respectively): The 2 Follow Action menus may have
one of these choices selected:

• Inhibit – If None is selected, then the Follow Options items are disabled
throughout this section. The settings are preserved in case you want to re-
enable FA’s later.
• Stop – After the clip finishes (Follow Count and Follow Length are taken into
account), the clip will stop playing but no other action will occur.
• Again – The same clip (taking Follow Count and Follow Length into account) will
be repeated again (i.e. looped)
• Forwar
orward d – playback will advance to the next (lower) clip in the track’s grid.
Empty slots are skipped over.
• Reverse – playback will revert to the prior (higher) clip in the track’s grid.
Empty slots are skipped over.
• Jump – playback jumps to the selected slot(s).

The Follow-Option Probability slider assigns a probability (0..100%) between the

Left and Right follow options. This allows you to make a semi-random arrangement
where the clip ‘usually’ repeats but ‘sometimes’ jumps to a different clip.

Follow Count defines the number of times that a clip will repeat before the Follow
Option is engaged. For example you can cause a 1-bar clip to repeat 3 bars, and
then Jump to another clip (as a fill).

The Follow L
Length
ength selection defines a number of beats that the clip will play, before

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the Follow Option is initiated. This number can be longer or shorter than the natural
clip length. For example you might choose to Jump to another clip after only 2 bars
of a 4-bar clip have played. Or alternatively you might allow a silent section to
follow a 4-bar clip by setting the Follow Length to 8 bars. The Follow Length may be
engaged or disengaged while remembering its setting.

* the Follow Count is implemented af

after
ter the Follow Length; If you set the Follow
Length to 16 beats (4 bars) then the full 16 beats will play, and then repeat as
many times as required by Follow Count, before the Follow Option is activated.

To learn more about arranging with Follow Actions, visit the page: Arranging with
Follow Actions

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7.7.4. Stretch Options

Stretch Options Panel (Audio clips only)

Str
Stretch
etch: If Stretch is disabled, then the remaining buttons are de-sensitized and
their settings are ignored by the playback engine

Str
Stretch
etch Mode
Mode: stretch mode currently has 3 options:

• Crisp (default) : this prioritizes the timing and crispness of drum transients, but
might cause interruptions in a sustained note
• Mix
Mixed
ed : a compromise setting for loops that have both transients (drums) and
sustained notes
• Smooth : this prioritizes the smoothness of sustained notes, at the expense of
a blurring or phasing of drum transients

BPM
BPM: this reports the current BPM (tempo) of the clip. This value is used to ‘stretch’
the clip to match the timeline’s tempo map.

The BPM value is populated from one of these cases:

• If you are importing a file to a slot, the bpm can be inferred from a filename,
for example: “rock 120bpm” can automatically populate the bpm to 120
• If you are bouncing a selected region or Range to a slot, then the timeline
tempo at the start of the Range is assigned to the bpm value
• Given no other tempo information, an algorithm is used to ‘guess’ the tempo

In all cases, mixbus will first try to guess the bpm and then it will round the bpm up
or down so that the file’s length is exactly an even number of beats. This works for
the vast majority of downloaded material which might say 110bpm, but given the
exact number of samples it should be looped at (for example) 110.07bpm.
However, especially in the case where we algorithmically guessed the tempo, this

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can result in nonsensical lengths: for example a 4-bar 120bpm file might instead be
interpreted as a 8bar, 240bpm file. Additional controls are provided to fix this issue.
You can specify the clip’s length in beats, which will correctly set its tempo.

! If you import a file and it plays at the wrong tempo, you should first check the
‘Clip Length’ and adjust it to the length of the clip (assuming you know it). That
almost always solves the problem.

As a helper function, the number of bars are displayed so for longer sections you
can see “8 bars” instead of “32 beats” (sic).

One-shot or non-stretched files: If the detected BPM is unusually fast or slow, or if

the file is very short, or if the filename says “0bpm”, then Mixbus will assume the
file is a one-shot and should not be timestretched. In this case the Stretch button
will be disabled automatically. But the user can re-engage Stretch if desired.

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7.7.5. Dragging and Dropping Clip Properties

You may directly drag a Clip to another slot. Dropping a clip on a slot will replace
the contents (if any) in the receiving slot.

Some properties: the slot’s Name, Gain, and Color; will be copied identically.

In the case where a ‘receiving’ slot (the drop target) has an ar

arrangement
rangement style
follow option …. Forward, Reverse, or Jump … or if the Ignore Cues button is
engaged, the arrangement will be maintained and the source clip’s settings will be
ignored. That allows you to build an ‘arrangement’ using Follow Options and then
replace the clips with different sounds to play in the arrangement.

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7.7.6. Setting MIDI Patches for a Clip

What is a Patch Change?
MIDI files may have an embedded message that tells the receiving synthesizer what
‘patch’ to use. The message is actually made of 3 separate messages which define
the Bank(MSB/LSB) and Program. Furthermore, there are 16 channels which may be
addressed. For example, a MIDI file can tell a synth to use bank 1, patch 1, on
channel 1.

Many plugin-instrument synthesizers do NOT respond to patch-changes at all.

Instead you are expected to control the plugin from the control panel, and this
chapter will have no effect. Similarly, plugin instruments generally only support a
single sound at a time, and may not respond on multiple channels of MIDI.

! If your synthesizer changes sounds unexpectedly or otherwise acts strangely,

there’s a chance that it is responding to patch-changes in the MIDI file you are
playing. Some instruments have a button to ignore incoming patch changes. If
your synth ignores patch changes then this chapter will have no effect on the
synth.

A Patch-change message may occur anywhere in a MIDI stream. This can be useful
to increase the number of sounds at your disposal. If 2 instrument voices never play
at the same time, then you can put a patch-change before each instrument’s
passage and use a single MIDI channel.

Patch-changes are generally only useful if both the midi file and they synthesizer
agree what each patch’s sound is. This is the purpose of the General MIDI
specification: it defines that (for example) bank 1, patch 1 is a “grand piano” sound.
The quality of the sound can vary widely with different synthesizers. Mixbus
provides a synthesizer called General MIDI Synth which provides reasonable sound
quality for the most popular GM sounds, with a fairly small download. To learn more
about patch-changes and General MIDI, visit this chapter of the manual: General
MIDI and General MIDI Synth

Enabling or disabling patches for a Clip

The “Send Patches” button controls whether a clip will send ANY bank or patch

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changes. If this button is disabled, then neither the clip’s patch-changes nor the
embedded file’s patch-changes will be sent to the synthesizer.

Choosing the patches for a Clip

Click the ‘MIDI Patches’ button to launch the clip’s patch selector dialog. The dialog
provides tabs for up to 16 channels. Only the channels used by the Clip will be
provided.

Where are patch names defined?

The patch-selector dialog uses the selected instrument “midnam” file specification,
which can be selected in the track header. In the case of an external synth
connected only with a MIDI cable, this is the only way to fill the names of the bank/
patch selector. Here is an example showing the Roland Juno-106 synthesizer picked
in the track header, and the resulting list of default patch names:

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Some synthesizers (like Mixbus’s included General MIDI Synth) can specify the
bank/patch list without the user having to choose the instrument specification on
the track.

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7.8. Arranging with Follow Options

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FrRm0PLwkzw?rel=0

What is a Follow Option?

A Follow Option is the event that is triggered when a clip reaches the end of its
length.

• None means to do nothing after the clip finishes playing

• Stop means stop playback at the end of the clip
• Again means to replay the clip after it finishes playing
• Forwar
orwardd means to advance and play the following clip (on the next row of the
grid, but within the same Cue Channel)
• Reverse means to advance and play the preceding clip (on the previous row of
the grid, but within the same Cue Channel)
• Jump allows you to explicitly select a clip (or clips!) to be queued when this clip
has finished playing (including any repeats caused by Follow Count)

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Jump -> Multi

Multi allows you to select multiple slots. When the Jump->Multi Follow Option is
initiated, one of the selected slots will be selected and queued for playback.

An example using Jump and Multi-Jump

In this image, the ‘verse’ Clip is a 1-bar pattern that is set to repeat 3 times and
then Jump to one of 3 random ‘fill’ patterns (Fill 1,2,3). The fill patterns jump to the
Chorus pattern (E), which then jumps to one of 3 different ‘fill’ patterns (Fille 4,5,6),
which then jump to the verse pattern (A). This creates a semi-random song
arrangement that alternates verse and chorus parts, with a potentially different fill
every 4 bars.

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7.9. Arranging with Cue Markers

Video demo of Cue Markers

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EmCycKeEpbg?rel=0

What are Cue Markers?

Cue Markers are markers in the timeline ruler, just like regular location markers.

When the playhead reaches a cue marker, it will trigger the corrensponding Cue,
just as if you clicked on a Cue manually.

* If you locate the playhead between 2 cue markers, Mixbus will calculate the
position of the triggered clips so that playback resumes as if you had passed the
prior Cue on the timeline. Awesome, eh?

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Cue Marker Controls: Record and Play

At the top of the Mixbus window beside the mini- timeline are the Recor
ecordd Cues and
Play Cues buttons:

Play Cues button: This button enables playback of clips when triggered by cue
markers on the session timeline. If not set, Cue Markers will not trigger clip
playback when the playhead passes over the marker position.

* This button has no effect when playing cues manually from the Cue page, either
by clicking on a cue row or by clicking the play arrow on an individual clip. It only
affects the behavior of the Cue Markers in the editor ruler.

Rec Cues button: This button enables recording of Cue Markers onto the session
timeline when triggered manually from the Cue page.

! The recorded cue will not appear in the session timeline window at the top of the
page until the transport is stopped.

Triggering Cues on the timeline using Cue Markers

It is not necessary to record cues in real time while listening to playback. Cues can
be placed directly on the timeline at the desired point in the Editor Window using
the Cue Markers lane:

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The Cue Marker will be placed at the selected point:

In this case, Cue Marker A will trigger clip playback when the playhead passes over
the marker.

Similarly, clip playback can be stopped by right-clicking and selecting the stop
button at the desired point:

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The Stop button will be placed at the selected point:

Clip playback of all cues will stop when the playhead passes over the marker.

Tweaking the Cue Trigger and Stop Positions

In the Editor Window, you can move the time positions of the Cue start and stop by
simply clicking and dragging them along the timeline:

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By Right Clicking on the Cue or Stop marker, a number of additional options are
provided such as changing the cue, moving the play head to the cue, moving the
cue to the play head, locking the cue position to the beat reference, and so on:

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7.9.1. Recording Cue Markers in real time

These figures show how to record a cue onto the timeline in real time. To enable the
recording of Cues, you must click the “Rec Cues” button to the left of the mini-
timeline:

(not shown: the Cues buttons (the column of buttons on the far left) are colored
‘red’ when recording.)

With the transport rolling, click on the Cue circle (here, Cue A) at the point where
you you want the clips in that row to play:

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* While on the Cues Page, you can also use key shortcuts F1…F8 to trigger the first
8 clips A through H

* Clips may not start playing immediately. Each clip will instead wait for its
quantization interval to occur. This helps to ensure that loops sound in-sync. If
you want your sounds to start ‘immediately’ when the Cue is clicked, then set
those clips to Quantization=None

Pressing the Stop button will stop all Clip playback and record a ‘stop’ marker in the
timeline.

* When requested to stop, Clips always continue playing until the end of the next
bar. However, if you place a Stop marker exactly on a bar boundary, then Mixbus
knows you really want it to stop there, rather than the end of the next bar.

After you stop the transport, the cue playback interval will be displayed in the mini-

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time window. The cue start and stop (if any) positions will also be displayed in the
Editor window in the “Cue Markers” ruler lane.

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7.10. Combining Clips and Linear Tracks

(advanced)
• every Audio and MIDI Track has a trigger-grid that can be enabled by loading
one clip into a slot of the track’s trigger grid
• you can select a Region or a Range in a track, and bounce that selection to a
slot. You can do this on multiple tracks at once.
• when a trigger slot is enabled, then the ‘monitoring’ behavior of a track
changes:
◦ if both Disk and IN are disabled (i.e. the track is in Automatic mode) then
the track will monitor only the playback of the trigger slots
◦ if Disk is enabled, then you will hear BOTH the trigger-slots and the track
playback
◦ if IN is enabled, then you will hear BOTH the trigger-slots and the live
input
◦ if both IN and DISK are enabled, then you will hear ALL THREE trigger-
slots, live input, and track (disk) playback

* It is not currently possible to record the output of a trigger-slot into the same
track. That feature is under development.

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7.11. Comparisons to Ableton Live™

Why does Mixbus’s Cue Window look so similar to Ableton Live™?

In the same way that Harrison developed many conventions of inline signal-flow,
eq, bussing, automation, solo-ing, VCA faders and other console concepts which
have been copied many times since 1975, it is our opinion that Ableton Live™ has
defined the canonical ‘looping grid’ workflow. Rather than develop our own
conventions, we decided to follow the familiar operations and layout of this well-
known software.

Terminology Differences between Live and Mixbus

• When you trigger a horizontal row of clips, Live calls this a Scene. We prefer
the term Cues, which is well-known terminology for triggering an event on a
timeline. We reserve the word ‘Scenes’ for Mixer Scenes.
• Mixbus uses the term “Cue Isolate” instead of “Remove Stop Button”.
• In the clip properties, Mixbus uses the term “Stretch” instead of “Warp”.
• Mixbus uses the term “Follow Options” rather than “Follow Actions”.
• In the clip properties, Mixbus provides a button to override a Clip’s length and
instead define a Follow Length. This is comparable to Live’s “Unlinked” option
which allows a separate Follow Action Time.
• otherwise, terminology and behavior should be largely the same for features
like Quantize, etc.

What is different about Mixbus’s Cue Window when compared to the Session
View of Ableton Live™?
• When you stop the transport in Live, the currently-playing clips are left in a
queued state, which means they will play again when the transport is started.
Mixbus does not provide that feature. Instead we encourage you to use Cue
Markers to trigger your clips on the timeline ruler. This helps maintain the
‘phase’ relationship between multiple playing clips when you start and stop the
transport.
• Live has a ‘Looping’ checkbox for audio and midi clips which allow them to loop
forever even without a follow-action or follow-count enabled. Mixbus does not
provide that feature. Instead you should use Follow-Count (for a specific
number of loops) or Repeat Follow-Option (for unlimited looping).
• Mixbus has Cue Markers: Cue Markers allow you to define points on your linear
timeline where a Cue (row) will be launched by the trigger grid. This allows you

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to develop your arrangement on a linear timeline while still allowing full

flexibility of swapping clips and follow-actions before you commit to a final
arrangement.
• Clip Groups: Live has Follow-Actions labeled ‘Next’, ‘Previous’ and ‘First’ which
operate on a group of clips (groups are defined by clips that are vertically
adjacent, separated by an empty slot). In our testing, many users (even
experienced ones) did not understand that these terms apply to grouped clips.
We also found it hard to use groups for arrangements, since it requires you to
add empty rows to organize your groups, and that can impact adjacent tracks.
Instead, we provide Forward, Reverse and Jump actions which can provide all
the same operations of groups but do not require using blank slots to build a
group.

* Mixbus does not curcurrrently allow more than 8 cues (rows), nor allow the user to
re-order or create new rows. These features are currently in development and
will likely be provided in a future update.

* Mixbus does not cur

currrently provide the option to print your clips and cues to a
linear track (other than a manual ‘bounce’ recording from the source to a new
track). That feature is currently in development and will be provided in a future
update. You can use Cue Markers to arrange Clip playback on your linear
timeline.

* Mixbus does not cur

currrently provide an audio ‘trimmer’ tool or a midi piano roll
editor for the contents of a Clip. These features are currently in development and
will be provided in a future update.

* Mixbus does not cur

currrently provide warp-markers or Groove templates. These
features are also under development. You can edit a Region on the timeline using
all the features of the Editor, and then import that region into a Clip.

* Mixbus does not cur

currrently provide the option to launch clips from a pad-
controller using MIDI. Launch-modes Gate, Toggle, and Repeat are not currently
provided. Those feature are currently in development and will be provided in a
future update. The initial release of the Cue Window is intended to introduce
nonlinear looping clips to our linear timeline
timeline, rather than DJ-style live
performance.

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Other differences between Live and Mixbus:

• Mixbus supports Jump Follow Options (recently introduced in Live v11) with the
added ability to choose multiple clips for the jump target. This allows an
additional level of pseudo-random behavior when using Follow Options to build
your arrangement.
• Mixbus supports multiple MIDI channels in a single Track. This also works for
triggered Clips: you can have up to 16 channels of MIDI, with patch changes,
and deliver this to the track’s instrument.
• Mixbus can load Apple Loop (.caf) format audio files, so you can use the Apple
Loop Content on your Apple device.
• Mixbus provides the ability to set many properties for rows, columns and ALL
clips at one time. See Trigger Grid: Rows and Columns
• Mixbus does not have selections for “Global Quantize setting” “Global Follow
Action Enable” “Back to Arrangement” “Phase Nudge Up/Down” or a
“Crossfader Section”. These features are not currently in development, but
they could be added in a future update if users find them desirable.

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8. Mixing
What is mixing?
“Mixing” is the process of combining multiple sounds ( usually “tracks” ) into a
final, deliverable sound.

In the case of music mixing, the goals of mixing might be:

• To make the overall timbre of the mix convey the feeling that the creator has
chosen.
• To make each element clearly heard, so that a listener can focus on a single
instrument if s/he wishes.
• To make the volume level consistent enough that the user isn’t required to
constantly adjust the volume knob.

Of course all of these rules are subject to the artistic wishes of the creator.

What are some mixing techniques?

Here are some of the techniques that we use to create a “mix”:

• Balance the volumes of each element (instrument) so they don’t occlude each
other.
• Dynamically adjust the volume of elements to accentuate parts of interest at
different times of the piece.
• “Pan” the signals into the available speakers so they can be separated by
position.
• Create a “space” around each element so they can be perceived as close or
distant.
• Tweak individual elements to accentuate their desirable character, or
attenuate undesirable character.
• Limit the frequency range of elements, so that more elements can be
distinguished in the same space.

You’ll find that Mixbus provides tools for all of these tasks right underneath your
fingertips.

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8.1. Metering
Mixbus provides a wide range of meters. Each meter is suited to its particular task.

Some DAWs try to put a lot of different scales on a single meter, and/or they expect
the user to switch modes to see different values. Mixbus provides several
“different” meters in the places where they are useful.

Track Meters

In the editor, to the right of each track’s name, you’ll find a small meter that
indicates the channel’s level. This meter grows in height when you increase the size
of the track. This meter follows the settings in “Preferences->Meterbridge->Default
track meter type”. The colors for peak-hold time, among other options, can be
applied to these meters. The meter follows the selection for “meter point” in the
bottom-right corner of the associated mixer strip. When a channel is record-armed,
the meter point will automatically move to meter the channel’s input. Due to their
scaling, and their location in the editor window, these meters arare
e well-suited to
checking your rrecor
ecording
ding levels while rrecor
ecording
ding

Master Meter (editor toolbar)

In the top of the transport toolbar, you will find a meter indicating the master bus.
This meter can be hidden in Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar. This meter follows
the settings in “Preferences->Meterbridge->Default meter type for master bus”. By
default, Mixbus uses a K-14 meter (the same scaling that is used for the master bus
K-14 meter). In addition, there is a peak-hold indicator with adjustable decay time.
The colors for peak-hold time, among other options, can be applied to this meter.

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This meter serves to pr

provide
ovide a condensed view of the master bus output when you
ar
aree editing

Meter Bridge Window

The Meter Bridge window can be accessed from the main menu, under “Window”.
The meters in this window follow the settings in “Preferences->Meterbridge”. The
colors for peak-hold time, among other options, can be applied to these meter. The
meter
meter-bridge
-bridge is well-suited to tracking a live band, as you can see several high-
resolution meters in a condensed view
view.. Y
You
ou can also show the track rrec-ar
ec-arms
ms and

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monitor switching fr
from
om this window

Channelstrip meters

To the right of each channel’s fader, you’ll find a small meter that indicates the
channel’s level. The meter follows the selection for “meter point” in the bottom-
right corner of the associated mixer strip. When a channel is record-armed, the
meter point will automatically move to meter the channel’s input. The channel
meters measure digital peaks, with a fairly slow fall-time and a configurable ‘hold’
indication. Individual track meters ar
aree well-suited to detecting a signal’s pr
presence,
esence,
the dynamic range of a track, and other utilitarian tasks. The scaling and ballistics
of these meters are fixed, so they may be directly comparable across all channels
of the mixer without introducing confusion.

The meter beside the fader is a mono meter if the channel strip is created as a
mono channel strip. It will be a stereo meter if the channel strip was created as a
stereo channel. Similarly all of the mix buses and the master bus are stereo and
have a stereo meter beside the fader. The picture below shows an example of a
stereo meter, this on on one of the mix buses.

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Channelstrip Compressor and Gate Gain-Reduction Meters

These meters indicate the gain-reduction applied by the channelstrip compressor/

limiter and gate/expander ( see Compression Techniques ). Note that the meters
display in opposite directions, the compressor meter displays more gain reduction
moving up. The gate meter indicates more gain reduction moving downwards. The
scales have been selected to display the most useful and audible range of gain
control.

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Mixbus & Master Bus – Tape Saturation Meter

A Tape Saturation meter is provided on each mixbus, as well as the master bus. This
meter indicates the amount of distortion applied by the tape-saturation stage which
emulates the soft compression of tape. If the meter is fully left, then no distortion is
applied. If the meter is fully right, then the signal is heavily distorted. You can use
the “Drive” knob to adjust the amount of tape saturation / distortion. The two
buttons to the right of the Drive knob provide a selection between gentle and
aggressive saturation characteristics.

Master Bus K-14 Meter

The K-14 meter is an RMS (averaging) meter, originally specified by mastering

engineer Bob Katz as a means to compare and help control the dynamic range of
pop music mixes. (see : http://www.digido.com/how-to-make-better-recordings-
part-2.html ) Use this meter to monitor the per
perceived
ceived “loudness” of your music mix,
and compar
compare e the loudness of your mix to other mix
mixes
es of the same genr
genree

The K-Meter displays the level of the signal directly before the output of the master
bus. The K-Meter comes after the fader, EQ, plugins, and final limiter in the master
bus.

If the K-14 meter indicator is straight up, at 0, this indicates that the sound’s
average level is at -14dBFS. This was selected as a good target for most pop/blues/
jazz/rock recordings. At this level, a song will sound quieter than most
contemporary pop music, but when the listener turns the volume up to match, the
increased dynamic range of this mix will allow the song to sound much better than
a typical pop song played at the same volume.

Increasing the volume beyond the “0” indicator will result in a louder mix, at a cost

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of decreased fidelity and impact when the user turns the volume up.

Master Bus Phase Correlation Meter

The stereo correlation meter provides an indication of the “mono compatibility”, or

stereo width, of your mix. The indicator uses a bright bar which simultaneously
indicates the range of in-phase (highly correlated) and out-of-phase (decorrelated)
sounds in your mix.

• If the indicator is fully to the right, and yellow

yellow, this indicates a completely
“mono” mix. (the signals in the left and right channels are the same)
◦ many signals (such as a spoken-word recording with one microphone)
should be mono.
• If the indicator is fully to the left, and fully red
ed, this indicates a mix that is
completely “out of phase”, in other words the left and right channels are equal,
but one is inverted with respect to the other. This almost certainly indicates a
technical fault which should be investigated.
• If the indicator is largely to the right, and grgreen
een, then it indicates a mix with
some stereo width, but largely mono compatible. This is optimal for pop music
recordings that might be played in a variety of playback systems.
• If the indicator is in the center, showing a range of red and green, then the mix
is very wide stereo. This is probably not optimal for pop/rock recordings, but
can be acceptable for natural or orchestral recordings. Mono compatibility of
this mix is questionable.

Mono compatibility is largely defined by low frequencies. If your mix indicates poor
mono compatibility ( red bar on the left ), then you can probably solve this by
reducing the number of bass instruments in the mix, high-pass filtering any non-
bass instruments, and high-pass filter any stereo effects, such as reverb, in the mix.

Master Bus Limiter

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Each segmented LED represents 1 dB of gain reduction in the Master Bus Limiter.
The master bus limiter is a brickwall, lookahead limiter that prevents the digital
signal from exceeding -1dBFS. When mixing, use this bright yellow meter to alert
you when you ““would
would have” e exxceeded the -1dBF
-1dBFS
S thr
threshold.
eshold. The lighted button is
provided to enable or disable the limiter.

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Immersive Bus Loudness (Mixbus Pro)

At the top of the Immersive Master Bus, you will find 3 important meters:

• the VU-style meter, at the top of the bus, provides only a rough gauge of your
mix’s loudness. Unlike the LUFS and dBTP meters, it is updated constantly

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(even when the transport is not rolling) which can make it useful for testing
and signal-verification purposes. Although there are no markings on the meter
and it cannot be used for any standardized metering tasks, you can learn to
anticipate your mix’s loudness and compare the loudness of different parts of
your mix using this meter.

• LUFS: this meter begins updating when the transport is rolling, and freezes its
calculation when the transport stops. You can use this to measure the loudness
of a portion of your mix. It is also used during export: the value on this meter
indicates the long-term loudness measurement of your exported immersive
mix. The loudness is calculated using a dedicated 5.1 mixdown using an ITU
standard measurement that applies different weights to the front and rear
channels, and averages them over time.

• dBTP: this meter begins updating when the transport is rolling, and freezes its
calculation when the transport stops. You can refer to this meter at the end of
your export, to verify that you are within the specifications of your delivery
requirements. A “true peak” meter is more accurate than a digital peak meter;
it simulates the audio signal as it will be seen after conversion to analog, and
captures the voltage peaks which might occur between 2 adjacent samples in
the digital stream.

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8.2. Gain Staging

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0&start=135

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0

Click above for video instructions.

What is Gain Staging in Digital Audio?

Digital audio represents the audio waveform as a series of numbers, each number
indicating a voltage in the electrical signal when it was converted from (or to) an
analog signal. More numbers (voltage levels) represents more accuracy in the
signal’s representation. Too few numbers introduces “quantization noise”.

* Quantization noise happens whenever you represent the signal with fewer steps
than you had before. This happens quite often inside the computer, where the bit
depth changes depending on many factors. Quantization noise is slightly more

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offensive than “regular” (random) noise. For these reasons, we must make sure
there’s enough random noise to cover up any quantization noise that we’ve
introduced. This technique is called Dithering, and careful use of dither is one of
the reasons that Mixbus sounds great.

For our purposes, the “noise floor” of a signal is the noise level in the quietest part
of the recording; this might include noise that was picked up by the microphone, or
dither noise that was used to cover up quantization noise inherent to digital maths.
If the noise floor is less than the noise in your environment, then you won’t even
notice it.

Generally speaking, 16-bits worth of numbers can recreate everything between a

typical quiet-room noise and a very loud sound (i.e.“CD quality sound”). A 24 bit
number can store signals from an infinitesimally small noise floor (lower than a very
quiet studio), all the way up to a roaring jet-engine volume.

Regardless of the number of voltage steps, there will be a value that indicates
“maximum volume”, and if you exceed that value, then the system must “clip” the
excessive values to the largest possible value.

A very short “clip” is almost always unnoticeable (just at the peak of a snare-drum
hit, for example). But sustained clipping, when the signal is significantly outside the
bounds of the “real world”, creates lots of ugly distortion that we want to avoid.

So our goal is to prevent signals from clipping, but keep them well clear of and
above the noise floor. Luckily with modern 20+ bit converters, this is very easy to
do.

With modern A/D converters, we recommend that you record your signals with the
peak meter never exceeding -15 dB. This indicates that the signal was far from the
clipping level when it was converted to digital. With the increased low-level
resolution of modern converters, it is not necessary to record at high levels.

This video discusses some additional thoughts about gain staging:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/A7rPJw6wN_4?rel=0

Floating-point processing
Internally, Mixbus uses a technique called floating-point math. For our purposes,
this means that some extra bits are reserved to store numbers outside the range
(both louder and quieter) than the range of the analog world. This means that it is
essentially impossible to “clip” the math inside Mixbus. In practice, this means that
you can boost a signal very loud – even louder than would normally be allowed in
the analog realm – and as long as you reduce it by the same amount later, it won’t
be clipped when it is heard at the output.

To this end, Mixbus provides many levels of gain adjustment which will allow you a
wide range of creative options.

Region Gain and Region Gain Curves

• Region Gain and/or Gain Automation
Automation: Increasing a region’s gain in the editor
will provide:

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◦ Each region has a volume setting (accessed with the Cut Gain and Boost
Gain shortcuts). The gain increase/decrease visibly affects the waveform
display
◦ Region gain curves allow the gain to change through the length of the
region

Channel Strip Gain stages

• Channel Input TTrim
rim: This stage is used to bring the overall level of the track to
a usable level. The trim knob is located near the fader for easy access.
• Fader
ader: Used to achieve an overall balance of all tracks in a session. This is also
a good place to make artistic changes such as bringing an instrument forward
during a solo.
• Mak
Makee up gain within the In-line compr
compressor
essor: Make up gain is used to restore
perceived level loss during compression. If the compressor meter is hitting -3
dB during transients, a make-up gain of 1 or 2 dB may be useful. It can also be
used as a fast and easy way to adjust the level post fader.

Mix bus
• Input T
Trim
rim: This knob is used to adjust the volume at the input of the master
bus.
• Tape saturation
saturation: The tape saturation meter does not monitor level, rather it
monitors the amount of saturation effect. This effect will add harmonic density
which can result in an increase in perceived loudness. Turning the tape
saturation knob off will allow signal to pass unaffected.
• Fader Used to achieve an overall balance of all tracks in a session.
• Mak
Makee up gain within the In-line compr
compressor
essor Make up gain is used to restore
perceived level loss during compression. It can also be used as a fast and easy
way to adjust the level post fader.

Master bus
• Input trim This knob is used to adjust the volume at the input to the master
bus. This is a useful tool if you’ve balanced the mix with the track faders, but
the overall level is still too low or high.
• Tape saturation The tape saturation meter does not monitor level, rather it
monitors the amount of saturation effect. This effect will add harmonic density
which can result in an increase in perceived loudness. Turning the tape
saturation knob off will allow signal to pass unaffected.
• Fader Used to achieve an overall volume of all tracks in a session.

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• Mak
Makee up gain within the In-line compr
compressor
essor Make up gain is used to restore
perceived level loss during compression. It can also be used as a fast and easy
way to adjust the level post fader.
• Final Limiter The final limiter is a brickwall, lookahead limiter with a very fast
attack and release. The threshold is preset at -1 dBFS. If a signal peak is going
to exceed -1 dBFS, the lookahead limiter will reduce the volume slightly before
and after the peak. Yellow indicators show gain reduction in increments of 1
dB.

Monitor Section (if enabled)

• Attenuator provides an output level for the speakers, as well as mute and a
configurable “dim” control. Use these controls to reduce the volume in your
speakers WITHOUT affecting the level of the master bus output. For more
details, visit the Monitoring Section

VCA Faders (if enabled)

• A VCA Fader can be used to adjust the level of multiple faders from one master
fader. For more details, visit the VCA Strip section.

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8.3. Mixer Window Overview

Mixer Strips – Inputs, Mixbuses, Master, Monitor, and VCA’s.
When viewed in the Mixer Window, Mixbus resembles a traditional analog console.
Input Channels are on the left, while the busses and master are located on the right
side.

The audio signal flow is generally left-to-right. The signal starts at the input
channels (which might be live inputs, playback tracks, MIDI tracks, or virtual
instruments), progresses through the mix buses, and into the master. The signal
path’s EQ, Filter, Compressor, panning, bus summing, and master bus processing
are performed inside Harrison’s proprietary signal path, are always present, and do
not require user-supplied plug-ins.

In Mixbus, like other audio workstations, each recording track has its own mixer
strip. These mixer strips resemble the input channels of a traditional analog mixing
console. Input channels can be configured to be mono or stereo, virtual instrument
or MIDI, and by default include all the DSP processing that makes up a real console
channel. This is the major difference between Mixbus and other DAW mixers. No
time is wasted searching for and adding the necessary high-quality mixing tools.

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Just to the right of the input channels are the mix-buses. Mix bus channels are used
to collect the outputs from the input channels into groups. For example, in a typical
music project, you might send the drums to mix bus 1, the vocals to mix bus 2,
instruments to mix bus 3, and use mix bus 4 as a parallel effects bus, like reverb.
This allows you to easily adjust the relative levels of these groups and apply
processing to them.

The master channel is the final mixer strip on the right. Often, the master channel
will be connected to your volume control, which is then connected to your speakers
(or headphones). The output of the Master channel is the final output of your
project ( i.e. your 2-track master file). This output is rendered to the final .wav file
when you export the session.

The monitor section on the far right has been made available for those who do not
have access to a dedicated external monitoring section.

Optionally, you can define VCA masters to which you can assign either channel
strips or mix buses. These are displayed between the mix buses and the master
strip. See the section VCA Faders for more details. You may create an unlimited
number of VCA masters. VCA faders may be attached to multiple channels, and
they give you the ability to mute, solo, or adjust the level of all the attached
channels simultaneously.

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* Tip: Shift+Ctrl+Click ( Shift+Cmd+Click on Mac ) on a track’s Mute, Solo, or Rec

enable to toggle ALL the tracks in a session.

* Tip: You can Ctrl+click (Cmd+click on Mac) on the track’s name slate, and make
the track wide or narrow. Shift+Ctrl+click (Shift+Cmd+Click on Mac) to make ALL
the tracks or ALL the buses narrow/wide.

* Tip: You can also control the mixer page via the keyboard. Select a channel by
clicking on it with the mouse, then you can use the ‘S’ to solo, ‘M’ to mute, ‘R’ to
record-arm the track. The up/down arrow keys nudge the fader up and down,
while the left/right keys scroll the mixer left & right.

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8.3.1. Mixer Sidebar

On the left side of the mixer window, there is a sidebar that allows you to manage
your Plugin Favorites, Tracks, and Groups. You can hide and show this list using
“V
View->Mix
iew->Mixer
er List
List” in the main menu.

Favorite Plugins
The “Favorites” bar allows you to store a selection of plugins, and their presets.
Learn more here.

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Track/Bus List

The “track/bus” list shows a list of available tracks and buses.

• Click the ‘show’ box to hide or show a strip in the mixer page.
• Click and drag an item to reorder the strips in the mixer page.

* Reordering the mixer strips will also reorder the tracks in the Editor window.

A right-click menu provides these options:

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• Hide/Show all.
• Hide/Show all tracks.
• Hide/show all buses.
• Show tracks with regions under playhead (only shows the tracks that have
active audio regions right now).

Below the track/bus area is a list of the mix buses which can be shown or hidden.

Group List
Below the mixbus area is the Group section. For more information about grouping,
visit the Groups topic.

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8.3.2. Mixer Scenes

Mix
Mixer
er Scenes allow you to quickly save and recall your knob settings of the mixer:
this includes the fader, panner, sends, send levels, eq settings, compressor
settings, and plugin settings. You can use this to temporarily stash a mix, like
“wetter vocals” or “vocal +2dB” and compare the 2 mixes.

Using Mixer Scenes

Left-click on a scene to recall the mixer settings to your mixer. Right-click on a

scene button to store (and name) the scene.

After a scene is stored, you can right-click on a mixer scene button to see these
additional options:

• Store: stores your current mixer settings into the scene (this operation is not
undo-able)
• Clear: delete this scene (this operation is not undo-able)

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• Rename: enter a new name for this scene

Momentary Audition
Audition: middle-click with the mouse to momentarily recall the
settings, then release the mouse to revert to your prior settings. This can be used
to compare your current mix against a prior mix, and then restore your current
settings. (if you don’t have a middle-click button on your mouse or trackpad, you
can use Cmd+click (or Ctrl+Click on windows)

More details about mixer scenes

Mixer Scenes are stored inside each session snapshot file. If you have a session
folder with 8 different songs stored as snapshots, then each song (snapshot) will
have its own bank of mixer scenes, and they do not affect each other (although if
you create a new snapshot it will inherit the parent’s mixer scenes)

When you store a mixer scene, it stores all of your current mixer settings, for all of
your tracks and buses. However, note that if you’ve created a new track since you
saved a scene, the scene will not have any settings for the new track so no changes
will occur on a new track until you re-save a scene with the new track’s settings in
it.

* if you want to restore the complete mixer-strip settings including the plugins,
plugin order, and vca assignments, or if you want to apply a mix template from
another session to this one, you should use “Mixer Save/Recall” instead of Mixer
Scenes. You can find documentation on this feature here: Mix Tools. The benefit
of “Mixer Scenes” is that they are near-instant, and they do not cause an audible
disruption. This makes them more suitable for a quick mix-compare, or a live mix
snapshot.

* In a live broadcast situation, mixer scenes can be used to quickly set your mix
for different events like “studio hosts + guest”, “go to commercial” etc.
Switching scenes is near-instantaneous and (if the settings are not too dramatic)
click-free.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/laX15wXghuA?rel=0

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8.4. Signal Flow

What is signal flow?
“Signal Flow” is the path that audio follows through an electronic system of wires,
and/or its equivalent inside your computer. The “signal flow” of a recording starts
with the performer, and ends with the listener. This incorporates the microphones,
converters, computers, mixers, effects, amplifiers and speakers that make up the
signal path. In this manual we refer to ‘signal flow’ of Mixbus itself. The signal flow
starts with the A/D converter of your soundcard’s input, and proceeds to the D/A
converter on the output. Mixbus’s signal flow consists of input tracks, mixer-strip
processors, buses, and monitor stages that execute the various processes of
recording, mixing, and exporting.

Mixbus’s signal flow

The Mixbus signal flow is modeled on an analog console.

Mixbus may have an unlimited number of mono and stereo channelstrips (Tracks).
Each channelstrip may be assigned to any of the mixbuses, and/or directly to the
master bus.

* In one small way, Mixbus differs from traditional mixing console: each of the
mixbus assigns have level controls, so each of the mixbuses can be used as
either an “aux send/return path” (using the level controls to adjust the send
level) or a “grouping bus”, (using the hard assign buttons with the level control
at unity) depending on the user’s needs. Typically in an analog console, a
separate selection of aux sends and grouping buses are provided. If you are a
live-sound engineer familiar with stage monitor consoles, then you already know
about having a level control on each bus send, and Mixbus is exactly the same.

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The “redirect” areas are represented by the black box at the top of the mixer strip.
Sends, Inserts and Plugins are “redirects”, and they may be placed in any order,
before or after the fader. If a redirect is above the fader, then it is considered a pre-
fader redirect.

* An important tip about signal flow

flow:: The Mixbus “bussing” structure (mix buses +
master bus) is stereo-only. Typically a channel has one (mono) or two (stereo)
inputs. This defines the channel width through the channelstrip. However, it is
possible to change the channel width via plugins. For example you can have a
mono-input, stereo-output effect (such as a chorus or autopanner effect). The
last redirect (plugin) in the post-fader redirect box will define the signal width
just before it goes into the panning/bussing section. If the last plugin has a single
(mono) output channel, then the mono panner will be used. If the last plugin has
2 (stereo) output channels, then the stereo “balance” panner will be used. If the
last plugin has 3 or more channels, then the stereo “balance” panner will be
used and the remaining channels will be ignored by Mixbus.

The signal flow through each plugin may be modified with Pin Connections.

* Not shown in the diagram is the Pre-Fader and Post-Fader send mutes.
Sometimes when you mute a track, you still want a Send to remain active (for a
headphone feed, for example). It is possible to disable the mute for pre- and
post- fade sends separately. To enable or disable the pre- and post-fader send
mute, right-click on the Mute button in the editor window.

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8.4.1. Mono vs Stereo

When you create a new Mixbus track (or bus), you have the option to make the
track either mono or stereo.

What is the difference between mono and stereo?

A stereo signal is typically recorded with 2 (or more) microphones such that a single
sound (like a drum) is captured with both microphones; but because of their
separate locations, each microphone will record the sound with slightly different
timing & reflections. It is this difference (similar to the difference detected by our 2
separate ears) that causes stereo recordings to have additional width & depth
beyond simple mono left/right “panning”.

In this document we will always use the word stereo in italics, if we mean a true
recorded-in-stereo signal. Otherwise we will use the term stereo or “stereo” (in
quotes) to indicate 2-channel audio with left and right sides.

2-channel audio is not necessarily stereo

Mixbus is designed to support 2-channel playback throughout. If you feed a true

stereo signal into Mixbus, then Mixbus (by default) will maintain the _stereo_-ness
of that recording throughout the signal flow.

You can also take multiple mono signals, and “pan” them to the 2 channels (left and
right) by adjusting the level of each channel. This is sometimes called “pan-pot
stereo” or even more commonly just “stereo”. But this is not strictly a stereo signal.

2-channel files are not necessarily stereo

You might receive a file that has 2 channels (“stereo”) but in fact it does not
represent a stereo signal.

For example, you might have a 2-channel file recorded with a handheld recorder.
The first channel is the host interviewer, and the second channel is the guest. In
this case, the file has 2 channels but the information is not stereo and should not be
treated as such.

Some other examples might be:

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• a vocal track is provided in a “stereo” file. The singer is louder in the left side.
But it’s the same (mono) signal in both tracks, just panned slightly left.
• a snare-drum track might be provided in the upper (head) and lower (snare)
mics, but this is not a stereo signal.
• a kick-drum might be provided with “inner” and “outer” (sound hole) mics, but
this is not a stereo signal.

* Some workstations (like Apple Logic) will export tracks in 2-channel (“stereo”) by
default, even if the information is exactly the same in both the left and right
tracks ( i.e. center-panned mono ). In this case, you might want to import the
track as 2 mono tracks, and then discard the redundant track from the editor.

In Mixbus, what is the difference between a mono and stereo

CHANNEL (i.e. TRACK)?

Mono channels/tracks

Mono channels use a panner – this means that the mono signal is sent to the right
and left channels simultaneously, and then one side or the other is attenuated to
make the sound appear farther to the left or right of the stereo field.

Stereo channels/tracks

Because stereo is a special case, Mixbus’s stereo channels operate differently. A

stereo channel uses a balance knob instead of a pan knob. A balance knob
preserves the left channel in the left speaker, and the right channel to the right
speaker. Then one side or the other is attenuated to “balance” the signal to the left
or right. But the left signal is never mixed into the right side, or vice versa. This
preserves the stereo phase information in the signal.

When you mix a combination of mono-panned and stereo signals into a stereo
mixbus, then the mixbus applies a “balance” control as well, and this maintains the
phase relationship of the stereo signals throughout the mix.

Mixbus also treats stereo signals differently in the channel’s compressor: it is

important that the compressor’s gain-reduction works on both left and right sides
equally. This prevents the stereo image from shifting left or right when the signal is
compressed. Mixbus’s stereo channelstrip compressor does this correctly. This is
another reason that, when you have a true stereo signal, you should assign it a

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stereo channelstrip. Similarly, if 2 channels are together in a file but not really
“stereo”, then you should create 2 mono strips instead of a stereo one.

How do I resolve the problem if I’m given tracks/files that

don’t match my needs?
The easiest way to solve your mono/stereo questions is to resolve it during file
“import”.

When you import a file, in the import dialog, there is a “mapping” pulldown menu
which allows you to either:

a) select “one track per channel” to split selected stereo files into mono tracks.
b) select “one track per file” to import stereo files as stereo tracks.
c) select “sequence files” to import all the selected files into one track, sequentially.
d) select “merge files” to combine 2 mono files of identical length into a stereo
track. ( this option ONLY appears when 2 files of identical length are selected ).

How do I convert a mono signal to stereo?

Strictly speaking, a mono signal cannot be converted to stereo. It wasn’t recorded
with stereo phase information from a spaced pair of microphones.

However there are several ways to make the mono signal occupy both channels in a
left/right “stereo” mix:

• Every mono channelstrip has a “pan” knob that allows you to pan the signal
left or right.
• Insert a plugin that changes the channel’s signal from mono to stereo.
Normally Mixbus uses only the “left” side of a plugin, if you insert a stereo
plugin on a mono channel. But you can right-click on a plugin and choose “pin
connections”, “add output” to split the channel into stereo for a mono-in,
stereo-out plugin.
• Assign the channel to a stereo mixbus, and apply an effect that enhances the
left/right panning, such as a reverb, haas delay, auto-panner, chorus or
doubling plugin.

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How do I convert a stereo signal to a mono signal?

Generally speaking, if you have a true stereo signal, you shouldn’t just sum the 2
channels together and make a “mono” signal. The different time/phase relationship
between the left and right sides will cause frequency cancellations and other
artifacts.

If you have a truly stereo signal, it is rarely necessary or desired that you would
want to make it mono. One exception might be the case where the stereo mic
selection/location was poorly chosen. In this case, perhaps the best solution is to
use only the “left” side, or the “right” … whichever sounds better for your needs.

If you have a stereo signal and you feel you must make it mono, some solutions
might be:

• Assign the stereo track to a mixbus, and use the mixbus’s width control to
make the signal “mono”. ( this mono-summing happens at the top of the
channelstrip, before any plugins )
• Insert a plugin that provides a stereo-width control. (optionally: right-click on
the plugin and choose “pin connections” if you want the plugin to have a single
(mono) output)

How do I convert a stereo track to 2 mono tracks?

If you are “importing” a track to mix, the best way is to make this decision during
the import operation. Select the option “one track per channel”, and your stereo file
will be split into 2 mono tracks which you can manipulate separately.

If you have recorded a stereo track, and later want to split it into 2 mono tracks,
you should first ask yourself why you did this recording in stereo, at all :)

Mixbus provides a Lua script which can split a stereo track into 2 mono tracks. The
stereo track’s Playlist (including all edits) will be split into left and right
components, and assigned to 2 new tracks. Each track has the same processing
applied as the source track. To access the script, click Window->Scripting->Actions-
>Stereo To Mono->Run

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How do I convert 2 mono tracks to a stereo track?

If you’ve read the prior information on this page, you might understand why
converting 2 mono track to “stereo” is not as easy as it sounds. Consider the case
where each of the mono channels has slightly different plugins, EQ, edits, and other
details. We can’t trivially convert 2 mono tracks into a single stereo track.

The only sensible way to convert 2 mono tracks into stereo is to solo the 2 tracks,
export the mix to stereo, and re-import the resulting file as a stereo track. (then de-
activate or remove the original mono tracks) We might make a convenience
function that does this automatically in the future.

In many cases, you don’t want to convert the tracks to stereo at all; instead you
should consider making a “group” for the 2 tracks. This will “tie the tracks
together” so that selections, fader levels, colors, and other parameters will be
changed together, as if they were a single track. But you’ll still have individual
panning, plugins, EQ’s and such. Since you can’t “really” make 2 mono signals into
stereo anyway, this is usually the best choice.

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8.4.2. Bussing

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuInwhnrtlk?rel=0

What is a Bus?
A bus is a signal path onto which one or many audio signals are combined to arrive
at a common place for further processing. In the earliest days of analog circuitry, a
“bus” was simply a wire onto which a number of signals were summed together,
and then directed to the next stage of processing.

In digital audio, the electrical wire is replaced by a series of numbers representing a

signal that is the arithmetic sum of a number of individual signals. This final value
is then passed to the next processing stage.

Buses are typically used for these fundamental mixing tasks:

1. Combining multiple signals onto the “master bus”, or main mix which feeds
your speakers or headphones.
2. Making a monitor mix, similar (but not necessarily identical) to the master bus,
in which an artist can hear themselves and other musicians.
3. Combining a subset of similar signals into a subgroup or “group bus”: for
example you can make a bus that combines the drum tracks into a Drum Bus.

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4. Developing a secondary (effects or aux) mix, which is then processed with an

effect such as reverb. For example you can “send” multiple signals to a single
reverb effect, with varying levels.

* Rather than adding a plugin to every channel, using buses can be less taxing on
your computer. Inserting a plug-in, such as a reverb, on a bus saves the need of
inserting a reverb across many individual tracks. This also ensures the plug-in
applies the same effect across all the tracks being bussed for a more coherent
and realistic sound.

* A “bus” has no recorded audio stored in it like an audio track does. A bus serves
to sum and processes audio signals “live”. Buses do, however, have a
representation in the editor timeline, so their controls can be ‘automated’.

How do I use buses in Mixbus?

Mixbus has a built-in bus summing structure that is very similar to an analog mixing
console. Visit Sends Section to learn more.

Mixbus also has the ability to create an arbitrary number of “buses” ( some DAWs
call these Aux Tracks, or Inputs ) from the “New Track/Bus” dialog. You can connect
these buses in various ways via the the channel input, outputs, and “sends”
mechanism. You can learn more about this in the DAW-Style Mixing Buses section.

However, we encourage users to focus on the provided mixbus summing

architecture, which operates like an analog console. In most cases, this will result in
the easiest, fastest, and best-sounding operation. This bussing structure is what
makes Mixbus special.

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8.5. Input Strip

The input channel strip is the fundamental element in the mixing window. This is
where an audio signal is routed, processed, and then sent to either a mix bus or the
master channel. An input channel strip can be mono or stereo.

• New in Mixbus32C v9 are the channel Gate/Expander processor, and expanded

controls on the Leveler/Compressor/Limiter. Separate buttons to view the Gate,
Compressor, Input Switcher, EQ and Bus Sends facilitate operation with video
monitors of height less than 1200 pixels. Display of all at once is only possible
if you have a 4K HD monitor. The following picture shows none of these
sections displayed.

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The featur
features
es of the input strip visible in the above figur
figuree include:

• Redirect Section – see section Redirects – Plugins, Sends & Inserts. This area is

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where plugins can be inserted. At the top the positions in the signal flow of the
Gate, EQ, Compressor and Fader are displayed by default.
• Stereo Pan Knob
• Master Bus Assign (“Mstr”) : when this is lit, the signal will be sent directly to
the Master bus (in addition to any mixbus assignments)
• Channel Mute and Solo
• Input Trim knob : the input trim value is applied immediately after track
playback, and BEFORE any plugins in the redirect box
• 5 buttons select the visibility of the Input Switcher, Gate, EQ, Compressor, and
Bus Sends controls
• Drive button adding harmonic enhancement to the track
• Fader
• Meter : the channel meter is a digital peak-reading meter; the scale is the
same as the fader
• Compressor and Gate gain reduction meters – these are always active and
visible even if the Gate and Compressor Controls are hidden
• Fader level : this displays the curent fader position, in dB. Click to enter a
value.
• Meter peak-hold : this displays the loudest digital-peak value that has been
detected by the meter. It turns red when the value is over 0dBFS. Click to reset
the value.
• Fader Automation selector : select between Manual, Play, Write, and Touch.
This control only affects the channel’s fader
• Group selector : click this button to assign the channel to a Group ( see:
Groups )
• Meter Position selector : click this button to select the meter position ( Input,
Pre-Fader, Custom, Post-Fader, Output )
• Polarity switch
• VCA Assign

The featur
features
es of the input strip NOT visible in the above figur
figuree include:

• The Rec/Input switcher – see section Rec/Input (“Switcher”) Section

• The channel gate section – see section Channel Gate Expander Section
• The EQ section: see section EQs
• The Compressor/Limiter/Leveler Section – see section Channel Compressor
Limiter Section
• the Bus Sends section – see section Sends Section

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These sections are displayed by selecting the buttons to the right of the Pan knob.
These are not unique to the particular channel strip, for example selecting the EQ
will display the EQ section on ALL the channel strips, selecting the compressor
section on any channel strip will display this section on ALL channel strips AND the
12 mix buses.

How many of these sections can be displayed at once depends on the resolution of
your video monitor. A 4K HD monitor is required if you want all sections to be
displayed at once.

Additionally, there is a preference setting under Edit->Preferences->Size and Scale

that allows you to choose how many of these sections can be displayed at once,
allowing you to optimize the display to your monitor.

• The following picture shows the Input Switcher section displayed.

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Note that selecting the input switcher displays it on ALL channel strips.

• The following picture shows the Gate section displayed.

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Note again that selecting the Gate section does so on ALL channel strips.

• Some features of the Gate Section:

◦ both Gate and Downward Expander functions available
◦ Hysteresis and Hold controls in Gate mode. In Expander mode these
knobs become Knee and Ratio controls
◦ Sidechain filter: this is a bandpass peaking filter in the gate sidechain
path The “LSTN” button allows listen to the sidechain path without
affecting the main signal path
◦ Threshold and Depth controls
◦ “Attack” and “Release” knobs: allows adjustment of the gate attack and
release time constants

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• The following picture shows the compressor section displayed.

• Some features of the Compressor Section:

◦ Makeup Gain – provides up to 10dB of Makeup Gain; this gain is only
active when the compressor is enabled
◦ Emphasis filter: this is a sliding High-shelf filter in the compressor
sidechain path
◦ Threshold – the threshold indicates when the compressor will begin
working on the signal; reduce the threshold slider to compress more
◦ NEW
NEW!! “Attack” and “Release” knobs: allows adjustment of the compressor
attack and release time constants

• The following picture shows the EQ section displayed.

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Some features of the EQ are:

• 4 EQ bands, each with +/-15 dB gain:

◦ “Mid” bands are proportional-Q peaking bands ( Q increases with
additional boost/cut )
▪ Hi and Lo bands are shelving by default, Individual “Peak” buttons
change the bands to proportional-Q peaking mode.

• The following picture shows the Bus Send section displayed. See the section
Bussing

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• Mixbus Sends Section:

◦ 12 mixbus sends, each with On/Off switch, and level control

View Pulldown
There is an additional method for displaying the Gate, Compressor, EQ, Sends or
Rec/Input menu on the channel strips. Rather than clicking the buttons on the
channel strips, the View pulldown menu provides either a menu click or keyboard
shortcuts for switching the display. As with clicking the EQ, Sends or Input buttons
on the channel strip itself, the display changes for ALL channels, not just a selected
channel. The figure below shows how to access these controls and also shows the
associated keyboard shortcuts.

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Other Buttons and Controls

Polarity
• Click this button to invert the signal’s polarity. On a stereo channel, you will
see 2 polarity switches, one for each channel.

VCA
• Click this button to assign one or more VCA faders to control this channel’s
fader and mute. See the section VCA Strip for details.

Grp
• Grouping links faders together for common control. Click this button to assign

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this channel’s fader to a group. See the section Groups for details.

M
• Click this button to select the desired fader automation mode. The choices are
Manual, Play, Write, Touch and Latch. See the section Fader, Pan and Plug-in
Automation for details.

General Operation
Channel strip operation is the same everywhere in Mixbus.

• mouse-click on a button to activate it

• to turn a knob or move a fader, click and hold on it and move the mouse up
and down
• double clicking on a knob will snap it to its centere position
• right-clicking on the channel slate will bring up a menu where you can change
the name, color, input or output routing, and other options:

• When the Compressor is displayed, right clicking on the top button allows you
to select between leveller, compressor or limiter operation:

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8.5.1. Rec/Input (“Switcher”) Section

At the top of any mixer strip, you can display the “Switcher” section, which
provides controls for the Record-arm, Input selection, Monitor modes, and
Comments. Normally hidden, the switcher section is displayed by clicking on the
“Input” button beside the Pan knob:

The image above shows a channel strip befor

beforee its switcher has been activated

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The same channel strips af

after
ter its switch has been activated.

* Clicking on an “Input” button to display the Switcher makes ALL channelstrips

and mix buses show the same controls. This is a quick way to view all of your
channel I/Os and other settings while preparing for your mix. Clicking on an
“Input” button again will switch all the channels back to hide the Switchers and
focus the channel strip on showing the signal flow.

The track controls vary slightly between Tracks, Buses, Mixbuses, and the Master
strip. The buttons on an Input strip include:

• Recor
ecordd ar
armm: Click this button to arm the track for recording. An armed track
shows a solid red dot.
• Monitor
Monitor:: Input : This button forces the channel to monitor it’s input, typically

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from the physical audio interface. See monitoring

• Monitor
Monitor:: Disk : This button forces the channel to monitor it’s disk playback. See
monitoring
◦ Both “monitor input” and “monitor disk” can be enabled, useful when
doing punch-ins
• In:- : Use this button to select the soundcard input(s) or other sources to feed
this channel.
• Comments Button : Click this button to enter comments for the channel.

On Mixbuses and the Master strip, only the Comments Button is presented. It will
displayed or hidden when the switcher on any channel strip is selected.

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8.5.2. Processor Section

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8.5.3. Immersive Section

Engage the immersive panner by clicking the “Immrs” button above the channel’s
stereo pan knob (shown near the bottom of this image).

Immersive panner for Mono Channels

Trim: this adjusts the level of the signal sent to the immersive master bus. You
might want your keyboards louder in the immersive mix, than you did in your stereo
mix.

Size: increasing the size knob will cause this channel to ‘spread’ into more
speakers. At max Size, the signal will appear in all speakers (i.e. not panned)

Elevation slider: this adjusts the z (height) axis of the sound.

“Dome” : this menu determines the effect of xy position on the Z position. When
enabled, the mouse/joystick’s X+Y position will automatically move the object’s Z
position into the overhead speakers, when moved towards the center of the room.

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• Dome (default) : in this mode, any joystick position at the edges (front, back or
sides) will be fully ‘down’ in the floor-level speakers. Moving towards the center
of the room will increase the height, as if the room were a sphere
• Wedge : in this mode, any joystick position at the front and back will be fully
‘down’ in the floor-level speakers. Moving towards the center of the room in
the y-axis (regardless of x-position will increase the height
• Ceiling : in this mode, sounds at the front of the room will be rendered from
the main front speakers. Moving the object(s) into the center of the room will
quickly render them ino the height speakers

“Mid” : this is the binaural render mode, which can be one of “Off/Near/Mid/Far”.
The binaural mode provides a ‘hint’ for psychoacoustic tricks during ambisonic
rendering. In most renderers, the “Far” setting can introduce noticeable early-
reflections, which can be perceived as extra reverb. In most music mixes, it is
usually best to leave this on Mid for mono channels, and Off, for drum subgroups
that need to be left un-processed to retain their maximum punch. “Near” and “Far”
settings might be very useful for VR and video game sound design, which can take
advantage of visual room cues to more accurately place the sound relative to the
listener.

“Snap” : when engaged, if the panner is near a speaker in the room, then the signal
will be sent ‘only’ to that nearby speaker, and no others. For example you can snap
a signal to the center, and if the playback has a center speaker, it will only play
there. Alternatively, you can snap a stereo channel or bus to each of the Left/Right
and guarantee that no signal will get into the center speaker.

“In” : when engaged, the signal will be sent to the Immersive Master Bus. if
disengaged, this object will not appear in the Immersive Master bus. The Immersive
Master bus is parallel to the stereo master bus. Disabling the stereo master IN
button will have no effect on a track’s send to the Immersive Master bus, and vice
versa.

“Man”: this is the automation mode for the object/joystick panner. See:

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Immersive Panner for Stereo Channels

In a stereo channel, there are 2 objects shown. Each has an independent x, y, and z
position. “Trim”, “Elevation” and “Size” are applied equally to both Left and Right
objects, although they can be individually manipulated via automation lanes.

When entering the panner, the objects will be labled “L” and “R” to indicate which
channel is the left side of the stereo pair.

“Only L” : this menu selects whether your mouse (or potentially a hardware joystick)
will affect the left signal, right, or both (in various ways)

• Only L : moving the mouse/joystick will only move the object fed by the Left
signal.
• Only R: moving the mouse/joystick will only move the object fed by the Right
signal … this allows exact independent positioning of the 2 objects.
• Mirror X: the X-axis is mirrored; moving up/down will move them forward/back
in the soundfield, together. This is useful for stereo ‘flyover’ type effects.
• Mirror Y: the Y-axis is mirrored; moving left/right will move both objects
together. This is good for stereo left/right “flyby” effects.

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• Mirror X+Y: both X and Y are mirrored. This is good for effects that ‘spin’
around the room.

When an automatic height mode is engaged, then each object will independently
follow the height that is defined by its XY position. This applies in Only L and Only R
as well, so you can independently place them, but use the automated height.

NOTE: in mono and stereo channels, you can use the mouse-wheel to adjust the
height without using the slider.

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8.5.4. Gate/Expander Section

The Channel Gate can tame the microphone bleed in live tracks, or add more
expressive and dynamic articulation to pre-recorded loops and sounds.

Controls:

• Threshold Slider: drag the threshold slider down to meet the average signal
level
• Input Meter: this meter indicates the level (post-sidechain-filter) that is being
fed to the gate’s detector
• Gain Reduction meter: this meter indicates the amount of gain-reduction being
applied. The first 4 LEDs each indicate 2dB of gain reduction.
• Depth Knob: increase this knob to increase the effect of the Gate processing. In
the default Gate mode, this knob allows up to 60dB of gating. If the Exp
(expander) button is enabled, then the range of this knob is decreased to only
15dB, and is geared to provide more sensitivity in the the first few dB of
action.
• Attack: this knob adjusts the speed at which the gate or expander will engage,
when the input signal reduces below the threshold slider
• Release: this knob adjusts the speed at which the gate or expander will release
(return to unity gain), if the gate was engaged and now the input signal raises
above the threshold slider
• SC F: the Sidechain Filter is a bandpass filter that focuses the sensitivity of the

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Gate/Expansion on a specific frequency range. For example: if you have a

snare track which also has some bleed from the kick drum, you can focus the
sidechain filter on a frequency that is present in the snare, but not the kick.
This allows the gate to open only for the snare, and stay closed during the
kick-drum, even if the bleed is quite loud.
• Lstn: this button allows you to listen to the sidechain-filtered input of the gate,
thereby allowing you to tune the filter while listening to its effect
• Gate: this button enables the Gate/Compressor effect
• Knee (Expander mode only): this knob reduces the effect of the Ratio knob, so
that the ratio starts very small and then proportionally increases to reach its
full value, after the input signal has receded from the threshold by the defined
dB value.
• Ratio (Expander mode only): this knob defines how strongly the expander will
take effect when the input signal gets lower than the threshold
• Hyst (Gate mode only): The Hysteresis knob prevents the gate from quickly
opening and closing when the signal slowly passes through the threshold
region. Imagine the case where a signal with natural variation in volume
(tremolo or vibrato) is slowly decaying. After the sound decreases beneath the
threshold, the natural variation might momentarily exceed the threshold.
• Hold (Gate mode only): The Hold knob defines the minimum time that the gate
will be held fully open, after the gate is triggered. In the common case where a
Gate is used to focus on a single sound (like a snare drum), this allows the
gate to be held open for the entire length of the drum hit, rather than decaying
the sound immediately after the transient falls below the threshold.
• Mode: Select “Mixbus Expander” mode to change the behavior of the gate.
Expander mode is a gentler form of gating, where the signal is only decreased
slightly when the signal recedes below the threshold. This can increase the
dynamic contrast between loud sounds and quiet ones.

! Lookahed Latency : the Gate effect requires a ‘lookahead’ time so it can

accurately open before a drum transient. When any channel’s Gate mode is
enabled, Mixbus must delay all the other channels to accommodate this latency.
This is called ‘latency compensation’ and is inherent to Mixbus’s operation.
However, there are a few cases where the additional latency is objectionable (for
example: if you want to play a midi keyboard, and hear a virtual instrument
played from a track in Mixbus). In this case you can disable PDC (plugin delay
compensation) via the Latency Toolbar.

* the Expander mode does not incur lookahead latency

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8.5.5. Compressor/Limiter Section

The Channel Compressor is used to artistically manipulate the dynamic content of a
signal. Some of the effects possible with a compressor are: make a sung or spoken
voice sound more consistent; increase the ‘room’ sound in a drum mix; or
accentuate the attack of a percussive sound like a drum or picked guitar

Controls:

• Threshold Slider: drag the threshold slider down to meet the average signal
level
• Input Meter: this meter indicates the level (post-emphasis-filter) that is being
fed to the compressor’s detector
• Gain Reduction meter: this meter indicates the amount of gain-reduction being
applied. The first 4 LEDs each indicate 2dB of gain reduction.
• Ratio Knob: increase this knob to increase the effect of the Compressor
processing. The range of this control can vary depending on the Mode
selection.
• Attack: this knob adjusts the speed at which the compressor will engage, when
the input signal exceeds the threshold slider. The range of this control can vary
depending on the Mode selection.
• Release: this knob adjusts the speed at which the compressor will return to
unity gain, if compression was occurring and now the input signal sinks below
the threshold slider. The range of this control can vary depending on the Mode

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selection.
• Emph: increase the Emphasis knob to increases the sensitivity of the
compressor to high frequencies. This causes the compressor to act more
quickly on transients but slower on lower frequencies, resulting in a more
vintage character that is associated with tube and opto-coupled compression
devices.
• Gain: this knob increases the output level, post-compressor. Since a
compressor normally reduces the volume of a signal, it is desirable to raise the
overall level, post-compression. This extra gain is disabled when you disable
the compressor, which allows you to compare the compressed and
uncompressed (dry) signal at a comparable volume.
• Mode Selector: the mode selector provides 3 options: Leveler, Compressor and
Limiter

Compressor Modes:
1. Leveling: The “leveler” mode has a very low ratio with a small adjustment
range, a very fast release with a small adjustment range, and a widely
adjustable attack. Due to mic technique or other elements out of our control,
sometimes a signal has a very wide dynamic range. The “leveler” with a fast
attack can be used to transparently reduce the level of the loudest parts, so
that the track has a more consistent level. Reducing the dynamic range of our
tracks can make them easier to mix, although it might rob some of the
performance’s natural dynamics. The leveler with a slow attack allows the
initial sound (the first syllable of a word or phrase, for example), to be passed
through at full volume, while reducing the “body” of the sound slightly. This
retains and enhances the character of the recording, and it can help improve
intelligibility of words and instruments in a busy mix.
2. Compression: The “compressor” mode is the most adjustable of the 3 modes,
with full control over ratio, attack, and release. Compression is a natural effect
of amps driven to their limits, or vocal shouting. Therefore our brains perceive
compressed signals as “louder”, regardless of their actual volume. Because the
loud signals are brought much lower, it makes the quiet signals sound as loud
as the loud parts. This means that mouth noises, valve noises, and other
ancillary sounds will sound more pronounced. This can impart a “nearby, in-
your-face” effect. The compressor has a multi-stage envelope follower which
allows it to respond to changes in overall level, while still applying the
‘compressed’ effect.
3. Limiting: The “limiter” mode has a nearly-instant attack with little adjustment,

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a high ratio, and a widely variable release time. A limiter is a very fast-acting
compressor, and these were initially designed to capture signal peaks before
they were passed on to sensitive broadcast transmitters, disc-cutting lathes, or
speaker systems. By taming the transients of a very dynamic instrument (like
drums), the limiter has the effect of extending the instrument’s decay, and an
inherent increase in room-sound (reverb), sometimes called ‘bloom’ or
ambience. A common use of the Limiter is to increase the room&ambience of a
drum mix.

* Mixbus32C’s channelstrip limiter mode is an ‘effect’ intended to sound like

desirable analog devices. It is not a brickwall digital peak limiter. For those
purposes, you can use Mixbus’s built-in limiter on the master-bus, or the bundled
x42 Lookahead Limiter, or a third-party plugin.

! Lookahead Latency : the Limiter effect requires a ‘lookahead’ time so it can

accurately open before a drum transient. When any channel’s Limiter mode is
enabled, Mixbus must delay all the other channels to accommodate this latency.
This is called ‘latency compensation’ and is inherent to Mixbus’s operation.
However, there are a few cases where the additional latency is objectionable (for
example: if you want to play a midi keyboard, and hear a virtual instrument
played from a track in Mixbus). In this case you can disable PDC (plugin delay
compensation) via the Latency Toolbar.

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8.5.6. EQ Section
Click the “EQ” switch on an Input Strip to expose the EQ controls:

EQ Mode
The EQ ‘mode’ switch allows selection of either the Harrison 32C equalizer, or the
SSL 9000J equalizer (Mixbus
Mixbus P
Prro only)

Harrison 32C Channelstrip EQ & Filters

The default setting for the channelstrip EQ emulates the famous Harrison 32Series
EQ, which was used on countless popular albums.

The Channelstrip EQ provides a very wide range of frequency and gain changes ( up
to 15dB! ) to help tame your tracks. The high and low bands are shelving filters for

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general tone sculpting, while the 2 middle bands are “proportional Q” design.
Optionally, the High and Low bands may be switched to “bell” ( peaking ) shape
with the small mode switches at top and bottom.

* The proportional-Q design was used in the original Harrison consoles to allow an
engineer to use the EQ as either a subtle tone shaping tool, or a steep filter
problem-solver, with only 2 knobs. As the gain is progressively increased (or cut),
the bandwidth becomes progressively narrower (the Q increases).

* NOTE: In the original 32C EQ, and the Mixbus emulation of it, the frequency and
gain knobs are labeled as if the “bell” knob were engaged, however the default
mode is shelving. In shelving mode, the available gain is +/-18dB and the
frequencies are different (because it is a filter corner freq, not a bell center freq).
We have decided to keep the labeling of the knob the same as on the actual 32C
console. Please note that the knob is labeled for a mode that is not the default,
and the text display does not match the tick marks around the knob.

Specifications:

Separate “In” buttons for 4-band EQ; 2-band Filter section.

Gain Range +/- 15dB

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Frequency Ranges (adjustable):

• HI: approx 900 Hz to 13,000 Hz

• HI MID : approx 400 Hz to 6,000 Hz
• LOW MID: 200 Hz to 3,100 Hz
• LO: 40 Hz to 600 Hz

Filter Frequencies:
LPF 12 dB/octave, frequency range (approx) 160 to 20,000 Hz
HPF 12 dB/octave, frequency range (approx) 20 to 3,100 Hz

NOTE that the filters have a generous frequency overlap. It is possible to adjust the
frequency knobs on the filters such that there is NO signal coming through! This
was also possible on the original 32C analog console, and was a favorite tactic of
control room pranksters.

* Care was taken to model the performance of the analog circuit, and variations in
the knob resistor values are used to drive the model, rather than more typical
“frequency” settings. Due to that, and also the resulting interaction between
bands, you will notice that the reported band frequency can change with the gain
setting, and vice versa…particularly in the “shelving” mode.

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SSL 9000J Channelstrip EQ & Filters

Mixbus Pro users may select the SSL 9000J equalizer as an alternative to the
Harrison 32C equalizer.

The SSL 9000 console was introduced in 1995 and uses SSL’s newly introduced
“Superanalogue” circuitry to provide an extended and clean frequency response for
the era of high-resolution digital recording and playback.

The SSL 9000J Channelstrip EQ provides a very wide range of frequency and gain
changes (up to 20dB) to help tame your tracks. The high and low bands are
shelving filters for general tone sculpting, while the 2 middle bands have a
“proportional Q” design. Additionally, the 2 middle bands also have a dedicated Q
(sharpness) knob. At its widest setting,the proportional-q has little effect, while at
the tightest (leftmost) setting, the curve is noticeably sharper and becomes more
sensitive to the gain, introducing a noticeably sharper eq when boosted or cut.

Optionally, the High and Low shelving bands may be switched to “bell” ( peaking )
shape with the small mode switches at top and bottom.

By default, the 9KJ shelving bands have a slight resonance which causes an inverse
‘cut’ just before a shelving boost. The “E” button decreases this resonance, making

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the curves more like the 32C shelves.

* Care was taken to model the performance of the analog circuit, and variations in
the knob resistor values are used to drive the model. Just like the physical
console, the frequency and gain indications on the knobs may not match the
measured behavior, but these variations are retained to emulate the experience
of using the analog console.

Differences between the EQ modes

While similar in many ways to the 32C equalizer, the SSL version has some notable
differences.

While both equalizers have 2 sweepable mid-bands, the middle bands of the 9kJ
equalizer have more gain (20dB) available than 32C (15dB).

At its default settings, the SSL EQ’s midrange bandwidth is significantly wider than
the 32C, and at wider Q settings it is much wider than the 32C, making it suitable
for very gentle wide-band tone control. Only at its tightest Q settings and highest
boost does the SSL exceed the sharpness of the 32C circuit. Conversely, when
switched to Bell mode, the 32C has a wider bandwidth than the SSL bell shapes!
These small differences are indicative of their different designers’ goals, and might
lead you to choose a different EQ depending on the job at hand.

* You can copy EQ settings from one track to another by dragging the EQ
processor (in the processor list at the top of the channelstrip) onto another
channel’s EQ processor.

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8.5.7. Sends Section

Click the “Sends” switcher on an input strip to expose the Mixbus Send knobs:

Mixbus32C provides these bus send features from each input strip:

• 12 stereo mixbus “sends” which correspond to the 12 available mixbus master

strips in the mixer window.
◦ Each mixbus send has an on/off indicator, and a level control.
◦ By default, mixbus sends occur at the end of the processor-list, and after
the panner.
◦ rename the mixbus (via the channel slate) to assign the text names
beside the send knobs
◦ the mixbus’s color is also reflected here, via the button
• Master bus, with on/off indicator and stereo pan control

NEW in v10! Pre/Post Switching

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Right-click on a send’s button or text label to assign it to pre-fader. Signals that are
assigned pre-fader will be sent immediately before the channel fader, but after all
the plugins that precede the fader.

Bus Assignment
To assign to a mix bus, click on the button or the label for the desired mix bus. A
lighted button will indicate an active assign to the mixbus. All of the lit buttons
have slightly different colors to help distinguish them. To adjust the level of the bus
send click and hold on the knob, moving the mouse up or down will turn the knob in
the desired direction. Double clicking on the knob will restore it to the default 0dB
position at its center. If the bus send is OFF, double clicking will also turn it ON.

* From an input channel, you may send to any combination of the multiple
mixbuses and/or master bus simultaneously. Latency compensation is provided
in the mixer so that these signals will reach the master bus with coherent timing.

Utilizing a mixbus as a “Group Bus”:

To use the mixbus send as a “group bus”, you will typically click the Bus assignment
button, and leave the bus send knob at the default position of “unity” or 0dB.

For example, you might assign all of the “drum” tracks to mixbus #4, and name it
“Drum Bus”. In this case, you have a single volume control (fader), EQ, compressor,
and series of plugins that can be applied to the drum group overall.

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! By leaving the master send on and engaging a Mixbus send, you may hear both
audio feeds simultaneously. The result will be an increase in volume. For that
reason, you might want to use the “exclusive assign” shortcut, by holding Ctrl (
or Cmd on Mac ) which will assign the channel to the desired bus, and
immediately de-assign from any other buses, including the master bus.

Utilizing a mixbus as an “Effect Send”

To use the mixbus send as an “effect bus”, you will typically click the Bus
assignment button, and then adjust the “send” knob to the desired level.

For example, you might assign the snare drum to mixbus #4, where you’ve placed
a reverb plugin. You can now adjust the level of the snare in the reverb bus, as
compared to other instruments that are also feeding the reverb bus.

Dual-concentric (pan) mode

As all mix buses are stereo, panning the channel strip signal into the selected mix
buses might be desired. By default a channel is panned to a mixbus according to
the position of the master bus pan knob. If it is desired for the panning to a mixbus
to be different from the master pan, the mixbus send can be put into dual-
concentric mode.

In dual-concentric mode, a mixbus send may use its own pan position, and is no
longer controlled by the master bus pan knob. To place a mixbus send into dual-
concentric mode, hold the shift key down and double-click on the knob. A small
indicator will appear at the top of the knob indicating the pan position. As before, to
adjust the level click and hold on the knob and move the mouse up or down. To
adjust the pan, click and hold on the knob while holding the shift key down and
move the mouse. To turn off dual concentric mode simply double click on the knob
while holding down the shift key.
Note that although the mixbus send has its own pan control, it is still sent post
channel fader by default, i.e. the fader has effect on the mixbus send level.

Bussing shortcuts
• Control+clicking (Command+click on Mac) a bus on/off will exclusively-assign
the track to that bus (other buses will be turned off, so the track ONLY goes to
the selected bus)
• Shift+Control (Shift+Command+click on Mac) on a bus will assign ALL tracks to

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that bus. This is a quick way to send (or remove!) every track from a bus.

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8.6. Mixbus Strip

There are 12 “mixbus” channels. All 12 are fed from the mix bus sends of the input
channels. Additionally, mix buses 9-12 can be fed from the outputs of mix buses
1-8.

The following picture shows mix buses 8 (1-7 are identical) and 9 (10-12 are
identical). They are identical except for the send knobs to mix buses 9-12 being
absent on mix buses 9-12.

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Clicking on the compressor button will display the controls of the mix bus
compressor:

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Clicking on the stereo width button and changing the value will adjust the stereo
image sent to the Master bus:

100% – means full L-R stereo sent to Master Bus

0% – means L-R sent to the Master bus are the same, the sum of mix bus L-R

Mixbus EQ

Each of the 12 mixbuses provides a 3-band “Tone” control and Highpass filter.

The Mixbus EQ provides carefully chosen center frequencies, and wide tone-shaping
shapes, to provide overall tone control of the signal on the bus. The gain range is
slightly lower than the channelstrip EQs and the bandwidth is wider, to provide
more nuanced controls.

Specifications:

Gain Range +/- 9dB

Frequency Ranges (fixed):

• HI: 2000 Hz Q=1.0 Shelf

• MID: 800 Hz Q=0.7 Bell
• LO: 300 Hz Q=1.0 Shelf

The Highpass filter is 2nd order 12dB/octave with corner frequency sweepable 20

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Hz – 3 KHz.

Tape Saturation Distortion Meter and Drive knob

This is an emulation of saturation characteristic of recording tape. The Drive knob
controls the amount of additional distortion added to the signal. The identical
function is also available on the Master strip.

This video demonstrates the use of this feature.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/N2axraYt2p4?rel=0

Additional Features
• If the Input Switcher is opened on any input channel, the “Comment” tab will
appear at the top of all mix buses:

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• If the Mixbus is renamed, the new name will be propogated beside that mix
bus’s send knob on all channel strips and (in the case of mix buses 9-12) other
mix buses that can route to it:

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Bus Matrix

Note that mix buses 1-8 have the ability to send to mix buses 9-12, as do the
channel strips. This provides the ability to combine mix buses 1-8 onto mix buses
9-12 in different and unique proportions from that on the stereo master. This is
known in the live and theatre mixing world as a “matrix” capability. For example,
imagine you have the whole band assigned to mix buses 1-8, using mixbus 1 for
drums, mixbus 2 for keyboards, etc, and all vocals on mixbus 8. By assigning mix
buses 1-7 to one of mixbus 9-12, you can create a band mix with no vocals
simultaneously with the main mix, which might be useful as a karaoke mix. Another
example might be if you are using Mixbus to create sound effects for theatre, mix
buses 9-12 might be used as sources for 8 surround speakers around the theatre
(remember, mix buses are stereo). You would have the ability to change the
position or proportion of mix buses 1-8 in the surround speakers at will.

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8.7. Master Strip

Mixbus provides a single Master channel. The Master channel provides the final
output signal for listening via speakers or exporting to wav files.
The Master channel has a built-in transparent signal limiter (with look-ahead) to
avoid the distortion that occurs in overly loud digital signals.
The various controls on the Master are very similar to those on a channel strip and
all operate exactly the same way.

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Master Bus EQ

The Master Bus EQ provides very fine control of the final output tone. The band
frequencies are carefully chosen to address the problem areas of a typical pop
music mix: very low frequencies, mid-low frequencies, and “very high” frequencies (
leaving the primary mid-band relatively unchanged, as the reference ) The limited
gain range ( +/- 6dB ) provides for very fine adjustments.

Specifications:

Gain Range +/- 6dB

Frequency Ranges (fixed):

• HI: 4000 Hz Q=1.0 Shelf

• LO/MID 300 Hz Q=0.7 Bell
• LO 90 Hz Q=1.0 Shelf

Master Bus Compressor

The Master bus compressor controls may be displayed by clicking on the “Comp”
button. This compressor has the same controls and is the same as the compressors
on the channel strips and mix buses, except without the Leveler and Limiter
options, the latter function being covered by the separate Master Bus Limiter below.

The small “Comp” button engages the compressor as opposed to the larger one
below by the Limiter which only controls display of the compressor section. Even if
the compressor controls are hidden the compressor is active if engaged and its
functioning is displayed on the gain reduction meter beside the fader.

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Tape Saturation Distortion Meter and Drive knob

This is an emulation of saturation characteristic of recording tape. The Drive knob
controls the amount of additional distortion added to the signal. The identical
function is also available on every Mixbus strip.

This video demonstrates the use of this feature.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/N2axraYt2p4?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/N2axraYt2p4?rel=0

Monitor Panel Button

Optionally, a monitor section can be added between the Master Bus output and the
physical audio interface (soundcard input, etc) so that monitoring can be controlled
without affecting the actual Master Bus output.

• When the Monitor section is enabled (Session -> Monitor Section -> “Use
Monitor Section”), the Monitor button at the top of the Master strip controls
display/hide of the monitor strip.
This button is always present. If pressed when the monitor section is not
enabled, a dialogue box will pop up asking if you want to enable the Monitor
section.

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See the details of the monitor panel and its functions here: Monitor Strip

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8.8. Monitor Strip

The “monitor section” is a signal path that may be inserted between the master bus
in Mixbus and the input of your interface, particularly useful if you do not have a
good hardware monitor controller in your setup. The Monitor Section allows you to
control what you hear, WITHOUT affecting the main mix which will be exported. It is
important to avoid using the master bus fader as your “volume control” while
mixing, because changes to the master fader will be applied to your final mix,
which not only changes the volume of the mix, but can also affect any post-fader
processing (such as the Master Bus Limiter or the Tape Saturation on the output
bus). Instead you should use the master bus to set the level of the final mix, and
use a separate volume control to adjust your “listening level”. The Monitor section
in Mixbus provides a way to do this, and more.

This “listening level” can be provided by your laptop speaker volume, your powered
speaker volumes, a mixer, or a dedicated monitoring solution. In many cases, such
as mixing on-the-go with headphones and no external gear (among many other
examples), the Mixbus “monitor” section might be the preferred option for
controlling your listening volume.

The monitoring section serves these functions:

1. It provides a “volume control” that can be used to adjust your listening level,
without affecting the level of your actual mix.
2. It allows some conveniences such as “mono”-izing your mix, or muting
speakers, so you can audition your mix in mono.
3. Because the monitor path provides a separate listening path outside of the
mixer, it is possible to send Solo’ed tracks to the monitor, without affecting
what is happening to the main mix. This is called AFL or PFL soloing. (more
details below)
4. It allows the insertion of plugin processors. These processors can be used for
room EQ or other corrective measures. The processors only affect the listening
path, not the main mix.
5. It allows the selection of any physical output ports on your D/A converters. This
can be used to switch between alternative monitoring systems.

The monitor panel can be added or removed in 2 ways:

• selecting Session -> Properties – > Monitoring -> “Use Monitor Section in this

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session”:

OR

• selecting Session -> Monitor Section -> “Use Monitor Section”:

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Once activated, the monitor section will be visible on the rightmost side of the Mix
window as shown.

* The Monitor volume knob does not adjust the volume of the Metronome (
“click”). By default, the outputs of the click are connected directly to the first 2
outputs on your soundcard, which typically feed your speakers directly. You can

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adjust the volume level of the click by visting Preferences->Misc->Click. And you
can change the outputs of the click by visiting Window->Audio Connections.

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The Mixbus Monitoring Section:

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Clicking on the “Processors” button opens the redirect section of the monitor strip,
permitting plugin processors such as room correction or monitor EQ to be inserted
in the monitoring path.

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Examining the Various Volume Controls in a Typical System

The Volume Control on Your Monitors

Usually you can find a volume control on your monitors (if they are active) or on an
outboard amp (if they are passive). This volume control is suited to calibrating your
monitors to a reference SPL. Once calibrated you can forget about this control other
than periodic re-calibrations (SPL calibration of monitors is beyond the scope of this
document but much information is available on the internet).

The Audio Interface, or external Monitor Controller

Some people prefer to use a Monitor Controller to control the DAW output, as well
as a few other sources, that can also drive multiple sets of speakers and
headphones. These devices have various features that allow you to control exactly
what you are listening to. Sometimes, audio interfaces can also provide this
functionality with either a hardware or software based volume control that accesses
the internals of the interface. Some are elaborate and some are simple; consult the
documentation for your interface to find details.

The Master Fader

The pitfall of using your master fader as a monitor level control:

Lets say you adjust your master fader to achieve the ideal monitoring level, and
later you attenuate it to give your ears a break. If you forget about this attenuated
setting it could easily lead you to make some poor mixing decisions later.
Additionally, you may print your mix at this attenuated level (bad mix decisions and
all) and not realize it. And, the dynamic tonality of the mix can be modified if you
lower the master fader and the output “hits” the Master Bus Limiter and Tape
Saturation differently, providing more or less limiting and saturation.

* Whether your monitors are calibrated to a reference SPL or not, a monitoring

section is still vitally important in achieving a consistent sound.

PFL or AFL Headphone setup.

Using Dual Monitor paths are a way to solo tracks to hone in on a problem track or
isolate a certain sound in your mix but have this soloed track just go to your
headphones and not affect the entire mix. This can be useful in a live environment
whether for a live stream in the studio or an a live venue.

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To set this up:

1. Assign the Master Bus to “Monitor In” so your main mix will feed the Monitor Bus
2. Open the Routing Grid and chose Main Output 1 and 2 to send to your studio
monitors or main speakers of the venue
3. Assign the outputs of your Monitor Bus to where your headphones are connected.
In this example I have them routed to 3 and 4

To test this setup assign your Solo mode to PFL or AFL. You will now hear your
soloed tracks just in your headphones and will not affect the main mix you are
sending out to your monitors.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/czN_KwvKlI4?rel=0

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8.9. VCA Strip

What is a VCA Strip?
A VCA, or VCA Master, is similar to an input strip; it has a fader, mute and solo
button; but it does not pass audio itself. Instead, it controls the value of the mute
mute,
solo and fader of the channels that are “attached” to it.

Watch this video to learn more about Mixbus’s VCA implementation:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4yr-eodbdvs?rel=0

In the screenshot below, 4 VCA masters are visible on the right side of the mixer:

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Mixbus allows a channel to be attached to “unlimited” VCA masters. You can add
VCA masters in the “Track->Add Track/Bus” dialog from the main menu.

Creating a VCA Master

To create a VCA master, select Track -> Add Track,Bus or VCA -> VCA Masters:

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Assigning a track to a VCA Master:

To assign a track to a VCA master, click on the “VCA” button at the bottom of the
Channel or Mixbus strip, and click the boxes of the the VCA you wish to assign to
control the strip.

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After VCAs are assigned, you will notice that the “VCA” button is replaced with
indicators showing which VCAs are assigned to control this strip:

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Alternately, in the Editor window select the tracks, and then right-click in the black
area to the left of the track boxes, and choose “Assign Selection to VCA…”

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VCA Strip Operation:

The “Spill” button, when activated, will hide all channels that are NOT attached to
the VCA Master. If you have a group of channels assigned to a VCA master, this is a
very quick way to display those channels in the main mixer area. Only one “Spill” (
either VCA or Mixbus ) can be active at one time.

The Mute button will mute ALL channels and buses that are controlled by this VCA.

The Solo button will provide a solo which is the pre-fader sum of all channels and
buses that are controlled by this VCA.

The VCA name displayed is the name you entered when creating and adding the
VCA.

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Fader Automation mode button. This control only affects the VCA’s fader. Select
between

• Manual
• Play
• Write
• Touch
• Latch

The VCA Control button always displays the VCA number. Right-clicking on the
button provides these features:

• Rename
• Color
• Assign Selected Channels
• Drop All Slaves
• Remove

The VCA control button always displays the VCA number.

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8.10. Foldback Buses

“Foldback Buses” are summing buses specifically intended for cue/headphone
mixes. You can build a custom mix on a foldback bus, independent of the master
mix, and send it to a performer’s headphones.

Creating Foldback Buses

On the Track menu select “Add Track, Bus or VCA -> Foldback Busses

You may select:

• the number of foldback buses to add

• the names of these buses
• whether they are mono or stereo

The Foldback Strip

The image shows the Foldback strip when displayed. Unlike mix buses or channels,
there is only one foldback strip displayed. You can select which of the foldback
buses you are looking at by clicking the arrows at the top of the strip. The entire
foldback strip is hidden by pressing the “hide” button. The foldback strip may be

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redisplayed by going to the View tab and selecting “Mixer: Show Foldback Strip”.

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Some Foldback Strip operations are as follows:

• Foldback Control Button

- Click this button to show and select from the list of Foldback buses created.
Right-click to access a menu for output routing, renaming, commenting or
removing

• Polarity Button(s)
- Inverts the polarity of the Foldback bus. If it is a stereo bus, there will be a
button for each channel as shown here.

• Sends Area
- this area will display the sends to the displayed foldback bus. A slider sets
the send level from each source. If the foldback bus is stereo there will also be
a pan knob displayed. As elsewhere in Mixbus, to adjust the pan click and hold
on the knob and move the mouse up and down.
- The “Show Sends” button will flash when engaged. The level indicator at the
bottom of the channel (or Mixbus) strips assigned to this foldback will indicate
the send level, rather than the channel fader level.
- If the foldback bus is stereo a balance control will display above the plugin
area. Click and hold to move the yellow arrow left or right to adjust the
balance. This control can be disabled by right-clicking and selecting the
“Bypass” box. The balance control will remain visible but grayed out if
disabled. The right-click also provides a few other controls such as balance law
selection and numerical balance entry.

• the plugin area works the same as elsewhere on Mixbus. Plugins can be
inserted and ordered relative to each other and the rotary fader.
• at the bottom there is the standard comment box, and the output routing
button.

Routing to the Foldback Buses

To route a channel or Mixbus to a foldback send, right click in the plugin area of the
strip, select “New Monitor Send” and choose the foldback bus to be routed to. The
foldback bus must have been created already in order for you to be able to route to
it.

• on the foldback bus the send level slide control described earlier will appear,
and if the foldback bus is stereo, a pan knob as well.

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Getting It Out
At the bottom of the Foldback strip is the standard Mixbus routing button. You can
access the Routing Matrix feature to send the foldback bus output to your audio
interface. If the foldback bus is stereo, you will have to route both outputs explicitly
in the routing grid.

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8.11. “DAW Style” Mixing Buses

Mixbus was created to specifically look and operate like an analog mixing console.
The built-in Master bus, Mixbuses and grouping and VCA features supplemented by
the new Foldback bus feature should facilitate 99% of your workflow requirements.
However some users may want to retain the workflow used by other DAW products
i.e. creating your own summing buses (sometimes called “Aux” buses). Mixbus
provides this operating flow should you choose to use it.

“Aux” or “Utility” buses are audio channels, just like tracks, but they do not record
or play back audio. Instead, they accept audio at the input, process it, and send it
to the mixing buses. (In ProTools, these are called Aux Tracks)

* An Aux bus, like a mix bus or master bus, has no recorded audio stored in it. A
utility bus serves to sum and processes the audio.

* These buses are provided to support DAW-like workflows, and exist outside of the
Harrison mix engine. These kinds of buses are good for utilitarian tasks, but they
do not have the same controls as a “True Analog” Mixbus bus.

Creating a Mixing (“Aux”) Bus

To create a “DAW Style” mixing bus (also sometimes called an “Aux” bus), go to the
“Track” pulldown and select “Add Track, Bus or VCA”. Then select “Audio Busses”.
You can select the number of buses to add, whether they are mono or stereo, their
names, and whether they are assigned to a group.

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Note that the “Aux” bus strip looks and operates exactly like a channel strip, except
that its input is the sum of whatever audio is routed to it, and its audio content is
not recorded. It’s output can be routed in the usual way to the master stereo bus,
the 8 (12 in Mixbus32C) mix buses, or anywhere else desired using the Mixbus
routing grid. For more on routing a bus using the Mixbus routing grid see the
section Sends and Inserts.

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Routing to an Audio (“Aux”) Bus

To route to an audio bus of this type, right-click in the Redirect section of any
channel or Mixbus. Select “New Aux Send” and the bus you wish to route to.

* If “New Aux Send” is disabled (grayed out), it probably means that you haven’t
yet created a bus to send to. Create a new Audio Bus first, and then the option
for “New Aux Send” will appear.

In the Redirect section of the sending channel or Mixbus an AUX bus send button
and a level slider will appear as shown in the picture above. As with all other items
in the Redirect area, dragging the bus send up or down will permit the send to come
from anywhere in the signal path.

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More details of the AUX bus send can be viewed by double clicking on the AUX bus
button. Double click the button again to return to the regular channel strip view:

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In this picture you see the AUX send level slider and level send meter (which
measures POST the send level slider). The regular processing and bus send sections
(if displayed) remain above (this picture is a Mixbus32C example with the regular
mix bus sends displayed).

You can delete a bus by right-clicking on it, in the editor or mixer view, and
choosing “Remove”.

Panning Options
Pan operation to an AUX bus depends on the type of AUX bus you created.

• If the AUX bus you created is MONO, the channel pan control has no effect on
the send to the AUX bus. The AUX strip’s main pan control controls panning to
the main stereo bus and mix buses in the usual way. The AUX bus send detail
will appear as in the picture above.

• If the AUX bus you created is STEREO, there are additional options that can be
selected:
◦ by default, pan to a stereo AUX bus follows the channel main pan knob
(which controls panning to the mixbuses and the master stereo bus). The
pan slider will be shown when displaying the AUX bus details, as shown in
the next picture:

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The pan slider follows the channel strip main pan knob, and vice versa. Panning to
all buses can be adjusted with either one.

• To pan the AUX bus send independent from the main channel pan knob:
◦ right-click on the AUX bus send button, go to “Send Options”, and
UNCHECK the “Link Panner Controls” box:

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This feature gives you independent pan control for each stereo AUX bus you create,
independent of the main pan knob to the master stereo and mix buses.

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Feedback Option
Note the “Allow Feedback Loop” check box in the figure above.

By default Mixbus prevents you from creating signal routing paths where the output
somehow ends up at its own input, a bad thing that should always be avoided. This
is especially possible with AUX buses when you aren’t paying attention to what you
are doing. However if you need this capability, checking this box will allow you to
do it at your own risk.

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8.12. Mute and Solo

What are Mute and Solo?
The simplest explanation of Mute and Solo are:

Mute: When enabled, the mute button prevents the track from being heard.
Solo: When enabled, the solo button mutes all the tracks except this one.

….but there are many subtleties, especially for Solo, that are called upon to solve
vexing problems that we encounter as audio engineers.

Mixbus provides Mute and Solo buttons, and a wide range of options, to meet these
needs.

By default, when you solo a track, the other (non-soloed) tracks are drawn with a
yellow frame. This indicates they are “implicitly muted”. ( i.e. muted by someone
else )

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You can disable this “implicit mute” display in Preferences->Monitoring->Solo

Solo Operations
Exclusive Solo:
ctrl + alt + click on a Solo button (OSX: command +control + click). Normally, if
more than one track/bus is solo’d, they will all play, but this allows you to listen to
only one solo’d track when more than one have been solo’d.

On the solo/mute controls left-button (button 1) mouse clicks do the following,

depending on holding these keyboard modifiers:

• no mod: toggle solo on/off

• Primary mod (usually ‘Shift’): override track group
• Primary + Secondary modifiers (usually ‘Shift’ and ‘Ctrl’): exclusively solo this
track
• Primary + Tertiary modifiers + click: apply to all

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Middle-click (button 2):

• no mod. : momentary toggle (until release)

• Primary mod: assign generic MIDI. (if generic midi control surface is enabled)

Right-click (button 3) brings up a context menu:

• Solo Isolate
• Solo Safe
• Mute-points

* These shortcuts (group override, apply to all) are also available for other controls
where applicable (e.g meter-point,..). See Mixbus Conventions & Tips

Solo Isolate
“Solo Isolate” is a mode which prevents the channel from muting when other
channels are soloed. This mode is used, for example, on a reverb return where
you’d like to always hear the reverb, even when a channel is soloed which would
normally mute this channel.

You can Ctrl-click (Cmd on Mac) on a channel to Solo isolate it. Or Right-click on a
Solo button to see a context menu with this option.

When a channel is Solo-Isolated, the word “ISO” will appear in the “switcher” area
at the top of the strip.

Solo Safe
“Solo Safe”, when enabled, will “lock” the current state of the Solo button so the
user cannot accidentally change it by clicking on the Solo button. If the channel is
Solo’ed, it will not be possible to un-solo the channel by clicking the Solo button.

To activate this option, Right-click on a Solo button to see a context menu.

Solo’ing with a Monitor section

If the session has a monitor section (Session > Properties > Monitoring), there are
additional controls for Exclusive Solo, Mute/Solo overrides and Pre/After Fader Listen

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available. Click here for details.

Solo’ing Mixbuses
Like a real console, the mixbuses are a separate mixing stage. Imagine the 8 (12 in
32C) mixbuses are like a second, standalone mixer. So when you solo a mixbus, the
other mixbuses are “implicitly muted”. There’s no interaction between the inputs
and the mixbuses, so soloing a mixbus does not implicitly mute or solo any tracks.

Utility buses aren’t really a mixing stage at all; they are just a signal path where
you can combine other paths (or split them out from a multichannel plugin, for
example). In this case, when you solo a utility bus then it also has to solo all the
things feeding into it. Similarly, if you solo anything, it has to make sure that the
“utility buses” that it feeds are soloed and this causes other stuff to get implicitly
muted.

The best plan is to keep your signal paths simple, and you’ll get the best results.
Just because you “can” add a bunch of buses and options, doesn’t mean that you
“should”.

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8.13. Redirects: Plug-ins, Sends & Inserts…

The black box near the top of each channel strip, mix bus, and master bus is the
“redirect box”. Mixbus uses the term “redirect” for the items that can be inserted
into a channel strip: plug-ins
plug-ins, sends
sends, and inserts
inserts. In the image below, the track on
the left has the “XT-BC Bass Character” plug-in, the track on the right has an insert
and a send. The XT-BC Bass Character plug-in and the send are pre-fader (because
they are above the fader entry) while the insert is post-fader. The signal flow of
Mixbus is very flexible: you can order sends, inserts, plug-ins and the fader
arbitrarily simply by click and dragging up or down (note: the XT-BC plug-in shown
is for display purposes and may not be included in your purchase of Mixbus).

• Plug-ins
• Sends and Inserts

* Note: By default, plug-ins and inserts will be created pre-fader, while sends will
be post-fader. But you can drag them into any order you choose.

* Channel strips are created preconfigured with an EQ and Compressor plug-in

already installed (the top two reddish plug-ins in the above image). Signal
routing can be changed by reordering here. The controls for these are found
within the GUI of each channel strip.

Plug-in Control Sliders

Below each plug-in, you may add one or more “Plug-in Control Sliders.” Each Slider
controls a single control parameter for the plug-in it is under. You may show or hide

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plug-in control sliders by right-clicking on a plug-in and selecting “Controls.” In the

above image the “XT-BC” plug-in has control sliders shown for “Body – Freq” and
“Clarity -In.”

The Redirect Menu

Right-clicking in a redirect box will launch the redirect menu. These choices are
available in the menu:

• New Plug-in>
◦ Favorites: a list of favorite plug-ins, pre-selected from the Plug-in Manager
(more here).
◦ Plug-in Manager: launch the Plug-in Manager (more here).
◦ By Creator: a list of plug-ins, sorted by their creator.
◦ By Category: a list of plug-ins, sorted by type (note: this is only useful for
plug-in formats that support this).

• New Insert: create a new Insert (Send and Return).

• New External Send: calls up routing matrix
• New Aux Send: create a new Send.
—————————————-
• Controls: Allows the addition of one or more “Plug-in Control Sliders” to be
displayed.
—————————————-
• Clear (all): Remove all redirects from this track/bus.
• Clear (pre-fader): Remove all redirects from this track/bus pre-fader.
• Clear (post-fader): Remove all redirects from this track/bus post-fader.
—————————————-
• Cut/Copy/Paste/: Cut/Copy/Paste/ the selected redirect.
• Delete: delete the selected redirect (you can also shift-left-click any redirect to
delete it).
—————————————-
• Rename: Rename the redirect (yes … even inserts and sends)
—————————————-
• Select All: Selects all redirects
• Deselect All: Deselects all redirects
—————————————-
• Activate/Deactivate All: Activate/deactivate all redirects on this track/bus.
—————————————-

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• Pin Connections: Click here for details.

—————————————-
• Edit: Pop open the editor for the selected redirect (you can also double-click on
any redirect to edit it).
• Edit with generic controls

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8.13.1. Processor Signal Flow

The “processor box” (sometimes referred to as the “redirect box” or “processor
list”) is the black box at the top of every Mixbus channel strip. You can imagine the
“processor list” as a container for a series of guitar-pedal processors; each
processor must be connected to the processor before and after it.

Signal flow connections in the processor box

Within the redirect box, and in between the plug-ins, are a series of green and/or
red dots called “pips” that represents the signal routing between plug-ins.

Mono audio = one grgreen

een pip: In the image above the channel strip on the left is a
mono audio track. A single green pip representing one channel of audio is routed to
the EQ, then to the compressor, and on to the fader.

Ster
Stereo
eo audio = two gr
green
een pips: In the image above the channel strip in the center is
a stereo audio track. Two green pips representing two channels of audio is routed to
the EQ, then to the compressor, and on to the fader.

MIDI data = rred

ed pip(s): In the image above the channel strip on the right is a MIDI
track. One red pip representing MIDI data is entering the MIDI plug-in. The MIDI
plug-in then generates audio based on that data. In this example the audio is stereo
as can be seen by two green pips passing to the EQ, on to the compressor, and
then to the fader. MIDI data is also passing thru the MIDI plug-in. The EQ,
compressor, and fader are not processing this MIDI data, just passing it thru.

Often, the signal flow is very simple. For example, a mono track will most likely
have a series of mono effects applied. In this case, you’ll see a picture like this:

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In this example, the signal is processed by the channelstrip EQ, the

Compressor, the Fader, and finally a Gate plugin. The signal flow
proceeds from top to bottom, and the green “pips” between each
plugin show the audio signal connections between each redirect.

But what happens if you want to use a plugin that has stereo I/O? Just
like a guitar pedal, you might choose to use only the left-side signal for the mono
track. But there are other possibilities as well. The plugin might have 1 input, and
create a stereo output (such as an auto-panner, or reverb/delay effect). Or the
plugin might have an extra “sidechain” input to trigger a gating or compression
effect. Or the plugin might be an instrument that has 16 individual outputs for
different drum sounds.

Starting with Mixbus version 3.3, the signal path between redirects is highly
flexible, while also using sensible defaults.

! Sessions created with Mixbus versions before 3.3 will have tracks that preceded
these rules. For backwards-compatibility, we will load those sessions with the old
rules. In some cases you might want to use “Pin Connections” (described later on
this page) to improve the routing of those old sessions.

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Why is this so complicated?

Mixbus tries to do the “right thing” by default. Mono channels will get mono plugins,
and stereo channels will get stereo plugins. Virtual instruments will appear with
stereo outputs, by default. But if you want to change these settings, there are quite
a lot of variables that must be considered.

There are several challenges inherent to the signal flow through a channel using
plugins:

• Plugins may be drag/dropped into any order

• Some plugins can be fed a “sidechain“signal which should allow the possibility
of being sourced from any other track.
• Often you need to use a plugin in ways that it wasn’t intended (only using one
side, for example)

Additionally, each of the Mixbus-supported different plugin formats provide different

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rules:
1) LV2 and LADSPA plugins typically have fixed I/O such as 1->1, ( 1 input, 1 output
) or 2->2
2) VST plugins typically have a fixed I/O configuration, but can be told that some
signals aren’t connected.
3) AudioUnit plugins (Mac) allow the HOST to define how many connections they
will have. So Mixbus can request a mono (1->1) or stereo plugin as-needed. But the
user also has the option to change the configuration, if they want to do something
unusual.

Finally Mixbus can “replicate” plugins. If you try to insert a mono plugin on a stereo
strip, Mixbus will automatically create 2 plugins, and send the controls from the first
plugin to the second. This allows you to process both sides of the stereo signal
using the same settings of an EQ, for example. You can add or remove replicated
plugin instances using “Pin Management” ( see below )

Pin Connections
Right-click on a plugin to reveal the “Pin Configuration” dialog:

By clicking on the pin connections, you may drag a connection between the
channelstrip signal flow, and the embedded plugin processor. Right-click on a pin to
remove all connections to that pin.

One can also bypass plugin instances with a ‘thru’ connection by dragging an input
pin directly to an output pin. This connection is latency compensated to match the
delay through the plugin.

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The “Pin Configuration” dialog provides these additional features:

• Manual Config : click to enable the configuration buttons, below:

◦ Instances : increase/decrease the number of plugin instances inside the
processor
◦ Audio Out : increase/decrease the number of audio outputs that the plugin
can access
◦ MIDI Out : increase/decrease the number of MIDI outputs that the plugin
can access
• Output presets ( virtual instruments only ) : click to choose how many outputs
the instrument will provide
• Side Chain : click to enable a sidechain input for the plugin.
◦ When Side Chain is enabled, the sidechain source may be managed with
the buttons below it.

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8.13.2. Plug-ins
What is a Plug-In?
Plug-ins are small pieces of signal-processing software that Mixbus can load inside
itself and assigned to channels. Channels may have an unlimited number of
plugins, inserts and sends on a channelstrip.

Mixbus comes with a selection of Plug-Ins installed. Some are free, while others
require an additional purchase to use fully. You can learn more about Mixbus’s
included plugins here.

Additional plugins may be installed on your system, and these will be provided by
third-party developers.

* When you first install Mixbus, it does not recognize your third-party plug-ins. To
scan your plug-ins (and tell Mixbus to scan for plug-ins on startup in the future),
please visit Edit->Preferences->Plug-ins and click the “Scan” button.

How do I add a Plug-In to a channel?

You can add plug-ins in several ways:

• double-click in the black “redirect” area to launch the Plug-in Selector

• right-click in the black area, and choose New Plug-in, then:
◦ Favorites
◦ Plug-in Selector (see: Plugin Selector)
◦ By Creator
◦ By Category

* A note about categories: some plug-in formats (such as LV2) provide a very well-
defined method to categorize plug-ins. Most older formats (including VST2 and
AudioUnits) do not provide good support for categories.

Adding, Removing, Reordering, and Disabling Plug-ins

Each plug-in is displayed as a rectangle in the redirect box. Plug-ins are red if they
are pre-fader (above the fader), and green if they are post-fader (underneath the

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fader)

• double-click the plug-in to show the plug-in control panel

• click the plug-in to select it ( it will turn red ). Now click “Delete” to delete it.
• click & drag the plug-in to change its order in the signal flow
• click the small green indicator on the plugin to enable/disable the plug-in
◦ (you can also middle-click on a plug-in to enable/disable it)
• right-click on a plug-in to see the plug-in context menu
• shift+right-click a plug-in to delete it

Drag and Drop of Plugins

• Dragging a plugin from one channel to the blank area of another channel will
duplicate the plugin and its settings on the destination strip
• Dragging a plugin to a plugin of the identical type will copy the settings of the
source plugin to the destination

Plug-in Favorite Window

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In the upper left side of the mix window is the Plug-in Favorite Window. You can
drag and drop plug-ins to and from a channel strip.
A new favorite can be save and even a preset for the plug -in can be saved and
recalled from this window.
Multiple channel strips can be selected and a plug-in can be inserted.
Left clicking on a plug-in or preset name is another way of adding plug-ins to the
channel strip.

Learn more about the Plugin Favorites here: Plugin Favorites

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8.13.2.1. Plug-in Selector

The Plug-in Selector window provides a rich set of controls for browsing your
installed plug-ins, and making them quickly available when needed.

To access the Plug-in Selector, double-click in any channel strip’s redirect box ( it’s
the empty black box near the top of a mixer strip )

Alternatively, right-click in the redirect area, and choose “New Plugin->Plugin

Selector”.

! If some of your plugins are not appearing, you might visit the Plugin Manager,
accessed from the Window menu to scan your system for plugins, and
troubleshoot any resulting problems.

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Main Plugin Window

• Fav: If this column is checked, the plug-in will appear in the “favorites”
shortcut in the redirect menu, and also in the Favorites list on the top of the
mixer sidebar.
• Name : the name of the plugin
• Tags : arbitrary tags ( categories ) which can be applied to the plugin. See:
Plug-In Tags for more information.
• Creator : the developer of the plugin
• Type : the type (format) of the plugin ( VST, VST3, AU, LV2, Lua, or LADSPA )
• Audio I/O : the number of audio inputs and output channels that the plugin
allows. Asterisk (*) means “any number of channels”
• MIDI I/O : the number of midi inputs and output channels that the plugin

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allows. Asterisk (*) means “any number of channels”

* Click on a column header to sort the list by that column.

Plugin “Search” Box

• Search: the search entry bar allows you to instantly find plug-ins by searching
for a string of text
• Clear: this clears the text in the search entry bar.
• Name: if enabled, the plugin’s “Name” will be matched to the text in the
Search entry bar
• Tags: if enabled, the plugin’s Tags will be matched to the entry in the Search
entry bar.
• Ignore Filters when searching: When you are searching, you probably want
“all” available plugins that match your search text. If you want the filters to
continue operating when you search, then you should disable this option.

* Try using the Search bar when looking for a plug-in. Just type the first few letters
of the name of your plug-in, and your plug-in will be sorted to the top window
instantly.

“Filter” section
• There are 6 “filter” selections that control what appears in the list. “Show All”
will disable the filters and show all available plugins. The default is “Show
Effects Only”.
• Format selection: select a format here to show plugins that match a specific
format ( “Type” ).
• Creator list: select a creator to show only plugins from that creator.
• I/O list: select an option to show only plugins with a specified audio or midi I/O
configuration.

“Tags for Selected Plugin” section

When a plugin is selected, this field will become enabled, and you can add or
change the “tags” for the selected plugin. See: Plug-In Tags for more information
about plugin tags.

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* If you like to use a particular plugin for vocals, you can add a tag like “vocal-
chain” and then search for that term when you want to find the plugin quickly.

* For your convenience, Mixbus comes with a collection of tags for over 3,000
popular plugins.

Plugins to be connected
This window indicates the plugins that will be added to the channel. It is possible to
add several plugins here, before clicking ‘Insert Plugins’ to actually instantiate the
plugins on the track.

Once Installed, plug-ins will be visible within the redirect box of the channel strip.
Click here and here for more information.

For information on Virtual Instruments click here.

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8.13.2.2. Generic Plugin Controls

In some cases, it is desirable to see a generic display of a plugin’s controls, rather
than the plugin-provided UI. Some cases might be:

• A generic UI is provided when the plugin doesn’t provide its own control panel
• If a plugin’s control panel is incompatible with your setup, this provides a way
to control the plugin without showing its panel
• The generic UI can access hidden parameters or settings that are not
accessible from the plugin’s control panel
• The generic UI allows you to type values directly into a slider, which might not
be available in the plugin’s control panel.
• The generic UI provides direct access to Mixbus’s automation ( Read/Write/
Touch )

A typical generic plugin ui is shown below:

The topmost portion of the control panel provides access to the latency
compensation, pin-connections, presets, and global bypass.

Switches are provided on the left side of the dialog.

Sliders and selector menus are provided on the right side of the dialog.

To the right of each parameter is an automation button to access Read/Write/Touch

automation modes for that plugin parameter. The “All Automation” buttons near the
top of the dialog can be used to put all plugin parameters in Read/Write/Touch

Double-click inside a slider to type a value into the control.

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Plugin Analysis

At the bottom of the dialog, you will find 3 additional features.

• Description: expose this section to see a longer description of the plugin (this
is only available for LV2-format plugins)
• CPU Profile: expose this section to see a visual indication of the plugin’s
average and peak (worst-case) CPU usage.
• Analysis: expose this section to see a “live” display of the plugins magnitude
and phase response. This can help to expose the behavior of a plugin that you
don’t understand, or suspect is malfunctioning.

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8.13.2.3. Plugin Favorites

In the Mixer Sidebar, you’ll find a list of your Favorite Plugins, and the ability to
quickly assign them to tracks.

Select one or more tracks, and then right-click on a plugin to access the context
menu:

• Add at the Top: adds the selected plugins to the selected tracks, at the start
(top) of the signal flow
• Add Pre-Fader: adds the selected plugins to the selected tracks, immediately
before (above) the fader
• Add Post-Fader: adds the selected plugins to the selected tracks, immediately
after (below) the fader
• Add at the End: adds the selected plugins to the selected tracks, at the end
(bottom) of the signal flow

Mode Selector
• Favorite Plugins: this selection shows your favorite plugins in the list. You can
add items to the Favorites list by dragging them out of the mixer strip and into
this area. Alternatively you can enable and disable the “Favorites” checkbox in
the Plugin Manager. The search field, at the bottom of the list, allows you to
filter the plugins for their name and/or tags (just like the plugin manager
search field)

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• Recent Plugins: this option shows the 10 plugins that you’ve used most
recently

• Top-10 Plugins: this option shows the 10 most often-used plugins in your
workflow. This data is managed by Preferencs->Plugins->Statistics; you can
reset the plugin usage statistics there.

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8.13.3. Sends and Inserts

What is a “Send”?
A “send” is a connection point that is created inline with the channel’s signal flow;
it allows you to send the signal out of the channelstrip, and into something else.
You might “send” to another channel, or a plugin sidechain, or a physical output on
your soundcard.

Sends are in addition to the mixbus-send knobs in the channelstrip. They provide
more flexibility ( for example, sends can be moved “anywhere” in the channel’s
signal flow, among the other plugins and sends/inserts. ) However, they operate
outside of the Harrison “True Analog” summing & panning engine. These sends are
similar to features found in other DAWs and we sometimes call these “DAW Sends”
instead of “console sends” or “console buses”.

Aux Sends

Create an “Aux send” by right-clicking in the plugin area, and choosing “new Aux
Send”, then choosing the bus you’d like to send to.

Aux sends can only be connected to the input of a “bus input strip” and cannot be
sent to an external port, such as a soundcard output.

! As implemented in v4.3, “Aux Sends” from the channelstrip do not have pan/
balance controls.

External Sends

When a new send is created, a window for connecting the Send’s output ports will
immediately appear. You may connect a Send’s outputs to any connections
available in the system.

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By default, Sends have no outputs and must be configured as needed. Click “add”
to add ports, and connect them to the destination that should receive the output of
the send.

• Add/Remove: adds/removes a port to the send.

• Disconnect All: disconnects all ports (does not remove ports).
• Available connections: This is a list of all the available connection ports, with
one tab for each application, and one for the system sound I/O (“system”).

* Note: The number of “ports” created will define the channels of the send. Sends
can have 1 (mono), 2 (stereo) or more (multichannel) ports assigned.

After a send has been configured, a double-click on the send will launch the Send

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Editor:

In addition to the output management, The Send Editor also has a volume slider
and a panner (if the number of outputs is > 1).

* Sometimes when you mute a track, you still want a Send to remain active (for a
headphone feed, for example). It is possible to disable the mute for pre- and
post- fade sends separately. To enable or disable the pre- and post-fader send
mute, right-click on the Mute button in the editor window.

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What is an “Insert”?
An “insert” is similar to a Send, but it both sends the signal out, and then provides
a method to return the signal immediately back into the channel. The most
common usage of an “insert” is to send the channelstrip signal out of Mixbus and
into a hardware device for processing. Then the insert provides a return path from
the device, so you can hear its effect. You can enable and disable the “insert” to
compare the signal with and without external processing.

Inserts

An Insert incorporates a “send” output and a “return” input. The Insert send/return
allows the audio signal to be routed out of a channel and back into it, after
performing some external processing. Inserts are often used to “patch in” a piece of
outboard gear that is not available as a plug-in (just like you might do with a patch
bay on an analog console)

• Measure Latency: Once your insert is connected to an external piece of gear,

then click this button to measure the latency. If the Insert is used on a track or
mix bus, this delay will be accommodated automatically.

Outputs

• Add/Remove: adds/removes a port to the insert “send”.

• Disconnect All: disconnects all sending ports (does not remove ports).
• Available connections: This is a list of all the available connection ports, with
one tab for each application, and one for the system sound I/O (“system”).

Inputs

• Add/Remove: adds/removes a port to the insert “return”.

• Disconnect All: disconnects all return ports (does not remove ports).
• Available connections: This is a list of all the available connection ports, with
one tab for each application, and one for the system sound I/O (“system”).*
Available connections: This is a list of all the available connection ports, with
one tab for each application, and one for the system sound I/O (“system”).

This video demonstrates the setup and use of an insert to an external hardware
processor.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/QOa2i7rJ4_g?rel=0

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8.14. Sidechain Compression

What is Sidechain Compression?
Compression is an automated way of reducing a signal’s level, dependent on the
signal’s own loudness. The louder the signal is, the more the compressor will reduce
it. Side-chain compression reduces the level of the signal using a different signal to
trigger the volume reduction.

In pop/rock music, this technique is sometimes used to “duck” the bass guitar on
each kick-drum hit, making the bass and kick drum sound like a single instrument.
In dance/EDM styles, it is often used to generate a “pumping” effect using the kick
drum or a “ghost” kick drum track that is not actually heard. In this case the
release is set very slow; after each beat the signal slowly rises, reaching full
intensity just before the next beat.

Other Uses of Sidechain

Alternative uses of a sidechain include feeding a gate or vocoder. A sidechain is any
input that affects the plugin processing, but isn’t directly heard by the user.

Sidechains Using Third-party Plugins and the Plugin Pin-

management Dialog
Mixbus can feed “any” audio track or input source to a side-chainable plugin. To
access the plugin’s input connections, you should use the pin manager as described
in this video:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCTGs2p3P74?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XCTGs2p3P74?rel=0

Mixbus provides 2 side-chainable plugins by default: a-Compressor and a-Expander

Using Sidechains in Mixbus32c V9

As noted above, the built-in sidechain feature has been removed from Mixbus6. The
following is a general description of how to connect the sidechain control on
plugins.

In this example we will show a popular third party VST plugin product called
FabFilter Pro-G. The instructions presented are intended to be generic and should be
similar for other kinds of plugins with a sidechain control from other vendors.

First, go to your plugin list and select the plugin you want to use:

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Once inserted the pin connections will look like this:

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Next click on the Sidechain button. NOTE: getting at this may be different
depending on the plugin you are using:

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Next select the source that you want to use for the side chain signal:
(Remember this process may be different on the plugin you are using).

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Next click on the blue box on the right side of the pin connection box and drag a
connection to one of the green side chain inputs. If this is a stereo plugin repeat
this a second time to connect the side chain signal to both signal paths of the
plugin.

NOTE: This will differ depending on what plugin you are using, but the procedure
should be similar.

NOTE: Most plugin formats will will identify sidechain inputs with a blue connection
point. VST plugins like this one do not explicitly show these as sidechain inputs, but

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merely as additional inputs as in this example. However you will not be able to
route signal to these inputs until you select with the Sidechain button.

The sidechain control inputs of this plugin are now connected. The signal path
inputs and outputs were already connected by Mixbus when you installed the plugin
into the redirect area.

! NOTE: The built-in sidechain feature has been removed as of Mixbus v6. This
feature was provided in Mixbus version 3,4, & 5 because we had limited support
for sidechain-able plugins. Since most sidechain tasks benefit from precise

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control over the threshold, ratio, attack and release, we decided to remove the
limited sidechain bus that was incorporated in the channelstrip compressor.
Instead, you should use the full-featured “plugin” sidechain buses described
below.

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8.15. Mastering Techniques

What is Mastering?
“Mastering” is the process of preparing a sound track for distribution . It might
involve, but is not limited to:

• Critical listening, to verify that there are no technical errors in the final
product.
• Fixing equalization problems that were caused by poor acoustics in the original
production/mixing room.
• Applying final tone control to match the overall tone of other tracks in the
collection, or comparable tracks in the same genre.
• Applying final loudness adjustments to match the level of other tracks in the
collection, or comparable tracks in the same genre.
• Sequencing of tracks into a collection ( i.e. sequencing songs on a CD ).
• Applying frequency-limiting and dynamic-range adjustments, to match the
media that will be distributed.
• Creation of metadata (such as track markers, song name(s), performance
rights, etc ) for the distribution media.
• Exporting/packaging the distributable in a format that is suitable for the next
stage of duplication/distribution.

Although many of these tasks are outside the scope of Mixbus, Mixbus provides
several tools that can help with the mastering process.

Master Bus Processing and Metering

The master bus provides a suite of processing and metering that helps achieve the
overall tone and loudness that the artist wants.

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Master bus strip tone controls

The master bus provides a 3-band EQ (“tone”) control for the final output. The tone
control has a fairly limited range ( +/-6dB) for fine control. The center frequencies
are optimized to solve problems that are commonly used in the final stages of
mixing:

• Low: a low-frequency shelf at 90Hz : the Low band is provided to balance the
low bass content of the track, without having to re-mix the bass instruments.
• Low Mid: a wide bell shape at 300Hz : many instruments have strong output in
the low-midrange, and they can combine to make too much energy in this
range. This range is also a site for tape-saturation harmonics. The “Low Mid”
band is provided to increase or decrease the main band of music.
• High: a high-frequency shelf at 4,000Hz : A high-frequency shelf at 4 kHz
allows you to brighten the entire track without unduly affecting individual
instruments.

Master bus strip compressor

The master bus strip compressor operates like the channelstrip compressors. ( see :
Compression Techniques )

Because the master bus strip compressor is applied before the Master Limiter, this
provides a chance to level-match parts of a song (using the leveler mode), or to clip
outstanding transients before they reach the master limiter (using the limiter

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mode).

Typically a very small amount of compression is needed on the master bus,

therefore the master bus limiter threshold has a very different “scaling” than the
channelstrip compressors. You have to pull the threshold down much lower before it
has any effect.

The order of master bus compressor, fader, and EQ may be manipulated to achieve
a wide range of desired effects before the signal is finally sent to the master bus
limiter.

Master Limiter

The master bus limiter. It has no controls other than an on/off indicator.

The Master Limiter is a lookahead limiter with a very fast attack and release time.

The “lookahead” feature imparts a short 5ms delay on the input signal. This delay
allows the limiter to “look ahead” and begin reducing the gain before a loud peak
occurs. This dramatically reduces the distortion that is caused by hard limiting.

The limiter’s threshold is fixed at -2dB. This value is intentionally less than digitally
clipping so that your final processing (sample-rate conversions, or lossy encoding
like mp3) are provided extra headroom for their interpolation. This can result in
better sounding mixes. If you want your exported file to peak at a higher value, you
can implement that in the “normalization” setting for each of the file formats you
are exporting.

Each segmented LED represents 1 dB of gain reduction.

Plug-ins

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There are many plug-ins that are developed specifically for the master-bus output,
for the purpose of increasing the master output level. These may be placed in the
channelstrip signal flow, and used instead of, or in conjunction with, the Mixbus
master bus processors.

Stereo Correlation (“Phase”) Meter

The stereo correlation meter provides an indication of the “mono compatibility”, or

stereo width, of your mix. The indicator uses a bright bar which simultaneously
indicates the range of in-phase (highly correlated) and out-of-phase (decorrelated)
sounds in your mix.

• If the indicator is fully to the right, and yellow

yellow, this indicates a completely
“mono” mix. (the signals in the left and right channels are the same)
◦ many signals (such as a spoken-word recording with one microphone)
should be mono.
• If the indicator is fully to the left, and fully red
ed, this indicates a mix that is
completely “out of phase”, in other words the left and right channels are equal,
but one is inverted with respect to the other. This almost certainly indicates a
technical fault which should be investigated.
• If the indicator is largely to the right, and grgreen
een, then it indicates a mix with
some stereo width, but largely mono compatible. This is optimal for pop music
recordings that might be played in a variety of playback systems.
• If the indicator is in the center, showing a range of red and green, then the mix
is very wide stereo. This is probably not optimal for pop/rock recordings, but
can be acceptable for natural or orchestral recordings. Mono compatibility of
this mix is questionable.

Mono compatibility is largely defined by low frequencies. If your mix indicates poor
mono compatibility ( red bar on the left ), then you can probably solve this by
reducing the number of bass instruments in the mix, high-pass filtering any non-
bass instruments, and high-pass filter any stereo effects, such as reverb, in the mix.

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K-14 Meter

The K-14 meter is an RMS (averaging) meter, originally specified by mastering

engineer Bob Katz as a means to compare and help control the dynamic range of
pop music mixes. (see : http://www.digido.com/how-to-make-better-recordings-
part-2.html )

The K-Meter displays the level of the signal directly before the output of the master
bus. The K-Meter comes after the fader, EQ, plugins, and final limiter in the master
bus.

If the K-14 meter indicator is straight up, at 0, this indicates that the sound’s
average level is at -14dBFS. This was selected as a good target for most pop/blues/
jazz/rock recordings. At this level, a song will sound quieter than most
contemporary pop music, but when the listener turns the volume up to match, the
increased dynamic range of this mix will allow the song to sound much better than
a typical pop song played at the same volume.

Increasing the volume beyond the “0” indicator will result in a louder mix, at a cost
of decreased fidelity and impact when the user turns the volume up.

* In the past, it was highly encouraged for mastering engineers to create music at
the highest possible average level, because this made the songs noticeably
louder when they were played adjacent to other performer’s songs on a CD or
mp3 player. However, in the case of modern radio broadcast, online channels
such as YouTube, and internal processing in iTunes and iPods, it is now likely that
your music will be level-matched (based on average loudness) with other songs.
In this case, it is advantageous to mix at a lower volume, and leave more
headroom for short musical peaks which will make your mixes sound louder and
better than the more heavily-processed tracks that were popular in the early
digital era.

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8.15.1. Normalization
Mixbus’ export page allows for easy customization of loudness targets that help you
meet the loudness standards of the medium you will eventually end up in, whether
it be a Redbook CD, Streaming, or other client specifications.

The Normalization Process

The normalization process will apply a single “gain” value to the whole resulting
export file, so that the loudest part of the file reaches the desired target peak or
loudness value.

Traditionally, the most common usage of this feature is to set the peak to 0dBFS.
That means the loudest sample of the resulting file will reach exactly 0dBFS.

However, a single “peak” digital sample has very little to do with the perceived
loudness of the file. For example you can have a single loud peak in a 10-minute
file, and the normalization function will decrease the level of the file so the peak fits
in without clipping. This is pedantically useful in many cases, but not really
important step for a deliverable mix.

Normalizing to LUFS is a better solution, because it is a much better indication of

“perceived loudness”. You can have a very peaky file that still sounds quiet;
whereas LUFS takes the “average” level into account. If we normalize a file to -9
LUFS, we know that we have a very loud mix indeed!

But: there is a limit with LUFS normalization: if Mixbus increases the loudness too
much, it will push your “peaks” into clipping. (side note: if the LUFS normalization
would result in a signal above your peak target, then Mixbus normalizes to the
peak, not LUFS … this is why your resulting file is not reaching the LUFS you want)

The important point is: normalization only provides clean gain (either increasing or
decreasing the volume for the entire file). It does not change the peak-to-average
ratio of your song.

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Said another way: normalization has no effect on the sound or quality of your mix,
or its perceived loudness. That’s up to you. Normalization can only adjust the final
measurements to prevent exceeding your maximums.

(another side note: Mixbus’ K-14 meter is an instantaneous RMS meter, not LUFS;
but if you mix to the RMS level it should get you in the ballpark of desired LUFS)

Best Practices
This is highly subjective and can change with the industry, but as it stands now,
there are a few practices most mixing engineers follow and we make that easy to
adhere to in Mixbus!

You should first develop your mix so that the master bus’s “K-14” meter is reaching
near the ‘0’ meter during the loudest part of your mix. This will help ensure that
your average-to-peak ratio is high enough to meet your medium/broadcaster’s
expectations.

Reaching the ‘0’ mark on the “K-14” meter means that your mix is something near
-14LUFS; and so when you run it through the normalization during export, Mixbus
can then reduce it to meet your deliverable needs.

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8.16. Loudness Analyzer-Normalizer

The Loudness Analyzer & Normalizer is a tool that is useful at the end of the mixing
process to make the final audio file comply with different specs regarding loudness.

It is enabled by checking “Enable Master-Bus Output Gain Control” in the

Preferences:

The Master Bus strip then shows a button marked “LAN”, and a volume slider that is
the global gain that can be set either manually or by the loudness normalizer.

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The LAN can also be started from “Session -> Loudness Assistant”. If the option
above is not enabled, Mixbus will open the relevant page of the Preferences.

Click on “Analyze” to start the loudness analysis. A choice is offered between

freewheeling (i.e. Mixbus renders the session as fast as possible to measure the
loudness) by default, or Realtime, for cases where freewheeling would not
accurately render the session. This might be the case if a hardware or JACK effect is
used in the session.

After the analysis is over, the Loudness Analyzer and Normalizer is shown:

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A number of different statistics are displayed for the standard indicated in the
“PRESET” tab. The analysis standard can be changed with the “PRESET” tab:

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Notice in the next figure that a different set of analysis statistics will be presented.

Nor
Normalization
malization P
Parameters
arameters

As loudness is a perceived sonic energy, and depends on the level, frequency,

duration and nature of the sound, this window allows to base the calculation of the
loudness normalization on different parameters :

Peak : is the highest signal level value

True PPeak
eak : is the highest signal level value where the signal has been oversampled
to figure out more in-between values between the samples (interpolation)
Integrated LLoudness
oudness : is the loudness computed from the whole session or range
Max Short L Loudness
oudness : is the maximum loudness computed on short time ranges (3
seconds)
Max Momentary Loudness : is the maximum momentary loudness

Any combination of these parameters can be taken into account when determining
the gain normalization, by checking its momentary button, and setting a Target
value.

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Shown are both the Measured value of the parameters, and the Delta value, i.e. the
difference between the Target and Measured values, hence the gain correction. The
maximum Delta value is the Gain correction to apply to fit all the Target values.

Also shown under the parameters is a summary of the calculation :

Gain to Nor
Normalize
malize: is the max Delta value
Previous Output Gain
Gain: is the current Master track gain
Total Gain
Gain: is the difference between these two values, hence the correction to
apply

Presets

A selection of presets is offered to simplify the normalization. These presets apply

the relevant parameters and their target values. Here is a table of these presets:

The Confor
Conformity
mity Analysis P
Panel
anel
At the bottom of the window the Conformity Analysis arrow can be rotated to
display, for the presets above, if the corrected gain would fit the required values:

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✖: the signal is too loud

✔: the signal is too quiet, but satisfies the max. loudness spec
✔: signal loudness is within the spec.

Notice here as we have run the analysis for only the CD case, only the digital peak
(applicable to ALL formats) and the CD case are checked.

Lastly, the gain correction is, by default, applied after all the processors of the
master bus. This can also be changed, either by selecting the Custom Amplifier
Position button in this window, or in the Master strip, by Right-clicking the gain
slider and selecting the Custom LAN Amp Position. The gain normalizer then
becomes a processor in the processors box of the Master strip, that can be moved
as needed like any processor/effect:

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Notice here that with the gain normalizer added, +0.47 dB of gain (as was indicated
in the last figure) has been added as a result of the normalization.

To show the results graphically, click on the “Show Graphical Analysis” button:

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A graphical representation of the analysis will be displayed:

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At the top of the graphical analysis is a histogram of the levels in the recording, i.e.
how often (vertical axis) the signal spends at various levels (horizontal axis). In this
example we see that the signal is between -33 and -8 dBFS most of the time.

In the middle are the Left and Right output waveforms. The colored vertical bars in
the waveform indicate where the signal is at True Peak shown in the histogram
statistic above.

At the bottom is a frequency distribution histogram with time (horizontal axis) and
frequency (vertical axis). This histogram indicates by color (legend to the right) the
levels of the frequencies present in the signal versus time.

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8.17. Immersive Mixing

Prro provides everything you need to publish an immersive music mix to
Mixbus P
Dolby Atmos compatible streaming services such as Tidal, Amazon, and Apple
Music.

* Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.

Check with your distribution service to see if they support immersive mixes.

What is surround sound, and why does it matter for music?

The vast majority of music is mixed for stereo listening: on headphones/earbuds, in
a car, or on home speakers.

But ‘Surround’ music has some technical benefits over stereo, just as stereo had big
benefits over Mono. Firstly, it provides more ‘space’ for musical parts and
instruments. With this additional space in the soundstage, it’s less necessary to use
drastic EQ and filtering to differentiate your parts of a busy mix.

Additionally, surround music helps to fight the ‘loudness war’ because the typical
surround setup is optimized and quieter than other listening environments.
Surround mixes are enouraged… even required… to provide a lower overall level,
and a wider dynamic range than stereo mixes which must compete with noises at
the grocery store, in the car, or at the gym.

Finally, the kind of listener who listens to their music in surround is an enthusiast …
exactly the kind of person who can appreciate the Mixbus sound!

What is channel-based surround?

In a channel-based surround system, the number of channels has a 1-1 relationship
with the number of speakers in your setup. A mono system has only one speaker,
which is fed by a single channel. A stereo setup has 2 speakers, each fed with a
different channel (signal). A 5.1 surround system has 6 speakers with 6 discrete
channels, and so on.

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The format also defines the speaker placement: 5.1 expects you to have a center
speaker, and 2 side ‘surround’ speakers in addition to the main stereo pair. A
dizzying number of channel-based formats have been introduced and (very often)
abandoned …. especially for home and commercial theaters.

When targeting a particular playback venue (whether a home theater, car, or

headphones), the mix engineer is expected to provide all the channels of audio to
match the speakers for that system. As the channel counts grew, and the speaker
layouts became more diverse, it became harder and harder to anticipate how many
mixes should be released, and how the listener might listen to your mix. Particularly
in the film & video world, this could result in a half-dozen or more releases, each
targeting a different speaker setup. This often
required multiple mixes to be provided for each format – generally with no
increased budget

But today’s music isn’t so simple either: with playback ranging from phones, to
headphones, to soundbars and home theaters, it’s hard to make a mix that meets
everyone’s needs. Home-theater listeners demand that all the speakers of their
surround-setup are exercised. Headphone listeners want a sense of ‘space’ that
exceeds the old stereo limitations.

What is Immersive surround?

Immersive music takes surround to another dimension: with immersive music, you
can move sounds not just in front and behind you, but also above you: a new
mixing dimension called height, or elevation.

What is Object-based surround?

In an object-based mix, each sound (represented as a track or bus) is assigned a
position in x,y,z (left-right, front/back, and up/down) coordinates. In object-based
mixing, you don’t really know which speakers (channels) your sound will be
delivered to. The object’s position only serves as a guide, and the signal is
dynamically routed to a best-guess approximation on the user’s speaker setup!

* In practice, features like ‘Snap’ allow you to pin a signal to a specific speaker. For
example you can put a speaker in the front-center and assign it to Snap there.
Assuming there’s a center speaker available, then your sound will appear ONLY
in the center speaker, and not bleed into adjacent speakers. In the case that the

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Center speaker isn’t available, the renderer will put the sound equally in the Left
and Right to simulate a phantom Center.

The most important thing to understand is that object-oriented mixes are rendered
to optimally match the playback system, whatever that might be! You may never
really hear the exact sound that your listener will hear. While this might be
frustrating, keep in mind that this gives the listener more control over how they
listen … and enthusiasts want more control! The Dolby Atmos translation is better
than current delivery systems.

Object-based mixes are equally compatible with one (mono) channel, 5.1 surround,
or as many as 60+ speakers that you’ll find in world-class movie theaters. Object-
based mixes are the most future-proof format yet, and are intended to give the
listener an immersive experience that takes advantage of whatever speaker/
headphone setup the end-user is listening on.

By placing sounds in 3D space, it is even possible for sounds to retain their

perceived location, even if the listener turns their head. For example, someone
using VR goggles to watch a movie might want the sound to come ‘from the video
screen’ even when you turn your head away from the screen in VR space. This is
called ‘spatial audio’ and requires headphones that provide a head-tracking
function. An Immersive mix can become a ‘spatial’ mix given the right hardware
and settings.

Object-based mixing is the next frontier for surround sound. With over thirty years
of experience in multichannel audio for Cinema, Harrison understands surround
sound. Mixbus is the first DAW to eschew channel-based surround entirely, and
focus on object-based mixing.

Features of Immersive Mixing in Mixbus:

• Innovative object panning on every channelstrip: “mix like a console, not like a
plugin”
• No brainer setup – Mixbus has taken a most complex concept, simplified it
making it easily accessible to any musician or mixer wanting more for their
mixes
• Extensive features and shortcuts to mix faster and better : writing dynamic 3D
automation is easy in Mixbus!
• No additional software is needed to create your immersive file for “Atmos

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compatible” immersive streaming services such as Tidal, Amazon, and Apple

Music.
• Monitor your mix on 7.1.4 speakers or headphones (using binaural cues),
directly from the Mixbus software. No other software is necessary to start
making Dolby Atmos-compatible mixes!.
• Mixbus makes it easy to meet loudness specifications with LUFS and dBTP
displayed directly in the main mixer window.

Are you ready to get started with Immersive mixing? Start on this page: Immersive
Mixing: Getting Started

For more details about the channelstrip immersive panner and its controls, visit this
page: Immersive Panner Section

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8.17.1. Immersive Mixing: Getting Started

Engaging the Immersive Master Bus
If you’re ready to begin ‘immersive’ mixing, you can begin by clicking the
‘Immersive’ button above any channel’s stereo pan knob. This will prompt you to
engage the Immersive Surround Master.

Alternatively, in the Session menu, you can enable the menu item for “Immersive
Surround Master”. You can also *dis-*engage the Immersive Surround Master. This
will save CPU usage, but any panning you’ve assigned to the immersive bus will be
lost.

You’ll see the Immersive Master Bus appear, after the stereo master bus (and
before the Monitor section, if you have one).

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Panning to the Immersive Master Bus

Once you’ve engaged the Immersive Master Bus, you can manipulate the pans to
move sounds around a virtual space.

For more details about the channelstrip immersive panner and its controls, visit this
page: Immersive Panner Section

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! It is critically important to understand the signal flow of the immersive object

mixer. If a track is assigned to a mixbus (as a group or ‘bed’) it is very important
to disengage the immersive ‘In’ button for that individual channel. Assigning a
track to a mixbus and the object panner simultaneously will likely result in a
blurred image. This is unlike regular stereo mixing in Mixbus, where parallel
processing is common. However, note that it is ok to assign a track to the
immersive bus, and a mixbus, if the mixbus is used as a parallel effect like
reverb or delay.

Monitoring your mix: Make the Output Connections

In order to hear your Immersive mix, you must make output connections to your
headphones and/or surround speakers. The Immersive bus is entirely separate and
parallel to the Master bus.

To learn about the binaural and speaker connections, visit this page: Speaker and
Binaural Output Connections

Finalizing your Mix for delivery: checking loudness and

exporting the ADM file
After mixing, you’ll be ready to check the loudness compliance and export a file for
delivery.

To learn more about metering and loudness, continue to this page: Meters, Modes
and Loudness

To learn more about exporting the file for deliver, continue to this page: Exporting a
Dolby Atmos ADM file

Before getting started with your Immersive mix, you should

consider which of these workflows is best suited to you:

Mixing from stems

In this workflow, you take the (mono or stereo) “stems’ from a prior session, and
remix them with Atmos. In this case, the stems often have compression and effects
already added. This is the easiest way to create an immersive mix. You’ll likely
choose a position (front, back, or overhead … or some combination) for each stereo

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pair of stems.

Since you aren’t using the stereo bus, you can just mute it, and focus on making
your mix on the immersive bus.

Migrating a Mixbus stereo mix to Immersive

If you’ve already developed a stereo mix in Mixbus, you might want to ‘sweeten’ it
slightly for immersive. Many elements (like your stereo drum subgroup) can be
assigned directly to the front left and right speakers.

! It’s important to avoid double-assigning elements in both the mixbus (subgroup),

and also the immersive master bus. If a track is assigned to a mixbus, (Panned
via the track’s stereo panner) then you should remove it the immersive bus. If a
track is assigned to both the immersive ‘object’ position, and it also appears in
one or more stereo subgroups, then it probably won’t image correctly in the
binaural or surround speakers.

* You can quickly remove all of your tracks from the immersive bus by using the
“All tracks” modifier (Shift+Cmd on Mac, or Shift+Ctrl on PC). Hold those keys
while clicking the Immersive ‘IN’ button, and it will add or remove all tracks to
the immersive bus. This also works for mixbuses. So you might choose to start
your mix by disabling all tracks from the immersive bus, and re-assign them
indivdually as you build your mix.

When combining stereo and immersive mixes in the same session, it’s
recommended to make a new snapshot from your stereo mix, when you make your
immersive mix. With a snapshot, you can have both mixes stored in the same
session folder and sharing the same audio files. But your edits, mixes, and
automation can vary slightly between the 2 mixes, and changing one snapshot will
not affect the other.

In the Immersive snapshot, you’ll likely want to remove any plugins on the Master
and Monitor buses, as these are not delivered to the Immersive Master bus, and
they are often a source of significant cpu/dsp usage.

Starting an immersive mix from raw tracks

Finally, if you want to focus entirely on your immersive mix, you can start with raw
tracks and develop your mix using only the immersive panner and mixbus

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subgroups.

A purely immersive mix can use more creative panning, more ‘space’, and fewer
plugins. Immersive mixing is well-suited to sound design and immersive/

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8.17.2. Immersive Mixing: Automation

One of the benefits of immersive mixing is the additional space available for
panning. Sounds are no longer limited to just left/right panning, but have full 3d
position (left/right, front/back, and up/down) in the listening space.

Additionally, a sound can be automated to move around the space dynamically.

When used sensibly, this can introduce a heightened sense of drama in your mix.
For example: introducing a new instrument by ‘flying it in’ from the back to the
front, is a dramatic way to transition from a verse to a chorus.

An object has 5 individually automatable controls: X position, Y position, Z position,

Size, and Snap. For a stereo channel, this doubles to 10 automatable controls.

But don’t worry, Mixbus makes it easy to manage these controls in the editor.

Automating 6 parameters at once:

For this demo, you should first enable the option in the main menu: Edit -> Show
Automation Lane on Touch

Now, engage the “Touch” menu from the automation pulldown below the object
panner. This will arm the objects to write automation when you click on them. The
panner joystick can simultaneously “touch” and write the X, Y, and Z position of an
object. In a stereo channel the automation works for both channels, simultaneously.

When you click in the panner, you’ll immediately see 6 automation lanes appear,
and start writing simultaneously, as shown below:

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8.17.3. Immersive Master Bus: Meters, Modes

and Loudness
The Immersive Master Bus is where your panned objects will arrive and be rendered
into your speakers, headphones, and/or file outputs. The Immersive Master Bus
provides the ability to affect your mix’s loudness, and determine if it meets
guidelines for distribution.

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Immersive metering
The pointer or ‘VU’ style loudness meter is provided for convenience; this gives you
a momentary view of the signal being sent to the immersive bus. This meter does
not serve any purpose for meeting loudness specifications, but it serves as a signal-
presence and troubleshooting tool. This meter is derived from the binaural
folddown. This meter stays ‘live’ even when the transport isn’t rolling (unlike LUFS
and dBTP, below)

LUFS is similar to other meters in your DAW and plugins, except that it incorporates
a ‘time’ element. In order to report an LUFS value, you must specify a start and end
location for the measurement. The LUFS value will clear itself when playback starts,
and accumulate over time to show the LUFS measurement. When the transport
stops, the resulting LUFS value will stay visible until you restart playback.
Importantly, this value is accumulated and stays visible during export. This allows
you to check the exported file’s LUFS value before delivering it to your distribution
service. The LUFS measurement is generated from the 5.1 mixdown per ITU
BS1770-5 specification.

7.1.4 speaker metering: 7 main speakers and 4 overhead speakers … this meter
provides an indication of the ‘peak’ level being sent to each speaker. Click the ‘S’ to
solo an individual speaker for auditioning.

The dBTP value is similar to LUFS, except that it records only the ‘peak’ value of the
signal. Your streaming service will specify a maximum value for dBTP (typically
-1dB) and might reject your file if it exceeds this value.

Meeting your immersive mix ‘loudness’ requirements

Your streaming service will specify the target loudness for your mix (typically
-20LUFS)

To meet your loudness target, you should first play your session or export-range,
from start to end. (alternatively, you can trigger an export to start and stop the
measurement for you). The LUFS value will be retained after the transport stop. You
can use the provided ‘Trim’ knob to adjust the LUFS to meet the desired target, then
re-export to check your final level.

The trim value is equally applied to all 118 objects (128 channels – 10 unused beds)

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before rendering.

If you are meeting your LUFS value, but the dBTP value exceeds the target
(typically -1dB), then you may need to apply compression or peak limiting to some
elements of your mix to manage their dynamic range.

! there is a built-in limiter on each ‘object’ track, which prevents unexpectedly

loud signals in each of the 128 available Dolby Atmos channels. If the limiter is
triggered then there will be a report in the “Log” window, including a clue of
what time the limiter was triggered, allowing you to visit that track on the
timeline and address it.

Some comments about meeting loudness goals:

• The LUFS measurement is derived from a 5.1 folddown, and it assigns more
‘weight’ to sounds in the rear speakers. Moving more of the sounds to the
‘front’ of the room can increase loudness up front while simultaneously
reducing the LUFS measurement.
• the LUFS measurement allows for short loud sounds, but penalizes extended
periods of loud signal. Use this to your advantage to achieve a passing LUFS
but with extra dynamic range to add drama to some parts of your mix.

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8.17.4. Exporting a Dolby Atmos Master File

(ADM)
In addition to your stereo mix, some distribution services will accept an immersive
mix. Streaming services expect your immersive mix to be delivered in the Dolby
Atmos (ADM.wav) file format.

Some things to consider when publishing your immersive mix:

• Currently, all services require a stereo mix in addition to the immersive mix.
You can upload a stereo mix without immersive, but not the opposite.
• In some cases there is an extra charge to upload immersive content
• In some cases, the listener may be required to purchase a higher tier on their
streaming service to hear immersive content
• In other cases, a listener might be presented the immersive mix by default
rather than your stereo mix
• Make sure to export a matching stereo mix with the same Start and End times
from your session. Music distributors require a stereo mix of the exact same
length as the immersive .adm mix
• Although it is possible to create a 96k immersive mix, all services are currently
limited to 48kHz sample rate. If you want to make an immersive mix from files
of a different sample rate, you should re-import those tracks to a 48k session.
Mixbus uses a very high-quality, non-realtime, sample-rate conversion when
importing tracks of a different sample rate.

The upload process is similar to loading a .wav file. If your service allows you to
select an ADM (Dolby Atmos Master file), then you can usually just drag&drop the
ADM file from your file manager into the service’s website.

What is the ADM file format?

The ADM file is a multichannel .wav file (or more specifically, a broadcast wave or
.bwf), with additional metadata for each channel which specifies the position of
each file in 3d space. Additionally, this data can be automated with timecode so
any given track/channel can be placed in a new location for each scene, or even
move smoothly from one position to another.

Because an ADM file isn’t a stereo or surround mixdown, but rather encodes

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“many” individual tracks for later mixdown, ADM files can be quite large.

Exporting your immersive mix

To export an immersive (ADM) file, click Session->Export->Export Sur
Surrround Master
in the main menu. This will launch the “Surround Master Export” dialog:

In the “Surround Master Export” dialog, the ADM/BWF format is the only provided
option. Choose a range (either the session Start/End, the currently selected Range,
or any named range that you’ve defined). If no option appears here then you need
to visit the Editor and create an exportable range.

Once you’ve made your selections, click Export. By default, your file browser will
open to show the resulting .adm file.

After the export, the final loudness (LUFS and dBTP) will be displayed in the
Immersive Master Bus. Use the ‘trim’ knob to increase or decrease the level to
meet your delivery target, and then re-export.

That’s it! You can now upload the ADM.BWF file to your preferred distribution
service.

! Streaming services require that your stereo mix and your ADM immersive file are
exactly the same length. This allows users to switch between the immersive and
the stereo mix, without interrupting the sound (much). For this reason, you must
use the same Start and End times for your immersive mix that you used for your
associated stereo mix.

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8.17.5. Immersive Monitoring: Speaker and

Binaural Connections
Perhaps the most complicated topic for immersive mixing is the connections for
your speaker and binaural outputs.

Mixbus tries to make this as simple as possible. But user’s needs, and their
systems, vary tremendously.

Choosing how to listen: Stereo, Binaural, or Surround

Speakers.
Each of the 3 signals (Stereo, Binaural, and Surround) appear on different
connection ports. For a system with limited outputs (2, 8, or 12), it might be
necessary to send these dramatically different signals to the same outputs. For
example, if your system has only 2 outputs, then you’ll have to send both the
normal stereo signal, and also the immersive binaural signal, to those 2 outputs.
And then you’ll use Mixbus’s provided ‘mute’ buttons to choose which is being sent
to your headphones.

3 Separate mute switches are provided so you can individually mute the stereo,
binaural, and surround-speakers. The stereo Master and Monitor buttons are left
unchanged from prior Mixbus versions; but the Immersive bus adds 14 more
outputs (12 speakers and 2 binaural feeds) which are added in parallel. Since we
cannot anticipate your needs, all of these signals are generated live, and you must
use Mixbus’s internal mutes, or an external monitoring box, to route the signals to
your headphones and speakers.

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* If your system is equipped with enough outputs that you can send all the signals
to a discrete output, and you have an external monitoring system which
manages your stereo, binaural, and surround monitors, then you can leave all
the Mute and Level controls at their default positions, and manage your mix from
your monitoring device. This is preferred operation. Mixbus provides the Mute
switches only for systems that have little or no ability to control the monitoring
from a dedicated device or software.

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* In version 10.0, there will never be a signal in the Sub (.1) channel. This is
intentional, and no meter is provided for that signal in the Immersive Bus Master.
However, this does not mean that your subwoofer will not work. Surround
monitoring systems often use a combination of smaller speakers and a
subwoofer that work in tandem to create low frequency sounds. A feature called
“Bass Management” takes care to send low-frequency sounds only to the
speakers that can handle it, while redirecting those sounds to the subwoofer, in
cases where the speaker cannot handle it. This is part of your speaker
monitoring system and is currently outside the scope of Mixbus.

Output level: this is a volume knob for your speakers and headphones.

Mute button: mutes the output of the atmos surround bus

Assigning your outputs to your speakers or headphones for

immersive mixing
To hear ‘atmos’, you’ll need to assign it to your speakers and/or headphones. At the
bottom of the Immersive Master Bus strip, there’s an Output button. Click “Routing
Grid” to see the connections. Click the ‘Hardware’ tab to connect the various
outputs from the Immersive Master Bus to your soundcard hardware.

Assigning mutlichannel outputs to your surround speakers

The first 12 channels are the surround speaker outputs, in a 71.4 format: Left,
Right, Center, LFE, Left Surround, Right Surround, Left Rear Surround, Right Rear
Surround, Left Front High, Right Front High, Left Rear High, and Right Rear High.
These signals are muted when the “M” button is enabled in the “Speaker Out”
section of the Immersive Master Bus.

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Assigning binaural outputs to a 2-channel soundcard

In the case where you don’t have surround speakers, but only a stereo soundcard
(with headphones), you’ll need to connect the binaural outputs to your soundcard.

The last pair (13&14) are intended for binaural listening. These are labeled “BinL”
and “BinR”. These signals are muted when the “M” button is enabled in the
“Binaural Out” section of the Immersive Master Bus. In the example below, the left
and right binaural signals are sent to the soundcard outputs 1&2

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! In this case, it is very important to mute the stereo output when listening to
binaural, or mute the binaural output when listening to stereo. Since they are
both assigned to the same outputs of your device, it is possible to hear both of
them combined.

* Also note that the ‘binaural’ output is not intended for stereo speakers. The
binaural output has a ‘head transfer function’ (HRTF) which will cause it to sound
very thin on loudspeakers. The binaural signal should only be auditioned via
headphones.

Assigning both Speakers and Binaural

If your soundcard provides 14 or more channels of output, you can connect both the
speakers and binaural outputs, simultaneously:

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Both sets of outputs are always ‘live’ so you’ll need to select which output you are
listening to. You can use the Mute buttons (provided on the Immersive Master Bus)
to mute either the binaural or the speaker outputs. OR, you might prefer to leave
both outputs unmuted, and use an external monitoring system to select between
the speakers and headphones (binaural).

* While it is possible to connect Mixbus’s outputs directly to your soundcard, we

highly encourage you to use a dedicated surround monitoring system which can
accommodate speaker volumes, eq, delays, bass-management, and other
monitoring features that may be provided in a standalone solution.

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8.17.6. Advanced Immersive topics: Beds,

LFE, etc
Mixbus’s Immersive Mixing is faster and easier than any other DAW. However,
immersive mixing is a complicated topic, and there’s a limit to how simply it can be
presented.

You must have a firm knowledge of signal flow, and understand that the immersive
path is parallel to the stereo main mix; it doesn’t go through the stereo master
channel, mastering, monitoring and export paths. Instead, the surround objects
take a parallel path into the surround master bus, where the ‘internal renderer’
generates a file for export, as well as a realtime rendering for speakers and binaural
listening.

Where are the ‘beds’ ?

• Mixbus is focused on Music Mixing, so it does not meet the needs of a full
“film-style” Atmos implementation with multiple beds, bed groups, music/
dialog/fx distinctions, etc.
• Mixbus does not allow you to write any ‘bed’ tracks to the ADM master file:
only 118 objects may be added to the ADM file
• For the purposes of channel-count reduction, the 12 stereo mixbuses serve the
purpose of stereo beds … each pair can be panned anywhere in the 3d space.
• We do have future plans to implement bed tracks.

Where is the LFE knob?

• The LFE channel is part of a channel-based system and requires a X.1 bed
• As Mixbus does not populate any bed channels in the ADM file, there is no LFE
(.1) channel to send an LFE signal to
• In practice, for music, there is rarely any benefit to using an LFE channel …
sending bass instruments to the LFE, in addition to the main front speakers,
only introduces the possibility for errors in phase or level depending on the
listener’s setup.
• It’s important to understand the difference between the LFE channel which is a
dedicated channel for low frequency effects in movies, and the Subwoofer
speaker output which is generated by your playback system “bass
management”. The LFE is fed to the sub if one is available, but it isn’t itself a

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‘sub channel’.
• For those reasons, you will not find an LFE knob on the channelstrip panner
• If you want an ‘earthquake’ effect, use any object and pan it to the front
center, and optionally increase the ‘size’ to maximum. This will send the low-
frequency effect to all speakers equally and in-phase, and the playback
system’s “bass management” can effectively reproduce it.

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9. Plug-ins
Plug-ins

* This chapter covers the general principles of plug-ins in Mixbus. To learn about
using plugins in your mix, visit Using Plug-ins

Mixbus can load plug-ins in several formats, depending on your platform. Mixbus
can only use plug-ins that meet these criteria:

• The plug-in must be a supported format on your OS (see below)

• The plug-in must be compiled for the same platform as the Mixbus you are
running. ( for example, 64bit Mixbus loads 64bit plug-ins, but not 32bit plug-ins
)

! It is Harrison’s intent to support every plug-in available, whether commercial or

free. However there are many reasons why a third-party addon might not work in
Mixbus, or might crash, or might behave unexpectedly. This is true of any DAW.

A summary of plug-in support in Mixbus:

AppleTM AU plug-ins (supported on OS X only)

AU (Audio Unit) is the native (Apple-developed) plug-in format for OS X. Most

commercial plug-in developers make AU plug-ins for Mac, because this is the native
format for Apple’s Garageband and Logic.

Unlike other formats, AU plug-ins normally provide a “variable” number of inputs

and outputs. The host (Mixbus) must tell the plugin how many inputs and outputs
we want, and then the plugin can respond whether that is a valid choice. This can
get quite complicated. Mixbus chooses the I/O based on the number of signal
“pipes” at the insertion point of the plug-in.

Scanning of AU plugins must be initiated manually in Mixbus->Preferences-

>Plugins. If a plugin causes Mixbus to crash during the “scan” procedure, then this
plugin will be placed on a “blacklist” which prevents that version of the plugin from
scanning in the future.

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Steinberg VST plug-ins (supported on all platforms)

VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plug-ins were developed by Steinberg TM and are
the most common plug-in format on Windows. VST plug-ins can be developed for
Windows, OS X, and Linux.

VST plugins typically come in 2in/2out versions (stereo I/O). Mixbus channels are
typically mono or stereo; but the signal width can vary in the redirect sections.
Mixbus will try to accommodate the audio and MIDI “pipes” that are present in the
signal flow at that location. For more details, see Processor Signal Flow.

Scanning of VST plugins must be initiated manually in Edit->Preferences->Plugins.

If a plugin causes Mixbus to crash during the “scan” procedure, then this plugin will
be placed on a “blacklist” which prevents that version of the plugin from scanning
in the future.

Unlike AU and LV2, the VST specification does not specify where plugin files should
be installed. When using VST plugins, you must take note of the folder location that
the installer reports. You may find it easier to redirect the installer to one of the
default locations that Mixbus uses. You can find these locations in
Preferences>Plugins>VST>Path.

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Or you can create a new folder of your liking and install all of your plug-ins there.
This way Mixbus has to scan fewer folders. For every new folder created, Mixbus
has to be made aware of its existence. If you have 20 different folders, then it
places a burden on the user to inform Mixbus of their locations. Simplifying the
plugins location upon installation may prove useful.

Steinberg VST3 plug-ins (supported on all platforms)

VST3 plug-ins were developed by Steinberg TM as a successor to the VST format.

VST3 plug-ins can be developed for Windows, OS X, and Linux.

VST3 improves on the VST2 spec with more flexible I/O choices, sample-accurate
automation, logical parameter organization (for automation).
https://www.steinberg.net/en/company/technologies/vst3.html

Unlike VST, it is not necessary to define the installation folder for VST3’s. The
installation path is predefined for all manufacturers.

LV2 plug-ins (supported on all platforms)

LV2 is the “next generation” open-source plug-in format. LV2 plug-ins have several
advantages over other formats. For example, LV2 plug-ins do not have to be
instantiated to be scanned, so startup is much faster and less likely to crash. For
developers, LV2 is completely unencumbered by licensing restrictions. Harrison’s
bundled plug-ins currently use the LV2 format, and the same plug-ins operate on
Windows, Mac, and Linux. This allows you to share sessions with users on other
platforms, and have your sound remain unchanged.

LADSPA plug-ins (supported on all platforms)

LADSPA is the “Linux Audio Developer’s Simple Plug-in Architecture”. LADSPA plug-
ins are simple to develop and are freely available. LADSPA plug-ins do not support
customized GUIs. The “generic” GUI will provide sliders and knobs on a simple
window. Being very portable, most LADSPAs are available for all platforms (OS X,
Linux, and Windows). LADSPA makes an excellent starting point for developers that
want to learn plug-in development. The quality can vary significantly, but there are
a few good plug-ins available.

Mixbus can load a mono LADSPA plug-in into a stereo channel (by duplicating the
plug-in and assigning the same controls to both sides of the signal). This works well
for some plug-in types (such as EQ) but less well for compressors, which might

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introduce a shift in the stereo image if they aren’t truly stereo. In these cases, you
should choose a stereo LADSPA, not a mono one.

Digidesign AAX/TDM/RTAS plug-ins (no support currently).

AAX, RTAS and TDM plug-ins are proprietary formats for Pro Tools TM. Mixbus does
NOT support RTAS or TDM plug-ins. It is unlikely that Mixbus will ever support AAX,
RTAS or TDM plug-ins.

Windows DirectX plug-ins (no support currently)

The DirectX plug-in API was developed by Microsoft and is the native plug-in format
for Windows. Few professional plug-in manufacturers provide DirectX plug-ins, so
Mixbus does not currently support DirectX plug-ins.

* Note: While we have taken care to follow the specifications for each plug-in
format, plug-ins are developed by third-party vendors. This means that Harrison
cannot take responsibility for plug-ins that don’t work as expected. Please use
caution when trying a plug-in for the first time. Verify that all the functions work
as expected before committing to using a particular plug-in in a session.

Latency Compensation

Some plug-ins, particularly plug-ins that use hardware “accelerators” or

convolution-type processing, can cause significant latency (time delay) from the
input to the output. This can cause problems if the delayed signal is mixed with a
signal that is not delayed. A long delay can cause the tracks to sound “out of time”,
while a very short delay can cause comb filtering (“phasiness”). Mixbus can
automatically accommodate plug-in and insert latencies for you. To do this, Mixbus
delays the non-affected tracks to match the track with the longest latency. Please
be aware of these facts:

• Adding or bypassing a plugin can change its latency. Some plugins have
internal controls (like “lookahead”, “oversampling”, or “quality”) that change
their latency.
• Latency offsets are recalculated when you “stop” the transport. So if you hear
a delay or phasing caused by plugin latency, try stopping and restarting
playback.
• Tracks can accommodate “unlimited” latency by buffering the audio from disk
earlier than it is needed.

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• Mix buses are limited to 8192 samples of latency compensation. If the total
latency of all plug-ins in a mix bus exceeds 8192 samples, then a time offset
will occur.
• “Buses” created with the Add Track/Bus dialog (we call these “utility buses”) do
not support latency compensation.

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9.1. Scanning for Plug-Ins

Mixbus loads a wide range of third-party plugins that might be installed on your
computer. There are 3 ways to initiate a plugin scan:

• When you first open the Plugin Selector dialog (by double-clicking in the black
plugin-area of a channel)
• Via the “Scan Now” button in Preferences->Plugins
• From the Plugin Manager window

When a Scan is initiated, the Plugin Scan Dialog appears:

When each plugin is scanned, the dialog reports the filename of the plugin, and a
scan-time progress bar.

There are 3 buttons provided to change the scan behavior:

• Skip This Plugin : if a plugin is taking a long time to scan, and/or requires a
license or other user input that you cannot fulfill, you can click this button to
skip the plugin. The plugin will not be available in the Plugin Selector or other
menus in Mixbus. It will be shown in the Plugin Manager window, and can be
re-scanned from there.

• Auto-Skip Unresponsive plugins: click this button to initiate a “untended” scan

session. This allows you to leave Mixbus while it scans, and Mixbus will
automatically skip any plugin that takes longer than 15 seconds to complete
(this value can be changed in Preferences->Plugins). Plugins that are auto-
skipped can be re-scanned from the Plugin Manager window, at your

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convenience.

• Abort Scanning (for all plugins) : this button will abort the scan completely.
Plugins that were scanned prior to clicking the button will be available. But any
plugins that were not yet scanned will not appear in the Plugin Manager or the
Plugin Selector windows.

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9.2. Plug-in Tags

Tagging Plug-ins
Tags allows the user to append their entire collection of plug-ins with an arbitrary
amount of tags to make plug-ins easier to find across all of Mixbus’ interfaces.

The Plug-in Selector window allows for plugins to be tagged, and searched via their
tag, name, or creator (or a combination of all three) making it very quick to find
plugins you need for your session. By default we take whatever the plugin reports
as its category. However, for most plugin formats, these aren’t very useful. So for
your convenience we have ‘pre-tagged’ over 4,000 popular plugins so you don’t
have to!

To tag a plugin all you need to do is:

1. Select it in the plugin in the plugin selector

2. Click in the Tags field
3. Replace or extend the tag text

Multiple tags can be included by adding a space after every word. For instance,
“bass eq parametric” is three separate tags. Now that plug-in will appear in three
separate locations simultaneously.

Additionally, plug-ins that appear in the favorites pane will now be able to be
searched by tags. In this case, I’m searching for “EQ” and this finds all my favorite
plugins that are tagged “EQ” even if EQ doesn’t appear in the plugin’s name:

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And they will appear in a strip’s right click menu under plug-ins:

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For information on Plug-ins click here, or on how to use them in Mixbus click here.

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10. Groups

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuInwhnrtlk?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuInwhnrtlk?rel=0

Tracks (and busses) may be assigned to a “group” which imparts some special
behaviors. For example, you might want to put the drums in a “group”; in this case,
adjusting the fader on one track will apply to the others.

What is a Group?
A group is a mechanism of connecting several tracks together when they have a
strong inter-channel relationship. By default, tracks in a group will be ‘selected’
together whenever one track is selected; they will be edited together; they will
share the same color; moving one fader will move all of the group faders; and
assigning a track to a mixbus will assign all the group’s tracks to a Mixbus.

The most common usage for “groups” is when the tracks are separate, but they
actually represent a single “recording”, such as a stereo pair, or a drum kit that was
recorded live, or a 5.1 multichannel track. The “group” helps to preserve the
togetherness of the tracks.

A track can only be assigned to a single group, whereas a track can be assigned to

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multiple mixbuses or VCA Faders.

A group of tracks should not be confused with a mix bus. Confusion sometimes
comes from the fact that much of the time a mix bus has more than 1 track bussed
to it. Likewise, a group has more than 1 track associated with it. However, a group
of tracks will not sum their audio, but will group certain software functionality which
allows for better session or
organization
ganization and mor
moree efficient mixing and editing. That’s
not to say you can’t have all tracks in a group bussed to its own mix bus. It’s quite
common in fact.

For instance, a session may have 6 drums tracks and after finding the right balance
between those tracks you might group them so that moving one fader moves all in
that group, causing all the drum tracks to change level. Or soloing one track in the
group solos all in that group. Clicking on the group header will disable the group
allowing individual changes to the tracks, after which the group can be re-enabled.

* Click here to view a video on groups and bussing, and here for a video on
subgroups.

How do you create a group?

By clicking and dragging in the Group Bar, you can quickly assign multiple
consecutive channels to a new Group. See: Group Bar

A group may be created or altered by clicking on the “Grp” button below the track
fader. Once the group is named the “Grp” will be replace with the groups new name
or a shortened version of it.

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Alternatively, a group may be created or altered by clicking on the “G” button

located in the track header.

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Creating a group from the mixer window “Group” area.

The Group section of the mixer window, showing the +/- and Enable/Disable for
each group

Here all groups that have been created for the session are listed. A check box
labeled “Show” is provided. Un-checking this box will hide a group from the edit and
mix window. Hiding a gr
group
oup is a convenient way of un-cluttering your sessions
sessions.
Groups can also be added or deleted clicking the + or – buttons at the bottom of
the window. Clicking on the name of the group allows you to rename it.

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Options within a Group

Grouping tracks allows the sharing of certain functionality and the functions
available within a group are customizable. Right-clicking on a group tab calls up
these options:

• Active
ctive: makes the group active/inactive
Gain: syncs all faders to the same level
• Gain
◦ Relative
elative: preserves fader differential between tracks
• Muting
• Soloing
• Recor
ecordd Enable
• Selection
Selection: links selections made in the editor canvas
• Active state
• Color
• Monitoring
• Mixbus Assignments
Assignments: Channel assignment to a mix bus will follow the group
assignment. If checked, assigning one channel of the group to a particular mix

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bus will also assign all channels in that group to the same mix bus.

Left-clicking on a group will enable or disable the group.

Grouping behaviors when the “Gain” is enabled

• Dragging a fader will affect all the others in the group
◦ By default, this a “relative” move. ( the faders will retain whatever dB
offset they have prior to the move )
◦ You can disable the “relative” checkbox, and all the faders will be forced
to the exact same value, whenever you move one fader in the group
• Muting or soloing will affect all the others in the group
• Assigning or de-assigning a mixbus will affect the others in the group

Group Override

Holding “Shift” will override the group, resulting in these behaviors:

• Dragging a fader will affect only the current channel, not the others in the
group
• Muting or soloing will affect only the current channel, not the others in the
group
• Assigning or de-assigning a mixbus will affect only the current channel, not the
others in the group

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10.1. Group Bar

What is the Group Bar?
The Group Bar is an empty area to the left of the track headers (in the editor
window) or above the mixer channels (in the mixer window).

The group bar provides convenience functions to create groups from your channels,
or assign them to a grouping master bus, or assign them to a VCA master fader.

Operations from the Group Bar:

Right-click in the black (empty) group-bar area to display the Group-Bar context
menu:

• Create New Group From : Select either “Selection, Record-Enabled, or Soloe’d”

to create a new Group with those channels.
• Create New Group With Master From : Select either “Selection, Record-Enabled,
or Soloe’d” to create a new Group with those channels. A new “bus” will be
created, and your channels will be assigned as the input for that bus.
• Assign Selection to VCA: The selected channel(s) will be assigned to the VCA
selected from a submenu
• Assign Record-Enabled to VCA: Any record-enabled channel(s) will be assigned
to the VCA selected from a submenu
• Assign Soloed to VCA: Any solo’ed channel(s) will be assigned to the VCA
selected from a submenu
• Enable all groups
• Disable all groups

Creating an Edit Group with the Group Bar:

In the edit window, a group selection can be be made by clicking in the black bar to

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the left of the track header. While holding the left click, slide the mouse vertically
along-side the tracks you wish to group. Right click on the name of the group to
rename it. To add tracks to that group just left click and slide the mouse alone-side
the track you would like to add. This will create a group tab that extends the width
of the tracks assigned to that group. Many times it is convenient for a group to
contain tracks adjacent to one another but it is not absolutely necessary, a group of
tracks does not have to be contiguous.

Learn more about the grouping functions here: Groups.

Right-clicking on a group tabs calls up a context menu for groups:

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• Edit Group : launches the Group editor

• Collect Group : Moves the grouped tracks together into a contiguous series
• Remove Group : Deletes the Group (but not the tracks in it)
• Assign Group to VCA: The channel(s) in the selected group will be assigned to
the VCA selected from a submenu
• Add new Subgroup Bus : Creates a New Bus, and assigns the output(s) of the
grouped tracks to it
• Add New Aux Bus (pre-fader) : Creates a New Bus, and creates a pre-fader
Send to it, from each of the grouped tracks
• Add New Aux Bus (post-fader) : Creates a New Bus, and creates a post-fader
Send to it, from each of the grouped tracks
• Fit to Window : the channel(s) in the selected group will be sized to fill the
editor window (vertically)
• Create New Group From : Select either “Selection, Record-Enabled, or Soloe’d”
to create a new Group with those channels.
• Create New Group With Master From : Select either “Selection, Record-Enabled,
or Soloe’d” to create a new Group with those channels. A new “bus” will be
created, and your channels will be assigned as the input for that bus.
• Assign Selection to VCA: The selected channel(s) will be assigned to the VCA
selected from a submenu
• Assign Record-Enabled to VCA: Any record-enabled channel(s) will be assigned
to the VCA selected from a submenu
• Assign Soloed to VCA: Any solo’ed channel(s) will be assigned to the VCA
selected from a submenu

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• Enable all groups

• Disable all groups

The mix-window group bar.

In the mix window, a group can be be created by dragging in the black bar above
the channel strips. While holding the left click, slide the mouse horizontally over the
channel strips you wish to group. This will create a group tab that extends the
length of the tracks being assigned to that group. Many times it is convenient for a
group to contain tracks adjacent to one another but it is not absolutely necessary.
You may have any tracks in a group.

In all other ways, the Group Bar in the Mixer window operates identically to the
Group Bar in the Editor window.

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10.2. Quick Groups

To make a temporary group (“Quick Group”), you can simply select the desired
tracks. The Mute, Solo, Fader and Input Trim are ‘linked’ when you select tracks

Use the Shift modifier to override the linking, if you want to adjust just one track
while leaving the selection intact.

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11. Automation

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UJbjPbpoWlk?rel=0

Region Gain and Automation

Mixbus has 2 separate types of automation: Region Gain Envelopes and Processor
Automation.

Region Gain envelopes are often used for repair work, such as reducing unwanted
breaths, accentuating syllables, or reducing noise. The “region gain envelope” is
part of the audio region, and is applied before any other processing is applied in the
mixer strip. Region Gain only adjusts the volume (level) of the region across time.

Learn more about Region Gain automation in this video: Mixbus Gain Staging

Processor Automation is often used for creative changes such as fading elements in
and out during a song. Automation can be applied to many different mixing
parameters including the input trim, fader, panning, muting, or plug-in parameters.

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11.1. Fader, Pan and Plug-in Automation

Automation
‘Automation’ is used to change the settings of a knob (or other control) as the
playhead advances on the timeline. For example you might want to increase the
volume of a delay effect during the “chorus” part of a song, or automate the master
fader to make a smooth fade-out at the end of a track.

Many mixer parameters may be automated: fader, mute, pan, mix bus sends, eq,
compressor, and plug-in settings.

The short video below demonstrates how to open an automation lane:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/B0DKjABQ6MA?rel=0

Alternatively, you may enable the menu item “Edit->Show Automation Lane On
Touch” in the main menu. In this case, any time you touch any automatable
parameter (including
including those in plugins), it will automatically open its associated
“automation lane” in the Edit window so that you can set or modify it. If you ‘draw’
automation into the lane, then it will stay exposed. If you don’t write any
automation then the lane will be automatically hidden when you touch a new knob.
This feature streamlines your display down to just the automation parameters you

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are adjusting when you have a lot of tracks, a lot of plugins and a lot of automated
things.

This short video gives some examples of using this feature:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/T_hoXHhBaow?rel=0

Real-time (“Touch”) Automation:

In Real-time automation the parameter is put into a “record” mode. While the
transport is rolling, the user moves a knob, and these moves are recorded.

In the Mixer window below every fader, there is an automation button dedicated to
that fader because this is a very commonly-automated control:

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( this button only affects the automation mode of the fader )

Additional parameter automation can be accessed from the the track’s header: click
the “A” button to view fader and mute automation. Under “Processor Automation”
are EQ parameters, Compressor parameters, and plugin parameters. You’ll find the
Pan and bus sends under “POST”.

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Here is a description of the modes:

Manual Automation is ignor

ignored.
ed.

Whenever you locate, the parameter will jump to the value that is rrecor
ecorded
ded in the
Play automation.
You cannot change the value manually
manually..

When locating, the value will stay as it is (no playback of automation). During playback
Write
(only), the cur
currrent value will be written to automation. Y
You
ou can move the contr
control
ol

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manually and your move will be written to the automation.

The parameter will act lik

like
e it is in Play, unless you “touch” it with the mouse (or a contr
control
ol
Touch surface that is touch-sensitive). Then it will rrecor
ecordd your moves until you rrelease
elease the
mouse button, at which point it will rrevert
evert back to the saved value at that time point.

Operates lik
like
e “T
“Touch”
ouch” mode e
exxcept it will rretain
etain the last value of your moves when you
Latch
release the mouse button.

The mouse wheel has a slightly different automation mechanism. It works in “Latch”
mode even if a different automation mode is selected. When the wheel is turned, it
“touches” the parameter and begins recording the move. The automation continues
to record until the transport stops.

Automation Thinning:

When automation is recorded in real time, the automation data points are “thinned”
so that only enough control-points are created to adequately capture the moves.
The points will appear very sparse if the control is moving slowly, and will be
created very close together during fast moves. The aggressiveness of thinning can
be adjusted if necessary via menu Edit>Preferences>Misc.

* Tip: “Write” automation is a quick way to copy settings from one place to
another. Locate the playhead while the parameter is in “play” to pick up the
value you want to apply somewhere else. Now change the mode to Write, and
locate to the new place. Then play through the desired section to apply the
setting.

Punching in your automation with “Touch” mode:

When you punch-in, 2 points are created: one to hold the previous value, and one
to start the new changes. Similarly, when you release the control (or stop a pass in
Write mode) then 2 points are also created: one which ends the new changes, and
one to hold the previously-existing value.

* Automation is only recorded during forward playback. However it is possible to

record automation while the transport is looping! Using this feature you can
audition several different passes of the automation. When playback is stopped,
the most recently-recorded moves will be kept. For example, if you loop 3 times
and then stop halfway through the looped section, the resulting automation will
be the first half of the 4th pass and the last half of the 3rd pass.

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Graphical Automation Editing: Automation tracks

You hide and show automation lines using the “A” button on the track header, or
right-click on the track header and select the parameter for automation.

Automation appears in a separate track from the audio. Multiple automation tracks
may be shown simultaneously. If the automation track is associated with an audio
track, a “ghost” of the region’s audio will appear in the track. Buses do not show
waveforms in the automation tracks.

Automation may be graphically edited using either the Draw, Grabber or the Edit
(Contents) tool. The rules for each are slightly different (and may change in the
future)

Grabber tool

• Click a control point to grab it and move it

• Click a line to move the gain points on either side of the line.
• Right-click on a control point to Edit or Delete it.

Range T
Tool
ool

• Drag a Range, then you can:

◦ Click Delete (or Backspace) to delete the automation in that range ( with
guard points that prevent you from adjusting data outside your range
selection )
◦ Switch to the Draw tool, and drag up/down to move all the points in that
range ( with guard points )
◦ To view a demonstration, see this video clip: Region Gain editing with the
Range tool. … this technique also works with automation lanes.

* This is a case where Mixbus is much smarter than some other DAWs you might
be familiar with. When you select a “range” of automation and delete the range,
Mixbus doesn’t just delete the automation ‘points’ inside the range. Instead,
Mixbus creates a “guard point” at the start and end of your range, and preserves
the automation timeline before and after the range selection. In other words, it
only deletes the automation “inside” your range selection. Sounds obvious, eh?
But strangely that is not how some other DAWs work.

Draw tool

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• Click anywhere in the track to create a new control point, and connect it to the
points on either side.
• Click a control point to grab it and move it. ( now it is selected so you can
delete it )
• Click a line to move the gain points on either side of the line.
• Right-click on a control point to Edit or Delete it.

Edit T
Tool
ool

• Click a control point to grab it and move it.

• Shift+right-click a control point to delete it.
• Click anywhere in the track to start a “box select”, then:
◦ Click Delete ( or Backspace ) to delete the selected points
◦ Grab one control point, and move them all together
• Right-click on a control point to Edit or Delete it.

* Note: The Grabber tool can grab an automation point, and move them up or
down, but it can’t move their location in time.

Clicking with the Draw tool will create the first control point, and also draw a line to
the very beginning of the track.

• Click anywhere in the track to create a new control point, and connect it to the
points on either side.
• Click a control point to grab it and move it.
• Click a line to move the gain points on either side of the line.
• Use the Range tool (or Object+Smart mode) to create a “range”. Now switch to
the Draw tool, click inside the range, and you can drag the entire range up/
down.

* Note: Using the Edit tool, you can click in empty space, and begin a “box
selection” to select multiple points at once. You can then click on a point to move
them all, or you can press Delete(or Backspace) to delete them together.

* Note: Remember that in order for the automation to be auditioned, the

parameter must be in “Play” mode. You do NOT have to be in write or Touch
mode to graphically edit the automation though.

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* Note: Past the extents of the automation line, the “Play” value is the value of the
last control point.

Clearing Automation
To clear saved automation in an individual Automation lane, right click on the
automation lane (NOT the audio track) header and select “clear”. All of the
automation saved in that lane will be cleared.
Note that if you are automating multiple controls on a particular track, each
automated control will have their own automation lane. So for example you could
clear and re-do your fader moves without affecting the other automation controls
on the track.

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Automating Mix Buses

Normally the mixbuses are not shown at the left of the screen with the track
headers. This is because mixbuses do not store audio. While automation of the
mixbus fader can be selected on the mixbus strip in the Mixer panel, it is
sometimes necessary to automate other functions on the mixbus.

To display a mixbus at the left along with the track headers so that its parameters
may be automated, first open the “Editor List”:

In the Editor List make the desired mix bus(es) visible by checking the “V” box:

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The mixbus header will now be displayed at the left along with the other track
headers. Clicking on the “A” automation button allows you to set up any parameter
on the mixbus to be automated.

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11.2. Region Gain Automation

Region Gain

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0&start=135

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0

Click above for video instructions.

Region Gain is a volume envelope that extends for the length of the region. By
default, the region envelope is “unity” (i.e. no change) across the entire region and
it is hidden. To adjust region gain with the mouse, you must use the Draw tool.

In many situations you may find it useful to turn grid mode off. Clicking on a region

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with the Draw tool will cause a control point to be placed. By default, a region has 2
control points, one each at the start and end of the region.

* Tip: If you want to quickly change the gain over the entire region, then click on
the region to show the line, and then grab the line and move it up/down. This is
an alternative to Region Level.

* Tip: This is an excellent way to tweak a syllable or reduce a section of noise, and
it is often more transparent than deleting it entirely. Also, looking through a
waveshape and finding a few of hot the spots and reducing the gain will allow
the compressor to be set more conservatively, providing a more transparent
sound.

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Mouse operations using the Range, Draw, and Edit tools inside a Region:

Range T
Tool
ool

• Drag a Range, then you can switch to the Draw tool, and drag up/down to
move all the points in that range ( with guard points )
◦ To view a demonstration, see this video clip: Region Gain editing with the
Range tool.
• Drag a Range, then click Delete to remove that range

* This is a case where Mixbus is much smarter than some other DAWs you might
be familiar with. When you select a “range” of automation and delete the range,
Mixbus doesn’t just delete the automation ‘points’ inside the range. Instead,
Mixbus creates a “guard point” at the start and end of your range, and preserves
the automation timeline before and after the range selection. In other words, it
only deletes the automation “inside” your range selection. Sounds obvious, eh?
But strangely that is not how some other DAWs work.

Draw tool

• Click anywhere in the region to start drawing a freeform automation curve

• Click a control point to grab it and move it.
• Shift+right-click on a control point to delete it.
• Click a line to move the gain points on either side of the line.
• Right-click on a control point to Edit or Delete it.

Edit T
Tool
ool

• Click a control point to grab it and move it.

• Click in empty space to make a rubberband-selection ( box selection ). This will

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select the enclosed automation points which can then be moved or deleted
together.
• Shift+right-click a control point to delete it.
• Right-click on a control point to Edit or Delete it.

Temporarily bypassing region gain

Menu>Region>Gain>Envelope Active
or
Right click on the region and click on the track name>Gain>Envelope Active

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12. Using MIDI

What is MIDI, anyway?
MIDI is a wire-protocol that was developed in the 80’s to allow synthesizers to send
musical performance data between devices. So a MIDI keyboard can send
performance data ( i.e. “notes” ) to an instrument that actually creates the sound. It
is beyond the scope of this manual to explain MIDI in detail. But a MIDI Primer has
been provided here.

What can Mixbus do with MIDI?

Here are some of the tasks that are typically implemented with MIDI:

1. Play a multitimbral MIDI file through a General MIDI instrument, as a backing

track. Learn more here: General MIDI
2. Add a Virtual instrument to a track, and record MIDI data to play through it.
Learn more here: Virtual Instruments
3. Send MIDI to an external device. Learn more in Setting up an External MIDI
device
4. Arranging a song by triggering MIDI loops and phrases. Learn more in
Triggering Clips and Cues
5. Using a MIDI as a controller ( for knobs and faders ). You can learn more about
that in the External Control section

* Currently Mixbus does not have a musical-staff “notation” view. That might
appear in a future version of Mixbus.

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12.1. MIDI Tracks

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What is a track? How do I create one?

A track is the fundamental building-block of a Mixbus session. You can create new
tracks by creating empty tracks ( using the New Track/Bus dialog ) or by Importing
existing audio files as new tracks. Mixbus supports audio tracks and MIDI tracks.
The track type (audio or MIDI) defines what kind of data you will see in the editor.

What is a MIDI Track?

MIDI tracks are just like audio tracks, but they store MIDI performance data on the
timeline, rather than audio regions.

Otherwise, MIDI tracks are identical to audio tracks; they can have MIDI inputs and
outputs, audio inputs and outputs, plugins, and they have the full complement of
Mixbus EQ/Compressor/bus sends. MIDI tracks are most often used to host virtual
instrument (VI) plug-ins, which will render the MIDI data into audio which is then
available to mix within the Mixbus mixer. It is also possible to route the MIDI data
directly to a MIDI synthesizer device, and then patch the audio (if desired) back into
the same MIDI track, thereby incorporating the external device as if it were a VI.

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MIDI data may be generated by importing a MIDI file, by playing a MIDI instrument
into the track, or by drawing notes with the Draw tool. Each time you draw or
record MIDI notes and controls, Mixbus creates a MIDI region with a corresponding
MIDI file inside the session folder.

MIDI editing was designed to operate with the same conventions as Mixbus’s audio
region editing. You can cut, copy, move and trim MIDI regions. And your operations
apply to a Playlist which can later be reverted or changed, or even shared with
other tracks.

* Because MIDI data is always recorded into a MIDI file, this has some implications
for MIDI continuous control data (CC’s). You can only draw controller automation
underneath an existing MIDI region. These controller moves are part of the MIDI
region and will move with it. Note that you can still write fader, EQ, plugin and
other mixer-strip automation linearly on the track, as these exist outside of the
MIDI realm.

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12.1.1. Adding MIDI tracks

Adding MIDI tracks

Importing MIDI files to a new track:

See Importing Files.

Creating a new MIDI Instrument track:

See Adding Tracks and Buses.

Listening to a MIDI track.

With MIDI tracks, it is fairly common for multiple tracks to be fed from a single MIDI
keyboard or device. This adds an additional level of complexity to the task of
“monitoring” the MIDI input.

Once a MIDI track is added you will find a MIDI input Enable/Disable button near the
top of the channel strip. If you want MIDI to be delivered to the track, the MIDI Input
button must be enabled for that track.

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12.1.2. Recording MIDI

A step by step guide to record MIDI performance data.
1. Plug in your external MIDI equipment into the input of your MIDI interface or USB
connector on your computer.

2. During session set up be sure system MIDI is enabled (CoreMIDI for Mac and MME
for Windows).

3. Add a MIDI track(s) to your session. Click here for more on adding tracks. By
default “Reasonable Synth” plug-in will be inserted into the redirect. You can select
a different plug-in at this point or it can be changed after the track has been
created. More on Plug-ins here

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4. Route the system MIDI to the track input. In the image below the MIDI device
happens to be called “Launchkey 25 capture”. You should look for the name of your
device here.

* A convenient set up is to switch to the Edit window and turn on the Mixer Editor
(Menu>View>Show Editor Mixer). This way you can manage the MIDI channel
strip and view your performance as you record it. More on Editor Mixer here

5. Enable MIDI input. The default is on as shown in the image below. Click on the
green MIDI connector to disable if you don’t want to hear the MIDI input.

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6. Be sure to set the channel strip to monitor input.

7. Record arm the MIDI track

8. Record arm the master record button in the Edit window, roll the transport and
record your performance.

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* A short cut to arming the master in the edit window: rec arm the channel strip
then press 3 on the number pad. This will record arm the master and roll the
transport simultaneously. This is especially useful if you are managing the
session while recording yourself.

9. Once a performance is recorded (or perhaps you have imported MIDI data to the
track) you can send the audio output to a track to be recorded (bounced). Click the
output connector ( find the Output connector by switching the switcher at the top of
the mixer strip) and route the MIDI output. In this image it has been routed to a
stereo audio track (audio 7). Click here for more on recording.
Additionally you can route MIDI performance data to outboard equipment via your
MIDI interface (many audio interfaces have a MIDI interface built-in).

You can also visit “Window->MIDI Connections” to see a grid of your track outputs
(on one side) and hardware outputs (typically on the bottom right tab)

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12.1.3. MIDI Track Operations

Right-click on a MIDI Track Header to initiate a pulldown menu of actions. Many of
the actions are the same that are available in audio tracks and buses. But some
items are specifically for MIDI:

Note R
Range
ange:

• Show Full Range: The midi “scroomer” will be scaled to show the full range of
MIDI notes 1..128
• Show Contents: The scroomer will be scaled to fit all of the existing MIDI notes
in the track

Note Mode
Mode:

• Sustained: Notes will be represented as a rectangle, where the rectangle’s

width displays the note start and end.
• Percussive: Notes will be represented as a “diamond” shape, showing only the
note “start”. Percussive mode is useful when showing drum tracks and there is
no “length” for each drum hit.

Channel Selector
Selector:
The MIDI Channel Selector Dialog will appear:

Select PPatch
atch:
Click the menu to send a Bank/Patch message for the selected channel. For more
information, see: MIDI Banks and Patches

Color Mode Selection:

• Meter Colors: (default) The note color indicates velocity” of the MIDI notes.
• Channel Colors: The CHANNEL of the note event will be used to color the MIDI
notes
• Track Colors: All notes will be colored with the track’s color

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12.1.4. MIDI Filters

In addition to Virtual Instruments which accept MIDI notes and render audio, Mixbus
also supports “MIDI plugins” or MIDI filters
filters.

What is a MIDI Filter?

A MIDI Filter is a plugin that has only MIDI I/O, and no audio I/O. A MIDI filter can
change the incoming MIDI stream ( forcing all events to a given velocity, for
example ) or a MIDI Filter can generate its own MIDI stream ( such as an
arpeggiator or algorithmic-music-creation plugin )

How do I add a MIDI Filter to a track?

MIDI Filters appear in the Plugin Selector just like plugins. But by default they are
not shown. To display MIDI filters, click the small “Utils” button in the plugin
manager twice, so it is highlighted & filled:

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What MIDI filters are supplied with Mixbus?

See List of Inlcuded MIDI Filters

It is also possible to create your own cross-platform MIDI filters using Lua scripts

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12.2. Virtual Instruments

What is a Virtual Instrument?
Virtual Instruments (VI) are plug-ins that convert MIDI performance data (notes)
into sound. Otherwise Mixbus treats them like a normal plug-in. They can be
inserted anywhere in the channel’s signal flow. This allows you to insert a
MIDI-generating plug-in, or a MIDI “filter” plug-in before the VI. But normally, you
should ensure that the VI is the first plugin at the top of the redirect list.

Mixbus supports four Virtual Instrument formats:

• VSTi (using the VST plug-in specification, the VST format has been extended to
include MIDI note I/O).
• VST3 instruments
• Audio Unit Instruments – this is an Apple technology and is only supported on
Mac OS X. Most plugins on Mac are available in both AU and VST formats.
• LV2 instruments – LV2’s can be compiled for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Currently there are very few commercial LV2 instruments available.

How do I create a Virtual Instrument track?

When you create a new MIDI track, there is a menu selection for the Instrument you
would like to use on this channel. By default, the instrument will be inserted at the
top of the redirect list.

* It is also possible to create a MIDI track without a virtual instrument. In this case
you will likely send the MIDI output to a hardware synthesizer, and return the
signal into the MIDI track’s audio inputs (or whatever track(s) you choose). See
Setting up an external MIDI device

What can I do with a virtual instrument?

Just like a plugin, you may double-click on the VI to display its custom user
interface.

You may add additional plugins before or after the VI. And you may drag the order
of instruments and plugins. The signal flow through a channel is shown in the
redirect box; Red lines indicate the MIDI path, and green lines indicate the audio

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path(s). Advanced users can investigate Pin Connections to further refine the signal
flow through the channelstrip.

! In most cases, the fader, EQ, and Compressor elements should come AFTER
(below) the Virtual Instrument in the channelstrip, so they can operate on the
audio stream created by the VI.

* Note that because the VI is in the plug-in window, after the channel’s input, the
input trim is not effective on the VI. Most VI’s have their own internal volume
control which can be used as a trim.

Using a virtual instrument with multiple outputs ( such as virtual drum

instruments )

By default, Mixbus creates virtual instruments in their “stereo output” mode (or
“mono” if that’s the only option they provide). Some plugins provide multiple
outputs; for example you can configure the kick drum to appear on a separate
output than the snare drum. This is a fairly complicated topic for advanced users.
See: Multichannel instruments

Feeding a virtual instrument from multiple tracks

In some cases, you might have multiple tracks with MIDI data, and you want all of
the tracks to feed a single instrument. To do this, you should create multiple MIDI
tracks, with no instrument. Then create a single MIDI “Bus” with the desired
instrument. Use this image as a reference

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In this image the 4 MIDI tracks are ‘feeding’ the MIDI Bus track at the top. The MIDI
tracks themselves do not have instruments on them, but have MIDI data in regions
on the track that will flow to it

Finally, connect the MIDI outputs of the tracks to the input of the MIDI bus. As
shown in this image.

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The MIDI “bus” will sum (merge) the inputs of several MIDI tracks, and provide the
resulting MIDI stream to a virtual instrument.

* If your VI is multi-timbral, each MIDI Track can be set to output to one or more
channels of MIDI by right clicking the MIDI Track and choosing the ‘Channel
Selector’ menu option. There you can chose from one or more of sixteen MIDI
channels.

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12.2.1. Multichannel instruments

Some virtual midi instruments provide more than stereo outputs. This allows (for
example) a drum instrument to provide a separate output for each virtual
“microphone”.

Mixbus provides 2 multichannel “drum” instruments: “Black Pearl Drumkit Multi”,

“Red Zeppelin Drumkit Multi” and “Blonde Bop Drumkit Multi”.

Some examples of third-party multichannel drum instruments include Native

Instruments Kontakt, Toontrack’s EZDrummer, or Melda’s MDrummer.

The different plugin formats behave differently for multichannel outputs. AU

instruments can have a variable number of outputs; while VST instruments, and
Mixbus’s bundled LV2 instruments, pre-define how many channels they can support.

When a multichannel instrument is created, you want each sound to appear on its
own mixer strip in Mixbus. Rather than make these connections yourself, it is much
faster to let Mixbus do these connections for you. Mixbus calls this feature “Fan
Out”.

* There is a convention among VST and AU plugins that the “Fanned out” buses
should be stereo pairs. Starting with v5.3, Mixbus creates stereo buses and
connects them to each pair of instrument outputs. (the bundled Black Pearl and
Red Zeppelin kits are smarter, and can create a mix of mono and stereo outputs)

! If your instrument does NOT use stereo outputs (Addictive Drums is one
example) then you’ll have to visit “Window->Audio Connections” and assign your
outputs to both the left&right inputs of the desired track. Perhaps in the future
we will add an option to create mono tracks instead of stereo tracks.

Setting up a multichannel instrument with fanned-out tracks:

To utilize these plugins in multichannel mode, it is necessary to initiate the
operation from the “Add Track” dialog:

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And then in the “Plugin Setup”, select ’9 Channels’ and ‘Fan Out’ (these are enabled
by default)

…this will result in 9 additional tracks. In the bundled drum plugins, each resulting
bus will be labeled with the drum it represents (kick, snare, etc). In third-party
plugins, the resulting buses will be numbered 1….N.

! You’ll notice that the instrument track’s “MSTR” master-bus-assign button has
been disabled. This prevents the first 2 outputs of the instrument being double-
assigned to the master bus, because the first 2 outputs of the instrument are still
playing through the strip.

! In versions before v5.3, Mixbus created “buses” instead of tracks. But it is

desirable to “print” the drum tracks to audio, once the major arranging is done.
This future-proofs the session, in case the instrument is no longer available. It
also allows fine-grained editing, just like real drums.

Other operations and their effect on multichannel

instruments:
- If an instrument plugin is drag-copied from one channel to another, it will be
configured as a stereo-out plugin.
- If you drag an instrument from the “favorites” list in the mixer window, it will be

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configured as a stereo-out plugin.

- If the default stereo “fan out” isn’t desired, then disengage the “fan out”
checkbox. The instrument will still be created multichannel outputs, but no resulting
buses will be created. The user must manually create buses and/or tracks to receive
the separate outputs of the instrument track.

Printing your tracks:

Once the arrangement is complete, you can print the instrument outputs by record-
arming the tracks, record-arming the master rec-enable and rolling through your
song. Once you’ve printed the tracks to audio, you’ll need to switch the track
monitoring from “IN” to “DISK”. The fan-out process forces the monitor to INPUT so
you can hear the tracks without having to rec-arm them.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/X8uhN4o6HUk?rel=0

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12.3. Sending to an external MIDI device

External MIDI devices
In some cases, you might prefer to send MIDI from Mixbus’s MIDI tracks to an
external MIDI sound module ( “synthesizer” ) rather than use a software Virtual
Instrument inside Mixbus.

How do I send my MIDI to an external device?

Click the “Switcher” at the top of the mixer strip to expose the channel’s input and
output buttons. Click the “output” button and choose the physical MIDI port that
you’d like to send out to.

* Alternatively you can set up the MIDI patching via the main menu, Window->MIDI
Connections

How do I change the sound preset (“patch”) of the external device?

See: MIDI Banks and Patches

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12.4. Multitimbral and “General MIDI”

Mixbus can rrecor
ecord,
d, edit and rrender
ender multitimbral MIDI files, of
often
ten used for backing
tracks or “sweetening” tracks to fill-out a live rrecor
ecording
ding with additional instruments.

What is “Multitimbral”?
MIDI performance data ( such as notes from a MIDI file ) may be provided in up to
16 different channels on a single MIDI connection. Typically, each of the channels
represents an instrument. A channel can change instruments anytime by sending a
“patch change” message, which the receiving synth may (or may not) respond to.

At the start of the file, a “patch change” MIDI message will typically be sent for
each of the channels in use, and these patch messages will define what instrument
should be sounded on that channel … perhaps a saxophone, guitar, or piano.

What is General MIDI?

General MIDI is an agreed-on set of patches to render performance data with a
variety of common instruments from various ethnicities. As MIDI can only send
messages like “Channel 7, patch 21”, it was found necessary to define some
instruments for these generic patch messages. In this way, a .mid file that follows
the “General MIDI” specification can be reliably played in a synthesizer that is also
General MIDI compliant.

For example, it is generally agreed that drums will be played on Channel 10.

* It is beyond the scope of this document to describe all of the conventions that
have been developed for MIDI and Generic MIDI.

How does Mixbus implement Multitimbral and General-MIDI

synthesis?
Mixbus is optimized for high-quality mixing of audio. Support for General MIDI,
multitimbral MIDI, and backing tracks is not a high priority for us. Nevertheless, it is
a feature that is sometimes desirable, and with Mixbus v4 we have added some
mechanisms to import, edit, and render multitimbral MIDI data.

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Mixbus provides 2 multitimbral synths:

• a-FluidSynth, a multitimbral MIDI-capable synthesizer that loads .sf2

soundfonts.
• General MIDI Synth, a simplified version of FluidSynth that automatically loads
the GeneralUser soundfont by S. Christian Collins. GMSynth provides a very
thorough implementation of the General MIDI specifications.

What is a soundfont?

A “soundfont” is a file that contains audio samples and a “mapping” of each sample
which defines the MIDI notes it will be played. Fully-featured soundfont players,
such as Fluid Synth, provide full support for many MIDI features such as pitch-bend
and modulation; as well as a built-in chorus and reverb to improve the sometimes
lackluster sounds of General MIDI.

How do I use the General MIDI Synth?

To use the General MIDI Synth, simply add a new MIDI track ( or Bus, if you intend
to feed it from multiple tracks ), and leave General MIDI Synth as the Instrument
selection.

How do I choose a different patch/sound in the GeneralUser soundfont?

See: MIDI Banks and Patches

How do I use other soundfonts?

There are many Soundfont (.sf2) files online, from both commercial and “free”
vendors.

You may download any .sf2 file, and use the selector menu inside a-Fluid Synth to
navigate to, and load, the desired soundfont file. Note that the quality of sound
fonts can vary widely, and you might need to check the soundfont’s documentation
to learn which patches and note ranges are implemented.

Some soundfont files are optimized for General MIDI, and multitimbral operation.
While other soundfonts are intended to provide only a single instrument, or several
instruments, and do not implement the General MIDI specification. For example you
can download a soundfont file that provides only a high-quality piano, a virtual

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orchestra, or a vintage electronic drum machine. A full investigation of .sf2 files is

outside the scope of this manual, but you can find more information by searching
the internet for “sf2” or “soundfont”.

! NOTE: while searching the internet, you might find a wide range of free
soundfonts. In our experience, the provided GeneralUser soundfont provides an
excellently curated set of drum and instrument sounds. In many cases, we’ve
found that free online soundfonts are only a subset of the patches that
GeneralUser already has included. Furthermore, the curator has made an effort
to verify that every sample is freely licensed for your use. For casual users, we
highly encourage you to use the provided General MIDI Synth for free drum and
instrument libraries. Professional users might want to purchase commercial
players and libraries online from established vendors such as Kontakt, UVI, VSL…

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12.5. Step Entry

Step entry of MIDI data is an alternative method of entering MIDI arrangements. In
step editing, you set the length of notes, and the transport is automatically moved
forward each time you play a note (or chord) on the keyboard. This is a fast way to
enter a long sequence of chord progressions or a drum pattern. Or it can be helpful
for users that are not proficient in keyboard performance, but would like to enter
notes using the keyboard.

To initiate step entry, right-click on the track’s “REC” button. A keyboard will be
displayed.

Use your externally-connected keyboard to enter notes and chords; the step-entry
dialog will automatically advance the playhead with each event. This is a fast way
to enter a chord progression or drum parts.

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12.5.1. MIDI Step Entry: Tutorial video

This video demonstrates the Step Entry Method for creating MIDI tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bYbykVr5_DI?rel=0

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12.6. MIDI Banks and Patches

What is a MIDI Bank or Patch?
A MIDI patch is a preset sound in a sound-generator (synthesizer). For example a
keyboard might have a patch for “piano”, and a drum machine might have a patch
for “jazz drum kit”. MIDI Patches are numbered from 1 to 128. Mixbus can send a
“patch change” message to a device, to request the patch at that index.

A MIDI bank is a mechanism to access additional sets of 128 patches. Banks were
added to support devices with more than 128 sounds, or patches. Mixbus allows the
user to select from 128 banks, and each bank allows up to 128 patches.

The MIDI specification allows up to 16 “channels” on a single connection, and each

channel can be assigned a “patch” from one of the “banks”. However very few
devices have a full set of banks and patches available on all 16 channels. You must
consult your device’s manual to determine what banks and patches are supported,
and how many channels can be used, and how many notes may be sounded
simultaneously. ( Mixbus’s built-in synth, GMSynth, has quite a wide range of
patches & banks. Learn more here: General MIDI )

* With the advent of “virtual instruments” rather than external MIDI gear, bank/
patch changes are much less common. Virtual instruments typically use their
own GUI or preset mechanism to change sounds, not MIDI events. So if you are
using Virtual Instrument plugins, you can likely ignore MIDI banks & patches.

How do I audition the patches in my external MIDI synth or VI plugin?

Right-click on a MIDI track header, and you will be presented with a list of actions:

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Click “Patch Selector” to launch the patch selection dialog:

The patch selector has these controls:

• Channel selection: Each Mixbus track provides 16 MIDI channels

• Bank: If a patch map is provided for the track/instrument, you’ll see a list of
available banks here.
• MSB / LSB : if no patch map is provided, use these selectors to manually select
the MIDI bank values that are sent to the device.
• Patch buttons: if a patch map is provided, the available patch names will be

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shown here. If no map is provided, or if the map doesn’t specify a patchname

for a position, then the button will show the patch number. * Audition on
Change: when enabled, selecting any patch will trigger a series of MIDI notes
to the synth.
• Start Note: If “Audition on Change” is active, this is the first note that is played.
• End Note: the last note that will be played.
• Velocity: select the MIDI “velocity” (loudness) of the notes sent to the plugin
• MIDI Keyboard: the keyboard can send MIDI notes directly to the instrument for
auditioning ( these notes are not recorded into the track )

Where do I specify the patch names that should appear in the patch dialog?

Mixbus’s built-in multitimbral synths ( GMSynth and a-FluidSynth ) automatically

publish their patch information to Mixbus when they are instantiated on a channel.

Other commercial plugins normally provide their own patch management inside the
GUI, and do not publish their patch settings to Mixbus.

For tracks with no plugin instrument on the track, the “External MIDI Device” menu
allows the user to define what external device is connected to the MIDI output:

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Advanced users can add additional patch maps ( .midname files ) for their device.
Editing .midname files is outside the scope of this document. Contact Mixbus
support for more details.

Inserting a patch change during playback

In some cases, you might want to introduce a “patch change” during playback of a
track. For example this might be desirable to change your “violin” track to switch to
the “plucked violins”, temporarily. To insert a patch change event, right-click on a
region, and choose “Insert Patch Change” from the MIDI submenu:

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The dialog will prompt you for the bank and patch number. NOTE: if the patch
doesn’t appear where you expect it, select “Playhead” for the Edit Point, and use
the playhead to define the patch change location.

Once inserted, you can use the Edit (“E”) tool to move the patch change. Scrolling
the mouse wheel over the patch change will increment the patch number. Use the

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shift+right-click convention to delete a patch change.

! In the current version of Mixbus (4.2), patch changes are only sent when they are
“played through”. In other words, locating to a time after a patch change does
not automatically send the patch. This feature might be implemented in a future
version.

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12.6.1. Adding MIDI Patch files

What is a .midnam file?
The .midnam file specification is defined by the MMA ( MIDI Manufacturers
Association ) and is part of the official MIDI specification, to allow interchange of a
device’s patches & controller settings between different sequencers.

You can learn more information about these files here: https://www.midi.org/
specifications/item/midi-in-xml

Where are Mixbus’s .midnam files located?

The files are located in the Mixbus application folder, in a subfolder called
“patchfiles”. The location of this file varies with each operating system.

1. On MacOS, right-click on the Mixbus application, and select “Show Contents”.

Then navigate to Contents->Resources to find the patchfiles folder.
2. On Windows, Navigate to Program Files\Mixbus\.. and find the patchfiles
subfolder.

How can I find a .midname file for my device?

In many cases, you can find a .midname file for your device by searching online.
These files are sometimes provided by the manufactuer. Download the file and drop
it into the patchfiles subfolder. Once installed, you’ll see the list of patches in the
patch-selector.

! NOTE: keep a copy of your new .midnam file, because when you re-install
Mixbus, the .midnam file in the application folder will be overwritten.

* You can also remove unnecessary .midnam files, to reduce the size of the list in
the menu. But the .midnams will be replaced when Mixbus is reinstalled.

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If I can’t find an existing .midname file for my device, how do

I create one?
If you can’t find a device file online, then you can make a copy of an existing device
file, and edit it manually. The files are plain text, using the XML text format, and are
fairly easy to read and edit.

1. Locate a .midnam file that is most similar to your desired device. ( such as
“Korg_Volca_Bass.midnam”, if your device is a Korg )
2. Open the file in a plain te
text
xt editor
editor: most common errors occur when the editor
tries to re-save the file in a different format.
3. Save the file with a new name. (such as, “My Korg Device.midnam”)
4. Edit the internal values of the file to meet your needs. For example, change
the text of the author to reflect your own name.

The most important parts of the file are:

The device’s manufacturer and model name:

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The patches that are provided in the device:

The names for the MIDI controllers (CC’s) that are supported by the device:

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12.6.2. MIDI Follow Selection

There are times when you are using one midi keyboard to control multiple MIDI
tracks but you want them to be triggered depending on the track you are working
on.

To allow this behavior you can go to Mixbus Preferences/MIDI/MIDI Port Config and
choose Follow Selection in the MIDI Inputs section.

Now you can simply select the track you want to hear and start playing.

This is especially useful when you want to hear what your drums sound like and
then select a different track to listen to your strings or whatever sound you have
called up.

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12.7. Editing MIDI Regions

A MIDI region is exactly like an audio region, except that the information inside the
region is MIDI performance data, not audio.

* In the same way that audio regions have underlying audio files that are actually
stored on disk, a MIDI region has a MIDI file in the session that it represents.

MIDI regions may be cut, copied, pasted, and trimmed in much the same way as
audio regions. Region editing is accomplished with the same tools: the Grabber
(Hand) tool and the Range tool.

Grabber Tool

Range Tool

Editing features like the Grid, Sync Points, and Ripple Mode apply to MIDI regions
just like audio regions.

There are 3 major differences with MIDI regions vs audio regions:

1. MIDI regions do not have fade in/out handles.

2. MIDI regions are “transparent”. This means that if you layer 2 regions atop
each other, you will hear the notes of the region below. This allows you to
overlap regions so you can sustain one note through the start of a new region.
3. By default, a copy of a MIDI region is a “linked” copy. So if you move the note
in the source region, the same note will be moved in the copy (and vice versa).

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MIDI regions do not only contain MIDI notes; they also contain performance
information such as pitch bend, aftertouch, controllers, etc. This has one side-
effect: in order to draw controls (with the Draw tool), there MUST be an underlying
region. MIDI data cannot exist on a track without an underlying MIDI file, and this is
represented by a midi region in the track. If you record MIDI data, then a region is
created to hold any notes or controls that you play into the track. If you want to
draw notes or controllers, you must first use the Draw tool to drag a region, and
then you can draw notes or automation into the region.

Using the Grabber (“G”) tool, you can right-click on a MIDI region and navigate to
the MIDI context menu:

• Transpose – transposes all the notes by a given octave/semitone offset.

• Insert Patch Change – Inserts a patch change event in the region.
• Quantize – Quantizes the note start/ends to a defined grid.
• Legatize – Extends note ends to meet the next note’s beginning.
• Remove Overlap – After this operation, each new note onset will cut off any
notes that were held on before the new note was struck.
• Unlink from other Copies – unlinks this MIDI region from its copies. Any edits
done to this region will no longer apply to the region(s) it was copied from.
• List Editor – shows MIDI notes in a text list. Each note can be individually
edited in the list.

It was a design goal of Mixbus to edit MIDI regions “just like audio regions”. To some
users this is going to feel inelegant. To others it will be a breath of fresh air.

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12.7.1. Editing MIDI Notes and Controls

In the image below: Highlighted in green is the Draw (“pencil”) tool, and to the right
is the Edit (“points and lines”) tool. These tools are used to edit MIDI notes inside
MIDI Regions.

In the image below: 2 MIDI notes have been selected for editing.

* Remember, the Grab and Range tools are used to edit Regions, while Draw and
Edit operate on the contents of regions.

Draw tool Edit T

Tool
ool

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• Click anywhere to start dragging a

new MIDI note; drag to extend the
length of the note • Shift+right-click on a MIDI note to
◦ Newly-created notes get the delete it
average “velocity” of other • Click in the middle of a note to
nearby note velocities select it ( the note will turn red ).
• Click in the middle of a note to Ctrl+click ( Cmd+click on Mac ) to
select it ( the note will turn red ). add/remove notes from the
Ctrl+click ( Cmd+click on Mac ) to selection
add/remove notes from the • Click the left or right edge of the
selection MIDI note to trim the start and end
• Shift+right-click on a MIDI note to times of the note
delete it • Click in the middle of a note to drag
• Click the left or right edge of the it
MIDI note to trim the start and end • Scroll the mouse wheel on a note to
times of the note increase/decrease the velocity
• Click in the middle of a note to drag • Click an empty space in the region
it to initiate a “box select” rectangle.
• Shift+right-click on a MIDI note to With multiple notes selected, you
delete it can:
• Scroll the mouse wheel on a note to
increase/decrease the velocity

Once a note (or multiple notes) is selected (red), you can:

• Click Backspace or Delete key to delete the selected note(s)

• Click the up/down arrows to transpose the note pitch up/down
• Point at the selected note, and use the mouse wheel to adjust all of the
selected note velocities
• Right-click on a selected note to open the MIDI context menu

MIDI context menu:

• Delete – Requires one or more notes to be selected. Deletes the selected

note(s)
• Edit – Operates on a single selected note. Allows changing the length, pitch,
velocity, etc.
• Legatize – Operates on a multi-note selection. Extends note ends to meet the
next note’s beginning.

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• Quantize – Operates on one or more selected notes. Quantizes the note start/
ends to a defined grid.
• Remove Overlap – After this operation, each new note onset will cut off any
notes that were held on before the new note was struck.
• Transform – Allows transforming the note pitch, velocity, and other parameters
using logical operations.

* If you want to apply these MIDI operations to all the notes in a region, you can
use the Grabber (“G”) tool, and right-click on the region(s). The MIDI submenu
allows you to apply these operations to all notes in the selected region(s),
without having to select the notes separately.

MIDI Control (CC) Automation

MIDI Controls use the same conventions as automation, except that you can only
have MIDI controller automation inside a MIDI region. You can only click to create
new control points if there is a MIDI region on the timeline at that location.

MIDI Velocity bars

The note “velocity” may be displayed inside MIDI notes as a “bar”. See the image
below:

Velocity is displayed as both a “color” change ( increasingly saturated color with

higher velocity ) … and also with a bar indicator inside the note.

This feature can be enabled or disabled in Appearance->Editor

Appearance->Editor->
->MIDI
MIDI Regions

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12.7.2. Velocity Lollipops

MIDI tracks have an associated velocity lane where you can access each note’s
velocity and also draw a crescendo across multiple notes and channels at once.

Select a MIDI region, and the region’s notes will appear in the velocity lane:

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12.8. Virtual MIDI Keyboard

The Virtual MIDI Keyboar
eyboardd can be used to provide MIDI triggers and controls. We
doubt you could seriously play any music on it, but if you can you’ve got real talent.

To turn on the virtual keyboard, go to the Window pulldown menu and select
“Virtual Keyboard”. The keyboard will open in a new window, and is always on top
of the Mixbus window (meaning, you can’t hide or cover it).

Virtual Keyboard Controls:

• MIDI channel selector
• pitch bend slider
• 8 parameter controller knobs, each with selectable MIDI channel
• Transpose selector, with a range of +/- 12 notes
• keyboard layout button to select various optional mappings of the computer
keyboard to the virtual keyboard (QWERTY, DVORAK etc). In the image above
the mapping is set to QWERTY.

• Config menu providing the following controls:

◦ velocity parameter settings
◦ Octave and Range controls to select which part of the 0-127 MIDI range is

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covered by the keyboard.

▪ Octave is self explanatory, which octave is the keyboard playing in,
the possible range is C-1 to G9
▪ Range adjusts the size of the keyboard, from 2 octaves ( 25 keys) to
11 octaves (128 keys)

• Bank/Patch menu providing the following controls:

◦ fill-in

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12.9. MIDI Channels

This video introduces the concept of MIDI Channels in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Nw0gSA7_po?rel=0

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12.10. MIDI Plugins

This video demonstrates the use of several MIDI plugins available in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pnaFFA_AZII?rel=0

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13. Scripting
What is a “script”?
A “Script” is a text that follows a specific format, and operates like a small program
inside the main Mixbus program. This text (or “script”) can be typed inside Mixbus,
and immediately used by Mixbus, rather than first being “compiled” as part of
Mixbus’s source code.

Mixbus can have an “unlimited” number of scripts provided by Harrison, or

developed by the user.

We expect the number of provided scripts to grow quickly, as our users develop
new scripting ideas.

Mixbus uses “Lua” for its internal scripting language.

What is Lua?

Lua is a simplified programming language that is specifically designed for programs

like Mixbus to use internally.

Here is a very simple example of a Lua command:

Session:set_transport_speed (1.0)

This command would cause Mixbus to start the transport at speed 1.0. ( i.e. 100%
or “Play”)

There is some additional text at the top of the script file that defines the script’s
name and other details to Mixbus.

How do I use Lua scripts?

Several example Lua scripts are provided for your use. There are 3 common ways to
initiate a script.

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Lua scripts initiated directly from the “Scripting” window:

In Window->Scripting you can view a text editor where Lua scripts may be viewed,
edited, and executed. You may type Lua text directly into the text editor, and then
initiate the script by clicking ‘Run’ in the bottom-left corner.

In the bottom-right corner, you’ll find a menu which provides a selection of

available scripts. Some of the available Action scripts are ready-to-use. Another set
of scripts, called “snippets” are provided as starting points for your own Lua scripts.
For example there are “snippets” that advance through each of the session’s
tracks.

The most common usage of scripts is to recall an existing script, and change it
slightly for your immediate needs.

For example: the “rename tracks” script will remove the text “track” from all of
your tracks. But perhaps you need to remove the word “session_song_” from all of
your track names. In that case, you will load the “rename tracks” script, but modify
the text that it is removing or replacing.

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You may “save” your scripts for later recall.

Lua scripts triggered as an “action” in the toolbar, or by keyboard shortcuts:

In Edit->Script Manager, you’ll find a dialog that allows you to assign scripts to
action buttons, keyboard shortcuts, or session events:

In Preferences->Appearance->Toolbar, you can enable up to 8 action buttons, and

assign a Lua script to each of the buttons. The script can even generate its own
icon, as shown here for the “create Drum Tracks” script:

Right-click on an action button to assign an action to it. You may also assign a Lua
script directly to a keyboard shortcut.

Lua scripts triggered by Session events:

Lua cripts can be triggered by events inside the session.

For example, a script can be triggered “when the transport is stopped”, or “when a
marker is reached”.

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The details of session-event scripts are currently beyond the scope of this manual.

Lua scripts as DSP Plugins:

A Lua script can be loaded as a DSP plugin. Users will find the provided Lua DSP
plugins in the plugin manager, with type “Lua”.

Developing DSP plugin scripts is beyond the scope of this manual.

Developing your own Lua scripts:

Lua Scripting is developed by the Ardour open-source community, with Harrison’s

funding and support. Developing your own Lua scripts is beyond the scope of this
manual, but you can find regularly-updated details on this page.

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14. Templates
Mixbus allows you to create “Session Templates” and “Track templates” to partially
automate your workflow:

Session Templates

A “session template” is a file that stores all the settings for a session, except for the
actual audio, midi, and automation region data. When creating a new session in the
“New Session Dialog”, you may choose to select a template. This will restore the
settings of the templated session including track layout, track names, plugins,
mixer settings, and preferences.

To create a session template, select “Save as template” from the main Session
menu.

Learn more about Session Templates here: Session Templates.

Track Templates

A “track template” is a file that stores the settings for a track. When creating a new
track in the “New Track Dialog”, you may choose to select a template. This will
restore the settings of the templated track.

To create a track template, right-click on the mixer strip and choose “Save as
template”

Learn more about Track Templates here: Track Templates.

Scripted Templates

It is possible to create “scripts” which can automate certain tasks, and can act on
further input from the user. The Mixbus package includes examples of scripts that
operate as Session and Tracks. Creating scripted templates is beyond the scope of
this manual. Contact [email protected] or visit the Mixbus forum for
more details.

For more details about the Lua scripting language used in Mixbus, please see
Scripting

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Template Manager

The Template window ( Window->Templates ) allows you to view, manage, and

share your “template” files. Both Session templates and Track templates can be
shared in the Template manager window:

Select a template item on the left, and you can choose to Rename or Remove the
selected item.

“Export All” – this creates a compressed archive file ( with the extension .tar.gz )
which includes all of your template files. You may send this file to other users who
might want to use your templates

“Import” – this button allows you to select a compressed archive file (with the
extension .tar.gz) which will then be extracted into your session and track template
folder.

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15. Importing Files

https://www.youtube.com/embed/otZgZs3CDYM?rel=0

Importing via Drag&Drop

Audio & MIDI Files may be imported to Mixbus by dragging and dropping them from
a file browser into the editor window. The file will be imported to the track where it
is dragged; if you want to create a new track for the file, then drag the file to the
empty area at the bottom of the editor canvas.

Importing Audio files with the Import dialog

Using the import window (Session->Import) is a much more flexible and powerful
way to import files to Mixbus.

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The Import dialog allows you to add existing media and has 2 tabs at the top:
“Browse Files”, and “Search Tags”.

• The PPath
ath Bar
Bar: Shows your current path and allows you to navigate back “up”
the directory tree.
• The LLocation
ocation Bar
Bar: Allows you to directly type in the name of a file in this
directory or enter the entire path via text (the “notebook” button shows or
hides the Location bar).
• Places
Places: A list of common locations on your computer. The top two items,
“Search” and “Recently Used”, are always there. Clicking “Search” allows a
text entry to search your system. Warning: This can take a LONG time. The
lower section provides shortcuts to commonly-used locations. You can Add and
Remove these locations using the buttons underneath. You can also remove or
rename locations by right-clicking on them.

* NOTE: On MacOS, your external hard drives will be found under “Volumes”.

The main area shows a list of files in the current directory. They can be sorted by
Name, Size, or Modified Date by clicking on the headers at the top of the columns.

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Underneath is a selector to show “Audio Files, MIDI Files, Audio and MIDI Files” (files
with recognized audio file extensions such as .wav), or it can show “All Files”.

To the right of the file selector is the Sound File Information area. When a file is
selected in the browser, you get a report of the number of channels, sample rate,
and in the case of broadcast wave files, the timestamp when it was recorded. There
is also an area to enter metadata “tags” for the audio files. Tagging files this way
makes it very easy to find them in the future, using the “Search Tags” tab. If a MIDI
file is selected you get a report of number of channels, Format, Length, and
Timestamp.

Finally, there are options to Audition the files. You can click “Play” to play the file,
Stop to stop playing, or choose auto-play so that files automatically start playing
when you click on them. By default files will play when you double-click on them.
There is also a level-fader on the right side that allows you to trim the audition
level.

! The most important buttons are underneath. These buttons control the modes
that will dictate how files are imported.

Add Files …:

• As New Tracks: Each file will be imported to a new track.

• To Region List: The imported files will be imported to the region list but no
tracks will be created. This is useful if you are importing individual hits or
effects into the region list, where you will use them to replace existing sounds.

Insert at:

• Use File Timestamp: After importing the file will be located at the file’s time
stamp (if it is a bwav file).
• At Edit Point: After importing the file will be located at the edit point.
• At Playhead: After importing the file will be located at the playhead location.
• At Session Start: After importing the file will be located at the session’s start
marker.

Mapping:

• One Track Per File: Each file will be appear on one track. If the file is stereo, it
will be a stereo track. If there are more than 2 channels then they will be
ignored.

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• One Track Per Channel: Each channel of each file will appear as a track. If a file
is stereo, it will be converted to 2 mono tracks. An 8-channel wav file will be
converted to 8 mono tracks.
• Sequence Files: If this option is selected, then the files will be imported to a
track, and will be imported sequentially on the timeline.
• Merge Files: This option ONLY appears when 2 files of identical length are
selected. “Merge files” will load the 2 mono files as a stereo file.

MIDI Track Names:

• By track number : this will use the MIDI file’s track numbers, as the name for
the newly-created track(s)
• By Track Name : this will used the MIDI file’s embedded “track name”
information to name the newly-created track(s)
• By Instrument name : this will used the MIDI file’s embedded “instrument”
information to name the newly-created track(s)

Conversion quality:

If the file has a different sample rate than the current session, it is necessary to do
sample rate conversion. This determines the quality and it is always recommended
that “Best” is used.

Instrument:

If MIDI data files are imported this option will install a basic synth plugin on those
tracks called “ReasonableSynth”. This built-in utility allows you to audition your
MIDI performances without any plug-in parameters to set incorrectly. It may be
deselected and substituted with another plugin via the drop down list or after the
track has been added to the session.

Use MIDI Tempo Map:

If enabled, Mixbus will import the MIDI Tempo markers from the first selected MIDI
file, and apply it to the session’s tempo map.

Copy Files to session:

! IMPORTANT!! If you want to use a file as-is, you can uncheck “Copy Files to
session” box. This saves disk space by not duplicating the file into the session.
No sample-rate conversion is performed. Your files can sound sped-up or slowed-
down if their sample rate does not match the sample rate of the session. By

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default, files are always copied to the session with appropriate sample rate
conversion. If “Edit> Preferences>Misc->Always Copy Imported Files” is enabled,
then this option will be grayed-out.

* Note: If a file is “linked” into the session without being copied into the session,
then the sound won’t be available if the file is moved or deleted. For example, if
the file is on a removable hard drive then it might not be available next time the
session is used. Use this at your own risk.

Tags:

If you have used the Tag feature to “tag” files that are used in the past, then you
can use the Search Tags tab to find those files quickly. In this case, we searched for
the term “shout” which was added to the files on the previous page. They instantly
appear in the file area to be auditioned and imported.

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15.1. Freesound search & import

Freesound (freesound.org) is a collaborative online collection of Creative Commons
licensed sounds.

The Session->Import dialog has a tab at the top where you can search the
freesound database and directly import these sounds into your project.

Freesound allows you to browse, download and share sounds that you can use in
your projects.

To learn more about the files at Freesound, and how you can share them, we
encourage you to read the Freesound FAQ page

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Searching the Freesound database:

Tags: enter your search-text here, and any files with that ‘tag’ will be listed in the
dialog.
Sort: you can define some rules to sort the resulting file-list, like “Most
Downloaded”
License: choose an appropriate license for your project, and filter the results for
that license
More: this button will load an additional page of files for you to audition or import
Similar: some files, when selected, allow you to search for similar files

Click ‘Search’ to populate the dialog with a list of files.

Logging-in to Freesound:

The first time you initiate a download from Freesound, a browser window will launch
and invite you to create a freesound user account. After creating an account, you
will be provided with a key-code that identifies your Mixbus software as a valid
mechanism to search and download sounds.

Auditioning and importing files:

When you click on a file, you must wait for the download to complete before you
can audition the file.

The Freesound tab is a special ‘search’ function of the Import dialog, and operates
with all the features and options of the Import dialog, with one exception: you
cannot drag&drop files from the Import dialog to your session; you must first import
the files to your Source List (or to a new track) before you can use them. In the
future we might allow you do download directly to your Clip List, or provide a
Freesound search dialog directly in the Cue page.

more details about Freesound:

When you click on a sound to audition it, the file is downloaded to your computer
and saved in your Mixbus cache folder, in a subfolder called “freesound”.

On mac, this folder is: {Mac HD}/Users/{your username}/Library/Caches/MixbusX/

freesound

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16. Exporting Files

Please watch the following video for an overview of exporting features in Mixbus:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NT5Zo1OHKaQ?rel=0

Differences between Bounce, Consolidate, and Export

Mixbus has multiple ways of “rendering” audio into contiguous audio files.

Bounce

The least-used method, “Bouncing” is a way to store a drum hit or sound effect that
will be reused later in the project. A new region will be created in the region
window. The bounced region will have the region’s gain, gain curve, and fades
applied to the audio. You can later drag this region back into the project wherever
you need it.

To initiate a Bounce action, right-click on a region and choose “Bounce”. A new

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region will appear in the Editor List, inside the “Region” tab.

Consolidate

“Consolidate” allows you to select a time-range consisting of many regions, and

create a single region on the timeline. This can simplify future edits or exporting
operations, because the various layers, gain curves, fades, and other region
properties are made into a single contiguous audio region which can be
manipulated more easily.

To initiate a Consolidate action, you will select a time-range with the Range tool
(this can consist of multiple tracks), right-click on the Range, and choose
Consolidate. The regions under the selection will be consolidated into contiguous
audio regions.

Exporting

“Exporting” is used to generate one or more files, outside of the Mixbus session, in
the file-location and format that the user defines. “Exporting” is how you create the
final stereo output file of a song, or a series of songs and markers for a CD, or a
video for posting on YouTube.

There are many ways to initiate an “Export”, and Mixbus supports many, many
options. A single Export event might generate multiple files, in multiple formats,
with multiple different , and with or without metadata such as CD markers, song
names, etc. Exporting is probably one of the most complicated (but powerful)
features of Mixbus.

* You can cancel an Export operation at any time by closing the dialog and/or
clicking Cancel.

Exporting to an Audio File

Once a mix is ready for delivery, you will need to generate a final output from
Mixbus. There are several ways to initiate an Export from Mixbus; each method
helps to define the tracks that will be exported, the start/end times of the exported
file, and the format of the files to be created.

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Initiating an Export

There are 5 common ways to initiate an export:

• Session>Export>Export to Audio File(s)

• Session>Export>Stem Export
• Session>Export>Export to Video File
• (Selected Region)->Right Click->Export
• (Range Selection)->Right Click Menu->Export

Export to Audio File(s)

This method initiates the most common export. The Export dialog will appear,
prompting you for details such as the exported filename and location, the file
format, and the time-ranges that you would like to export.

* When choosing “Export to Audio File(s)”, Mixbus will automatically choose the
master bus output, and the session start/end markers for an export. But you can
override the settings to choose a different time span, in the Export dialog
window. If you choose multiple timespans, then you will receive one audio file
per time span. This allows you to export ranges that are non-contiguous,
overlapping, or even nested.

Stem Export

This initiates an export of individual tracks. In the “Channels” tab, you may select
whether to apply the channel processing, or to leave the track contents unaffected.
Each track or bus will generate a separate audio file. If you choose multiple
timespans, then you will receive a separate audio file per time span.

Export to Video File

This initiates an export similar to the main session export, but it generates a video
file by combining the video track with the master-bus outputs.

Region export

This simply exports the selected audio region into any format that the user chooses.
This does not include any mixer-strip or plugin effects.

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Range export

This initiates an export, just like the session export, but it automatically selects the
selected time-range as the start/end times for the exported file.

Setting the format for the export:

In the Export window are 3 tabs across the top:

• File format
• Time Span
• Channels

File Format tab

The File for

format
mat tab allows control of settings such as bit depth, sample rate,
compression type, location to be saved, and file name structure.

Additionally,options for generating a “Loudness Report”, as well as automated

uploading to SoundCloud is available (must first have a SoundCloud account via
www.soundcloud.com).

* Prior to version v5.2, exporting to MP3 required a post-export command. Now,

you may select mp3 directly in the Format dialog.

Multiple format exporting:

Many files formats may be generated and exported at one time by clicking “+ Add
another format”.

• Export Session to Audio File (the most common option): This exports the entire
range from the Start marker to the End marker.
• Export Selected Range to Audio File: This exports the current Range selection
to an audio file (Note: this can also be triggered by right-clicking on the
selected range and choosing “export range”).
• Export Selected Regions to Audio File: This exports a length of time starting at
the first selected region, and continuing to the end of the last selected region.
• Export Range Markers to Multiple Audio Files: This very powerful feature allows
you to export several ranges (songs) at one time. The resulting files will use
the region names as the file names.

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Before the export is initiated, you must choose the location and format of the
exported file.

Export to FFile
ile: Enter the path and file name that you wish to create. This defaults to
the sessions “export” folder. Click “Browse” to see a file browser and navigate to a
different folder.

• Export Source: Under the “Channels” tab choose “Master Output” to export the
master bus output of Mixbus. additionally you can export individual tracks
separately, or control the Left/Right assignment of tracks to the file.
• Channels: Chooses whether the resulting file will be Stereo or Mono.

Once a format(s) is chosen it may be edited.

The formats are editable using this dialog box:

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Edit Export F
For
ormat
mat P
Prrofile:

• File Format: (the list depends on the system’s available options). For CD
quality,
choose WAV.
• Sample Format: The “32-bit” setting means 32-bit integer format. This is ultra-
high resolution but does not accommodate signals over 0dBFS. The “float”
setting is 32-bit floating point which accommodates signals over 0 dBFS which
is preferred in most cases. For CD quality audio choose 16-bit.
• Sample Rate: For CD-quality audio choose 44.1 kHz.
• Conversion Quality: This is only enabled if the export sample rate is not the
same as the session. The setting “best” is recommended.
• Dither Type: None, Rectangular, Shaped Noise, or Triangular. The “None” or
“Shaped” settings are recommended.
• CD Marker File Type: CUE & TOC. These file types may be utilized by CD-
burning software to define track indexes, track names, and other metadata.

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If a project is intended to be published as a CD, you will want to create CD markers

so Mixbus will generate a TOC (table of contents) text file for the CD.

Label: this is the name that will appear in the list of formats.

Post-export command: this feature can be used to launch a scripted operation on

the exported file. More details here: (blank)

Time Spans tab

This tab allows you to choose one or more time-spans. Each selected time-span will
be exported, using the settings in the “Format” and “Channels” tabs. For example if
you have 2 different formats chosen, and 2 different time spans, then 4 files will be
created during the export.

Time-spans include:

• Session Start/End ( this is selected by default if you trigger a Session->Export

to Audio File )
• Range Selection ( this is selected by default if you trigger the export by right-
clicking on a Range ). If no range is selected, then this does not appear
• Named ranges: If you have created named ranges ( for example, your session
has multiple songs on the timeline, and each is assigned a named range) then
they will appear here.

Realtime Export

Use this option if your session makes use of external hardware audio processing.

* Normally, Mixbus maximizes your CPU to perform the fastest-possible export.

However, some users have external devices, such as rackmount analog gear or
external MIDI synthesizers, which cannot be used at faster-than-realtime speed.
In the past, we required these users to manually create a bounce track and
mixdown to it, rather than using the normal Export features. Realtime Export
provides all the same features as a regular export, but it limits the engine to run
in “real time” so external gear can be utilized during the export.

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Channels Tab

The Channels tab allows the user to choose which tracks or buses will be exported.
The operation is slightly different, depending on the way the export was initiated.

When “Session->Export to Audio Files” is selected, Mixbus will select the Master
bus for export. But the user may change this selection to choose any tracks and/or
buses. Mixbus will “sum” the track outputs into a single file.

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When “Session->Stem Export” is selected, Mixbus will not select any tracks or
buses by default. The user must select which tracks or buses to export. Each
selected track will result in one exported file. The track’s output is used to define
the number of channels in the exported file. If a track is mono throughout, then it
will result in a mono audio file. If the track has 2 outputs (stereo) then the resulting
file will be stereo.

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* When stem exporting, the user may choose whether to apply the track’s
processing ( fader, mute, eq, compressor, and plugins ) or to export the raw
audio without processing.

The selection of the “Channels” tab is combined with the “Format” and “Time
Range” tabs. If you are doing a “stem export”, with 8 tracks selected, and 2
formats, in 2 different time spans, then this will result in 8×2×2 = 32 different files
on export!

Export Analysis:

If you enable the “Export Analysis” checkbox, then Mixbus will display a summary
of the exported file:

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Export Report and Analysis

The Export Analysis dialog may be displayed after an export The export analysis
window provides these features:

• LUFS loudness measurement

• LU (Loudness Unit) histogram
• LU Range
• Waveform display, with peak indicators
• Peak Sample value + True Peak value
• Spectrogram view

These tools provide you an extra level of confidence that your track sounds great
and meets common deliverable requirements for distribution and broadcast.

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The following video describes the export report and analysis tool in more detail.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UL1s5oubozs?rel=0

This updated video demonstrates additional uses of exporting and export analysis.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/WvYp31y_fbU?rel=0

The following video describes how to “bounce” the master bus down to a new
stereo track:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/1tCTd6JmqXY?rel=0

The following video describes how to export multiple ranges into separate audio
files:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/rWURWqJVWcg?rel=0

The following video shows the “Export” features of Mixbus v2; this additional
information is still sometimes useful for v3 users:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/wddiGR-Y1bk?rel=0

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16.1. Post-Export Command Reference

The “Post Export Command” can be used to operate on files after the export
process has completed.

command arguments
Arguments may be passed to the command interpreter using these aliases:

%f Full path and filename of the exported audio file

%d Directory containing the exported audio file (including trailing directory
separator)
%b Basename of the exported audio file (without extension)
%s Path to the current session file
%n Name of the current session file
%% A literal percent sign

Any part of the command-line enclosed in double-quotes (") will be used as-is.

For example, exporting an mp3 file can be done by inserting lame -b320 %f which
will convert the exported audio file (‘%f’) to a 320 kbs mp3 using the lame encoder
(provided lame is installed first on the system).

Example: File copy to a backup drive on windows:

cp %f D:/backup

Example: converting to mp3 using a third-party encoder

(such as LAME)

* NOTE: Since version 5.2, you can select mp3 as a format in the Export dialog.

To export MP3’s you will need to edit one of your export profiles (or make a new
one). For details on how to do that, visit the Exporting manual page. Additionally
you will need access to the “LAME” encoder (despite the name, the “lame” encoder
is widely regarded as one of the best-sounding mp3 encoders), as a program that
can be launched from a command-line.

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The LAME utility can be downloaded from multiple sources.

• For Windows: the one we use on our testing machine is RareWares LAME
Bundle.
• For mac, we use Thalictrum’s LAME (this will make it available from the
terminal)
• For Linux machines (debian based at least) you can probably install lame
directly from your package manager. For example: “sudo apt-get install lame”

* Use these at your own risk.

Finally, set up your command post export to run the lame encoder:

1. Edit your existing export format

2. In the section “command post export” (located at the bottom of the format page)
you can choose to run a system command after your export has finished, and we
link to some variables that you can use like %f being the absolute file-path of your
newly exported file.
3. Set your post export command to run the lame encoder on your newly acquired
file. See the picture for an example of our setup.

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If the executable file isn’t available in your command-line PATH, then you will need
to tell Mixbus the absolute path to the executable. Instead of just putting “lame”
you would need to do: “path\to\lame.exe %f”

Hit export and now you will have an MP3 file exported automatically!
(note that some LAME implementations will need additional commands to export at

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higher bit rates, and some might require a slightly different syntax to the one
provided)

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17. Tempo, Metronome, & the Grid

Defining a Song’s Tempo and Meter
Mixbus allows simple creation and editing of a musical time/tempo map for each
session. The meter and tempo map is controlled with the Meter and Tempo rulers.
To show these rulers, right-click in the ruler area underneath the transport buttons
and check the boxes for the Meter and Tempo rulers. Alternatively, you can use the
View menu to hide/show the rulers.

Here are some reasons that you might want to set the Meter/Tempo for your song:

1. To record with a “click” or metronome to help maintain consistent time among

different performers and parts.
2. To use the Grid to facilitate editing (if the audio follows the tempo map of the
song).
3. To add MIDI segments or loops, and have them follow the tempo changes.

By default, Mixbus starts with a single Tempo and Meter marker, set to 120 bpm
and 4/4, respectively. If the session has a fixed tempo (or doesn’t use tempo at all ),
then it is not necessary to create additional markers; and clicking on the Tempo
button will adjust the session’s initial tempo marker.

In other cases, you may want the tempo to change at different times during the
session. In this case you will right-click on the existing markers and set the tempo
to the desired tempo and time signature. Right-clicking in the Meter/Tempo rulers
allow you to create new Meter or Tempo markers.

* You may select the initial Meter Marker, and move it to match the start of your
song. This allows you to align the first measure (bar) line with your song’s start.
Use the tempo-mapping tools in Tempo Maps to match the editors bar|beat clock
with your natural performance.

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Tempo Controls
You can click on the “tempo” button underneath the clock, and this will launch the
Tempo dialog:

The tempo dialog provides these options:

• Tap Tempo: click this button repeatedly to set a tempo

• Beats per Minute: type a new tempo here, or use the +/- buttons to increment
the tempo
• Tempo Starts at: this indicates the measure/beat where the tempo change
occurs; edit these fields if needed.
• Tempo Type: tempo markers can be Ramped or Constant. Learn more about
tempo ramps here: Tempo Maps
• Lock Style: learn more about music-locked tempo markers here: Audio Time vs
Music Time (NOTE: the initial tempo marker is always locked to music time, so
this option does not appear)

* When you click the “tempo” button under the clock, you are always adjusting the
most-recently passed tempo marker (when the dialog was launched). If the song
only has one tempo marker, then you’re adjusting the global tempo.

* Tip
ip: Here’s an easy way to set the tempo for a song: record a portion of the song,
and then select one bar with the Range tool. Now click “Edit->Tempo->Set
Tempo from Edit Range” to set the tempo.

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Time Signature (Meter) Controls

You can click on the “TS” (Time Signature) button underneath the clock, and this
will launch the Meter dialog:

The tempo dialog provides these options:

• Beats Per Bar: the numerator of the time signature

• Note Value: the denominator of the time signature
• Meter Starts at Bar: this indicates the measure where the meter change
occurs; edit these fields if needed.
• Lock Style: learn more about music-locked meter markers here: Audio Time vs
Music Time (NOTE: the initial tempo marker is always locked to music time, so
this option does not appear)

* Note: Meter changes can only occur at the beginning of a new measure..

* Note: the first “Meter” marker may be dragged away from time 0:00. This allows
you to start the musical timeline (bar 1, beat 1) anywhere in the session. You can
drag it to the start of your song so the bar|beat readout will match your musical
score.

Using the Metronome (click)

To play a click sound during playback and recording, enable the “Metronome”
button near the top-right of the edit window:

The rate of the click is defined by the session’s Tempo and Meter rulers.

You can visit Preferences->Metronome to edit the click’s sound; or just right-click on
the metronome button to immediately view the properties.

* You can mouse-wheel ( or 2-finger scroll, on a touchpad ) to adjust the

metronome’s volume directly from the transport window.

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* Tip: It is common practice to leave some time at the beginning of

than starting from the zero indication. Some common choices are
minute, 10 minutes, or 1 hour. This allows space at the beginning
a song, rather
8 measures, 1
of the song to
add an intro, place a sync click or test tones, or just make editing easier by
allowing some unallocated space at the beginning of the track.

Using the Grid

Editing with the “Grid” allows you to make edits perfectly aligned with other events.
If the grid is set to musical time (and the audio was recorded to a click) then editing
can be done very quickly without zooming in, because you know all edits will
happen on a musically-sensible time.

To learn more about Snap + Grid settings, visit Snap and Grid

Adapting the Grid, also known as “Tempo Mapping”

Even the best live performances don’t have perfect tempo. Real music
breathes with subtle (or sometimes dramatic!) tempo changes.

You can adjust the Grid to your performance using the ‘Tempo Mapping’ feature, or
the Grid Tool

Advanced users can take advantage of BBT Markers to set the song-position and
tempo, anywhere in the timeline.

Once you’ve ‘mapped’ the beat positions and tempos in a performance, you can
use the musical grid for snapped-cursor editing, clip launching, midi
accompaniment, or tempo-aware effects & instrument plugins.

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17.1. Tempo Maps

What is a Tempo Map?
By default, every Mixbus session starts with an initial Meter marker of 4/4, and an
initial Tempo marker of 120 bpm.

However, the user may add additional Tempo and Meter “markers” which change
the tempo on the timeline. See: Tempo, Metronome & the Grid

Changing the tempo of a performance, using tempo markers

Tempo markers can be manually modified on the Tempo ruler. Double-click or right-
click on a tempo marker to access various features of the tempo marker.

In this mode, Tempo changes are represented as individual markers which may be
adjusted and deleted. Changes to the tempo markers will ‘ripple’ through the
session and may have dramatic effects of the timing of future events.

! MIDI regions, sequencer-type plugins, and Clip-playback is bbt-aware: this means

they will stretch to follow the tempo.

! Unlike some other DAWs, Mixbus does not currently stretch your audio when the
tempo changes. We may provide this ability in the future.

Tempo Mapping a live audio performance with the tempo

ruler
Even the best live performances don’t have perfect tempo. Real music
breathes with subtle (or sometimes dramatic!) tempo changes.

Since audio regions do not move when the tempo moves, you can adjust the
session tempo markers directly. This operation is described below:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/rrr9lr_Pbkg?rel=0

Once you’ve ‘mapped’ the beat positions and tempos in a performance, you can
use the musical grid for snapped-cursor editing, clip launching, midi
accompaniment, or tempo-aware effects & instrument plugins.

! In the future, audio regions might move and stretch when the tempo changes; in
anticipation of that functionality, there is a dedicated ‘Grid Tool’ which adjusts
the time & tempo with NO effect on any data … whether audio, midi, or
automation … on the timeline.

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Constant vs Ramped tempo markers

A “constant” tempo marker will set a steady tempo which continues until the next
tempo marker is reached.

A “ramped” marker will cause the tempo to gradually change to meet the tempo
value of the marker that succeeds it. This allows you to track the natural speedup/
slowdown of a live performance, or create a natural ritardando at the end of the
song. The tempo “ramp” is shown with a sloped line, indicating the difference
between the two tempos:

Editing tempo markers & the tempo lane

There are several ways to manipulate the tempo markers on the tempo ruler:

• Click & drag the tempo marker to change its location on the timeline
• Right-click on the tempo marker to change its properties
• Shift+Right-click to remove a tempo marker
• Shift+drag up/down on a tempo marker to change its tempo value
• Hold “Ctrl” (“Cmd” on Mac) while dragging a tempo marker to make a copy
with the same tempo.

Additionally, you can edit the Tempo Line itself

• Shift+Click on the tempo-line between 2 tempo markers. Drag it left/right to

adjust the tempo of the previous marker.
• Shift+Ctrl-click on the tempo line to create a “pinch”. A “pinch” adjusts the
tempo line between 2 markers, and adjusts them in such a way that it does not
move the succeeding markers.

! If you are unable to Shift+Drag on the Tempo Line, please visit Preferences-
>Editor->Modifiers and click “Reset to Recommended Defaults” (or make sure
that “When Beginning a Drag -> Constrained Drag Using:” is set to “Shift”).

Importing a tempo map from MIDI

Mixbus can import a “tempo map” from an existing MIDI file. To do that, use the
Import dialog to choose the MIDI file. And enable the checkbox for “import tempo
map”.

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* MIDI files do not allow gradual “tempo ramps”. Each tempo marker in the file will
indicate a discrete change to a new tempo. For that reason, MIDI tempo changes
will not be as ‘smooth’ as Mixbus’s tempo ramps.

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17.2. Audio Time vs Beat Time

What is the difference between Audio time and Beat time?
Audio time ( or “real” time ) is the length and tempo of a performance as executed
and recorded. Whereas “beat” time is a series of arranging data (notes and rests)
that can be executed very quickly, or very slowly, and still be considered the same.

In “beat” time, a quarter-note is a quarter note, regardless of tempo. MIDI consists

only of arrangement data, and so it is possible to arrange a MIDI sequence and later
increase or decrease the tempo. Just like musicians playing from a score, the
arrangement’s tempo will increase, but the musical expression and timbre will
remain largely unchanged.

When recording audio, the performers are recorded in real-time subject to the
players’ own tempo and interpretation of the music. And once recorded, you cannot
easily change the tempo of the recording. Once audio is recorded, it requires quite
extensive processing and manipulation to change the tempo … and even more so if
you don’t want the pitch to change as well ( i.e. the “chipmunk” effect )

The problem is that Mixbus (and other DAWs) are expected to show both MIDI and
Audio data on the same timeline. And there’s some ambiguity: one can imagine
audio data (such as a single drum hit) that has no inherent tempo, and can be
considered arrangement data, and subject to tempo changes in the musical
timeline; or one can imagine a MIDI event that is related to the audio timeline and
should not move if (for example) the tempo is changed.

Why is this so hard?

Attempting to shorten or lengthen an audio performance, after it is recorded,
requires the sound to be digitally manipulated which will incur some loss of quality.
Because Mixbus is intended for high-quality editing, mixing, and mastering tasks,
we have chosen to give priority to the “audio” timeline. But there are equally valid
reasons why a user might be more interested in the “music” time, and so both
music and audio-timelines must coexist.

Consider these examples:

• A live performance is recorded, and the musicians have varied widely in tempo

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and meter. The user would like to develop a “grid” which follows the varying
tempo, and allows editing to the “grid”, just as if the performance were
recorded strictly to a metronome. Or perhaps the user would like to add MIDI
arrangement using a musical score editor, and these notes must somehow be
synced to the performance’s tempo.
• A MIDI performance is generated with a fixed tempo. Later, a vocal and
instrumental tracks are added to the MIDI arrangement, and these tracks are
edited with crossfades to assemble the best-sounding mix. Now the arranger
would like to gradually decrease the tempo at the end of the song ( i.e.
ritardando ). The MIDI events, being tied to the Music timeline, will stretch
farther apart, but will stay in tune. But what will become of the audio regions?
• A session which mixes spoken-word sections with musical sections. During a
musical portion (implemented with MIDI), the tempo is increased, so the
musical portion finishes faster than it did, when the audio was recorded.
Should the audio voiceover move left to accommodate the shorter musical
segment?

Mixbus has some mechanisms to accommodate these situations. But it can get
quite complicated.

How do you use Audio Time and Beat Time?

Every item on the timeline ( regions, markers, and automation control points ) must
be either connected to the “audio” timeline, or the music timeline. If an item is
attached to the musical timeline, then any changes to the BBT (bar-beat-tick)
timeline will be moved along with the musical timeline. For example, if you increase
the tempo then the regions will move to occur earlier.

What are the default settings for each item on the timeline?
By default, audio regions use the audio timeline. Changes to the tempo will not
move or stretch audio regions.

By default, MIDI regions use the “beat” or “music” timeline. Changes to the tempo
will move midi regions and the notes inside …. UNLESS you are using the Grid Tool.
When using the Grid Tool to adjust the grid, nothing moves, including the midi notes
inside a region.

Tempo markers are glued to the BBT timeline, by definition. Tempo markers will

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move to accommodate prior tempo changes. UNLESS you are using the Grid Tool …
when using the Grid Tool, then changes to a tempo marker are not propagated to
later tempo markers.

Plugin-Automation control points are attached to the audio timeline.

Markers (like Loop, Punch, Arrangement and Cue) can be either Audio or Music
Time. This change is made globally during the creation of the session:

Choosing the time domain for your session:

If you choose “Beat” Time, then:

• the new session will show tempo rulers, arrangement rulers, and cue rulers
• any changes to the tempo map will move the markers (on the various marker
bars) to follow the changes. This means: if your punch-range starts on bar 8,
then it will always start on bar 8, even if you change the tempo and move the
position of bar 8.
• in some cases, editing operations like region moves and trims will have a
limited sample precision. This is intentional. ‘Beat Time’ prevents you from
making errors like trimming a region “one sample” after a NoteOn event occurs
on beat ‘1’ of a bar. Snapping to a beat or bar is preserved, even when the
value is ‘between’ audio samples.

If you choose “Audio” Time, then:

• the new session will show minutes:seconds rulers, CD markers. It will hide the
tempo markers, arrangement ruler, and cue ruler.
• rulers will not move when you change the tempo. If your punch-range starts at
5:00 minutes, then it will start at 5:00 minutes regardless of any changes to
the session’s tempo map
• regions can be trimmed sample-accurately, but this may have undesirable

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consequences for music events (MIDI) which might ‘look’ like they are snapped
to a beat or bar, but actually are rounded to the nearest sample

…however, you can later change your mind, and change the session’s default
timebase, in Session->Properties->Misc

So what is the preferred workflow for managing a project that

mixes Audio events, and Beat (MIDI) events?
Generally speaking, Mixbus is optimized to work in one of these 2 ways:

1) Record a live performance on the audio timeline, (optionally) map the tempo,
and then record MIDI instruments. You can later tweak the tempo map, and the MIDI
events can follow, if desired.
2) Arrange your song in MIDI, and adjust tempos/timeline as needed. Then record
audio, and never again move the tempo/BBT-map after you’ve started recording
audio.

This is complicated stuff. Investigating other DAW manuals and videos will reveal
that there is no easy, high-quality, non-destructive way to solve these issues.

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17.3. BBT Markers (Bar markers)

BBT Markers, or “Bar Markers” provide the ability to elegantly define a grid for
editing or sequencing, even in challenging real-world situations like having multiple
songs on a timeline.

Right-click in the Bars:Beats ruler to create a BBT marker.

• Drop a BBT marker ‘anywhere’ on the timeline to define a Bar-Beat position

(like 1|1|0).
• You aren’t limited to setting the 1. If you don’t want to tempo-map a whole
song, you can define a specific time (like: “bar 49, the start of the breakdown”)
where you want to define a grid, but you don’t care about the prior times.
• You can even introduce multiple “1|1|0” times, if you have multiple songs on
your timeline (!!!)
• BBT markers also include their own tempo and meter information, so you can
define a new tempo starting on the BBT marker.
• You can move BBT markers after creating them, if you need to land it ‘exactly’
on the beat.
• Tempo-changes to the ‘left’ of a BBT marker will not propagate through the
BBT marker. This allows you to make changes to the tempo of a prior song or
section, without ruining the tempo of the new section.
• BBT markers introduce a subtle new paradigm: you can now record a band
(either live, or in-studio) and then quickly and elegantly assign a grid to any
part of the performance, for ease in editing, arranging, clip-launching, or midi
accompaniment. Extended intros, false starts, and short segments (“let’s just
play the chorus again”) can be accommodated.

Why is this important?

In traditional, linear recording (to analog or digital tape) it was always the case that

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you could record multiple takes (or songs) in a single session. And your ‘mixer’
settings would largely apply to all the takes that were recorded in the session.

Despite all the advances in digital editing and arranging, other DAWs do not handle
this situation well. Most DAWs allow you to create scenes or snapshots or alternate
views, or even allow you to open multiple sessions at once. But those are all poor
workarounds for what we really want: multiple songs on a timeline, each with their
own timecode position, tempo, and editing grid. Or not! The beauty of BBT markers
is that you can assign a tempo/grid where you need it, and ignore it when you
don’t!

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18. Menu Reference

This menu reference documents selections available to the user. In many cases
menu selections are self explanatory and require no elaboration. Other items may
require explanation, in which case a brief passage will be provided. In other cases
links to specific pages of this manual will be provided.

Most menu actions have an associated keyboard shortcut. You can change the
default shortcuts by visiting Window->Keyboard Shortcuts.

Why are some menu items disabled or greyed-out?

Some menu items, particularly the items in the “Edit”, “Track” and “Region” menus,
will be disabled if there is nothing selected which might apply the operation. For
example, the item “Track->Remove” will only be available if one or more tracks are
selected.

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18.1. Session Menu

The Session menu provides the main functions of session management:

• New: More here

• Open: More here
• Recent: More here
• Close: More here

• Save: More here

• Save As: More here
• Rename: More here

• Snapshot (& keep working on current session): More here

• Snapshot (& switch to new version): More here

• Save Template: More here

• Archive: NEW in v4. This allows the user to store the current snapshot in a
compressed format, using only the needed audio and (optionally) converting
the audio files to a lossless compressed format. The resulting archive (zip file)
can be reopened from the Mixbus “open” dialog.

• Metadata: More here

• Add Track or Bus:More here

• Import: More here

• Open Video: Will import video with audio (the audio embedded within a video
can also be extracted). See Video
• Remove Video: Removes video from the timeline but not from the session
folder.

• Export: More here

• Clean-up: More here

• Properties: More here

• Quit: Saves the currently opened session and closes Mixbus.

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18.1.1. Metadata

https://www.youtube.com/embed/anlRLGZxjIs?rel=0

Session files include “metadata” which can include information about the project
including the composer(s), engineers, etc. Metadata is stored inside the session file
in a simple XML format.

The Metadata dialog is launched from the Session menu:

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The User tab includes information about the primary user of Mixbus. This includes
the Name, Email, Web, Organization and Country information. This is a global
setting and will be applied to future sessions. This information is purely for
convenience and for documentation purposes.

There are 3 specific ways that this information is used within Mixbus:

Email: automatically entered into the Freesound entry box in the Export dialog.
Organization: This text is stored in broadcast wave file metadata.
Country: This text is stored in broadcast wave file metadata.

The User information is stored outside the session file and is persistent across
sessions.

The remaining tabs (Track, Album, People, and School) record data that is stored in
the session file. The data is stored in an industry-standard XML format, and can be
easily read and manipulated by 3rd party applications or scripts. Contact Harrison if
you are interested in further development of Mixbus metadata.

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18.1.2. Session Properties

Session properties are settings for the currently loaded session. These are session-
specific controls such as the timecode format, audio file format, and monitoring
setup for this session.

Menu Options

Timecode

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Sync

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Fades

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Media

The audio data format that Mixbus uses internally. New audio recordings will be
stored in this format, and files will be converted to this format when imported.

• Float (floating point 32 bit) (default value) Allows extra headroom above 0
dBFS for JACK-enabled connections and/or bounces within Mixbus.
• 24 bit: If you plan to record live sources from a A/D converter and do not use
internal bouncing-to-disk, then 24 bit will save some disk space.
• 16 bit: If working with audio sourced from a CD, this uses half the storage
space of “float” option.

Audio File Format: File Type

The file type that Mixbus uses internally. New audio recordings will be stored in this
format, and files will be converted to this format when imported.

• Broadcast Wave: Industry standard .wav files with an additional time-stamp

that may be used in some software. File size is limited to 4GB.
• Wave: Industry standard PCM file. File size is limited to 4GB.
• Wav64: Industry standard PCM file. Uses 64 bit length value in the header

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allowing nearly limitless recording length at any sample rate.

• CAF: Same as Wav64, but this format is only common on OS X.
• FLAC: Open source lossless codec. FLAC’s algorithm can typically be reduced
to between 50 and 70 percent of its original size while still retaining full
lossless quality.

Locations

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Filenames

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Monitoring

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Meterbridge

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Misc Tab

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18.1.3. Clean-up
Bring all media into session folder:

! Located under Session>Bring all media into session folder. This important
function serves 2 purposes:
• Allows portability of sessions
• Allows for the archiving of sessions

This function will locate all audio and MIDI data that may be scattered across
multiple folders, or even multiple hard drives, and copies or moves all audio and/or
MIDI associated with that session into the session folder. Once this is done the user
can be assured that the session folder will contain all the necessary audio/MIDI in
one convenient location.

A real world example:

While working with a session you may pull new material from many different
locations on your hard drive, CD drive, or network. After saving the session, Mixbus
will know where to find all of these bits of audio the next time the session is opened
on that particular computer. But if your session file is on a portable hard drive and
most (but
but not all
all) of your audio files are also on that portable hard drive and you
take that hard drive to a different computer, or studio, expecting to open the
session, you may be confronted with a dialogue box indicating the session was
unable to located certain audio files. Running the “Bring all media into session
folder” alleviates this problem.

The same is true for archiving of a session. If the user does not invoke the “Bring all
media into session folder” function before archiving then the archive may be
incomplete.

* It maybe useful to run the clean up function located under Session>Clean up in

conjunction with “Bring all media into session folder”. There maybe no need to
transport or archive unused material.

Clean-up unused sources:

Clean-up will move all unused files to a folder labeled “dead” within the session
folder. Clean-up is a destructive operation and all undo/redo history will be lost.

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Flush Waste Basket:

Deletes audio files located in the “dead” folder.

A note about Session Cleanup.

There are a few reasons why cleanup might not save much space:

1. Because all of the session snapshots are inside the session folder, Mixbus
knows when a region is used by a different snapshot. So it may not “clean up”
as much as you expect.
2. If you recorded a very long file, but only use a very small snippet, this
reference to the file will keep the file from being cleaned up. If you “bounce”
the regions (making a new, short file of exactly the length of the region) then
you might see a bigger space savings. But note that this means you can no
longer extend the fade handles for that region; there’s no longer any
information left outside the region.

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18.2. Transport Menu

• Start/Stop
• Play >
◦ Play Selection
◦ Play w/Preroll
◦ Start/Continue/Stop
◦ Play from Edit Point and Return
◦ Play Loop Range
• Start Recording
• Stop and Forget Capture: this stops the current recording, and permanently
deletes any audio files that were recorded in the current pass. This cannot be

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undone.
• Enable Record
• Record w/Preroll: see here for more details

• Set Loop from Selection

• Set Punch from Selection
• Set Session Start/End from Selection

• Forward
• Rewind
• Transition To Roll
• Transition To Reverse

• Playhead >
◦ Playhead to Mouse
◦ Playhead to Active Mark
◦ Center Playhead
◦ Nudge Playhead Forward
◦ Nudge Playhead Backward
◦ Move to Next Transient
◦ Move to Previous Transient
◦ Playhead to Next Grid
◦ Playhead to Previous Grid
◦ Playhead to Next Region Boundary
◦ Playhead to Previous Region Boundary
◦ Playhead to Next Region Boundary (No Track Selection)
◦ Playhead to Previous Region Boundary (No Track Selection)
◦ Playhead to Next Region Sync
◦ Playhead to Previous Region Sync
◦ Jump to Next Mark
◦ Jump to Previous Mark
◦ Goto Zero
◦ Goto Start
◦ Goto End
◦ Goto Wall Clock

• Active Mark >

◦ To Next Region Boundary
◦ To Previous Boundary

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◦ To Next Region Sync

◦ To Previous Region Sync

• Markers >
◦ Add Mark from Playhead
◦ Remove Mark at Playhead
◦ Toggle Mark at Playhead
◦ Locate to Mark 1
◦ Locate to Mark 2
◦ Locate to Mark 3
◦ Locate to Mark 4
◦ Locate to Mark 5
◦ Locate to Mark 6
◦ Locate to Mark 7
◦ Locate to Mark 8
◦ Locate to Mark 9
◦ Set Session Start from Playhead
◦ Set Session End from Playhead

• Time Master: (for JACK sync only) : when this is enabled, Mixbus will serve as
master to report the Bar|Beat|Tick information to the JACK clock
• Punch In/Out
• Punch In
• Punch Out
• Auto Input : Learn more in the Monitoring section.
• Follow Range : Learn more in the transport section.
• Auto Play : The transport will automatically play whenever you locate the
playhead to a new position.
• Auto Return: Returns playhead to last starting position, when the transport is
stopped.
• Click: Toggles the Click (Metronome) sound on & off.
• Follow Playhead : The edit window will scroll to follow the playhead when the
playhead reaches the edge of the editing canvas.
• Stationary Playhead : If enabled, AND Follow Playhead is enabled, then the
timeline will scroll behind the playhead. This requires significant CPU and disk
resources, so it is not recommended for large sessions.
• Panic: Sends MIDI note off to all channels. Details here

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18.3. Edit Menu

• Undo
• Redo
• Undo Selection Change
• Redo Selection Change
• Cut
• Copy
• Paste

• Select >
◦ Select All Objects
◦ Select All Visible Lanes
◦ Select All Tracks

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◦ Deselect All
◦ Invert Selection
◦ Set Range to Loop Range
◦ Set Range to Punch Range
◦ Set Range to Selected Regions
◦ Select All After Edit Point
◦ Select All Before Edit Point
◦ Select All Overlapping Edit Range
◦ Select All Inside Edit Range
◦ Select All in Punch Range
◦ Select All in Loop Range
◦ Move Range Start to Previous Region Boundary
◦ Move Range Start to Next Region Boundary
◦ Move Range End to Previous Region Boundary
◦ Move Range End to Next Region Boundary
◦ Start Range
◦ Finish Range
◦ Select Next Track or Bus
◦ Select Previous Track or Bus

• Delete : this deletes either the selected Regions or the selected Range in the
editor canvas.

• Crop: This splits regions under the selected range, and then removes all
regions outside of the selected range.

• Split/Separate : If a “range” selection exists, the regions under the range will
be split at the start and end of the range. If no selected range exists, then the
regions will be split at the edit point. Learn more about the Edit Point here.

• Separate >
◦ Separate Under: if you select a region, this will separate the regions in
underlying layers, at the same start/end as this region
◦ Separate Using Loop Range : this will separate the selected region on the
Loop Range boundaries
◦ Separate Using Punch Range : this will separate the selected Region on
the Punch Range boundaries

• Align >
◦ Align Start

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◦ Align Start Relative

◦ Align End
◦ Align End Relative
◦ Align Sync
◦ Align Sync Relative

• Fade >
◦ Fade Range Selection
◦ Set Fade In Length
◦ Fade In
◦ Set Fade Out Length
◦ Fade Out

• Tag Last Capture : This will allow you to enter a “tag” (text string) for all of the
Sources created in the most recent recording take. For example you might
make a note of a “Good Take” or “Bad Take” here. You can later sort Sources by
their Take name in the Editor -> Source List

• Remove Last Capture : this deletes all the Regions and Sour
Source
ce FFiles
iles created in
the most recent recording take. NOTE: this operation is destructive: it actually
deletes the file and saves the disk space. So only use this option when you are
sure you don’t want that take!

• Edit Point >

◦ Change Edit Point
◦ Change Edit Point Including Marker

• Snap Mode >

◦ No Grid
◦ Grid
◦ Magnetic
◦ Next Snap Mode
◦ Next Snap Choice
◦ Previous Snap Choice
◦ Next Musical Snap Choice
◦ Previous Musical Snap Choice

• Snap to >
◦ Snap to CD Frame
◦ Snap to Timecode Frame

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◦ Snap to Timecode Seconds

◦ Snap to Timecode Minutes
◦ Snap to Seconds
◦ Snap to Minutes
◦ Snap to One Twenty Eighths
◦ Snap to Sixty Fourths
◦ Snap to Thirty Seconds
◦ Snap to Twenty Eighths
◦ Snap to Twenty Fourths
◦ Snap to Twentieths
◦ Snap to Sixteenths
◦ Snap to Fourteenths
◦ Snap to Twelfths
◦ Snap to Tenths
◦ Snap to Eighths
◦ Snap to Sevenths
◦ Snap to Sixths
◦ Snap to Fifths
◦ Snap to Quarters
◦ Snap to Thirds
◦ Snap to Halves
◦ Snap to Beat
◦ Snap to Bar
◦ Snap to Mark
◦ Snap to Region Start
◦ Snap to Region End
◦ Snap to Region Sync
◦ Snap to Region Boundary

• Tempo
◦ Set Tempo from Region = Bar
◦ Set Tempo from Edit Range = Bar

• Smart Object Mode: More here

• Show Automation Lane on Touch : When this is enabled, then clicking on any
knob control (such as an EQ knob, compressor knob, or plugin’s knob) will
immediately show the associated Automation lane in the editor for that
control. This is especially convenient when dealing with a plugin with many

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parameters, and you don’t want to dig through the menus to find the
associated automation lane.

• Lua Scripts
◦ Script Manager: see Scripting
◦ (presets configurable from Script Manager)

• Preferences: More here

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18.3.1. Preferences Window

The Preferences window can be found under the menu item Mixbus->Preferences in
OS X, and under the menu item Edit->Preferences in Windows and Linux.

* p(banner tip). The Preferences window defines the global options that will be
applied to all of the sessions on your machine. Global preferences define the way
you like to work and the way your system is set up (such as your MIDI control
surfaces or timecode sources). If you want to change settings for a particular
session, go to Session Properties.

The preferences window is organized by category in the left hand column of the
window. Some categories have subcategories that you can navigate by clicking on
them.

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18.3.1.1. General

Audio/MIDI Setup
This button will open the Audio/MIDI Setup Window. Details for this window can be
found here: Audio/MIDI Setup

Checking the box “Try to auto-launch audio/midi engine” will start the audio engine
without opening the “Audio/MIDI Setup Window” when you open a session . The
“Audio/MIDI Setup Window” will only open if there is a problem with the I/O
interface or any of the other parameters in the setup.
If the box is unchecked, the “Audio/MIDI Setup Window” will open every time you
open a session.

Editor Undo
These check boxes allow you to control the number of undo levels and history depth
when editing.

Limit Undo History

This option should be enabled to limit the memory and disk space that Mixbus will

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use to store Undo information. Select a number of operations that you’d like Mixbus
to remember within a given session.

Save Undo History

This option specifies how many commands are available to undo after a session is
saved and re-opened. Previous commands from prior work on the session will still
be available to undo even when a session is first re-opened.

Verify removal of last capture

When this option is enabled, Mixbus will display a confirmation message when the
“stop and remove last capture” action is used.

Session Management

Make periodic backups of the session files

If this is enabled, Mixbus occasionally creates a date-stamped snapshot in the

session’s “backup” folder. Mixbus stores a backup snapshot every 5 minutes, but
this might be delayed if the transport is playing or recording. To recover from a
backup snapshot, visit our support FAQ: Session Auto Backup

* Session snapshots take very little space, and we encourage users to keep this
checkbox enabled. In rare cases, Harrison support may ask you to disable this
option to see if it has any effect on performance or behavior. Regardless of the
“periodic backup” setting, Mixbus stores a “pending” file whenever you start a
new recording. This makes it very likely that, even in the case of a crash or
power outage, a recording in process can be recovered.

Default Folder for new Sessions

This option specifies the default location that appears in the New Session dialog
pulldown.

Maximum Number of Recent Sessions

This option defines how many sessions will be displayed in the New Session dialog
list.

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Import

Drag and Drop Import

If this box is checked, files that are drag & dropped into the session will be copied
into the session, rather than “referenced” from their existing location, wherever
that may be (such as on a removable hard drive). In cases where you work
extensively from external sound libraries or loops, and you don’t want to store
redundant copies of those audio files in the session, you might choose to disable
this option. Recorded files are still stored inside the session folder.

Export
When an export is performed and these checkboxes are enabled, Mixbus will also
save an image file of the resulting loudness analysis and a screenshot image of the
mixer page. This can be a useful record to keep with your exported master file.

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18.3.1.2. Appearance
Appearance

Theme

Color faders with track/bus colors

The color assigned to your track will also color the faders in the Mixer Window

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Draw “flat” buttons

Removes gradients from the buttons (may result in easier viewing on some
monitors).

Draw “boxy” buttons

Selects between rounded or square corners (may result in easier viewing on some
monitors).

LED Meter Style

If this option is enabled, the Meterbridge meters will appear with segmented “LED
style” meters instead of a solid bar.

Graphical User Interface

Highlight Widgets on Mouseover

If enabled, widgets will be “highlighted” when the mouse passes over them.

Show tooltips If Mouse Hovers Over a Control

Update Clocks at TC Frame Rate

Normally clocks update approximately 10 times per second. This option will cause
the clocks to get updated at the selected video frame rate, for those users who
need to watch the frame counter more accurately.

Blink Rec-Arm Buttons

This option blinks the track rec-arm buttons; this can be a more obvious indication
when a track is armed.

Blink Alert Indicators

This option blinks the Alert indicators “Solo” “Audition” “Feedback” at the top of the
screen when they display.

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Graphics Acceleration
(MA
MACC only
only) these settings can be used to troubleshoot or possibly fix problems with
slow graphics redrawing. It is recommended that you use the default setting (Yes,
with Retina scaling) unless told to change this value by a Harrison support
representative.

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18.3.1.2.1. Recorder
This selector controls how physical inputs are displayed in the Record window.
“Automatic” will display the physical inputs horizontally up to 16 inputs, and
vertically for larger numbers of inputs. Alternately you can select all horizontal or
all vertical regardless of the number of inputs.

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18.3.1.2.2. Editor

General

Use name highlight bars in region displays

This option toggles the display of the highlight bars with names at the bottom of
each region, as was default in earlier versions of Mixbus.

Region color follows track color

When enabled, regions are drawn the same color as the track. If disabled, all
regions will be the same color, not affected by the track’s selected color.

Track name ellipsize mode

This selector applies to the track name displayed at the left of each track in the
Editor window. When the track name is too long to be completely displayed, you
can select leftmost, center or rightmost part of the name to display.

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Add visual gap below audio regions

This selector controls the vertical spacing of the tracks in the editor window. You
can select a gap size or no gap between tracks.

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Waveforms

Show waveforms while recording

This option toggles whether to display region waveforms during recording. It is a

useful reference, but does use more system resources. It’s ok to leave on in most
modern computers.

Show saveform clipping

This option toggles the indication of waveform clipping in the region display. If
disabled, regions will not show red indicators when a region exceeds 0dBFS.

Waveform clip level

This option gives you a horizontal fader to adjust where the waveform clip level is
calculated, from 0 to -50dBFS.

Waveform scale

This setting does not change the gain of the signal, it is strictly a visual aid that
makes the waveforms appear “fatter” with two different waveform rendering scales.
The two options are:

• Linear: Displays the audio waveform in a linear fashion. This is the most
common display scale in most DAWs.
• Logarithmic: Displays the audio waveform so that quiet sounds can be more
easily seen on the screen. The display is disproportionate, giving more visual
resolution to low-level signals and less visual resolution at higher-level signals.

Waveform shape

This setting does not change the gain of the signal, it is strictly a visual aid. The two
options are:

• Traditional (Default): Waveforms are drawn around a “zero” axis in the middle
of the region.
• Rectified: Waveforms are drawn with “zero” on the bottom of the region, and
the wave values are shown in an absolute-value (rectified) magnitude offset

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Editor Meters

Show meters in track headers

This option toggles whether meters are shown in the track headers in the editor
window. Disable this to hide the small meters at the right edge of track headers in
the editor. Enabling this option is useful to help monitor & identify tracks as you
listen, but uses more system resources.

Limit track header meters to stereo

If this option is enabled, then Mixbus will only show stereo meters in the editor’s
track header, even if the plugin has many outputs.

MIDI Regions

Display first MIDI bank/program as 0

By default, Mixbus shows banks&programs starting with “1”. This option shows the
more technically-correct numbering starting with “0”.

Don’t display periodic (MTC, MMC) SysEx messages in MIDI Regions

Check this box to prevent SysEx message events from being visible on a MIDI track.

Show velocity horizontally inside notes

These boxes allow you to control how note velocity information is displayed in a
MIDI track.

Use colors to show note velocity

Yellow indicates a lower velocity and Red indicates a higher velocity

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18.3.1.2.3. Mixer

Limit inline mixer strip controls per plugin

This selector controls the total number of plugin controls that can be displayed in
the plugin area of a mixer strip.

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18.3.1.2.4. Toolbar
Toolbar

Main Transport Toolbar Items

These checkboxes select the controls provided in the Transport toolbar. For
example, “Display Master Level Meter” will display or hide the master level meter
that appears in the top-right corner of the editor window.

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Display Record/Punch options

Display Latency Compensation Info

Display Secondary Clock

Display Selection Clock

Display Monitor Section Info

Display Navigation Timeline

Display Master Level Meter

Display Action-Buttons

These checkboxes control how many shortcut buttons are available in the toolbar.
Shortcut buttons are discussed in the section Primary Windows: Editor, Mixer and
Recorder.

In this picture 4 shortcut buttons are displayed, however the checkboxes allow
display of up to 12 buttons.

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18.3.1.2.5. Size and Scale

User Interface Size and Scale

Adjust this value to increase or decrease the text used in menus, buttons, and
dialogs. 100% is the default value. Settings below 80% may be difficult to read.
Adjusting the scale requires a restart, so buttons can resize themselves to fit the
new text size.

! Due to the way that MacOS handles fonts (due to retina, etc), this slider does not
appear on macOS. Instead, you should visit MacOS System Preferences-
>Displays, and increase the scaling.

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Mixer Strip Scale

The selector allows resizing of the mixer strips to fit your screen.

How many mix

mixer
er-strip
-strip elements (EQ, Gate, Comp, Sends and Input) may be shown
simultaneously?

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This allows you to control how many mixer strip elements are displayed at once.
This is tied in to the resolution of your video card and monitor. Simultaneous display
of all the mixer strip elements requires a video monitor with 4K resolution. However
many are selected, Mixbus will only display up to the limits of your video system.

The checkbox will have Mixbus warn you on startup if the settings are in conflict
with the capabilities of your video system.

Watch this video for more on size and scaling options:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O7mDXSB_aNs?rel=0

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18.3.1.2.6. Colors
This window provides a way to customize every color used by Mixbus. There are
three tabs.

Items

This tab lists each Object, alphabetically, and displays the color associated with
that object. Click on the color to modify.

Palette

This tab shows the color palette used by Mixbus, when selecting colors. You can
click on each color to modify it, which will become part of the new available palette.

Transparency

This tab lists everything in Mixbus that can be rendered with Transparency. Each
object has a slider to adjust the amount of transparency.

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18.3.1.2.7. Quirks

Various Workarounds for Windowing Systems

Rules for closing, minimizing, maximizing, and stay-on-top can vary with each
version of your OS and the preferences that you’ve set in your OS. You can adjust
the options below to change how Mixbus’s windows and dialogs behave. These
settings will only take effect after Mixbus is restarted.

Use visibility information provided by your Window Manager/Desktop

All floating windows are dialogs

Mark all floating windows to be type “Dialog” rather than using “Utility” for some.
Requires restart of Mixbus. This can help if you find that some popup dialogs are
appearing behind the main window, or otherwise not being managed correctly by
your desktop.

Transient windows follow front window

Makes transient windows follow the front window when toggling between the editor
and mixer. Requires restart of Mixbus.

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18.3.1.2.8. Translation
Translation

Internationalization

Use Translations

This option allows Mixbus to accommodate multiple languages and conventions,

such as a decimal point being “.” in some languages and “,” in others.option allows
Mixbus to accommodate multiple languages and conventions, such as a decimal
point being “.” in some languages and “,” in others.

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18.3.1.3. Editor
Editor

Region Information

Show xrun markers in regions

Selecting this box will display xrun warnings as markers in an affected region.

Show gain envelopes in audio regions

When creating gain envelopes in a region, this option allows you to specify whether
“gain envelopes” in audio regions are shown only with the Draw or Edit tools, or in
all modes. More information on the affected modes are found in the section Region
Gain Automation.

Scroll and Zoom Behaviours

Zoom with vertical drag in rulers

When this option is enabled, you can click and drag vertically in the ruler of the

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Editor to zoom in & out. Dragging up zooms out, dragging down zooms in.

Double click zooms to selection

Enabling this option allows you to quickly zoom to whatever regions you have
selected by simply double-clicking on one of the selected regions.

Update editor window during drags of the summary

By default, when dragging the “summary” view, the editor will be updated live. If
your system is unable to redraw the editor window quickly enough, you can disable
this option.

Auto-scroll editor window when dragging near its edges

When enabled: if you drag a region close to the edge of the editor, it will begin
scrolling to accommodate the move.

Auto-scroll speed when dragging playhead

This selector sets the scrolling speed when dragging the playhead:

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Limit zoom & summary view beyond session extends to

This selector sets limits on zoom & summary views to a predetermined time past
the end of the current session length.

Editor Behavior

Move relevant automation when regions are moved

(default: ON) When you drag a region, this will also move any automation points
that are within the region’s bounds. NOTE: this will overwrite any existing
automation in the destination location.

Ignore Y-axis when adding new automation points

Automation edit cancels auto-hide

This checkbox refers to the “Show Automation Lanes on Touch” capability. There is
a video “Show Automation on Touch” in the section Fader, Pan and Plug-in
Automation explaining this feature.

When this box is checked, auto-hide after making a change to the automation is
disabled. If you edit an automation parameter the automation lane will remain

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visible after the change rather than hiding itself.

Default fade shape

This option allows you to specify the default shape for crossfades, between Linear,
Constant power, Symmetric, Slow, or Fast.

Regions in Edit Groups are edited together

This option allows you to specify the behavior of grouped regions in the editor
window. The grouped regions can be edited together either only if they have
identical length, position and origin (indicating that they are likely from the same
source material and have been edited in sync), or whenever they overlap in time (if
a region has any overlap with the currently-selected region, then it will move with
the region).

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Layering Model

This option allows you to specify the layering behavior of regions. The default is
Manual Layering
Layering, where the user is expected to manually control each region’s
layer. Or, Later
Later-is-higher
-is-higher defines region layering so that later regions will be
assigned a higher layer.

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Split/Seperate

In Range Mode

Controls what happens to regions after split in Range Mode.

In Object Mode

Controls what happens to regions after split in Object Mode.

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18.3.1.3.1. Snap
Snap:

General Snap Options:

Snap threshold (pixels)

Approximate grid/ruler granularity (pixels)

Show “snapped cursor”

Snap Rubberband selection to grid

In the editor, when doing a “rubber-band select” ( drawing a box to select multiple
regions or control points ), the box edges will snap to the grid.

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Grid Switches to alternate selection for Internal Edit tools

Rulers automatically change to follow the Grid mode selection

When “Snap” is enabled, snap to:

Markers

Region Sync Points

Region Starts

Region Ends

Grids

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18.3.1.3.2. Modifiers
Modifiers:

Keyboard Modifiers

This section allows you to change the keyboard modifiers Shif

Shiftt, Command
Command, Contr
Control
ol,
Alt
Alt, as well as the lesser-used Windows keys, and combinations thereof, when using
the mouse to click, drag, and trim in the Editor window. Using these keyboard
modifiers you can adapt Mixbus to the editing workflow you prefer. Several
parameters are offered:

Select Keyboard Layout

Currently Mixbus provides a single set of predefined keyboard shortcuts. If we later

provide additional keybindings, they will appear here.

When Clicking

You can change which modifier(s) activate Edit

Edit, Delete
Delete, and Insert Note
Note.

When Beginning a Drag

You can change which modifier(s) activate Copy items

items, Constrain drag
drag, and Push

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points
points.

When Beginning a Trim

You can change which modifier(s) activate Trim contents

contents, Anchor
Anchored
ed trim
trim, and Resize
notes rrelatively
elatively.

While Dragging

You can change which modifier(s) activate Ignor

Ignoree snap and Snap rrelatively
elatively.

While Trimming

You can change which modifier(s) activate Resize overlapped rregions

egions

While Dragging Control Points

You can change which modifier(s) activate Fine adjust

adjust.

Reset

This button will reset all modifiers above to their recommended defaults.

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18.3.1.4. MIDI
MIDI

Session

Allow non quarter-note pulse

Initial program change

Mixbus will send this MIDI program-change to the MMC port, when a new session is
opened.

Audition

Sound MIDI notes as they are selected in the editor

When this option is enabled, clicking on a MIDI note in the editor will cause it to
play.

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Virtual Keyboard
The Virtual Keyboard is covered in section Virtual Midi Keyboard.
This selector provides different mappings of the virtual keyboard to your computer
keyboard, which may be any of several popular computer keyboard layouts.

MIDI port options

MIDI input follows MIDI track selection

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18.3.1.4.1. Midi Port Config

MIDI port config
The checkboxes configure the MIDI port to carry Music data, Control data, or both.

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18.3.1.5. Transport
Transport

General

Prompt for new marker names

Stop at the end of the session

When enabled if Mixbus is not recording, it will stop the transport when it reaches
the current session end marker. When disabled Mixbus will continue to roll past the
session end marker at all times.

Keep record-enable engaged on stop

To prevent accidental overwriting this is off by default.

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Reset default speed on stop

Disable per-track record disarm while rolling

When enabled this will prevent you from accidentally stopping specific tracks
recording during a take.

12dB gain reduction during fast-forward and fast-rewind

This will prevent the unpleasant increase in perceived volume that occurs when fast
forwarding or rewinding through certain kinds of audio.

Preroll

There are several options here including Bars (1, 2, or 4), Zero (no preroll at all),
and Seconds (0.1 to 2.0)

Looping

Play loop is a transport mode

When enabled the loop button does not start playback but forces playback to
always play the loop. When disabled the loop button starts playing the loop, but

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stop then cancels loop playback.

Loop fades

This selector controls audio fading at the boundaries of a looping region.

Dropout (xrun) Handling

Stop recording when an xrun occurs

A buffer xrun will produce noise. Checking this option prevents this noise from
accidentally being recorded.

Create markers where xruns occur

When enabled, this option creates new markers on the timeline whenever an xrun
occurs.

Reset xrun counter when starting to record

Checking this box will make the xrun counter in the recording window reset every
time a new record is started.

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Plugins

Silence plugins when the transport is stopped.

This checkbox will stop processing and silence the output of plugins when the
transport is stopped. This might apply to any plugin which creates sound, such as
virtual instruments, or to things like reverb and delay. This can save battery life,
and is OFF by default.

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18.3.1.5.1. Chase
Chase

MIDI Machine Control (MMC)

This checkbox and selector sets whether Mixbus responds to MMC commands, and
allows you to assign device ID to Mixbus.

Transport Masters

Clicking on the button will open the Transport Masters window. Properties and use
of the Transport Masters window can be found in the section Transport Masters

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MIDI Clock

This option allows you to set the resolution of the incoming MIDI clock in
quarternote beats per minute.

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18.3.1.5.2. Generate
Generate
This window controls Mixbus’ output of timecode (both LTC and MTC) , MIDI Machine
Control commands, and the MIDI beat clock.

Linear Timecode (LTC) Generator

Enable LTC Generator

The checkbox enables the LTC generator. When enabled, Mixbus will send LTC from
the LTC port. The LTC generator can be routed to an audio track using the routing
tool.

Send LTC while stopped

When enabled Mixbus will continue to send LTC information even when the
transport (playhead) is stopped. This checkbox is grayed out if “Enable LTC
Generator” is not selected.

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LTC generator level [dbfs]

The slider allows setting the level of the peak volume of the generated LTC signal in
dBFS. A good value is 0 dBu^= -18 dBFS in an EBU calibrated system.

LTC Output Port

This selector will set a default output on the audio interface for the LTC signal,
connected to this output when the session is opened. In the picture this session
uses a 64-wide Dante interface, the LTC may be sent by default to any of these
outputs.

MIDI Time Code (MTC) Generator

The checkbox enables the MIDI time code generator. A maximum limit on varispeed
may be set.

MIDI Machine Control (MMC)

The checkbox enables Mixbus to send MMC commands. The MMC device ID is set
here.

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MIDI Beat Clock (MCLK) Generator

The checkbox enables the MIDI beat clock generator.

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18.3.1.6. Plugins
Plugins

Scan/Discover
The Scan for Plugins button initiates a new scan for any new plugins you may have
installed along the paths listed in the VST path box. A pop up dialog window shows
the progress of the scan operation.

Scan Timeout

If a plugin exceeds this time when scanning, this might indicate a bug in the plugin.
In this case the scan will be aborted and the plugin will be put on the “blacklist”.
Plugins sometimes take a long time to scan, because they are checking online for
licensing information or updates. Adjust this value to accommodate your plugin’s
needs.

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General

Scan for [new] Plugins on Application Start

New plugins are searched, tested and added to the cache index on application
start. When disabled new plugins will only be available after triggering a ‘Scan’
manually.

Always Display Plugin Scan Progress

When enabled, Mixbus will display a dialog window showing each plugin being
scanned. This is ON by default.

Verbose Plugin Scan

Open Plugin Manager Window When Missing Plugins Are Found

Make new plugins active

By default, Mixbus will immediately enable a plugin when it is added. If you disable
this option, then newly-added plugins will be “disabled” by default.

Set Up Sidechain Ports When Loading Plugin With AUX Inputs

LV1/LV2
This option, when enabled, will conceal LADSPA (LV1) plugins if a corresponding LV2
plugin is installed. This can ensure you are always using a more up to date plugin.

Instrument

Ask to replace existing instrument plugin

When an instrument is added to a track that already has an instrument, Mixbus will
prompt you to replace the existing instrument. This is ON by default.

Interactively configure instrument plugins on insert

When a plugin with multi-outputs is added to a track, this option will cause Mixbus
to prompt the user for the desired channel configuration: mono, stereo, or

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multichannel.

Statistics
The selectors allow setting of the maximum lengths of the plugin usage-count chart
and the recently used chart.

The reset button resets the plugin usage statistics.

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18.3.1.6.1. GUI
GUI

Plugin GUI

Automatically open the plugin GUI when adding a new plugin

When a new plugin is added to the strip, the plugin’s UI will be shown. This is ON by
default. Note that this only applies when a single plugin is added. If you add
multiple plugins at once, the GUI will not appear automatically.

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Show Only One Plugin Window At A Time

Closing A Plugin GUI Window

Mixer Strip Inline Display

Show Plugin Inline Display on Mixerstrip by default

When a plugin with an “inline display” is added, this option will cause the inline
display to be shown automatically

Don’t automatically open the plugin GUI when the plugin has an inline display
mode

When a plugin with an “inline display” is added, this option will cause the inline
display to be shown instead of the plugins main UI.

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18.3.1.6.2. VST
VST

This area is blank because VST plugins are obsolete.

VST2.x

The buttons allow you to clear the cache or the “ignore” list.

VST2 Cache

Clicking this button will clear the VST2 “cache” which is a list of VST2 plug-ins that
have been scanned. Mixbus will only load plug-ins that have been scanned and are
in the cache. So clicking this button will disable VST2 plug-ins in Mixbus until paths
have been scanned.

VST2 Ignorelist

When a plug-in crashes on scanning, it is placed in the “Ignorelist” and will not be
scanned in the future. Click this button to clear all blacklisted plug-ins so they can
be scanned.

VST2 Path

The heading and some details below will vary depending on the platform on which
you are running Mixbus (MAC, Linux, Windows PC).

The VST2 Path is a list of directories that Mixbus will use to scan for VST2 plug-ins.
This path may not be directly edited by the user, but can be cleared, added to, and
set to defaults with the buttons provided.
Clicking this button launches a dialog box that allows the user to specify which
folders contain VST2 plug-ins.

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Add opens a dialog box that allows you to add new folders. Highlight the desired
folder and click “OK” to add it to the VST2 path. Pressing Delete (this button will be
lit only if you have selected a path) will remove the selected path from the VST
scan. Restor
estore
e to Default will set the VST path to those folders that are defined as
VST2 paths in your computer’s operating system. In Windows, this includes paths
set in the registry as well as the environment variable VST_PATH.

Path: shows the current path through your computer system where Mixbus will look
for VST2 plugins.

VST3

The buttons allow you to clear the cache or the blacklist.

VST3 Cache

Clicking this button will clear the VST3 “cache” which is a list of VST3 plug-ins that
have been scanned. Mixbus will only load plug-ins that have been scanned and are
in the cache. So clicking this button will disable VST3 plug-ins in Mixbus until paths
have been scanned.

VST3 Ignorelist

When a plug-in crashes on scanning, it is placed in the “Ignorelist” and will not be

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scanned in the future. Click this button to clear all blacklisted plug-ins so they can
be scanned.

Additional VST3 Path

This button allows you to specify additional paths to search for VST3 plugins. Note
the warning message.

Automatically Show “Micro Edit” Tagged Controls on the Mixer Strip

Checking this box will show plugin controls with “Micro Edit” capability directly on
the mixer strip.

VST2/VST3

Checking this box will conceal LV2 plugins if a corresponding LV3 plugin is installed.
This can ensure you are always using a more up to date plugin.

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18.3.1.7. Monitoring
Monitoring

Recording monitoring handled by:

This selector sets whether monitoring is to be done by Mixbus, or by external

hardware:

Auto Input Does Talkback

This checkbox enables “Auto Input does Talkback”. If “Auto Input does Talkback”
mode is enabled, then Mixbus will monitor the input of all tracks, even unarmed
ones, during stop. In a multi-room setup, this feature allows easier setup of your
instrument or communication among members of a band, because all the live mics
are passed through to the master bus output so everyone can hear themselves
through the monitoring system (which might consist of foldback buses). This option
only takes effect when Auto Input is enabled in the Transport menu.

See Monitoring for more details.

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Solo

Solo controls are Listen controls

When this is enabled, Solos will appear on the “monitor” output, but they do not
mute the master bus output. This allows the engineer to listen to a solo, without
affecting the master bus output in those cases where the master bus is being
recorded “live” and should not be interrupted.

Exclusive Solo

When this option is enabled, only one track or bus can be in solo at any given
moment. If another track or bus is selected, then it will become the only track or
bus that is in solo mode.

Show solo muting

When this option is enabled, soloing one track or bus causes a yellow outline to be
drawn around all the other tracks or busses which are muted by the solo selection.
Every track or bus that is not solo’ed will be effected in this way, to remind you why
the track is not audible.

Soloing overrides muting

When this option is enabled, pressing the solo button will allow the audio on that
track or bus to be heard, even if the mute button is also pressed. When this option
is not enabled, then the mute button still continues to function, even if the track is
solo’ed.

Solo-in-place mute cut (dB):

Listen Position

The selector chooses between pre-fader and after-fader listening.

PFL signals come from

The selector chooses pre-fader soloing to come from before or after plugin
processors. Default is AFTER processors.

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AFL signals come from

The selector chooses after-fader soloing to come from before or after post fader
plugin processors, but always before panning.

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18.3.1.8. Signal Flow

Signal Flow

Master

Enable Master Bus output gain control

Selecting this checkbox will add an adjustable post-fader gain trim to the master
bus output. Note this affects the Master bus output, NOT the master bus monitoring
path.

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Default Track/Bus Muting Options

These checkboxes control what is muted when Track or Bus mute button is
engaged.

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Mute Affects Pre-Fader Sends

Mute Affects Post-Fader Sends

Mute Affects Control Outputs

Mute Affects Main Outputs

Send Routing

Link Panners of Aux and External Sends with main Panner by default

This checkbox links the panners of channel strip Aux Sends and External sends to
the main panner on the strip.

For more information on Aux sends and how their panning works, see the section
DAW Style Mixing Buses for more details.

For more information on External sends, see the section Redirects: Plug-ins, Sends
& Inserts.

Audio Regions

Replicate Missing Region Channels

If you send a mono region on a stereo channel, this option will cause the mono
signal to appear on both left and right channels. If this option is disabled, then the
mono region will only be heard from the left side of the channel.

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18.3.1.9. Metronome
Metronome

Metronome

Emphasis on first beat

When enabled, this option uses a different tone, with a higher pitch, on the first
beat of each measure to make it easier to hear where each bar begins. When
disabled, the same tone is used on each beat.

Use built-in default sounds

Enables a simple option to automatically generate a useable click track with the
metronome using built-in default sounds. If you prefer to use your own sounds, de-
select this option and load your sounds below.

Audio File

If the default sounds are disabled, browse to define the sound file for the “click”
used by the metronome.

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Emphasis audio file

If the default sounds are disabled, browse to define the sound file for the “emphasis
click” used by the metronome. The emphasis click occurs on the first beat of each
measure.

Gain level

Adjustable from – infinity to +6 dB

Options

Enable metronome only while recording

Checking this box will enable the metronome only while recording.

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18.3.1.10. Control Surfaces

Control Surfaces

Enable Control Surface Protocol

This option allows you to specify the Control Surface Protocol you’d like to use.
Some options, like Generic MIDI, OSC, and Mackie are common standards that may
be used by a variety of control surfaces. Others, like Ableton Push 2, PreSonus
FaderPort, and Stenberg CC121 are Mixbus’ implementation of specific controllers
available. If you’d like to use one of these products, enable it here, and tweak the
various options below.

Edit the settings for selected protocol (it must be ENABLED first)

Once you have enabled a protocol above, you can edit the settings for that protocol
by clicking the button, which will launch a new dialog box.

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18.3.1.11. Metering
Metering

Meterbridge meters ( NOTE: these options only apply to the

meters in the Meterbridge window )

Peak Hold Time

The hold time for the peak-hold indicators. Ranges from off to short
short, medium
medium, and
long
long.

DPM fall-off

The decay rate of audio meters, ranging from Off (instant decay) to Slowest (6.6dB/
sec decay rate).

Meter line-up level; 0dBu

This selector configures the reference level for all meters configured as IEC1/Nordic,
IEC2/PPM and VU meters.

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IEC1/DIN Meter line-up level; 0dBu

This selector sets the reference level specifically for meters configured to IEC1/DIN
standard.

VU Meter standard

This selector sets the 0 VU reference level for VU meters. Standard for recording is
0VU = +4 dBu. Broadcast applications typically use 0VU = +8 dBu.

Peak Indicator Threshhold (dBFS)

This slider allows you to set the threshold of the peak indicators.

Default Meter Types

These selectors allow you to separately specify what kind of metering algorithm is
used for tracks, buses and the master bus. Several options are available for each.

Default Meter Type for Master Bus

Default Meter Type for Busses

Default Meter Type for Tracks

Region Analysis

Enable automatic analysis of audio

If this is enabled, Mixbus will always analyze audio (to find transients) when files
are imported to a session. This might cause imports to take longer, but it saves
time when you try to “skip to next transient”.

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18.3.1.12. Performance
Performance

DSP CPU Utilization

Signal processing uses

This option defines how many “threads” Mixbus will create to process audio signals.
If you use a lot of tracks and plug-ins, then Mixbus will require significant CPU
resources. This setting allows Mixbus to use multiple processors in parallel, thereby
taking advantage of modern computers with 2, 4, or more CPU cores.

• all but one pr

processor
ocessor is the default setting. This setting reserves one processor
so your computer does not feel sluggish when Mixbus is heavily loading your
CPU.
• all pr
processors
ocessors might allow Mixbus to run more tracks/plug-ins with the risk of
causing other desktop applications feeling sluggish.

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CPU/FPU Denormals
Denormals relate to 32 bit floating point processing used by Mixbus. Some plugins,
when used in Mixbus, generate “denormals” which is an invalid processor state that
causes random high CPU spikes. If you believe a plugin is generating denormals,
you can enable this checkbox for the track, and see if it helps the problem. For
more on denormals click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denormal_number

Processor Handling

This option attempts to use internal CPU settings to avoid denormals. In a few
cases, plugins that cause CPU spikes can be improved by enabling this option, or
one of the other “denormal” options.

Disk I/O Buffering

A smaller buffer allows mixbus to load sessions and locate faster. If you receive a
message like “your disk was not able to keep up with Mixbus”, then you should
increase the buffer size. If you have fewer tracks (8-16), and/or a very fast disk
(SSD), then you can use very low buffer sizes, and Mixbus will feel extremely
responsive. Generally speaking, Mac requires larger buffers than Windows and
Linux.

Preset

There are four preset options: small sessions

sessions, medium sessions
sessions, lar
large
ge sessions
sessions, and
custom
custom, which allows you to set your own buffer times using the sliders for
playback and recording.

Playback (seconds of buffering)

Increase this value if Mixbus reports “your disk was not able to keep up with
playback”. Increasing the buffer might cause a slight delay when Mixbus locates,
because it is buffering more audio before playback can start.

Recording (seconds of buffering)

Increase this value if Mixbus reports “your disk was not able to keep up with
recording”.

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Memory Usage

Waveform image cache size (megabytes)

This slider allows you to set the size, in Megabytes, of the waveform image cache.
For large projects with a lot of tracks, setting this higher may improve screen
rendering times to improve performance. For smaller projects, or for systems with
smaller amounts of RAM, the cache size can be reduced.

Automation

Thinning factor

This option removes data points within the automation draw points. Excessive draw
data may reduce system responsiveness with little to no audio benefit. Larger
numbers means more thinning, and therefore fewer draw points but more
responsiveness.

Automation sampling interval

This option determines the rate (in milliseconds) at which automation points are
acquired. If the density of automation points is too high system responsiveness may
be reduced.

Automatables

Limit automatable parameters per plugin

This selector sets upper limit on the number of parameters that are automated in
plugins.

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18.3.1.13. Video
Video

Video Server

Show Video Export info before export

When enabled, an information window with details is displayed before video export
dialog.

Show Video Server Startup Dialog

When enabled, the video server is never launched automatically without

confirmation.

Advanced Setup (remote video server)

When enabled you can specify a custom video server URL and docroot.

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Video Monitor

Custom Path to Video Monitor (Jadeo.app) – Leave empty for default.

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18.3.1.14. Triggering
Triggering

This menu allows you to specify the location of where user-created sound clips are
stored. A single button clears the specified directory.

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18.4. Region Menu

This menu give the user access to many editing features for regions or tracks in the
canvas.
The region you intend to work with must first be selected or the menu selections
will be grayed out.

Region menu includes:

• Insert Region From Region List : If a region is selected in the “Region List” (in
the editor sidebar) then this action will insert it at the Edit Point.

This option is grayed out in the picture above because there is no edit point defined
in this example.

• Play Selected Regions

• Tag Selected Regions
• Loop : sets the “Loop” range to match the region, and starts looping the
transport.
• Rename : allows the user to change the name that appears in the region’s top
corner.
• Properties : launches a dialog showing the region’s name, position, length,

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gain, and other properties.

• Loudness Analysis : Performs a loudness analysis on the region, reporting its
dBFS and LUFS loudness, as well as spectral energy
• Spectral Analysis : Performs a spectrum analysis on the selected region(s). Use
this to compare the spectrum of sound in multiple selected regions.

Edit
• Pitch Shift : initiates a dialog which allows you to shift the region’s pitch up or
down, either as a percentage or in semitones.
• Split at Percussion Onsets : performs a “percussive note onset” analysis, and
then splits the regions on the detected hits
• Make Mono Regions : splits a stereo (or multichannel) region into multiple
mono regions. These mono regions appear in the editor sidebar list, “Sources”
• Close Gaps : removes any space between the selected regions, creating a butt
joint between each region
• Place Transient : manually places a “transient” marker inside the region, at the
Edit Point. Transient markers can be used for the grid or other editing actions.
• Rhythm Ferret
• Strip Silence
select track(s) or region(s) you would like to detect silence. Batch processing
possible by selecting multiple tracks or regions. Once the analysis has

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completed the areas that have met the criteria for silence will be highlighted.
• Reverse : this reverses the audio region’s sound, so it plays “backwards”.

Layering
• Raise to Top : raises the selected region to the top of the layer stack.
• Raise
• Lower
• Lower to Bottom

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MIDI
• Transpose : launches a dialog, allowing the user to transpose all MIDI notes up
or down
• Insert Patch Change : Inserts a patch change at the Edit Point. See this section
on MIDI Patches
• Quantize : launches a dialog which edits the midi note start and/or end times
to exact grid locations on the music timeline.
• Legatize : extends the selected note(s) so the end of each note reaches the
beginning of the next note (legato)
• Remove Overlap : trims each MIDI note so that it ends before another note
begins (portamento)
• Transform : launches a dialog with various MIDI operations
• Unlink from other copies : by default, a copied MIDI region will be “linked” to
the source region. Any change to either region will affect all copies. This action
will unlink the selected region(s) so they may be edited with no changes to the
copies.
• Deinterlace into layers :
• List Editor : this launches a dialog that allows the user to see and edit MIDI
events.

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Gain

• Opaque: when disabled, the region will not obscure the regions below it;
instead you will hear the region combined with the regions below it.
• Mute: when enabled the region will not play and will be treated as if it were
“transparent” to regions below it
• Normalize: adjusts the selected regions’ gain to reach a specified value ( see
Normalize Regions )
• Boost Gain : increases the region gain by 1dB
• Cut Gain : decrease the region gain by 1dB
• Reset Envelope : this resets the region’s gain envelope to “unity”
• Invert Polarity: The waveform in the selected region is inverted
• Envelope Active : if unchecked, the region’s gain envelope will be ignored.

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Position
• Move to Original Position : if the file was originally recorded in Mixbus, or if it
has a file timestamp (broadcast wave file), then this action will move the
selected region(s) to the original location.

This option is grayed out in the picture above because the selected region in this
example is already in its original position.

• Snap Position To Grid : moves the region to the nearest grid (snap) location.
• Lock : if enabled, the region cannot be moved on the timeline.
• Glue to Bars and Beats : If enabled, the region is attached to the “music”
timeline. See “Audio Time vs Music Time”:”#audio-time-vs-music-time
• Lock to Video : if locked to the video, then the region will move when the
session’s video file is moved on the timeline.
• Set Sync Position : Sets the region’s sync point to the Edit Point ( when
initiated from a menu, the sync point is always the playhead ) : see “”:#align-
regions
• Remove Sync : Removes the region’s sync point. It will align (or snap) to the
region’s start

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• Nudge Later : moves the region by the amount shown on the “nudge” clock in
the editor toolbar.
• Nudge Earlier
• Nudge Later by Capture Offset : moves the region by one buffersize; this is
sometimes useful to correct mis-aligned recordings due to soundcard latency
• Nudge Earlier by Capture Offset
• Sequence Regions : the selected regions will be sequenced in a series, with no
space between them.

Markers
• Add Region Cue Marker: adds a “cue marker” to the Region’s Source, at the
location specified in the Region. see: Region Cue Markers
• Clear Region Cue Markers: removes all cue markers visible in the selected
Region’s Source.
• Convert Region Cue Markers to CD Markers: for all selected Regions, this
creates a CD Marker corresponding to each Cue Marker
• Convert Region Cue Markers to Global Markers: for all selected Regions, this
creates a Location Marker corresponding to each Cue Marker

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Trim
• Trim Start at Edit Point : trims the selected region(s) so they start at the edit
point.
• Trim End at Edit Point : trims the selected region(s) so they end at the edit
point.
• Trim Loop : trims the selected region(s) to the Loop range.
• Trim Punch : trims the selected region(s) to the Punch range.
• Trim Previous : trims the selected regions to meet the previous region’s end.
• Trim Next : trims the selected region to meet the next region’s start.

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Ranges
• Set Loop Range : Set the Loop start/end markers to this region’s start/end.
• Set Punch : Set the Punch start/end markers to this region’s start/end.
• Add Single Range Marker : create a Named Range marker corresponding to the
selected region(s)’s start/end.
• Add Range Marker Per Region : create a Named Range marker corresponding to
each selected region.

This is grayed out in the picture above because in this example only one region
exists in the selected range.

• Set Range Selection : Set the Range Selection start/end to the selected
region(s)’s start/end.

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Fades
• Fade In : if unchecked, the region’s fade-in will be disabled, resulting in a hard
cut (not recommended)
• Fade Out : if unchecked, the region’s fade-out will be disabled, resulting in a
hard cut (not recommended)
• Fades : toggles the selected region(s)’s fade-in and fade-out simultaneously

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Duplicate
• Duplicate : copies the region, and pastes the copy immediately at the end of
this region.
• Multi-Duplicate : duplicates the region multiple times ( a dialog will prompt for
the number of times to duplicate )
• Fill Track : duplicates the region enough times to fill the region to the Session
End marker.

Export
• The region can be exported (including region gain, gain envelope, and fade in/
out) to a new file, to any disk location, and in the format of the user’s choice.

Bounce (without processing)

• The region will be bounced (including region gain, gain envelope, and fade in/
out ) to a new file, which will appear in the editor sidebar Region list.

Remove
• The region is deleted.

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18.4.1. Strip Silence

The Strip Silence command can be found under Region>Edit>Strip Silence. You
must first select the track(s) or region(s) in which you would like to detect silence.
Batch processing is possible by selecting multiple track or regions. Once the Strip
Silence dialogue has been opened Mixbus will begin analysis on all selected tracks
or regions (allow time based on CPU speed and track/region length). Once the
analysis has completed the areas that have been determined to contain silence will
be highlighted.

There are 3 adjustments available:

• Thr
Threshold
eshold: This sets the audio level for detecting silence and is adjustable by 1
dBFS increments. Any audio below the set threshold will be considered silence.
• Minimum length (in milliseconds, default =1000 (1 second)): Allows control of
the shortest time period that will be considered silence.
• Fade LLength
ength (in samples, default =64): This setting adjusts the length of fades
at the transitions of detected silence and detected audio.

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18.4.2. Normalize Regions

Normalize Region
Normalizing audio is a method to automatically adjust the gain control(s) to meet a
target volume level.

You may normalize an audio region in the timeline, or you may normalize the final
output during Export (see: Export)

The “Normalize Regions” dialog can be launched in one of 2 ways:

• use the menu item Region->Gain->Normalize (or the associated shortcut)

• right-click on a Region and choosing “{Region name}/gain/Normalize…”

The operation will be applied to all selected regions.

* TIP: You can use Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac) to select ALL regions in the timeline
at one time. This is sometimes useful if you import tracks with widely varying
levels.

Normalizing the regions to meet a peak value is enabled by default.

There are also options to normalize regions to an RMS or LUFS value.

• Peak: adjusts the region’s gain so their maximum digital peak value meets the
defined value

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• RMS: adjust the region’s gain so their short-term RMS value meets the target
value
• LUFS: adjusts the regions gain so their long-term loudness meets the target
value

There’s also an option to normalize each region separately, or to calculate the gain
correction for all regions and apply only the max value calculated across all the
regions. This is important if, for example, you have a pair of tracks representing a
stereo source and you want to have the same gain applied to both tracks so the
stereo balance doesn’t shift.

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18.4.3. Region Cue Markers

Region Cue Markers can be added to a Region at the Edit Point (either the Mouse or
the Playhead position) of the selected region(s).

Region Cue Markers have these properties:

• They have a name which will be displayed alongside the marker (by default,
you must name a Cue Marker as soon as it is created)
• Cue Markers move with the region, so if you move or duplicate a region, the
marker moves/copies with it
• Cue Markers are stored in the region’s “Source” file, which means:
◦ you can trim a region to hide a marker, but you can later re-expose it if
you extend the region again
◦ if you remove a Region Cue in any Region for that source, all associated
regions will also lose that Cue marker

Region Markers may be ‘promoted’ to CD Markers or global Location Markers in the

main timeline. This allows you to (for example) move some song-parts (verse 1,
chorus, etc) around, and then promote them to the main timeline after you’ve
finished your edits.

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18.5. Track Menu

A track header must first be selected to access many of the items in this menu.

Most of these items can also be found in the track header context menu, which is
accessed by right-clicking on a track header. Generally speaking, right-clicking on a
track will only affect the single track, while the Track menu will affect all selected
tracks.

• Add Track, Bus, or VCA : Adds additional channels to the editor and mixer.
Learn more here.
• Import : Learn more in the Import section.
• Mix Tools : Initiates a scripted action which an affect multiple tracks. Learn
more here.
• Duplicate Tracks/Busses : creates a “duplicate” of selected Track(s), including
EQ, bussing, plugins. A dialog prompts whether to include the regions (playlist)
in the duplicate tracks.
• Toggle Record Enable : toggles record enable for the selected track(s).
• Toggle Solo
• Toggle Mute

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• Playlists
◦ Show Playlist Selector
◦ New Playlist for All Tracks
◦ New Playlist for Rec-Armed Tracks
◦ New Playlist for Selected Tracks
◦ Copy Playlist for All Tracks
◦ Copy Playlist for Rec-Armed Tracks
◦ Copy Playlist for Selected Tracks

• Insert Time : Inserts blank time at the selected time, and optionally move all
markers to the right.
• Remove Time: Deletes selected range and markers (from ALL tracks).
Everything to the right moves left to close the gap.
• Remove Gaps
• Move Selected Tracks Up
• Move Selected Tracks Down

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• Height
◦ Fit Selection (Vertical)
◦ Largest
◦ Larger
◦ Large
◦ Normal
◦ Small

• Toggle Active : Toggles the state of all selected tracks; inactive tracks will
become active, and vice-versa. Inactive tracks utilize no CPU or disk access;
they are completely disabled. This option cannot be changed while Mixbus is
playing.

• Remove

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18.5.1. Mix Tools

What are Mix Tools?
In the main menu, under the “Track” menu, you will find several operations which
can automate certain tasks that are commonly encountered while mixing.

Currently, 4 Mix Tools are provided:

Reset Mixer

This tool applies to all the mixer channels, and it resets the knobs to their default
positions. You may choose from the list if you’d like to save certain mix settings.
Note that this CANNOT be undone.

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Track Organizer

This tool provides a list of all the tracks in the session, along with simplified
interface to rename the tracks as well as assign a color, comment, or group to each
track:

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Scenes

This tool allows you to store and recall specific scenes.

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Store and Recall Mixer Settings

Store:

The current settings of the mixer may be stored in the Session folder, or in your
globally-accessible preferences folder. Choose “Global” if you think you might want
to use these settings on a different session, someday.

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• Name : Enter the name of the file here.

• Selected TTracks
racks Only : If this is checked, then only the selected (red-colored)
tracks will be saved to the file.

Recall:

First, choose whether to load a file from your Global settings, or from within the
current session:

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! Mixer files contain the mixer-strip Input Trim, Polarity, EQ, Compressor, Panning,
Mixbus Sends, Master Bus Sends, and Plugins. They do not include Sends or
Inserts in the channelstrip.

Select the file that you would like to import:

* Each of the provided actions in the “Track Tools” menu is implemented as a Lua
script. It is possible to edit the script manually, to change or improve the script’s
behavior. This is an advanced topic for customization. To chat with developers
about this feature, visit the Mixbus user forum.

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18.6. View Menu

• Maximise Editor Space : when this is enabled, the Mixbus “editor” window will
try to make itself fullscreen. The exact behavior will differ depending on your
OS version.
• Maximise Mixer Space

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• Region Layers >

◦ Stacked Layer Display : switches all selected tracks (or ALL tracks if none
are selected) to a “Stacked” layer view
◦ Overlaid Layer Display : switches tracks to “Overlaid” view.

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• Automation >
◦ Toggle All Existing Automation: selected tracks (or ALL tracks if none are
selected) show every automation lane that has any control-points in it
(click this again to hide them)

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• Primary Clock >

◦ Focus On Clock : the primary clock will get “focus” for text entry, so you
can type in a time location.
◦ Timecode : switches the primary clock to show “Timecode” format. Learn
more here.
◦ Bars & Beats
◦ Minutes & Samples
◦ Samples

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• Secondary Clock >

◦ Timecode : switches the secondary clock to use “Timecode” display
format. Learn more here.
◦ Bars & Beats
◦ Minutes & Samples
◦ Samples

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• Rulers >
◦ Min:Sec
◦ Timecode
◦ Samples
◦ Bars & Beats
◦ Meter
◦ Tempo
◦ Ranges
◦ Loop/Punch
◦ CD Markers
◦ Markers
◦ Video

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• Zoom >
◦ Zoom In : zooms the timeline to show a smaller time interval.
◦ Zoom Out
◦ Zoom to Session : zooms the timeline to show the entire length between
the Session Start and End markers.
◦ Zoom to Extents :
◦ Zoom to Selection : zooms the timeline to show the length of the selected
Range, AND vertically to show the track selection.
◦ Zoom to Selection (Horizontal) : zooms the timeline to show the length of
the selected Range
◦ Fit Selection (Vertical) : zooms the editor so the track/region selection fills
the vertical space of the screen.
(grayed out in the picture above)
◦ Toggle Zoom State : reverts to the previous zoom state

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◦ Expand Track Height : increases the height of all selected tracks

◦ Shrink Track Height : decreases the height of all selected tracks

• Zoom Focus >

◦ Zoom Focus Left : when this is selected, Mixbus will zoom to the “left”
side of the screen. (this only applies when using the -/+ shortcut keys)
◦ Zoom Focus Right
◦ Zoom Focus Center
◦ Zoom Focus Playhead
◦ Zoom Focus Mouse
◦ Zoom Focus Edit Point
◦ Next Zoom Focus

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• Scroll >
◦ Scroll Tracks Down
◦ Scroll Tracks Up
◦ Scroll Forward
◦ Scroll Backwards

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Options which are not applicable to your particular video monitor setup will be
grayed out, as in the picture above.
There might also be differences between PC and MAC computers.

Here is a similar screenshot from a MAC computer, showing the options not seen
above:

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• Video Monitor >

◦ Original Size
◦ Letterbox
◦ Always on Top
◦ Fullscreen
◦ Timecode
◦ Frame Number
◦ Timecode & Background

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• Editor Views >

◦ Save View 1 : Saves the current editor “viewport” – including the timeline
and track zooming.
◦ Goto View 1 : recalls the “viewport” stored in View 1
◦ Save View 2
◦ Goto View 2
◦ Save View 3
◦ Goto View 3
◦ Save View 4
◦ Goto View 4

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◦ Save View 5
◦ Goto View 5
◦ Save View 6
◦ Goto View 6
◦ Save View 7
◦ Goto View 7
◦ Save View 8
◦ Goto View 8
◦ Save View 9
◦ Goto View 9
◦ Save View 10
◦ Goto View 10
◦ Save View 11
◦ Goto View 11
◦ Save View 12
◦ Goto View 12

**this feature is only available while the session is open and is not saved when the
session is closed*

• Show Editor Mixer : Toggles visibility of the mixer-strip on the Edit window
• Show Editor List : Toggles visibility of the editor sidebar list, on the right side of
the editor window.
• Show Summary : Toggles the visibility of the “summary” (world) view at the
bottom of the editor.
• Show Group Tabs : Toggles visibility of the “group” tabs at the top of the mixer,
and the side of the editor.
• Show Marker Lines : Toggles visibility of lines below each “marker”

• Mixer: Toggle Mixer List : Toggles visibility of the mixer sidebar list, on the left
side of the mixer window.
• Mixer: Show Mixbuses: Toggles visibility of the scrollable & resizable “Mixbus”
pane in the mixer window.
• Mixer: Show VCAs: Toggles visibility of the scrollable & resizable “VCA” pane in
the mixer window.
• Mixer: Show Monitor Section: Toggles the “monitor section” visibility, if one is
enabled in Session->Properties->Monitoring.
• Mixer: Show Foldback Strip: Toggles the “foldback strip” which can display a

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selectable foldback strip from the available foldbacks

• Mixer Strips: Toggle Rec/Input

• Mixer Strips: Toggle Gate (Mixbus32C Only)
• Mixer Strips: Toggle Comp (Mixbus32C Only)
• Mixer Strips: Toggle EQ (Mixbus32C Only)
• Mixer Strips: Toggle Sends (Mixbus32C Only)

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18.7. Window Menu

Click on an item to visit the topic

• Audio/MIDI Setup
• Editor
• Mixer
• Recorder
• Cue Grid
• Preferences
• Meterbridge
• Locations

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• Big Clock: A scalable clock window for distance viewing. Right Click for
formats.

• Transport Controls: a resizable window that shows transport (play/stop/rewind)

buttons; suitable for touchscreens
• Virtual Keyboard: This opens the Virtual Keyboard window. More information
here.

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• Library Downloader: Enables you to download and install clips from the clip
library.

• Audio Connections: More here

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• MIDI Connections: A grid that allows making MIDI connections between

channels, sends, and hardware I/O

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• Plugin Manager: This window allows you to manage installed plugins.

• License Manager: Displays the status of your Mixbus and Harrison LV2 plugin
licenses.

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• Scripting

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• Templates window allows you to manage session templates.

• Transport Masters: a window that displays all the available timecode inputs,
their current status, and allows the user to choose which one Mixbus will
chase. More information here
• Keyboard Shortcuts

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• Plugin DSP Load: This window displays the CPU usage of the plugins currently
in use. You can use it to evaluate whether a plugin may be using too much
processing resource.

• Performance Meters: This window displays the CPU loading of the active
session.

• MIDI Tracer: This window allows the user to view incoming and outgoing MIDI
messages, for troubleshooting

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• Log: The LOG window provides a history of warnings and errors which might be
useful to troubleshoot problems.

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18.7.1. Locations Window

The Locations window provides another view of the Location Markers, Loop Range,
Punch Range, Ranges, and CD Ranges that appear on the “rulers” of the Editor
window. This window allows you to see all of the existing markers in one window
with all of the parameters displayed.

• Goto: Moves the Playhead to the associated Marker or the start/end of the
associated Range.
• Use PH: Assign the current Playhead location to the marker or the start/end of
the associated Range.

• New Marker:
• New Range:

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18.7.2. Audio Connections Manager Window

The Audio Connections Manager window allows you to view all active Audio port
connections in your session. This is a global overview allowing you connect any
source to any destinations.

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Destinations and Sources include:

• Hardware.
• Audio Tracks
• MIDI Tracks
• Audio and MIDI Busses
• Master and Monitor
• Sidechains (if any are in the session)
• Misc. tracks (Auditioner, LTC, CLick Track)

In this patch-bay-like overview of the session, click on any grid pair to connect
them, and enjoy a seamless and intuitive way to connect audio throughout your
session and hardware!

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18.7.3. Meterbridge
The Meterbridge can be found under Window>Meterbridge and can be toggled via a
check box.

The Meterbridge window is a compact and re-sizable view of all meters for all
tracks, mix buses and master bus levels available during a session. 10 metering
standards are available and are user selectable by right clicking on each meter.

Available metering:

• Peak
• RMS + Peak
• IEC1/DIN
• IEC1/Nordic

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• IEC2/BBC
• IEC2/EBU
• K20
• K14
• K12
• VU

Most users involved with music production will find Peak metering a good choice
during tracking. This meter type helps the user avoid digital clipping. This is
because peak meters are calibrated to 0 dBFS (decibel full scale). When the meter
reads 0 no more bits are left to capture dynamics.

! It is possible for a recorded signal to be clipped before being digitized and

displayed on a meter. As a result, a safe level can be displayed on any meter and
in any DAW. No DAW meter will show if a signal has clipped before being
digitized.

Most music production users may find Peak+RMS Metering, K Metering, or VU

metering useful on the master bus.

* The K system is extremely useful and is a new standard that has gained traction.
K14 is suitable for the vast majority of music production. As the name suggest it
allows for 14 dB of headroom. K20 allows for 20 dB of dynamic headroom and is
useful for less compressed “audiophile” recordings or large movie theater
soundtracks. K12 is useful for Television broadcast etc. The K metering system
has been devolved by Bob Katz.

The 4 remaining metering standards are of the IEC type and are typically used for
broadcast work and allows for consistency of volume within the broadcast industry.

Located at the bottom of each meter is a rec-enable button. Under the rec-enable
button is the track name. Right clicking on the track name allows the user to
change the height of this area. Advanced configuration allows the addition of Solo,
Mute, Monitor Playback and Monitor Input.

At the top of each meter is a button to reset peak warning indicators. You can
Ctrl+left click to reset the group or Ctrl+Shift+left click to reset all peak warning
indicators.

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Meterbridge properties:

The Meterbridge is user customizable by going to to the menu

Session>Properties>Meterbridge

Advanced configuration of the meters is available in Edit > Preferences > Metering.

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18.7.4. Plugin Manager

The Plugin Manager provides a complete list of plugins that were found on your
system, and data about each plugin’s scan results.

Access the Plugin Manager by selecting “Window->Plugin Manager”:

The columns of the plugin list are sortable (click the column header to sort by that
field). Columns include:

• Status : this can be one of:

◦ OK : the plugin was successfully scanned, and is available for use in
Mixbus’s Plugin Selector and other menus
◦ Concealed : a new version (VST3) of this plugin replaces the older (VST)
version, although it can still be loaded if a prior session uses it
◦ New : a new plugin was found in the index, but has not yet been scanned
◦ Stale : this plugin can no longer be found on your computer
◦ Updated : the plugin’s binary file is newer than the prior version we
scanned (perhaps a new version was installed?)
◦ Error : mixbus tried to load the plugin, but failed either due to a crash in
the plugin, or perhaps the plugin was waiting on user input, and was
timed-out
◦ Incompatible : similar to error, but this usually means the plugin is the
wrong binary format (32bit vs 64bit mismatch)

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• Ign (Ignore) : click this box to prevent a plugin from loading. un-checking the
box will result in Mixbus immediately scanning the plugin and making it
available
• Fave (Favorite) : click this checkbox to make a plugin a Favorite (see: Plugin
Favorites)
• Hide : click this checkbox to prevent a plugin from appearing in the plugin
selector and other menus; although it can still be loaded if a prior session uses
it
• Type : AU, VST, VST3, or LV2 – click this column to sort your plugins by type.
You might want to ‘hide’ all but one format of a plugin for example
• File : this is the file location of the plugin, on disk
• Name : the name of the plugin. For most formats (AU, VST, and VST3), Mixbus
can’t know the name until the plugin has been successfully loaded
• Creator : the plugin’s developer. For most formats (AU, VST, and VST3), Mixbus
can’t know the creator until the plugin has been successfully loaded
• Tags : see Plugin Tags

Search
The Search bar on the left allows you to filter the plugin list by typing a keyword. By
default, Mixbus will search the name, creator(maker) and filename. But you can
also enable searching for type, tags, and file path. Here are some tips to use the
search bar:

• if you know you have a brand of plugin installed, but the plugins are missing
the name or creator fields, you can enable the path button and search for the
brand (like; “Waves”) to see if any files were found with that text in the file
path name.
• if you want to filter the list to show only VST3’s, enable only the ‘type’ button
and enter VST3 in the search bar

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Scan Actions

• Discover New/Updated : scan your computer for new or updated plugins,

without losing your existing plugin information
• Update Index Only : click this button to have Mixbus scan your system for
newly-installed plugins
• Re-Scan Selected : click this to re-scan the plugin that is highlighted in the list
• Re-Scan Faulty : click this button to re-scan plugins with the status New; Error;
Stale; or Updated. (plugins marked OK are not re-scanned)
• Re-Scan All : click this button to clear all prior scan infor
information
mation, and re-scan
your system for plugins
• Clear Stale Scan Log : remove any items from the list that are no longer on
your computer

Preferences
These buttons recreate some of the options that are available in the Preferences-
>Plugins dialog.

Scan Log
Select any plugin to display its scan-log in this area. This is where you will find more
details about the results of scanning a specific plugin. Harrison’s support staff might
ask you to send this information to them, in the case of a plugin that doesn’t load.

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18.7.5. License Manager

The “License Manager” dialog allows the user to view which Harrison features are
currently licensed, and it also allows the user to download a new license once
purchased.

Each of the available items is listed on the left, and if a license is installed, then the
name of the licensee is provided on the right side ( typically, you should see your
own name for each product that is licensed )

Three buttons are provided to help manage licenses:

• Visit Online Stor

Storee : if an unlicensed row is selected, this button will open a web-
browser page where you can purchase a license.
• Open License F Folder
older : this will open a file-browser window with the user’s
HOME folder where the license files are stored.
• Download License : this opens a dialog. Paste any Harrison license link into the
field, and Mixbus will download and save the license file to your HOME folder. (
more details here )

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18.7.6. Plugin DSP Load

The Plugin DSP Load Window enables the user to see how much or how little their
thrid-party plugins are affecting the session’s overall alloted DSP usage in
milliseconds.

It can be enabled by ticking it’s menu entry in Window->Plugin DSP Load. Once
loaded it can be moved freely.

The DSP Load window features statistics for each plug-in covering it’s:

• Minimum DSP calculation time.

• Maximum DSP calculation time
• Average DSP calculation time.
• Standard Deviation (σ).
• A meter showing where it lies between 0 and the session’s current max DSP
calculation time (1000 x (buffersize / samplerate))

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18.7.7. Performance Meters

This dialog provides an overview of the computer’s audio processing performance.

It is sometimes the case that a very fast computer displays low CPU usage; and yet
it occasionally is delayed (or: “interrupted”) so that it cannot meet the deadline
imposed by the audio system’s input/output buffers. The Performance Meters dialog
is intended to help troubleshoot this problem.

The reports include:

• Buffer size: this is the user’s selection for bufferize and the resulting
milliseconds of latency incurred by the buffer
• Idle: this reports on the percentage of time spent idling between each
soundcard buffer
• DSP: this reports on the percentage of time spent in DSP processing for the
soundcard buffer
• Engine: a sub-category of DSP, this reports how much time the audio engine
(soundcard I/O and resampling) is using
• Session: a sub-category of DSP, this reports how much time the session
(channel processing, plugins, bussing, etc) is using.

Desktop computers are not intended to be “woken up” at the audio rate of 44, 48,
or 96k times per second. So in a computer’s digital audio system, the audio data is
buffered (accumulated) in the soundcard before being offered to the operating
system for processing. When a soundcard’s “recording” buffer is offered to the
computer’s CPU, Mixbus has an opportunity to process the audio buffer and then
return it to the soundcard before the soundcard needs to “play” it out again. At a
buffersize of 1024 samples, and 48kHz, this means that Mixbus must ‘wake up’
every 21 milliseconds, process the audio, and return it to the soundcard before the
deadline is met.

The “Performance Meters” dialog collects this data and reports it to the user. The
values captured are the worst case for any buffer that the computer has received.
So the value won’t exactly match the instantaneous DSP% reported in the top of
the main window. This “worst case” data is used to determine the realtime stability
and performance of a computer.

The “Idle” and “DSP” numbers will always combine to match the available

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buffersize/latency.

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18.8. Help Menu

• About
• Manual: Links to this manual
• Videos: Links to Mixbus Instructional videos
• User Forums: Links to The Mixbus user forum
• Developer Chat: Links to IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

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19. Keyboard Shortcuts

Any “action” found in the Mixbus main menu can be initiated from a keyboard
“shortcut”.

By default, Mixbus provides a selection of keyboard shortcuts that provides a good

balance between easy-to-remember mnemonic actions (such as “L” for looping) and
ergonomic actions for power users ( such as J and K for trimming a region’s start/
end ).

You can change the key shortcuts via Window->Keyboard Shortcuts in the main
menu. If you change your keyboard shortcuts, your shortcuts will be stored in the
user preferences folder.

Mixbus provides a set of “Global” shortcuts that work from any window. These
global shortcuts generally control the Transport (which you’ll want from any
window) and the window-switching functions. The Global shortcuts take precedence

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over the window shortcuts.

• Tabs : This selects between the “Global” shortcuts, and the window-specific (
Editor, Mixer, etc ) shortcuts
• Shortcut browser : Use this area to find shortcuts ( categorized by their normal
menu location )
◦ To assign a shortcut: select an action with your mouse, and then press the
keyboard shortcut (with modifier) that you’d like to assign to that action
◦ If you try to assign a keyboard shortcut that is already in use, Mixbus will
tell you which action is already assigned, and prevent you from “stealing”
it.
• Search bar: use this field to display only the shortcuts that match the search
term. For example “play” will hide any actions that don’t have the word “play”
in their name.
• Remove Shortcut : click this to clear the currently-selected shortcut.
• Reset Bindings : click this button to reset ALL of your shortcuts to the factory
defaults for your platform ( Mac, Win or Linux )
• Print Bindings: click this to “print” a complete list of your shortcuts to a web
page. ( you can then make a hardcopy print of this page from your browser, if
you like )

Viewing your keyboard shortcuts

Because keybindings change slightly between Mac and Windows, and because we
are regularly adding new features that might require keybindings, we no longer
provide the keybindings in this manual. You can see the current keybindings for any
action beside the corresponding item in the main menu.

* If you’d like to print your current keyboard shortcuts, visit Window->Keyboard

Shortcuts and click the button “Print Keyboard Shortcuts”. This will open your
internet browser window, with a list of currently active keyboard shortcuts.

The “number pad”, which appears on some full-size keyboards, has some special
behavior. You can read more about it here: Using a Number Pad

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19.1. Windows/Linux
Mixbus has a standard keyboard shortcut layout that provides alternate keystrokes
that are available in other digital audio workstations. In the following tables,
“NumPad” is used to reference the number pad on the right side of the keyboard.
Number pad specific keybindings are also listed at Using a number pad.

Session and File Handling

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

start a new session Contr

Control+n
ol+n

open an existing session Contr

Control+o
ol+o

open a recent session Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+o
t+o

save session Contr

Control+s
ol+s

save session snapshot Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+s
t+s

add track(s) / bus(ses) Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+n
t+n

import existing files Contr

Control+i
ol+i

export audio Alt+e

quick export audio Contr

Control+e
ol+e

quit Contr
Control+q
ol+q

Common Functions
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

copy Contr
Control+c
ol+c

cut Contr
Control+x
ol+x

delete Delete BackSpace

paste Contr
Control+v
ol+v

redo Contr
Control+r
ol+r Control+Shift+z Contr
Control+y
ol+y

undo Contr
Control+z
ol+z

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Transport and Recording Control

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

roll playhead spacebar NumPad 0

play selection Alt+spacebar H

play from edit point & return Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+spacebar
t+spacebar

roll record Shif

Shift+spacebar
t+spacebar NumPad 3

toggle roll & forget capture Contr

Control+spacebar
ol+spacebar

rewind Shif
Shift+lef
t+leftt ar
arrrow NumPad 1

fast forward Shif

Shift+right
t+right ar
arrrow NumPad 2

transition to reverse Shif

Shift+down
t+down ar
arrrow

transition to play Shif

Shift+up
t+up ar
arrrow

toggle auto play 5

toggle auto return 6

toggle click 7

set tempo from region 9

toggle follow playhead Contr

Control+f
ol+f

toggle follow edits shif

shift+f
t+f

toggle track rec-enable shif

shift+b
t+b

toggle master rec-enable Shif

Shift+r
t+r

set playhead to cursor location p

play selected region(s) h

loop play (the loop range) L NumPad 4

key focus on main clock NumP

NumPad
ad /

MIDI panic Contr

Control+Alt+p
ol+Alt+p

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Changing What’s Visible

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

show virtual keyboard Alt+k

fit selected tracks vertically f

tracks page down Page_Down

scroll tracks down (step) down ar

arrrow

select next track down Alt+down ar

arrrow

select next track up Alt+up ar

arrrow

tracks page up Page_Up

scroll tracks up (step) up ar

arrrow

toggle edit / mix window Alt+m Control+=

show editor mixer Shif

Shift+e
t+e

toggle maximized editor Contr

Control+Alt+f
ol+Alt+f

toggle maximized mixer Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+f
t+f

toggle zoom Shif

Shift+z
t+z

toggle audio connection manger Alt+n

toggle MIDI connection manager Alt+Shif

Alt+Shift+m
t+m

zoom (x) to selected region(s) z

zoom in =

zoom out -

zoom to session (Start / End markers) _ (Underscor

(Underscore)
e)

save visual state 1 Contr

Control+F1
ol+F1

save visual state 2 Contr

Control+F2
ol+F2

save visual state 3 Contr

Control+F3
ol+F3

save visual state 4 Contr

Control+F4
ol+F4

save visual state 5 Contr

Control+F5
ol+F5

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save visual state 6 Contr

Control+F6
ol+F6

save visual state 7 Contr

Control+F7
ol+F7

save visual state 8 Contr

Control+F8
ol+F8

save visual state 9 Contr

Control+F9
ol+F9

save visual state 10 Contr

Control+F10
ol+F10

save visual state 11 Contr

Control+F11
ol+F11

save visual state 12 Contr

Control+F12
ol+F12

go to visual state 1 F1

go to visual state 2 F2

go to visual state 3 F3

go to visual state 4 F4

go to visual state 5 F5

go to visual state 6 F6

go to visual state 7 F7

go to visual state 8 F8

go to visual state 9 F9

go to visual state 10 F10

go to visual state 11 F11

go to visual state 12 F12

Window Visibility
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

toggle marker locations Alt+l

toggle meter bridge Alt+b

toggle preferences window Alt+p

toggle rhythm ferret window Alt+f

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

toggle session properties window Alt+o

toggle export window Alt+e

toggle import window Contr

Control+i
ol+i

add new track / bus Shif

Shift+Contr
t+Control+n
ol+n

Mouse Modes
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

range mode r

object range mode y

grab mode g

draw mode d

timefx mode t

zoom to selection mode z

edit contents mode e

Moving The Playhead

A left click in the rulers positions the playhead unless Mixbus is recording. You can
use (period)>Num>(period) to move the playhead to the n-th marker.

Standar
Standardd Mixbus Alter
Alternate
nate
Action Alter
Alternate
nate 1
Layout 2

to start marker Home Enter Retur

eturnn

to end marker End

nudge backward Alt+lef

Alt+leftt ar
arrrow

nudge forward Alt+right ar

arrrow

to previous region edge lef

leftt ar
arrrow

to next region edge right ar

arrrow

step playhead previous grid unit (ignore Shif

Shift+Alt+lef
t+Alt+leftt ar
arrrow

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

selection)

step playhead next grid unit (ignore Shif

Shift+Alt+right
t+Alt+right
selection) ar
arrrow

Contr
Control+Alt+lef
ol+Alt+leftt
to previous region sync
ar
arrrow

Contr
Control+Alt+right
ol+Alt+right
to next region sync
ar
arrrow

(Shift or Alt or Ctrl

to previous transient Contr
Control+lef
ol+leftt ar
arrrow
)+Tab

to next transient Contr

Control+right
ol+right ar
arrrow

to previous mark q

to next mark w

Selecting
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

select all Contr

Control+a
ol+a

deselect all Escape

export selection Contr

Control+Alt+e
ol+Alt+e

invert selection Shif

Shift+i
t+i

select all after edit point Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+p
t+p Control+Shift+p

select all before edit point Contr

Control+p
ol+p Control+p

select all between cursors Contr

Control+u
ol+u

select all within cursors u

Editing Features
Most edit functions operate on a single ”Edit Point”. The edit point can be defined
as the playhead (default) or the mouse. The choice of Edit Point is by default linked
to the Zoom Focus.

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Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

cycle zoom focus 1

cycle snap mode 2

previous snap choice 3

cycle edit point ` (grave)

cycle edit point with marker Contr

Control`
ol` (Contr
(Control
ol grave)

trim back k

trim front j

trim to previous region Contr

Control+j
ol+j

trim to next region Contr

Control+k
ol+k

edit mode e

cursor to transient backwards Contr

Control+lef
ol+leftt ar
arrrow

cursor to transient forward Contr

Control+right
ol+right ar
arrrow

nudge forward Contr

Control
ol KP + (plus)

nudge backwards Contr

Control
ol KP – (minus)

Markers and Locations

The ”move” commands all move the active marker(s). Jump to the first 9 markers
using the keypad digits 1-9 (requires numlock).

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

playhead to previous mark q

playhead to next mark w

sets new marker at playhead Tab

go to marker 1 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 1.(period)

go to marker 2 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 2.(period)

go to marker 3 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 3.(period)

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go to marker 4 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 4.(period)

go to marker 5 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 5.(period)

go to marker 6 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 6.(period)

go to marker 7 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 7.(period)

go to marker 8 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 8.(period)

go to marker 9 .(period) NumP

NumPad
ad 9.(period)

Region Operations
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

mute/unmute region Alt 1

reverse region Alt 4

naturalize region Alt 2

boost region gain Alt 6

cut region gain Alt 7

normalize region Alt 3

quantize region Alt 5

pitch shift region Alt 8

align, sync point relative a

align, regions sync point Shif

Shift+a
t+a

align, regions end point Alt+a

align, regions start point Contr

Control+Alt
ol+Alt +a

align, regions start point relative Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+a
t+a

duplicate region (once) d

duplicate region (multi) Shif

Shift+d
t+d

export selected region(s) Shif

Shift+Alt+e
t+Alt+e

insert region from list i

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

split / separate s b Alt+x

crop Alt+c

set region sync point v

nudge backward Alt+lef

Alt+leftt ar
arrrow NumPad –

nudge forward Alt+right ar

arrrow NumPad +

set fade-in length Contr

Control/
ol/

set fade-out length Contr

Control\
ol\

edit fade range / (slash)

Track Operations
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

rec-enable selected tracks Shif

Shift+b
t+b

solo selected tracks Alt+s

select all track/bus Contr

Control+t
ol+t

select next track/bus Alt+downar

Alt+downarrrow

select previous track/bus Alt+upar

Alt+uparrrow

move selected tracks down Contr

Control+downar
ol+downarrrow

move selected tracks up Contr

Control+upar
ol+uparrrow

toggle MIDI input Alt+i

Defining Loop, Punch Range, and Tempo Changes

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

start edit range , (comma)

finish edit range . (period)

loop start Alt+,

loop end Alt+.

set loop range from edit range ]

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

set loop range from region(s) Alt+]

select all within punch range Contr

Control+d,
ol+d,

set punch range from edit range [

Mouse Object Mode

This mode provides many different operations on both regions and control points,
partially depending on here you click/drag with the mouse. The ”body” of a region
is the area where the waveform is displayed.

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

add control point left-click in auto track

add/remove selection Control+left-click on body

adjust region edges left-drag near ends of trim bar

copy+move region(s) Control+left-drag on body

extend selection Shift+left-click on body

fixed time adjust middle-drag on point

fixed time copy+move Control+middle-drag on body

fixed time move middle-drag on body

fixed time move Control+middle-drag on point

lower region Alt+Shift+middle on body

move control point left-drag on point

move line segment left-drag on line segment

move point+later points Control+left-drag on point

move region(s) left-drag on body

raise region Shift+middle on body

rubber-band select Control+Alt+left-drag on regions

rubber-band select left-drag on empty space

rubber-band select left-drag in auto track

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select left-click on body

set region end middle in trim bar

set region start left-click in trim bar

slip audio in region Control+left-drag in trim bar

Mouse Zoom Mode

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

define the new visible area left+drag

zoom in left-click

zoom out middle-click

zoom to session Control+middle

Mouse Ops on Solo/Mute/Rec-enable

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

apply to all tracks/busses Control+Shift+left-click

apply to group Control+left-click

apply to track or active group left-click

learn MIDI control Control+middle-click

momentary switch middle-click

Mouse Ops on Solo Buttons Only

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

exclusive solo Control+Alt+left-click

temporary latched solo Shift+left-click

Mouse Ops on Faders & Plug-in Controls

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

adjust left-drag

fine-drag control Control+left-drag

finest-drag control Control+Alt+left-drag

learn MIDI control Control+middle-click

reset to default Shift+left-click

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19.2. Mac
Mixbus has a standard keyboard shortcut layout that provides alternate keystrokes
that are available in other digital audio workstations. In the following tables,
“NumPad” is used to reference the number pad on the right side of the keyboard.
Number pad specific keybindings are also listed at Using a number pad.

Session and File Handling

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

start a new session Command+n

open an existing session Command+o

open a recent session Command+Shif

Command+Shift+o
t+o

save session Command+s

save session snapshot Command+Shif

Command+Shift+s
t+s

add track(s) / bus(ses) Command+Shif

Command+Shift+n
t+n

import existing files Command+i

export audio Contr

Control+e
ol+e

quick export audio Command+e

quit Command+q

Common Functions
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

copy Command+c

cut Command+x

delete Delete BackSpace

paste Command+v

redo Command+r Command+Shift+z Command+y

undo Command+z

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

Transport and Recording Control

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

roll playhead spacebar NumPad 0

play selection Contr

Control+spacebar
ol+spacebar H

play from edit point & return Command+Shif

Command+Shift+spacebar
t+spacebar

roll record Shif

Shift+spacebar
t+spacebar NumPad 3

toggle roll & forget capture Command+spacebar

rewind Shif
Shift+lef
t+leftt ar
arrrow NumPad 1

fast forward Shif

Shift+right
t+right ar
arrrow NumPad 2

transition to reverse Shif

Shift+down
t+down ar
arrrow

transition to play Shif

Shift+up
t+up ar
arrrow

toggle auto play 5

toggle auto return 6

toggle click 7

set tempo from region 9

toggle follow playhead Command+f

toggle follow edits Shif

Shift+f
t+f

toggle track rec-enable Shif

Shift+b
t+b

toggle master rec-enable Shif

Shift+r
t+r

set playhead to cursor location p

play selected region(s) h

loop play (the loop range) L NumPad 4

key focus on main clock NumP

NumPad
ad /

MIDI panic Command+Contr

Command+Control+p
ol+p

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

Changing What’s Visible

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

show virtual keyboard Contr

Control+k
ol+k

fit selected tracks vertically f

tracks page down Page_Down

scroll tracks down (step) down ar

arrrow

select next track down Contr

Control+down
ol+down ar
arrrow

select next track up Contr

Control+up
ol+up ar
arrrow

tracks page up Page_Up

scroll tracks up (step) up ar

arrrow

toggle edit / mix window Contr

Control+m
ol+m Command+=

show editor mixer Shif

Shift+e
t+e

toggle maximized editor Command+Contr

Command+Control+f
ol+f

toggle maximized mixer Command+Shif

Command+Shift+f
t+f

toggle zoom Shif

Shift+z
t+z

toggle audio connection manager Contr

Control+n
ol+n

toggle MIDI connection manager Contr

Control+Shif
ol+Shift+m
t+m

zoom (x) to selected region(s) z

zoom in =

zoom out -

zoom to session _ (Underscor

(Underscore)
e)

save visual state 1 Command+F1

save visual state 2 Command+F2

save visual state 3 Command+F3

save visual state 4 Command+F4

save visual state 5 Command+F5

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

save visual state 6 Command+F6

save visual state 7 Command+F7

save visual state 8 Command+F8

save visual state 9 Command+F9

save visual state 10 Command+F10

save visual state 11 Command+F11

save visual state 12 Command+F12

go to visual state 1 F1

go to visual state 2 F2

go to visual state 3 F3

go to visual state 4 F4

go to visual state 5 F5

go to visual state 6 F6

go to visual state 7 F7

go to visual state 8 F8

go to visual state 9 F9

go to visual state 10 F10

go to visual state 11 F11

go to visual state 12 F12

Window Visibility
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

toggle marker locations Contr

Control+l
ol+l

toggle meter bridge Contr

Control+b
ol+b

toggle preferences window Contr

Control+p
ol+p

toggle rhythm ferret window Contr

Control+f
ol+f

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

toggle session properties window Contr

Control+o
ol+o

toggle export window Contr

Control+e
ol+e

toggle import window Command+i

add new track / bus Shif

Shift+Command+n
t+Command+n

Mouse Modes
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

range mode r

Grid mode y

grab mode g

draw mode d

timefx mode t

zoom to selection mode z

edit contents mode e

Moving The Playhead

A left click in the rulers positions the playhead unless Mixbus is recording. You can
use (period)>Num>(period) to move the playhead to the n-th marker.

Alter
Alternate
nate
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1
2

to start marker Home Enter Retur

eturnn

to end marker End

nudge backward Contr

Control+lef
ol+leftt ar
arrrow

nudge forward Contr

Control+right
ol+right ar
arrrow

to previous region edge lef

leftt ar
arrrow

to next region edge right ar

arrrow

step playhead previous grid unit Shif

Shift+Contr
t+Control+lef
ol+leftt ar
arrrow

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Harrison Consoles Mixbus - 10_en

(ignore selection)

step playhead next grid unit (ignore Shif

Shift+Contr
t+Control+right
ol+right
selection) ar
arrrow

Command+Contr
Command+Control+lef
ol+leftt
to previous region sync
ar
arrrow

Command+Contr
Command+Control+right
ol+right
to next region sync
ar
arrrow

(Shift or Ctrl or Cmd

to previous transient Command+lef
Command+leftt ar
arrrow
)+Tab

to next transient Command+right ar

arrrow

to previous mark q

to next mark w

Selecting
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

select all Command+a

deselect all Escape

export selection Command+Contr

Command+Control+e
ol+e

invert selection Shif

Shift+i
t+i

select all after edit point Command+Shif

Command+Shift+p
t+p Command+Shift+p

select all before edit point Command+p Command+p

select all between cursors Command+u

select all within cursors u

Editing Features
Most edit functions operate on a single ”Edit Point”. The edit point can be defined
as the playhead (default) or the mouse. The choice of Edit Point is by default linked
to the Zoom Focus.

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Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

cycle zoom focus 1

cycle snap mode 2

previous snap choice 3

cycle edit point ` (grave)

cycle edit point with marker Command` (Command grave)

trim back k

trim front j

trim to previous region Command+j

trim to next region Command+k

edit mode e

cursor to transient backwards Command+lef

Command+leftt ar
arrrow

cursor to transient forward Command+right ar

arrrow

nudge forward Command KP + (plus)

nudge backwards Command KP – (minus)

Region Operations
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

mute/unmute region Contr

Control
ol 1

reverse region Contr

Control
ol 4

naturalize region Contr

Control
ol 2

boost region gain Contr

Control
ol 6

cut region gain Contr

Control
ol 7

normalize region Contr

Control
ol 3

quantize region Contr

Control
ol 5

pitch shift region Contr

Control
ol 8

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align, sync point relative a

align, regions sync point Shif

Shift+a
t+a

align, regions end point Contr

Control+a
ol+a

align, regions start point Command+Contr

Command+Control+a
ol+a

align, regions start point relative Command+Shif

Command+Shift+a
t+a

duplicate region (once) d

duplicate region (multi) Shif

Shift+d
t+d

export selected region(s) Shif

Shift+Contr
t+Control+e
ol+e

insert region from list i

split / separate s b Contr

Control+x
ol+x

crop Contr
Control+c
ol+c

set region sync point v

nudge backward Contr

Control+lef
ol+leftt ar
arrrow NumPad –

nudge forward Contr

Control+right
ol+right ar
arrrow NumPad +

set fade-in length Command/

set fade-out length Command\

edit fade range / (slash)

Track Operations
Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

rec-enable selected tracks Shif

Shift+b
t+b

solo selected tracks Contr

Control+s
ol+s

select all track/bus Command+t

select next track/bus Contr

Control+downar
ol+downarrrow

select previous track/bus Contr

Control+upar
ol+uparrrow

move selected tracks down Command+downar

Command+downarrrow

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move selected tracks up Command+upar

Command+uparrrow

toggle MIDI input Contr

Control+i
ol+i

Defining Loop, Punch Range, and Tempo Changes

Action Standar
Standardd Mixbus Layout Alter
Alternate
nate 1 Alter
Alternate
nate 2

start edit range , (comma)

finish edit range . (period)

loop start Contr

Control+,
ol+,

loop end Contr

Control+.
ol+.

set loop range from edit range ]

set loop range from region(s) Contr

Control+]
ol+]

select all within punch range Command+d,

set punch range from edit range [

Mouse Object Mode

This mode provides many different operations on both regions and control points,
partially depending on here you click/drag with the mouse. The ”body” of a region
is the area where the waveform is displayed.

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

add control point left-click in auto track

add/remove selection Command+left-click on body

adjust region edges left-drag near ends of trim bar

copy+move region(s) Command+left-drag on body

extend selection Shift+left-click on body

fixed time adjust middle-drag on point

fixed time copy+move Command+middle-drag on body

fixed time move middle-drag on body

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fixed time move Command+middle-drag on point

lower region Control+Shift+middle on body

move control point left-drag on point

move line segment left-drag on line segment

move point+later points Command+left-drag on point

move region(s) left-drag on body

raise region Shift+middle on body

rubber-band select Command+Control+left-drag on regions

rubber-band select left-drag on empty space

rubber-band select left-drag in auto track

select left-click on body

set region end middle in trim bar

set region start left-click in trim bar

slip audio in region Command+left-drag in trim bar

Mouse Zoom Mode

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

define the new visible area left+drag

zoom in left-click

zoom out middle-click

zoom to session Command+middle

Mouse Ops on Solo/Mute/Rec-enable

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

apply to all tracks/busses Command+Shift+left-click

apply to group Command+left-click

apply to track or active group left-click

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learn MIDI control Command+middle-click

momentary switch middle-click

Mouse Ops on Solo Buttons Only

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

exclusive solo Command+Control+left-click

temporary latched solo Shift+left-click

Mouse Ops on Faders & Plug-in Controls

Mixbus F
Function
unction Mouse Command

adjust left-drag

fine-drag control Command+left-drag

finest-drag control Command+Control+left-drag

learn MIDI control Command+middle-click

reset to default Shift+left-click

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19.3. Using the Number Pad

Many full-size keyboards provide a “number pad” on the right side.

Locating to a marker, using the number pad

To locate to a marker, click the “..” (period), then type the number of the marker (
for example, “12” ) and then press “..” again. This will locate to the designated
location marker (“12”, in this case). Markers are designated by their location on the
timeline
timeline, not by their creation time or their name. So when locating with the
number pad, jumping to “3” will always be later on the timeline than “2”,
regardless of what the markers are named.

Operating the transport from the number pad

Number P
Pad
ad Action notes

0 play/stop Performs just like the spacebar.

1 reverse play Click again to increase the rewind speed.

2 forwar
forwardd play Click again to increase the forward speed.

3 recor
ecord-r
d-roll
oll Arms the master record button, and initiates Play.

4 loop-r
loop-roll
oll Starts playing the selected loop range (if any).

5 loop rrecor
ecordd

6 Toggle P
Punch
unch On/Off

7 Toggle Metr
Metronome
onome On/Off

8 Toggle ““Auto
Auto R
Retur
eturnn”

9 Toggle ““F
Follow Edits”

The remaining Number Pad keys are reserved for future use.

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20. Video
Mixbus can load a (single) video file to associate with the session. The video
reference is displayed in a ruler above the editor, and (optionally) also shows
moving video in a separate video window.

Mixbus does not allow editing of the video. However, you can export the video, with
your audio mix, into a new video. And you can set start & stop time for that video.

Video is largely developed by the Ardour open-source community. You can learn
more about the video-display features in the relevant sections of the Ardour
manual: http://manual.ardour.org/video-timeline/

Video playback requires an external “server” called Harvid, and (optionally) an

external video window. These utilities are included in the Mixbus package, but
installation steps are different for each OS:

Installation on Windows
On Windows, the Mixbus installer provides Harvid (the video server) and Jadeo (the
video playback window). To install them, select the “video tools” checkbox in the
installer.

Installation on Mac
On Mac, the Mixbus application already includes Harvid (the video server). The
Mixbus package provides the Jadeo video viewer as a separate application in the
DMG. If you want to use the video window, you must drag the included XJadeo
video viewer into your Application folder, so Mixbus can find it.

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Installation on Linux
On Linux, the Mixbus installer provides Harvid (the video server) and Jadeo (the
video playback window). No additional steps are required.

Video Formats Supported:

D = Demuxing supported
E = Muxing supported

• E 3g2 3GP2 (3GPP2 file format)

• E 3gp 3GP (3GPP file format)
• D 4xm 4X Technologies
• E a64 a64 – video for Commodore 64
• D aa Audible AA format files
• D aac raw ADTS AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
• DE ac3 raw AC-3
• D act ACT Voice file format
• D adf Artworx Data Format
• D adp ADP
• E adts ADTS AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
• DE adx CRI ADX
• D aea MD STUDIO audio
• D afc AFC
• DE aiff Audio IFF
• DE alaw PCM A-law
• D alias_pix Alias/Wavefront PIX image
• DE amr 3GPP AMR
• D anm Deluxe Paint Animation
• D apc CRYO APC
• D ape Monkey’s Audio
• DE apng Animated Portable Network Graphics
• D aqtitle AQTitle subtitles
• DE asf ASF (Advanced / Active Streaming Format)
• D asf_o ASF (Advanced / Active Streaming Format)
• E asf_stream ASF (Advanced / Active Streaming Format)
• DE ass SSA (SubStation Alpha) subtitle
• DE ast AST (Audio Stream)
• DE au Sun AU

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• DE avi AVI (Audio Video Interleaved)

• E avm2 SWF (ShockWave Flash) (AVM2)
• D avr AVR (Audio Visual Research)
• D avs AVS
• D bethsoftvid Bethesda Softworks VID
• D bfi Brute Force & Ignorance
• D bfstm BFSTM (Binary Cafe Stream)
• D bin Binary text
• D bink Bink
• DE bit G.729 BIT file format
• D bmp_pipe piped bmp sequence
• D bmv Discworld II BMV
• D boa Black Ops Audio
• D brender_pix BRender PIX image
• D brstm BRSTM (Binary Revolution Stream)
• D c93 Interplay C93
• DE caf Apple CAF (Core Audio Format)
• DE cavsvideo raw Chinese AVS (Audio Video Standard) video
• D cdg CD Graphics
• D cdxl Commodore CDXL video
• D cine Phantom Cine
• D concat Virtual concatenation script
• E crc CRC testing
• E dash DASH Muxer
• DE data raw data
• DE daud D-Cinema audio
• D dds_pipe piped dds sequence
• D dfa Chronomaster DFA
• DE dirac raw Dirac
• DE dnxhd raw DNxHD (SMPTE VC-3)
• D dpx_pipe piped dpx sequence
• D dsf DSD Stream File (DSF)
• D dsicin Delphine Software International CIN
• D dss Digital Speech Standard (DSS)
• DE dts raw DTS
• D dtshd raw DTS-HD
• DE dv DV (Digital Video)
• D dvbsub raw dvbsub
• E dvd MPEG-2 PS (DVD VOB)

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• D dxa DXA
• D ea Electronic Arts Multimedia
• D ea_cdata Electronic Arts cdata
• DE eac3 raw E-AC-3
• D epaf Ensoniq Paris Audio File
• D exr_pipe piped exr sequence
• DE f32be PCM 32-bit floating-point big-endian
• DE f32le PCM 32-bit floating-point little-endian
• E f4v F4V Adobe Flash Video
• DE f64be PCM 64-bit floating-point big-endian
• DE f64le PCM 64-bit floating-point little-endian
• DE ffm FFM (FFserver live feed)
• DE ffmetadata FFmpeg metadata in text
• D film_cpk Sega FILM / CPK
• DE filmstrip Adobe Filmstrip
• DE flac raw FLAC
• D flic FLI/FLC/FLX animation
• DE flv FLV (Flash Video)
• E framecrc framecrc testing
• E framemd5 Per-frame MD5 testing
• D frm Megalux Frame
• DE g722 raw G.722
• DE g723_1 raw G.723.1
• D g729 G.729 raw format demuxer
• DE gif GIF Animation
• D gsm raw GSM
• DE gxf GXF (General eXchange Format)
• DE h261 raw H.261
• DE h263 raw H.263
• DE h264 raw H.264 video
• E hds HDS Muxer
• DE hevc raw HEVC video
• E hls Apple HTTP Live Streaming
• D hls,applehttp Apple HTTP Live Streaming
• D hnm Cryo HNM v4
• DE ico Microsoft Windows ICO
• D idcin id Cinematic
• D idf iCE Draw File
• D iff IFF (Interchange File Format)

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• DE ilbc iLBC storage

• DE image2 image2 sequence
• DE image2pipe piped image2 sequence
• D ingenient raw Ingenient MJPEG
• D ipmovie Interplay MVE
• E ipod iPod H.264 MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
• DE ircam Berkeley/IRCAM/CARL Sound Format
• E ismv ISMV/ISMA (Smooth Streaming)
• D iss Funcom ISS
• D iv8 IndigoVision 8000 video
• DE ivf On2 IVF
• D j2k_pipe piped j2k sequence
• DE jacosub JACOsub subtitle format
• D jpeg_pipe piped jpeg sequence
• D jpegls_pipe piped jpegls sequence
• D jv Bitmap Brothers JV
• DE latm LOAS/LATM
• D live_flv live RTMP FLV (Flash Video)
• D lmlm4 raw lmlm4
• D loas LOAS AudioSyncStream
• DE lrc LRC lyrics
• D lvf LVF
• D lxf VR native stream (LXF)
• DE m4v raw MPEG-4 video
• E matroska Matroska
• D matroska,webm Matroska / WebM
• E md5 MD5 testing
• D mgsts Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
• DE microdvd MicroDVD subtitle format
• DE mjpeg raw MJPEG video
• E mkvtimestamp_v2 extract pts as timecode v2 format, as defined by
mkvtoolnix
• DE mlp raw MLP
• D mlv Magic Lantern Video (MLV)
• D mm American Laser Games MM
• DE mmf Yamaha SMAF
• E mov QuickTime / MOV
• D mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2 QuickTime / MOV
• E mp2 MP2 (MPEG audio layer 2)

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• DE mp3 MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3)

• E mp4 MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
• D mpc Musepack
• D mpc8 Musepack SV8
• DE mpeg MPEG-1 Systems / MPEG program stream
• E mpeg1video raw MPEG-1 video
• E mpeg2video raw MPEG-2 video
• DE mpegts MPEG-TS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream)
• D mpegtsraw raw MPEG-TS (MPEG-2 Transport Stream)
• D mpegvideo raw MPEG video
• DE mpjpeg MIME multipart JPEG
• D mpl2 MPL2 subtitles
• D mpsub MPlayer subtitles
• D msnwctcp MSN TCP Webcam stream
• D mtv MTV
• DE mulaw PCM mu-law
• D mv Silicon Graphics Movie
• D mvi Motion Pixels MVI
• DE mxf MXF (Material eXchange Format)
• E mxf_d10 MXF (Material eXchange Format) D-10 Mapping
• E mxf_opatom MXF (Material eXchange Format) Operational Pattern Atom
• D mxg MxPEG clip
• D nc NC camera feed
• D nistsphere NIST SPeech HEader REsources
• D nsv Nullsoft Streaming Video
• E null raw null video
• DE nut NUT
• D nuv NuppelVideo
• E oga Ogg Audio
• DE ogg Ogg
• DE oma Sony OpenMG audio
• E opus Ogg Opus
• D paf Amazing Studio Packed Animation File
• D pictor_pipe piped pictor sequence
• D pjs PJS (Phoenix Japanimation Society) subtitles
• D pmp Playstation Portable PMP
• D png_pipe piped png sequence
• E psp PSP MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
• D psxstr Sony Playstation STR

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• D pva TechnoTrend PVA

• D pvf PVF (Portable Voice Format)
• D qcp QCP
• D qdraw_pipe piped qdraw sequence
• D r3d REDCODE R3D
• DE rawvideo raw video
• D realtext RealText subtitle format
• D redspark RedSpark
• D rl2 RL2
• DE rm RealMedia
• DE roq raw id RoQ
• D rpl RPL / ARMovie
• D rsd GameCube RSD
• DE rso Lego Mindstorms RSO
• DE rtp RTP output
• E rtp_mpegts RTP/mpegts output format
• DE rtsp RTSP output
• DE s16be PCM signed 16-bit big-endian
• DE s16le PCM signed 16-bit little-endian
• DE s24be PCM signed 24-bit big-endian
• DE s24le PCM signed 24-bit little-endian
• DE s32be PCM signed 32-bit big-endian
• DE s32le PCM signed 32-bit little-endian
• DE s8 PCM signed 8-bit
• D sami SAMI subtitle format
• DE sap SAP output
• D sbg SBaGen binaural beats script
• D sdp SDP
• D sdr2 SDR2
• E segment segment
• D sgi_pipe piped sgi sequence
• D shn raw Shorten
• D siff Beam Software SIFF
• E singlejpeg JPEG single image
• D sln Asterisk raw pcm
• DE smjpeg Loki SDL MJPEG
• D smk Smacker
• E smoothstreaming Smooth Streaming Muxer
• D smush LucasArts Smush

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• D sol Sierra SOL

• DE sox SoX native
• DE spdif IEC 61937 (used on S/PDIF – IEC958)
• E spx Ogg Speex
• DE srt SubRip subtitle
• D stl Spruce subtitle format
• E stream_segment,ssegment streaming segment muxer
• D subviewer SubViewer subtitle format
• D subviewer1 SubViewer v1 subtitle format
• D sunrast_pipe piped sunrast sequence
• D sup raw HDMV Presentation Graphic Stream subtitles
• E svcd MPEG-2 PS (SVCD)
• DE swf SWF (ShockWave Flash)
• D tak raw TAK
• D tedcaptions TED Talks captions
• E tee Multiple muxer tee
• D thp THP
• D tiertexseq Tiertex Limited SEQ
• D tiff_pipe piped tiff sequence
• D tmv 8088flex TMV
• DE truehd raw TrueHD
• D tta TTA (True Audio)
• D tty Tele-typewriter
• D txd Renderware TeXture Dictionary
• DE u16be PCM unsigned 16-bit big-endian
• DE u16le PCM unsigned 16-bit little-endian
• DE u24be PCM unsigned 24-bit big-endian
• DE u24le PCM unsigned 24-bit little-endian
• DE u32be PCM unsigned 32-bit big-endian
• DE u32le PCM unsigned 32-bit little-endian
• DE u8 PCM unsigned 8-bit
• E uncodedframecrc uncoded framecrc testing
• DE vc1 raw VC-1 video
• DE vc1test VC-1 test bitstream
• E vcd MPEG-1 Systems / MPEG program stream (VCD)
• D vivo Vivo
• D vmd Sierra VMD
• E vob MPEG-2 PS (VOB)
• D vobsub VobSub subtitle format

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• DE voc Creative Voice

• D vplayer VPlayer subtitles
• D vqf Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) TwinVQ
• DE w64 Sony Wave64
• DE wav WAV / WAVE (Waveform Audio)
• D wc3movie Wing Commander III movie
• E webm WebM
• E webm_chunk WebM Chunk Muxer
• DE webm_dash_manifest WebM DASH Manifest
• E webp WebP
• D webp_pipe piped webp sequence
• DE webvtt WebVTT subtitle
• D wsaud Westwood Studios audio
• D wsvqa Westwood Studios VQA
• DE wtv Windows Television (WTV)
• DE wv raw WavPack
• D xa Maxis XA
• D xbin eXtended BINary text (XBIN)
• D xmv Microsoft XMV
• D xwma Microsoft xWMA
• D yop Psygnosis YOP
• DE yuv4mpegpipe YUV4MPEG pipe

Syncing Mixbus to Non-Linear Editing software

See: (Clocks & Synchronization)

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21. Preferences
This page discusses the preference folder. If you would like to learn about the
preference window please visit Preference Window

Your Mixbus preferences are stored in 2 places:

Session->Properties

• This stores the preferences for the current session

• For more details see Session Properties Window

Edit->Preferences ( or Mixbus->Preferences on Mac OSX )

• This stores your global preferences which are applicable ALL sessions
• For more details, see Preferences Window

Preferences file location, and clearing the preferences:

Mixbus preferences are stored in the Mixbus preference folder. The location of the
folder varies with each OS ( Mac, Windows, or Linux )

You can clear your preferences by deleting a single file or the entire Mixbus
preferences folder. If Mixbus cannot find a preferences folder or file, it will create a
new one with default contents. More details about the Preferences folder can be
found in Power-User Topics.

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22. Clocks & Synchronization

Clocks
Mixbus provides two clocks which display the current position of the playhead.
Having 2 clocks is a convenience: for example you can leave one clock showing
“musical” time (such as bars/beats) while the other clock shows time in
hours:minutes: seconds.

Right-click on a clock to change the mode of the clock. A menu appears with the
available options.

* To learn more about clocks in the transport toolbar, visit the Transport Bar
section.

* Note: There are several other clocks in Mixbus, such as the Nudge clock and the
SMPTE offset clock. These clocks can also be set to any mode, so you can (for
example) set the nudge clock to advance in bars:beats instead of
minutes:seconds.

Some clock modes have smaller sub-displays which show the current meter/tempo,
SMPTE format, or sample rate (in applicable modes).

It is possible to click on a clock and directly enter a time code location directly.
Pressing “Enter” will locate the playhead to the new time.

* Tip: you can point at a clock element (minutes, seconds, beats, or whatever) and
use the mouse-wheel (or 2-finger scroll on a touchpad) to quickly tweak the
value without entering it manually.

Synchronization
Mixbus allows selection of several synchronization sources: Internal, LTC, MTC, and
JACK

• Internal: The playhead position is defined by Mixbus; all transport commands

come from Mixbus.

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• LTC: The playhead position and transport state will be determined from
incoming LTC (SMPTE) timecode.
• MTC: The playhead position and transport state will be determined from
incoming MIDI Time Code.
• JACK: The playhead position and transport state will be determined from JACK.
Transport commands initiated from Mixbus will be applied to all
JACK-synchronized programs. (JACK is a third party program, and is not
included with Mixbus 3, however, MB3 can utilize JACK if it is installed in your
system.)

* Note: A list of JACK-aware programs is listed at: http://jackaudio.org/applications

• Time Master (JACK only): Only one JACK-synchronized program can be the
“Time master”. When JACK sync is used the timelines of the synchronized
programs are located using the sample-clock offset. Since different programs
may have different tempo maps, or methods of handling musical time, the
“time master” identifies the machine that will define the musical time (bars/
beats) position of the song. This is for advanced users only.

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22.1. External Synchronization

Synchronization
Mixbus can synchronize to external hardware or software in three ways:

• LTC (Linear Time Code, sometimes called SMPTE) fed from an audio input.
• MTC (Midi Time Code) fed from a MIDI input
• Midi Clock (sometimes called Midi Beat Clock) fed from a MIDI input
• JACK

In all 3 cases, Mixbus can be the source ( it sends the timecode to the other devices
or software) or a destination (in which case Mixbus will “chase” the other source).
In most cases, the digital workstation should be the Master (source) device, so
Mixbus will normally be the Master. But there are cases when you need to do it the
other way, too.

Each method has different requirements and capabilities.

• LTC (sometimes called SMPTE) uses a channel of audio to encode a

continuously-running timecode position. The master device generates this
signal, and the chasing devices use this stream to determine the master’s
position and speed. LTC has the benefit of using everyday audio signals for
sync, but the underlying software has to be pretty smart to decode the
position. Implementations vary from very good to very bad.
• MT
MTCC is similar to LTC, but uses a MIDI channel to encode the position. It is
much easier for developers to interpret, and it uses widely available MIDI
cables and connections. However it is slightly less robust because of the
decoupling between the MIDI and the audio clocks in most computers.
• JACK allows 2 or more software applications on your computer to share their
timecode position and speed, without any audio or MID connections required
by the user. JACK synchronization has several benefits over MTC & LTC, but it is
not likely to be available on most commercial software, or external gear like a
drum machine.

The “Internal/External Sync” button enables or disables external chase. If external

sync is disabled, the button shows “Internal”, and Mixbus will use its own internal
clock and transport controls.

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* Regardless of the “Internal/External Sync” button, Mixbus always sends sync, so

other machines can follow it.

You select the synchronization source from the Preferences. Sync source is globally
selected, it doesn’t change with each session you have open. This matches most
people’s needs, since most people have a studio setup that doesn’t change
depending on the session they are using.

When syncing to external timecode, you will see a display showing the current
external timecode value, and a “Delta” value indicating Mixbus’s offset from the
master device:

Mixbus’s timecode sync functions are largely developed by the Ardour open-source
community. For more details, see the applicable chapters in the Ardour manual:
http://manual.ardour.org/synchronization/timecode-generators-and-slaves/

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22.2. Transport and Timecode Sync

External transport is composed of 2 different mechanisms:

1. Transport position ( for example: measure 4, beat 2, or SMPTE location

00:05:01.5 )
2. Transport speed ( for example: playing, stopped, or rewinding )

Methods of Transport and Timecode Sync using MIDI

MMC ( “midi machine control” ) sends commands like Play, Stop, Locate, and
Rewind when they are initiated by the master.

MT
MTC
C ( “midi transport control’” ) sends a continuous stream of the master’s
position. From this, the playback speed can be derived.

Often MMC and MTC are combined in a single MIDI wire, to provide actions like
“locating”, as well as continuous transport position of the master.

It is also common to send MMC commands from multiple machines to the Master
machine. in this way, pressing the “Play” button on a remote machine can tell
Mixbus to start playing. Mixbus then sends MTC timecode to all chasing machines
so they sync to the master’s position.

Methods of Transport and Timecode Sync using audio

LTC ( “Linear Time Code” ) typically uses the SMPTE protocol to provide the current
position, like MTC. It is sent at a higher rate than MTC and can therefore provide
more accurate time sync. LTC requires an audio port on the master & slave devices.
LTC is common among professional video equipment, but not very prevalent among
musical devices such as drum machines.

Factors that affect quality of synchronization

It is recommended that the digital recorder (usually Mixbus) is the master device,
and sends a sync signal to the slave device(s).

To maintain “perfect” sync between 2 devices, you should use digital devices that
are driven by a common master sample-rate clock. If 2 devices are using the same
digital clock, then once sync is achieved, both devices will play at the same rate.

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This is why it is important to use a master sample-clock when possible.

The quality of the synchronization will be heavily dependent on the quality of the
sync signal from the master machine, and the ability of the slave machine to follow
the sync signal.

MIDI input&output from a computer suffers from problems of “latency” (delay) &
“Jitter” (changing delay). This is worst with USB-connected devices which are
subject to the USB protocol buffering. For this reason,

Generating an external clock from Mixbus ( Mixbus is Master )

This method is preferred when you’d like to sync an external device ( like a drum
machine ) to Mixbus. This is the most common use for MTC/MMC synchronization.

By default, Mixbus is already configured to send MTC/MMC. To send the sync signal
to an external device, the user must only connect Mixbus’s MTC+MMC ports to the
appropriate MIDI wire. To do that, click on Window->MIDI Connections. Then select
“Mixbus Misc” on the left tab, and “Hardware” on the bottom tab. Then click in the
grid to make connections, as shown below:

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Syncing Mixbus to an external clock ( Mixbus is Slave )

Mixbus can respond to external timecode control ( via MMC or OSC ) or timecode
sync ( via MTC or LTC/SMPTE audio )

External Sync is initiated with the “Internal/External” sync button, to the right of the
transport buttons on the editor.

Synchronization sources and options are set in the Preferences Window

When slaved to an external clock, Mixbus uses a high quality DLL (delay-locked-
loop) to stabilize the incoming signal. This allows Mixbus to synchronize closely with
an external signal, even if it has a lot of jitter.

If the sync source uses the same digital master clock as Mixbus, then once sync is
achieved, they are guaranteed to continue playing & recording at the same rate.

If the 2 sources do NOT have the same sample-rate clock, then Mixbus’s behavior
changes between playback and recording:
1) When playing back material, Mixbus will speed up & slow down to match the
incoming clock position.
2) When recording material, Mixbus will achieve sync when recording starts, and
recording will continue at the sample-clock rate, regardless of the changes in the
incoming clock position.

Also see External Synchronization

Mixbus’s transport and timecode sync functions are largely developed by the
Ardour open-source community. For more details, see the applicable chapters in the
Ardour manual:

• http://manual.ardour.org/synchronization/timecode-generators-and-slaves/
• http://manual.ardour.org/synchronization/overview-of-timecode-related-
settings/

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22.3. Transport Masters

To access the Transport Masters dialog, go to the Window menu and choose
“Transport Masters”.

In the window the user can select the Mixbus clock source. Four choices are
available:

• JACK
• MTC (MIDI Time Code)
• LTC (Linear Time Code) (SMPTE)
• MIDI clock

Controls

• Select: select which of the timecode inputs that Mixbus will chase
• Name: in the case of multiple timecode sources of the same type, the user
may assign a name here.
• Type: one of the available sync options: LTC, MTC, or Midi Clock
• Sour
Source:
ce: Select the appropriate audio (for LTC) or MIDI (for MTC/Midi Clock)
input
• For
ormat:
mat: a display of the incoming timecode format. Determined automatically.
This cannot be changed.
• Sync PPosition
osition + Delta: the current timecode position of the sync engine, and its
delta with respect to this timecode source (in seconds, milliseconds, or
samples)
• Last Message + Age: the value of the last message received at the input, and
the time it was received (if this isn’t changing then it suggests your input is not

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clean)
• Active Commands: some TC formats can send transport commands embedded
in the timecode. Set the options you’d like to activate here.
• Clock Synced: if the timecode source uses the same digital clock as Mixbus,
then you should select this option. It allows Mixbus to sync more quickly and
closely since we know the speeds of the 2 devices are identical.
• 29.97/30 : check this box to indicate that the timecode source is 29.97
• Remove (only available for user-added timecode sources)

Add a new transport master

master:: Click this button to create a new LTC, MTC, or Midi
Clock source. You may have multiples of each source, and choose which one to
chase.

Keep RRolling
olling if sync is lost: in an important recording, you might prefer for Mixbus
to continue playing/recording even if the sync input is lost or no longer matches
Mixbus’s transport state.

* Previous versions of Mixbus would not permit recording during varispeed

operation. Starting in v6, Mixbus will varispeed to chase the clock source
selected, and allow recording while varispeeding.

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23. External Control

Mixbus can respond to external controllers using 4 different
protocols:

Generic MIDI ( also called “MIDI Learn” )

Mixbus can accept MIDI control-messages from any MIDI-enabled device that sends
CC (continuous controller) or NRPN messages. Many MIDI keyboards include MIDI
controller knobs and switches that can be bound to Mixbus mixer-strip controls or
transport controls.

Mixbus can use controls directly by using “MIDI Learn”. With this method, you tell
Mixbus exactly what control you want to adjust on-screen, and then you turn your
physical controller to “assign” it to that knob.

Alternatively, you can use a pre-defined “Binding map” which preconfigures your
device’s controls to work with Mixbus. You can choose from a predefined list, or you
can create your own binding file, and share it with other Mixbus users.

Mackie MCU

The “Mackie Control” protocol allows controllers with motorized faders (typically 8
or more) to control the Mixbus mixer.

Presonus Faderport

The Presonus Faderport is an inexpensive controller with 1 motorized fader, one

knob, and several buttons. Mixbus provides a dedicated control mode for the
Faderport.

OSC control

OSC ( Open Sound Control ) is a network protocol that allows you to control Mixbus
from an ethernet-connected controller.

Enabling External Controllers

Mixbus will recognize a number of external controller protocols, but the ones you

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need must be enabled in Edit -> Preferences -> Control Surfaces.

Enable the controller protocol you need by checking the box for the controller you
have.

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23.1. MIDI Control Surfaces

Generic MIDI Control

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xfdSe2aPKDI?rel=0

Page 849 of 1025

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/k0UBT3MScZE?rel=0

Mixbus can respond to MIDI control messages such as transport control, knobs,
sliders and switches.

MIDI remote-control protocols are largely developed by the Ardour open-source

community, and you can find documentation on the Ardour website.

Mixbus uses 2 different mechanisms for MIDI control surfaces:

• MIDI Lear
earn:
n: http://manual.ardour.org/using-control-surfaces/generic-midi/midi-
learn/
• MIDI Binding Maps: http://manual.ardour.org/using-control-surfaces/midi-
binding-maps/

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23.2. Mackie MCU-compatible fader

controllers

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ywl_YMh8j9A?rel=0

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/RoNzXnUNrDQ?rel=0

Mixbus supports fader controllers that use the Mackie “MCU” protocol

To use a Mackie control device, you must follow these steps:

1. Consult the device’s manual, and configure the device for “Mackie Control”
protocol ( not HUI )
2. Open Preferences->Control Surfaces, and click the checkbox to enable
“Mackie”
3. Double-click the Mackie line to open the configuration panel.
4. Choose your device, or the closest equivalent, from the “Device Type” list
5. Choose the MIDI input and output ports for the device

…. after step 5, the faders should immediately jump to their correct position.

Because the capabilities of fader controllers vary widely, you may find that some
buttons don’t exist, or don’t work as expected, on your device. The documentation
below applies to the original Mackie MCU, and very-similar devices such as the

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Behringer X-Touch.

Encoder Assign Buttons:

The Encoder Assign buttons define what the knobs above each fader do.

• Track: To use the Track controls, you must first “select” a channel using a
channel Select button. The 8 knobs will switch to show the channel’s Input
trim, solo isolate, solo lock, and polarity switches.
• Pan/Surround: This is the default setting. When this is selected, each channel’s
knob will control its pan. Clicking the knob will toggle the master bus assign
on/off.
• EQ: To use the EQ controls, you must first “select” a channel using a channel
Select button. The 8 knobs will switch to show the selected channel’s EQ
settings (this varies for channels vs mixbuses vs master bus )
• Send: To use the Send controls, you must first “select” a channel using a
channel Select button. The 8 knobs will switch to show the channel’s mixbus
send levels. You can adjust the send level with a knob, or click the send to
enable/disable it. You may also click the “Flip” button to control the mixbus
send levels from the fader.
• Plug-In: this feature is currently unimplemented.
• Inst: For Mixbus, “Inst” is used to control the channel compressor. To use the
Compressor controls, you must first “select” a channel using a channel Select
button. The 8 knobs will switch to show the selected channel’s compressor
settings.

! The EQ, Send, and Dyn (“Inst”) modes will follow the selected channel. Selecting
EQ mode, and then selecting a different channel, will continue to show the EQ
knobs, but for the new channel. This is a very nice way to advance through your
channels and adjust each channels EQ, in turn.

Global View Buttons:

The Global View buttons select which subset of available channels will be visible on
the fader surface.

• Global View : this resets the view to showing channels in sequential order, with
the first available mixer channel on the far left of the surface.
• MIDI Tracks: this shows only the MIDI (instrument) tracks on the surface. Audio
tracks and buses will be skipped over, if you adjust the Channel or Bank

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buttons.
• Inputs: This shows “buses” that were created with the New Track dialog. Buses
are often used as live inputs to the mixer. MIDI tracks, audio tracks, and
mixbuses will be skipped over, if you adjust the Channel or Bank buttons.
• Audio Tracks: this shows only the Audio tracks on the control surfaces. Midi
tracks and buses will be skipped over, if you adjust the Channel or Bank
buttons.
• Audio Inst: This operates the same as MIDI Tracks button.
• Aux: This operates the same as the Inputs button.
• Buses: This shows the mix buses.
• Outputs: Currently unimplemented; this will show the Click (metronome),
Auditioner (solo bus), and Monitor buses in the future.
• User: This shows the first 8 channels that are “selected” in the mixer GUI. This
allows you to select a discontiguous collection of channels, and control them
side-by-side on the control surface.

Function Buttons:

The 8 Function buttons can be assigned any “action” ( keyboard shortcut ) in the
Macke setup dialog.

Modify:

The Modify buttons are used, similar to modifiers on your keyboard, to add
additional features to the Mackie protocols. For example, Shift+Undo is “Redo”.
Note that the Mackie modifier keys do NOT affect what you are doing with the
keyboard/mouse. The “Shift” key is largely used for default functions. The “Control,
Command, and Alt” buttons are reserved for users to assign their own actions.

Automation:

The Automation buttons apply to the selected track’s fader. The “Group” button
currently turns automation OFF. “Latch”, and “Trim” are currently disabled, but
these features will be added in the future.

Utility:

• Save: Saves the currently-opened session snapshot

• Undo: un-does the most recent editor operation (such as a recording).
Shift+Undo to “redo”.
• Cancel: Deselects all tracks and objects.
• Enter: Selects all tracks.

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Transport:

• Marker: Creates a new marker. Shift+Marker deletes the marker (if one is
currently under the playhead). Marker+ffwd = next marker; Marker+rewd =
last marker
• Nudge: Combined with the ffwd/rewind buttons, this will nudge the playhead
forward or back.
• Cycle: This initiates a “loop” playback between the Loop markers, if you are
currently playing. Shift+cycle = use currently selected range as the Loop
range.
• Drop: sometimes called “Mark In”: This uses the current playhead location to
set the selection start time. Shift+Drop = Toggle Punch IN.
• Replace: sometimes called “Mark Out”: This uses the current playhead location
to set the selection end time. Shift+Replace = Toggle Punch OUT.
• Click: this toggles the Click (metronome) on and off. Shift+Click = Set Punch
range to current range selection.
• Solo: This clears any track solo’s that are currently engaged. Shift+Solo =
• Fader Bank: this advances the faders by 8
• Channel: this advances the channels by 1
• Scrub: currently no function is assigned to this button.
• Zoom: this modifies the directional arrows and Jog Wheel to “zoom” rather
than move the view.
• Directional arrows: the directional arrows move the editor view. If the Zoom
button is engaged, they zoom the x and y axes.
• Jog Wheel: adjusting the wheel will move the playhead. If the “Zoom” button is
engaged, then the wheel zooms in&out on the timeline

* The Mackie remote-control protocol talks to the Mixbus session directly, and isn’t
directly related to what you see on the screen. However it does follow the order
of tracks in the mixer page, and it does not show “hidden” tracks.

The Mackie MCU protocol support is largely developed by the Ardour open-source
community. To learn more about fader controllers using the Mackie MCU protocol,
please visit the Ardour manual pages: http://manual.ardour.org/using-control-
surfaces/devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol/

* Mixbus does not currently support the older Mackie “HUI” protocol. Many devices
provide the “HUI” protocol because it is the only 3rd-party protocol that can be
used with ProTools. However, the HUI protocol is very limited. Nearly every

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device implements the newer “Mackie Control” protocol, which provides higher-
resolution faders, more buttons, and other benefits. Mixbus uses this better
protocol to talk with your device. Check your device to see which modes it
provides.

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23.3. Presonus Faderport (original)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tht2eiJIjiA?rel=0

Presonus Faderport

The Presonus Faderport is a one-channel controller with a single touch-sensitive

motorized fader, pan knob, and transport controls. Mixbus has a special mode for
the FaderPort which provides dedicated features for this hardware.

When attached, the Faderport follows the selected (red-bordered) channel. You can
change the selection with the Faderport’s > and < buttons.

The Faderport has these controls:

• Fader
• Pan knob
• Mute / Solo / Rec-Arm
• Channel Select, including Output(*)

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• Fader automation mode: Read, Write, Touch, Off

• Undo ( shift+Undo to redo )
• Punch : blinks when auto-punch (in or out) is enabled
• Transport Controls including Loop, Markers, and Goto Start/End, as shown.
• Mix, Proj, Trns, and User are user-assignable buttons, see below.

The “Bank” button is currently unused.

The Faderport’s control panel provides a means to assign functions to the various
buttons:

* Clicking the “Output” button will cause the Faderport’s fader and mute to control
the Master bus. Holding Shift+Output will cause the Faderport to control the
MONITOR bus fader and mute.

* It is not currently possible to assign the Faderport to a VCA fader, but we expect
to add this feature immediately after v4.0.

Remote-control protocols are largely developed by the Ardour open-source

community, and you can find documentation about the FaderPort on the Ardour
website: http://manual.ardour.org/using-control-surfaces/Presonus_FaderPort/

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23.4. Presonus Faderport, Faderport8 and

Faderport16
Presonus Faderport8

The Presonus Faderport8 is an eight-channel controller with eight touch-sensitive

motorized faders, a multi-purpose encoder knob, and transport controls. Mixbus has
a special mode for the FaderPort8 which provides dedicated features for this
hardware.

The Faderport8 may be used as an MCU device, but most users will prefer to use
the custom “Faderport8” mode. In this mode, the Faderport8 closely matches the
behavior described in the Faderport8 manual when controlling Presonus StudioOne.
( Presonus and StudioOne are trademarks of Presonus ).

To enable the Faderport8, visit the settings in Preferences->Control Sufaces:

* The Faderport16 operates identically to the FP8, but it provides 16 faders.

Mixbus’s Faderport8 operation was funded by Harrison, and developed largely by

the Ardour open-source community. You will find up-to-date documentation for the
Faderport8 operation at:
http://manual.ardour.org/using-control-surfaces/PreSonus_FaderPort8

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23.5. Tascam US-2400

The Tascam US-2400 was produced from roughly 2007 – 2010. It provides 24
channels, each with a fader, mute+solo+select switches, and a knob with led
indications. It also has a master section with a master fader, transport controls, and
function keys.

Connecting the US-2400:

* To utilize the US-2400, first make sure to set the unit to mode “4”. Refer to the
US-2400 manual to set modes.

The US-2400 provides 6 separate MIDI input and output ports. Select the 4 input
and 4 output ports as described in the control panel.

The fifth pair of ports may be used as a “Generic MIDI controller” or for some other
task.

The sixth pair of ports is unused. We believe this is likely used to light the “bank
indicator LEDs” on the unit, but no documentation has been found for this feature.

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Function Keys:
Hold the “F-Key” button and press F1..F6 to trigger a function button. you can
assign the action of the function button as well as some other “Shifted” buttons
using the “Function Keys” tab:

Operating the US-2400:

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/QHJwTncc2e4?rel=0

Each channelstrip provides a touch-sensitive fader, Mute, Solo, and Select switch.
By default, the channelstrip knob provides left/right pan control of the channels.
When the Select switch is lit for a channel, the channel’s parameters are mapped to
the 24 knobs:

Mixbus32c Input Mixbus Input Mix-Bus Master

Master-Bus
-Bus

1 Input Trim Input Trim Input Trim Input Trim

2 Left/Right Pan Left/Right Pan Input Trim unused

Compressor Compressor Compressor Compressor

3
Threshold Threshold Threshold Threshold

4 Compressor Speed Compressor Speed Compressor Speed Compressor Speed

5 Compressor Mode Compressor Mode Compressor Mode Compressor Mode

6 Compressor Makeup Compressor Makeup Compressor Makeup Compressor Makeup

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7 High-Pass Filter Freq High-Pass Filter Freq Tape Drive Tape Drive

8 Low-Pass Filter Freq Band 1 Gain Band 1 Gain Band 1 Gain

9 Band 1 Freq Band 1 Freq Band 2 Gain Band 2 Gain

10 Band 1 Gain Band 2 Gain Band 3 Gain Band 3 Gain

11 Band 2 Freq Band 2 Freq unused unused

12 Band 2 Gain Band 3 Gain unused unused

13 Band 3 Freq Band 3 Freq unused unused

14 Band 3 Gain unused unused unused

15 Band 4 Freq unused unused unused

16 Band 4 Gain unused unused unused

17 Mixbus Send 1 Level Mixbus Send 1 Level unused unused

18 Mixbus Send 2 Level Mixbus Send 2 Level unused unused

19 Mixbus Send 3 Level Mixbus Send 3 Level unused unused

20 Mixbus Send 4 Level Mixbus Send 4 Level unused unused

21 Mixbus Send 5 Level Mixbus Send 5 Level unused unused

22 Mixbus Send 6 Level Mixbus Send 6 Level unused unused

23 Mixbus Send 7 Level Mixbus Send 7 Level unused unused

24 Mixbus Send 8 Level Mixbus Send 8 Level unused unused

Master Fader
The Master fader has 3 special-function switches:
Select
Select: this selects the Master bus and assigns its controls to the knobs, like any
other channel.
Clr Solo
Solo: this clears any soloe’d channels and buses
Flip
Flip: This switches the first 8 faders (or 12 for 32C) to operate as the mixbuses
instead of input channels.

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Joystick:
To utilize the joystick, first “Select” a channel, and then click the “NULL” button to
tell Mixbus that the joystick is active, and send the initial joystick position to
Mixbus.

The Joystick has these functions:

• Left/Right will pan mixbuses 11 and 12

• Up/Down will adjust the level of mixbusses 11 and 12, in opposite order

Watch the video to see how this can be treated as a “surround panner” for a stereo
signal!

Global section:
Click the “Pan” button to return to default operation, showing input channels and
their associated pan knobs.

The “Meter” button switches the channelstrip knobs to show the meter level of the
associated channel.

The “Chan” button switches the knobs above the faders to operate as 24 generic
MIDI knobs which can send MIDI CC values.

The “Send” buttons have no operation by default. Hold “F” and press one of the 6
Send keys to activate a Function-key action. F-key actions are configured in the
control panel.

Transport controls provide rewind, play, stop and master-record enable.

Bank +/- buttons are provided to increment the faders in banks of 24.

In & Out buttons are provided to trigger “Range select start” and “Range select
End” function.

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OSC Control

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhr5BLH8AnM?rel=0

The OSC protocol can be used to remotely control Mixbus via Ethernet.

OSC Control provides the ability to initiate any “action” (i.e. anything that can be
activated by a keybinding), as well as direct access to editor, track and bus
settings. OSC can be used to “script” events in Mixbus using an external scripting
platform. A complete description of OSC is beyond the scope of this manual.

There are 3 common programs used to remotely control Mixbus:

• TouchOSC – see Harrison’s TTC-1 Control Layout for TouchOSC

• Lemur – see Harrison’s LTI Control Layout for Lemur
• Open Stage Control

The following is a summary of the features that are available

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from OSC:
• (s) denotes a string argument
• (i) denotes an integer argument
• (f) denotes a float argument

Sending this message will trigger the associated keybinding “action” in Mixbus:

• /access_action (s)

Transport Functions:

• /add_marker
• /add_marker (f)
• /access_action s
• /loop_toggle
• /loop_toggle (f)
• /loop_location (ii)
• /goto_start
• /goto_start (f)
• /goto_end
• /goto_end (f)
• /scrub (f)
• /jog (f)
• /jog/mode (f)
• /rewind
• /rewind (f)
• /ffwd
• /ffwd (f)
• /transport_stop
• /transport_stop (f)
• /transport_play
• /transport_play (f)
• /transport_frame
• /transport_speed
• /record_enabled
• /set_transport_speed (f)

Editor functions:

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• /locate (ii)
• /save_state
• /save_state (f)
• /prev_marker
• /prev_marker (f)
• /next_marker
• /next_marker (f)
• /undo
• /undo (f)
• /redo
• /redo (f)
• /toggle_punch_in
• /toggle_punch_in (f)
• /toggle_punch_out
• /toggle_punch_out (f)
• /rec_enable_toggle
• /rec_enable_toggle (f)
• /toggle_all_rec_enables
• /toggle_all_rec_enables (f)
• /all_tracks_rec_in (f)
• /all_tracks_rec_out (f)
• /cancel_all_solos (f)
• /remove_marker
• /remove_marker (f)
• /jump_bars (f)
• /jump_seconds (f)
• /mark_in
• /mark_in (f)
• /mark_out
• /mark_out (f)
• /toggle_click
• /toggle_click (f)
• /midi_panic
• /midi_panic (f)
• /toggle_roll
• /toggle_roll (f)
• /stop_forget
• /stop_forget (f)
• /set_punch_range

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• /set_punch_range (f)
• /set_loop_range
• /set_loop_range (f)
• /set_session_range
• /set_session_range (f)
• /toggle_monitor_mute
• /toggle_monitor_mute (f)
• /toggle_monitor_dim
• /toggle_monitor_dim (f)
• /toggle_monitor_mono
• /toggle_monitor_mono (f)
• /quick_snapshot_switch
• /quick_snapshot_switch (f)
• /quick_snapshot_stay
• /quick_snapshot_stay (f)
• /fit_1_track
• /fit_1_track (f)
• /fit_2_tracks
• /fit_2_tracks (f)
• /fit_4_tracks
• /fit_4_tracks (f)
• /fit_8_tracks
• /fit_8_tracks (f)
• /fit_16_tracks
• /fit_16_tracks (f)
• /fit_32_tracks
• /fit_32_tracks (f)
• /fit_all_tracks
• /fit_all_tracks (f)
• /zoom_100_ms
• /zoom_100_ms (f)
• /zoom_1_sec
• /zoom_1_sec (f)
• /zoom_10_sec
• /zoom_10_sec (f)
• /zoom_1_min
• /zoom_1_min (f)
• /zoom_5_min
• /zoom_5_min (f)

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• /zoom_10_min
• /zoom_10_min (f)
• /zoom_to_session
• /zoom_to_session (f)
• /temporal_zoom_in (f)
• /temporal_zoom_in
• /temporal_zoom_out
• /temporal_zoom_out (f)
• /scroll_up_1_track (f)
• /scroll_up_1_track
• /scroll_dn_1_track (f)
• /scroll_dn_1_track
• /scroll_up_1_page (f)
• /scroll_up_1_page
• /scroll_dn_1_page (f)
• /scroll_dn_1_page
• /bank_up
• /bank_up (f)
• /bank_down
• /bank_down (f)
• /use_group (f)

Controls for special strips:

• /master/gain (f)
• /master/fader (f)
• /master/db_delta (f)
• /master/mute (i)
• /master/trimdB (f)
• /master/pan_stereo_position (f)
• /master/select (f)
• /monitor/gain (f)
• /monitor/fader (f)
• /monitor/db_delta (f)
• /monitor/mute (i)
• /monitor/dim (i)
• /monitor/mono (i)

Controls for the Selected strip:

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• /select/recenable (i)
• /select/record_safe (i)
• /select/mute (i)
• /select/solo (i)
• /select/solo_iso (i)
• /select/solo_safe (i)
• /select/monitor_input (i)
• /select/monitor_disk (i)
• /select/polarity (i)
• /select/gain (f)
• /select/fader (f)
• /select/db_delta (f)
• /select/trimdB (f)
• /select/pan_stereo_position (f)
• /select/pan_stereo_width (f)
• /select/send_gain (if)
• /select/send_fader (if)
• /select/send_enable (if)
• /select/master_send_enable (i)
• /select/send_page (f)
• /select/plug_page (f)
• /select/plugin (f)
• /select/expand (i)
• /select/pan_elevation_position (f)
• /select/pan_frontback_position (f)
• /select/pan_lfe_control (f)
• /select/comp_enable (f)
• /select/comp_threshold (f)
• /select/comp_speed (f)
• /select/comp_mode (f)
• /select/comp_makeup (f)
• /select/eq_enable (f)
• /select/eq_hpf/freq (f)
• /select/eq_hpf/enable (f)
• /select/eq_hpf/slope (f)
• /select/eq_lpf/freq (f)
• /select/eq_lpf/enable (f)
• /select/eq_lpf/slope (f)
• /select/eq_gain (if)

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• /select/eq_freq (if)
• /select/eq_q (if)
• /select/eq_shape (if)

Track Controls:

• /strip/mute (ii)
• /strip/solo (ii)
• /strip/solo_iso (ii)
• /strip/solo_safe (ii)
• /strip/recenable (ii)
• /strip/record_safe (ii)
• /strip/monitor_input (ii)
• /strip/monitor_disk (ii)
• /strip/expand (ii)
• /strip/select (ii)
• /strip/polarity (ii)
• /strip/gain (if)
• /strip/fader (if)
• /strip/trimdB (if)
• /strip/pan_stereo_position (if)
• /strip/pan_stereo_width (if)
• /strip/plugin/parameter (iiif)
• /strip/plugin/parameter/print (iii)
• /strip/plugin/activate (ii)
• /strip/plugin/deactivate (ii)
• /strip/send/gain (iif)
• /strip/send/fader (iif)
• /strip/send/enable (iif)
• /strip/name (is)
• /strip/sends (i)
• /strip/receives (i)
• /strip/plugin/list (i)
• /strip/plugin/descriptor (ii)
• /strip/plugin/reset (ii)

Misc:

• /refresh

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• /refresh (f)
• /strip/list
• /strip/list (f)

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Lemur
What is Lemur?
Lemur is a very advanced application that lets you build custom OSC and MIDI
controller interfaces using a powerful networking protocol implemented by your
favorite digital audio work stations. These interfaces have numerous applications
from live performance to writing and, now, mixing. It runs on both iOS and Android,
allowing users of both platforms to share interfaces and run in tandem.

What is the LTI Lemur Touch Interface?

“LTI” is Harrison’s Lemur interface layout, developed in-house as a remote control
surface for Mixbus, using the Lemur application.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/yDde6f1eWQ4?rel=0

Because the LTI uses the Lemur editor application, the Harrison LTI controller layout

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may be modified by you, the end-user.

Instructions
Here are some instructions for use:

1. If you haven’t already, purchase the Lemur application from your relevant App
Store. (Android and iOS are both supported,)
2. Install the application and make sure it runs correctly on your device
(Generally speaking, we wouldn’t recommend running the LTI on a screen with
a resolution lower than: 1024×768)
3. Go to the Lemur downloads page and download the editor application to your
computer or laptop.
4. Install the application to your computer and then open the application.
5. Download the LTI template here and then open it in the editor. It should look a
lot like this:

6. Open up the Lemur application on your device and then connect your device to
the template editor of your computer using the play button at the top right of
the editor and then verify that it has loaded correctly on your tablet. This
works over WIFI ONL
ONLY
Y. You should see a connection like this:

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7. In Mixbus, go to Edit->Preferences->Control Surfaces and enable OSC via the

check-box. Additionally, make sure that “Port Mode:” is set to Auto R
Reply
eply and
not Manual Mode.

8. On your lemur application, open up the settings and make sure that OSC 0:

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points your computer’s private wifi address with the port of 3819.

9. Finally, Press the master connect (the big purple on on the connections
interface) button and you should see the ring around the button start to flash,
like a heartbeat. This indicates that Mixbus is sending signals back to the
Lemur interface.

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TouchOSC
What is TouchOSC?
TouchOSC is a remote-control application that runs on iOS and Android phones and
tablets.

TouchOSC sends “Open Sound Control” messages to any receiving app. Mixbus has
a rich OSC-compatible remote control API.

TouchOSC is not developed by Harrison; it is developed by Hexler, and it has its own
community forums and website. In keeping with Mixbus’s open-ended development
model, users may view, modify, and edit the TouchOSC layout that we’ve provided
for Mixbus.

If you add a great new feature to the TTC-1 layout, be sure to share it with us, and
we will incorporate your changes so other users will get the benefit as well.

What is the TTC-1 layout?

TouchOSC can load different “layouts” which define the location of the buttons and
widgets, and what messages will be sent to Mixbus over the OSC protocol. We’ve
developed a layout file that allows you to remotely control Mixbus’s transport
features. Because it needs a name, we called it TTC-1, or “TouchOSC Transport
Controller #1”

Installing and launching the TTC-1 controller layout for

Mixbus:
1. Purchase the TouchOSC application from your phone/tablet App Store. (
Android and iOS are both supported,)
2. Also download the TouchOSC editor to your Desktop computer, from the
TouchOSC web site
3. Download Harrison’s TTC-1 tablet layout here: ttc-1 download
4. On your desktop computer, launch the TouchOSC editor, and “Open” the layout
file.
5. In the editor, click “Sync”.
6. In the TouchOSC application (on your phone/tablet), click “Layout -> Add From

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Editor”.
7. You should see you computer name appear in the “Found Hosts” list.
8. Select the new layout for the TouchOSC app, and you should see the TTC-1
control panel appear.
9. Determine your computer’s IP address on the wireless network that is shared
with your phone/tablet.
10. Enter the computer’s IP address in the TouchOSC application.
11. In Mixbus, enable the OSC protocol in Preferences->Control Surfaces.

Using the TouchOSC TTC-1 Controller:

These 2 videos demonstrate the TTC-1 transport controller:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ve8ewSUMvCg?rel=0

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhr5BLH8AnM?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhr5BLH8AnM?rel=0

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23.6. External Transport Control

Transport Control
Mixbus transport (Play, Stop, Locate, etc.) can be controlled by an external input in
3 ways:

• MMC ( Midi Machine Control )

• OSC ( an Ethernet network protocol )
• JACK ( using the JACK server, if it is installed on your computer )

Mixbus’s external transport functions are largely developed by the Ardour open-
source community. For more details, see the applicable chapters in the Ardour
manual: http://manual.ardour.org/synchronization/overview-of-timecode-related-
settings/

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23.7. SSL UF-8 / UF-1

• Mixbus provides dedicated support for SSL’s UF-8 and UF-1controllers via
SSL360 software
• Combine up to (4) SSL UF8’s, and a UF1, for 33 motorized faders of mixing
• Direct access to Mixbus’s channelstrip EQ, Sends, and Dynamics from the UF8
knobs

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24. Harrison’s XT plugins for Mixbus

Harrison’s XT plugins

Harrison’s XT plugins are derived from our experience in digital consoles for music
and post-production tasks.

* Unlike most unlicensed third-party plugins, the sound of Harrison’s bundled XT

plugins is still effective when they aren’t licensed. So if you share a Mixbus
session with someone who doesn’t own a license for these plugins, the sound will
remain correct.

Full access to all of the XT plugins is provided in the Plus and Pro tiers.

Individual plugin licenses may be purchased from the Harrison website, and
customers who previously bought XT plugin licenses may continue to use their
license on Mixbus v10 (regular tier)

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24.1. XT-3D Triple Delay

XT-3D Delay is a creative delay effect. Utilizing 3 separate paths for the Left, Right,
or Center(sum), you can create many different mono or stereo effects.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: Vocals, Guitars, Drums and Keyboards.

Controls:

Input High Cut: Moving this slider to the left will decrease the amount of high
frequencies that are fed to the delay effect.

Input L ow Cut: Moving this slider to the right will decrease the amount of low
Low
frequencies that are fed to the delay effect.

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L,C,R
L,C,R:: the effect has 3 delay paths: one dedicated for the Left, one dedicated for the
Right channel, and a third channel for the Center (sum of left+right). Each channel
has an In knob (the level sent to the input of this delay path), Out knob (output
level of this delay path) and a Fine adjust (a small additional delay for this path,
which can be modulated.)

Wet/Dry knob
knob: Turning this knob to the left will result in a 100% Dry sound (no effect
is heard). Turning the knob to the right will result in 100% Wet sound (no dry signal
is heard). A momentary button for ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ allows you to audition the effect
without permanently changing the knob setting.

* When the 3D delay is used on a bus, it is conventional to use the effect in 100%
“Wet” setting, and adjust the wet signal from the individual track “send” knobs.
So the 3D Delay uses 100% “Wet” as a default value for this knob.

Wet LLevel
evel T
Trim:
rim: This knob adjusts the level of the “wet” signal. You can trim the
effect up to +/-24dB with this slider.

Modulation: Increasing this knob will slightly modulate the path delay times. This
results in a subtle flanging or pitch-modulation effect.

Tempo: The tempo may be entered by tapping the Tap button repeatedly, or
adjusting the knob. If the “Host” button is engaged, then the Tap and Tempo knobs
will be disabled, and the plugin will use the host’s tempo.

16th Snap: Engaging this button will lock the 3 delay icons to multiples of the
tempo, when they are dragged. This makes it easier to generate beat-synced
effects.

Delay Icons L, C, R
R:: Each of the three delay paths is represented by an icon on the
graph. A green signal-present indicator surrounds each icon, when the delay output
has signal. Moving an icon to the left or right will pan that delay path’s output.
Dragging the icon lower will result in a longer delay time.

Presets: Each of these buttons will overwrite all of the current plugin parameters to
match a predefined preset. The selected presets are starting points for the most
popular delay effects.

Feedback section:

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The feedback section has the most dramatic effect on the effect’s decay. In many
cases, you won’t need to adjust these knobs because they are selected by the
Presets. But a deep knowledge of the feedback knobs will allow an experienced user
to realize many sonic possibilities.

LR>C<LR:: this knob adjusts the level of the left and right delayed output that is fed
LR>C<LR
to the input of the center delay path. Turning the knob “left” will feed the left&right
output signals into the center’s delay path. Turning the knob to the right will feed
the output of the center path into the left&right paths. This knob is typically used
for spatial effects and long delays.

L<>R
L<>R:: this knob adjusts how much of the left’s output is sent to the right delay
input, and vice versa. This knob is used for ping-pong effects.

Feedback: this knob adjusts the overall level of feedback paths. Increasing the knob
will reesult in more pronounced feedback effect, and may result in howling
feedback. For dramatic effects, you can automate this knob to drive your effects at
or near 100% feedback.

Linear
Linear:: This knob affects each paths’ feedback from its input to its output. This is
the most common feedback mode.

Damping: This knob defines the cutoff frequency for the feedback path. Increase
the damping knob to emulate analog tape-style delays which result in successively
less high-frequency content in each feedback repeat.

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24.2. XT-BC Bass Character

XT-BC Bass Character is an effect intended for acoustic and electric bass
instruments.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

The Bass Character operates by detecting each musical note when it is played, and
then applying an eq to make the note sound fuller and brighter (or weaker and
duller, if needed).

You can use the Bass Character plugin to solve a problem like: an electric bass with
too much fundamental and little harmonic content; or a bass amp that doesn’t
provide enough fundamental for the played notes on a 5-string bass.

Best when used on: Monophonic Bass instruments.

* NOTE: the XT-BC is for mono tracks only.

Scale + Spectrum Display:

The Bass Character plugin operates like an EQ, but with one difference: the EQ isn’t

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set at fixed frequencies, but rather the eq is applied to each detected note.

The red “spectrum” curve shows the harmonic content of the detected note. The
leftmost line indicates the “fundamental” or first harmonic of the note. Each vertical
line to the right indicates an additional harmonic (2nd harmonic, 3rd, etc). You can
use this graph to determine the balance of an instrument: whether it has too much
or too little fundamental, for example.

Controls:

The Bass Character plugin has 2 EQ bands: “Body” and “Clarity”. These bands are
identical except that the “Body” control is a low-shelving EQ by default, while the
“Clarity” band is a high-shelf EQ.

In/Out switch: The green toggle switch enables/disables each band.

Peaking switch: The yellow toggle switch changes the band to a peaking.

Q slider
slider:: when the Peaking switch is engaged, the Q slider engages, and adjusts the
Q ( sharpness ) of the band’s filter.

Momentary Bypass: the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this

button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the
effect.

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24.3. XT-CC Console Compressor

XT-CC Console Compressor is a full-featured compressor derived from Harrison’s
high-end digital consoles.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: Anything that needs dynamic level control or enhancement

Controls:

Main Input Thr

Threshold:
eshold: The meter displays the input signal, and you should adjust
the threshold to match the peaks of the input signal, or slightly below. This sets the
basic operating range of the compressor.

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Gain R
Reduction
eduction meter
meter:: This shows the compressor gain reduction, up to the
maximum allowable Depth of 15dB

Gain R
Reduction
eduction History graph: This graph displays the last few seconds of the
compressor gain-reduction, allowing you to view a graphical representation of the
compressor’s action over time

Depth: This knob sets the maximum allowable gain reduction that the plugin will
apply.

Attack / R
Release:
elease: These sliders affect the compressor attack and release time,
respectively.

Pgm (Program-dependent attack and release): allows the plugin to monitor the
average level as well as the peak level, to better retain the punch of drums or other
dynamic sources.

Ratio: Increasing the ratio will make the compressor react more aggressively after
the threshold is exceeded. a 3:1 ratio means that an input signal exceeding the
threshold by 3dB will only increase 1dB on the output.

Knee: the knee affects the ratio so that the full ratio isn’t achieved until the input
signal exceeds the threshold by the ‘knee’ amount. Given a 3:1 ratio, and a 4dB
knee, the ratio will be 1:1 when the signal reaches the threshold, and the ratio will
also increase until the full 3:1 ratio is being applied when the signal exceeds the
threshold by 4dB.

Mak
Makeup:
eup: this applies a volume-boost to the output signal. The operation of a
compressor can reduce the average level of a signal. Makeup-gain is provided to
increase the output of the compressed signal.

Exter
External
nal SC: enable this to have the compressor key from a ‘sidechain’ signal
instead of the input signal.

Sidechain Listen: enable this to listen to the sidechain signal. This signal is post-
sidechain-eq. If you have selected an external sidechain then you will hear the
external sidechain signal with the EQ applied.

Sidechain EQ: enable this to listen to apply an EQ to the sidechain signal. This can
customize the compressor’s action to emphasize or ignore a portion of the

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sidechain signal.

Sidechain EQ (shape): choose from the 7 available eq shapes

Sidechain EQ (graph): adjust the sidechain EQ’s frequency and gain (where
applicable)

Presets: four starting presets are provided to apply settings of some common
compression tasks. In many cases you only need to adjust the threshold to match
the input signal, to achieve a good compressor sound.

Momentary Bypass: the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this

button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the
effect.

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24.4. XT-CQ Console EQ

XT-CQ Console EQ 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

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: Anything that needs serious equalization repair-work

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Controls:

Input Meter (IN): Reports the average intensity (volume) of the input signal (in
stereo operation, this meter shows only the Left side)

Output Meter ((OUT

OUT):
): Reports the average intensity (volume) of the output signal,
after it has been processed by the EQ (in stereo operation, this meter shows only
the Left side)

Trim: This slider adjusts the post-eq level. When applying wideband EQ, you can use
the Trim slider to match the input and output meters more closely. Combined with
the Momentary Bypass (below), this allows you to compare the pre- and post-eq
signal with a compensated volume.

Presets: six starting presets are provided to apply settings of some common
compression tasks. In many cases you only need to adjust the threshold to match
the input signal, to achieve a good compressor sound.

Momentary Bypass: the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this

button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the

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effect.

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24.5. XT-DC Drum Character

The XT-DC Drum Character is an effect intended for use on acoustic percussion
instruments, particularly snare and bass drums.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

The Drum Character plugins operates by producing two distinct EQ curves on each
of the primary part of a percussion sound, the transient and the tail.

This allows you to control the exact sonic character of the initial hit of of the
instrument (attack), as well as the roll off (or tail).

Best when used on: Individual drum/percussing instruments

Attack & T
Tail
ail P
Parametric
arametric EQs: The Drum Character plugin features two parametric

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EQs allowing you to EQ both the attack and the tail different from one another

Attack & T
Tail
ail W
Wavefor
aveformm Display
Display:: Here you can choose where on the transient the
attack and the tail actually sit. This display is updated every time a new transient
passes through.

Input Thr
Threshold:
eshold: This vertical slider controls the amount of material that gets into
the plugin.

Trim: This vertical slider allows you to trim the plugin output so the apparent
volume after processing remains the same as the unprocessed signal.

Momentary Bypass: the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this

button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the
effect.

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24.6. XT-DM Dyno-Mite

XT-DM Dyno-Mite follows the dynamics of your track. It detects when the sound is
“decaying” (gradually diminishing after a louder transient). Dyno-Mite affects the
decay rate, either lengthening or truncating the sustain.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: *Drum loops; MIDI drums; Drum overheads; Individual drum
sounds.

Controls:

Thr
Threshold:
eshold: The leftmost bar shows in the input signal level, and a slider to adjust
the processor threshold. The threshold should be set below the signal peaks shown
on the meter. The lower the threshold is set, the more pronounced the effect will
be.

Sustain: the central knob controls the Sustain.

If you turn the knob to the right, this will increasingly add gain while the signal
decays, resulting in a longer sustaining sound. This is sometimes called “upward
compression”. Room ambience will be increased along with the decay of the signal.

If you turn the Sustain knob to the left, Dyno-Mite will accentuate the decay by
reducing the level faster than the unaffected signal. This results in a gated or

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“expanded” sound, with sharper transients and less room ambience.

The meter displays the amount of gain increase (in green) or decrease (in red).
When the Sustain knob is set very low, an automatic makeup gain is applied. You
will see this gain appear on the display.

Out T
Trim:
rim: the rightmost bar provides a trim control. You can use this control to
adjust the final output level after the effect is applied.

Momentary Bypass: the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this

button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the
effect.

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24.7. XT-DS De-Esser

The XT-DS De-Esser is Harrison’s transparent, powerful plugin for taming excessive
sibilance of vocal tracks.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Input Meter, Threshold, and Ess meter:

The “Threshold” slider for the effect is overlaid on the input (“In”) meter.
Lowering the threshold will increase the sensitivity of the de-esser effect.
The “Ess” meter indicates the signal level inside the ess band. If the frequency
band is set correctly for the source material, then this meter will peak when Essy
material is present.
Ess Freq and Ess Depth Control:
This section allows you to pick the low frequency cutoff (200 Hz – 8kHz) for the Ess,
and the max attenuation for the signal (-12dB – 0dB).
Hi Freq and Hi Depth Control:
This section features a shelving unit to tame some of the higher frequency (2 kHz –
12 kHz) content after you’ve pulled out the ‘Ess’. Max attenuation for the shelf is
-12dB.

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Ess Center and Ess Width Control:

The ‘Ess Center’ control allows you to adjust both the Ess Freq and Hi Freq controls
together allowing you move the entire Ess Band in unison. The ‘Ess Width’ control
allows you to control how wide or narrow the Ess bandwidth is.
Attack:
The ‘Attack’ knob controls how long it takes the signal to get to from zero to full
attenuation. (200μs – 20ms)

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24.8. XT-EG Expander/Gate

The XT-EG Expander / Gate is Harrison’s versatile tool for gating noise or gently
increasing the dynamic range of tracks.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Controls

Input Thr
Threshold:
eshold: This vertical slider affects the onset of the Expander/Gate effect.
You should set the threshold to match the level of signal you want to hear. Signals
quieter than this threshold will be affected.

Depth: this affects the maximum gain reduction that the effect will apply. For a full
gate, you should set this value to maximum. For gentle expansion, you should use a
lower value.

Hold(ms)
Hold(ms): when the gate is “opened” by a loud-enough signal, the hold time
ensures that the gate stays open for at least this time. This knob is only operable
when the “Expand” button is not engaged

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Hyster
Hysteresis:
esis: when the gate is “opened” by a loud-enough signal, this prevents the
gate from closing until the signal reduces by this much below the threshold. This
knob is only operable when the “Expand” button is not engaged

Expand
Expand: when this button is engaged, the Hold and Hysteresis knobs are disabled,
and the Ratio and Knee controls become enabled.

Ratio
atio: The ratio defines the aggressiveness of the expansion mode. A low ratio will
require the signal to be significantly lower than the threshold, before much gain
reduction is applied. This knob is only operable when the “Expand” button is
engaged

Knee(dB): this knob affects the onset of the gate. A larger knee means that the
effect’s onset will operate as if the threshold were lower, but the onset of the gain-
reduction will be more gradual. This knob is only operable when the “Expand”
button is engaged

Attack(ms): this adjusts how quickly the gate can “open” when a signal exceeds the
threshold.

Release(ms): this adjusts how quickly the gate can close again, after the signal
reduces below the threshold.

Look
ookahead:
ahead: Using lookahead allows the gate to open “before” the onset of a signal
above the threshold; this can prevent (for example) cutting-off the front of a drum
hit. There are 2 levels of lookahead. When lookahead is engaged, the plugin will
report some latency to the host, so the host can delay other tracks to match the
drum sound back to its un-delayed timing.

Sidechain Controls

The “sidechain” is the signal-detector inside the expander/gate. Filtering the

sidechain does not result in a change to the sound of the signal, but it does affect
how the gate opens/closes. For example, if you want to gate a snare drum, it is
often desirable to find and accentuate a strong frequency of the snare drum, so the
gate is more sensitive to that sound.

* The XT-EG does not have an external input to feed a sidechain signal other than
the main input. We might add this feature in the future.

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Sidechain F
Filter
ilter:: Click this button to enable the sidechain filter.

Listen: Click this button to listen to the sidechain signal, with the filter applied.

Q: This adjusts the sharpness of the filter band.

Frequency
equency:: This moves the frequency of the band to boost. Move the filter until the
sound you want to expand/gate is accentuated, and other sounds are not.

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24.9. XT-GV Gverb+

XT-GV Gverb+ is a creative reverb effect. Utilizing an algorithm that produces
natural room sounds and lush reverb effects alike.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page The XT-GV Gverb+ used to be called simply
“Gverb+” and was part of the Plugin Essentials pack, but has since been
separated. You may still see literature that references its former status.

Best when used on: Vocals, Guitars, Drums and Keyboards.

Controls:

Input High P
Pass
ass F
Filter
ilter:: Moving this slider will decrease the amount of low
frequencies that are fed to the reverb effect.

Input L
Low
ow P
Pass
ass F
Filter
ilter Moving this slider will decrease the amount of high frequencies
that are fed to the reverb effect.

Early Mix Every reverb has two distinct characteristics: Early reflections, and the
reverb’s “tail”. Early reflections define the shape characteristic of the room, and

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typically make it sound more natural as that is how our ears typically hear a
reverberation in the real world. The tail is a lush wash of reverberations that tend to
make reverb sound unrealistic. This slider controls the balance of the two.

Size The size slider controls the overall feeling of the ‘size’ of the room. Turning this
down can cause the reverb characteristic to become more personal or up-close.
While turning it up can cause the characteristic to feel as if you are in the back of a
cathedral.

Decay The decay slider determines how long a reverb’s tail takes to “dissipate” or
“fall off”.

Pre-Delay The Pre Delay controls the amount of time between the dry sound, and
the early reflections and reverb tail. Careful adjustment of this knob, or using
multiple buses with different pre-delay values, can help bring out elements in a mix.
Typically this works great on a vocal that you want to stand out.

Damping The damping control controls the amount of amount of high frequency
content in the reverb. Dampening high frequency content helps promote a warmer
reverb characteristic and sound.

Wet/Dry knob
knob: Turning this knob to the left will result in a 100% Dry sound (no effect
is heard). Turning the knob to the right will result in 100% Wet sound (no dry signal
is heard). A momentary button for ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ allows you to audition the effect
without permanently changing the knob setting.

* When the Gverb+ reverb is used on a bus, it is conventional to use the effect in
100% “Wet” setting, and adjust the wet signal from the individual track “send”
knobs. So the Gverb+ reverb uses 100% “Wet” as a default value for this slider.

Wet LLevel
evel T
Trim:
rim: This slider adjusts the level of the “wet” signal. You can trim the
effect up to +/-24dB with this slider.

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24.10. XT-LC Lookahead Compressor

XT-LC Lookahead Compressor is a solution for very demanding compression tasks
such as acoustic guitar, full mixes, and live vocals. The XT-LC’s lookahead design
can work where other compressors fall short.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Controls

Thr
Threshold:
eshold: The triangle indication on the wide meter arc indicates the compressor
threshold.

Ratio: The ratio knob controls the strength of the compression effect.

Knee: The ‘knee’ control defines how far the signal must exceed the threshold to
achieve full compression. A smaller knee setting will result in more aggressive
compression.

Mak
Makeup
eup Gain: The ‘Makeup Gain’ control allows you to apply additional gain to the
output signal, to ‘make up’ for the attenuation applied by the compression.

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24.11. XT-ME Mastering EQ

The XT-ME Mastering Equalizer is Harrison’s fastest, most precise, and most
transparent EQ for finalizing your mixes.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

The XT-ME has 30 bands of equalization. The filters provide a “flat top” response,
meaning: if you boost 2 adjacent bands, the gain between the bands will be
consistent. (unlike a traditional graphic eq, where 2 adjacent filters will create a
camel-hump)

Each band has approximately 1/3 octave bandwidth. Combined with the flat-top
passband between bands, this makes the XT-ME a highly desirable tool for
mastering your final mix.

To adjust the eq, simply click anywhere and drag to “draw” the desired EQ curve.
Because of the broad and even pass-band between bands, “what you see is what
you get”.

It is possible to adjust a single band (like a graphic eq) by clicking in the band and
dragging up/down. Or point your mouse at a single band and use the mouse-wheel
to adjust only that band.

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Hold “Shift” and drag across the EQ to reset the bands to 0dB.

Trim: This is a clean volume control that adjusts the output level. If you use a lot of
EQ “cuts” then you may need to increase this to match the level. And vice versa.

Filters: A low-pass filter and high-pass filter are provided. Click the green button to
enable the filter, and adjust the slider to move the cutoff frequency.

Momentary Bypass: Click and hold this button to momentarily defeat the EQ. It is a
good idea to use the Trim control to adjust the volume of the EQ’d signal so you can
compare the effect of the EQ, and not just the level difference caused by the EQ.

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24.12. XT-MG Micro Glide

XT-MG Micro Glide is a chorus effect plugin designed to thicken up and liven-up
vocals and instruments.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: Vocals. Bass, Synths, Guitars

Controls:

The XT-MG Micro glide has three controls:

Detune The knob controls the spread of the voices

Delay The knob controls the delay between each voice to add depth to the signal

Wet/Dry knob
knob: Turning this knob to the left will result in a 100% Dry sound (no effect
is heard). Turning the knob to the right will result in 100% Wet sound (no dry signal
is heard). A momentary button for ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ allows you to audition the effect
without permanently changing the knob setting.

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24.13. XT-MC Multiband Compressor

XT-MC Multiband Compressor is a powerful 4-band compressor with phase-accurate
crossovers.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Controls

Input Thr
Threshold:
eshold: The primary control for the XT-MC is the input threshold slider. Pull
the slider down until the threshold is matched to your signal level. Then use the
individual band thresholds to adjust the effect of each band on your system.

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Band contr
controls
ols (top): Each band has an In/Out Switch, a “Solo” button, a threshold
slider (with corresponding band input meter).

Band contr
controls
ols (graph): Inside the graph, you can grab a band edge to change the
depth of each band, and the crossover frequencies between each band.

LF T
Trim
rim: This slider provides makeup gain for the lowest compression band.

Attack (200μs – 20ms)

20ms): The ‘Attack’ knob controls how long it takes the signal
above the threshold to reach full compression.

Release (20ms – 200ms): The ‘Release’ knob controls how long it takes the signal,
once it falls below the threshold, to return to an uncompressed state.

Knee (3dB – 24dB): The ‘knee’ control defines how far the signal must exceed the
threshold to achieve full compression. A smaller knee setting will result in more
aggressive compression.

Mak
Makeup
eup Gain (0dB – 12dB): The ‘Makeup Gain’ control allows you to apply additional
gain to the output signal, to ‘make up’ for the attenuation applied by the
compression.

Presets: A few starting-points for common tasks are provided.

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24.14. XT-SC Spectral Compressor

The AVA Spectral Compressor (AVA-SC) is a dynamics processor that allows you to
apply compression selectively across 18 frequency bands. These compression
bands can either be spread out across the full range of the spectrum, or focused on
a specific frequency range for more precise control.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: Practically anything!

Range:

Here you can select which frequency range you want to operate on. Typically, when
using the Spectral Compressor plugin on a full mix, you want to stay on the “Full
Range” mode.

When using the Spectral Compressor plugin on individual instrument, it is more

useful to pick from the following ranges for utility:

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High Mid (vocal compression plus de-essing, de-harshing, feedback clamping)

Mid (very focused vocal compression)
Low Mid (vocal compression plus rumble reduction)
Low (bass compression, full-mix bass smoothing, and/or rumble reduction)

Compressor Strength:

The compressor mode controls the range (in dB) which the input signal is allowed to
go over the threshold before the gain reduction reaches “max”.

Mode Range

Soft 24㏈

Moderate 20㏈

Hard 12㏈

Brutal 6㏈

Band Controls:

The main interface consists of six band “depth” sliders: Each of the 6 sliders
represents 3 bands of compression.

The green bar indicates the depth

depth: the maximum amount of gain reduction that will
be applied in that band.

Using the “Full Range” mode as an example: the 12-35Hz range will have 3
separate compressor bands in that range. 12-35 Hz represents about 1.5 octaves,
and each of the higher slider ranges contains about 1.5 octaves. So in the “full
range” mode, there are 3 compressors in every 1.5-octave range, or said another
way: there’s a compressor operating in every half-octave range.

The tightest range is the “high” mode which focuses all 18 bands into only 2.5
octaves: That mode is for taming squeaks and squeals in the upper ranges of
hearing.

Controls:

Input thr
threshold:
eshold: Controls the main threshold for all materail entering the
compressor.

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Output T
Trim
rim: Additional gain on the output of the compressor

Momentary Bypass
Bypass: Press this button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing
the button will re-apply the effect.

* This Plugin is also available as an AVA variant! Click here to find out more
information!

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24.15. XT-SP Stunning Phaser

XT-SP “Stunning Phaser” is a creative modulation effect similar to the classic Phaser
guitar effect.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Unlike a traditional phaser, where the modulation is free-running, the XT-SP

provides multiple methods to sync the modulation LFO to the session’s playhead
position. This makes it particularly useful as a production & mixdown effect,
because it always sounds the same.

Best when used on: Vocals, Guitars, Drums and Keyboards…. or anything that needs
a bit of funk-ifying!

Controls:

Selecting various modes will enable/disable the associated controls, depending on

their applicability.

Modes: Select one of 4 main modes:

• Vintage: A single sharp peak and 2 notches. Traditional, clean guitar-pedal

sound.

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• Wide: Several widely-spaced peaks and notches. A more complicated, but still
clean sound.
• Tight: Several tightly-spaced peaks and notches. A dense and complicated
sound.
• Sprung: In Sprung mode, the peaks and notches move faster as the frequency
increases.

Oscillator Shape: select the modulation type:

• Sine: has a “dwell” time at the upper and lower limits. Adjust the vertical
“shape” slider to increase the steepness of the sine wave until it reaches a
square wave.
• Triangle: the most common repeating-cycle shape for a phaser effect. Adjust
the “shape” slider to morph the triangle shape.
• Tri-Saw: Similar to the Triangle wave, but adjusting the “shape” slider will tilt
the shape into a sawtooth.
• Freeform: In freeform mode, the user is presented with sliders for 8 steps in
the oscillator cycle. The “shape” slider is disabled.
• Stepped: in this mode, the user is presented with sliders for 8 steps in the
oscillator cycle. The “shape” slider is disabled.
• Manual: in this mode, the user must adjust the “Base Freq” control manually,
or automate it using Mixbus’s automation features.

Frequency Knobs
Knobs:
Range: this is the sweep-range of the effect, in octaves.
Base Freq: this is the lowest frequency that the sweep will reach. Frequencies below
here will not be strongly affected.

Barberpole modes: These modes use a sawtooth modulator shape, either climbing
or descending. But there is no discontinuity when the sawtooth resets; the peaks
and notches continuously cycle like a rotating barberpole. The resulting effect is
good for applying a subtle downward or upward-spiraling effect durin mixdown. Or
with more aggressive settings, it can apply an envelope-filtered sound. When a
barberpole mode is selected, the Oscillator knobs will be disabled.

BPM
BPM:: the BPM knob is used to set the rate of the oscillator.

• Free Run: in Free Run, the oscillator runs at the defined BPM, like a standalone
guitar pedal.
• Sync Play: in this mode, the oscillator uses its own BPM setting, but it

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calculates the oscillator position from the host timeline; so repeated playback
will always sound the same.
• Host Sync: in this mode, the oscillator always follows the exact position and
tempo of the host’s timeline (“Hard Sync”)

Oscillator Display
Display: this display shows the oscillator shape, as well as a vertical line
representing the current position of the oscillator value. Click & drag on the
oscillator display to adjust the “phase offset* of the oscillator. This allows you to
synchronize the modulation to emphasize a particular rhythmic pulse in the plugin’s
input signal.

Ster
Stereo
eo W
Width
idth: If the Stereo version is used on a track, then the display provides 2
different lines, and a “stereo width” knob which varies the distance between the 2
lines. For a dramatic stereo effect, use a very small distance between the 2 lines.

Divisions: Each LED indicator represents a different subdivision of the base tempo.
Use these settings to increase or decrease the oscillator speed, while matching the
tempo to the music. Select different ratios (1/12 or 2/3 on a 4/4 meter) to create
polyrhythms in the modulation.

Wet/Dry knob
knob: Turning this knob to the left will result in a 100% Dry sound (no effect
is heard). Turning the knob to the right will result in 100% Wet sound (no dry signal
is heard). A momentary button for ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ allows you to audition the effect
without permanently changing the knob setting.

Regeneration: Perhaps the most important knob, the regeneration (sometimes

called feedback or resonance) controls the sharpness of the filters by sending the
signal through the filter multiple times. Increase the regeneration knob for wild
synth-like effects. The red light will indicate when the phaser feedback path is
saturated.

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24.16. XT-TG Tom Gate

No, Tom Gate isn’t somebody’s name. XT-TG Tom Gate is a gate plugin that is
specifically made to work on tom drums. It utilizes a special algorithm that is
uniquely adapted to listen to a tom-tom drum and separate the individual drum
sound from the drum kit spill into its microphone.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Best when used on: Single Drum Mics, like Tom, Kick, or Snare drums.

Contr
Controls:
ols:

Despite being a powerful effect, the XT-TG Tom Gate only has six controls:

Lear
earnnT
Tom
om While playing a tom recording on the track that this plugin lives, holding
down the ‘Learn Tom’ button will train the XT-TG to the sound and transient quality

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of your tom.

Lear
earnn Spill While playing a tom recording on the track that this plugin lives, holding
down the ‘Learn Spill’ will train the XT-TG to the sound and transient quality of your
microphone ‘spill’, i.e everything that isn’t a tom.

Thr
Threshold
eshold The vertical slider in the middle controls the threshold of the gating.

Hold, R
Release,
elease, and Depth Controls the typical gate features like: How long to hold
the gate open, how fast the gate opens, and the level of gain reduction for the
material that does not pass the gate.

In the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this button to

temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the effect.

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24.17. XT-TP Tremolo Panner

XT-TP “Tremolo Panner” is a creative modulation effect similar to guitar
stompboxes, and including effects of “slicers” and “harmonic tremolo” pedals.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

Unlike a traditional tremolo, where the modulation is free-running, the XT-TP

provides multiple methods to sync the modulation LFO to the session’s playhead
position. This makes it particularly useful as a production&mixdown effect, because
it always sounds the same on playback.

Best when used on: Guitars, Keyboards. Can also be used as a gating/pumping
effect for drums.

Controls:

Oscillator Shape: select the modulation type:

• Swell: the traditional swelling tremolo effect, with a very short dwell. Adjust
the vertical “shape” slider to increase the steepness of the swell until it

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reaches a square wave.

• Sine: has a “dwell” time at the upper and lower limits. Adjust the vertical
“shape” slider to increase the steepness of the sine wave until it reaches a
square wave.
• Triangle: the most common repeating-cycle shape for a phaser effect. Adjust
the “shape” slider to morph the triangle shape.
• Tri-Saw: Similar to the Triangle wave, but adjusting the “shape” slider will tilt
the shape into a sawtooth.

User Shapes: enabling one of these shapes will display controls for the user to draw
their own oscillator waveform shape

• Swells: Up to 16 individual “swells” can be adjusted in level.

• Linear: 16 control points, connected with smooth ramp between each point.
The “shape” slider adjusts a hold time around each point.
• Gated: up to 16 stepped control points. The “shape” slider adjusts the hold
time after each point.

Shape Slider

• The shape slider affects the selected oscillator shape, typically making it
steeper.

Modes: Select one of 4 main modes:

• Cut Lows: The tremolo will cut low frequencies, leaving higher frequencies
intact.
• Cut Highs: The tremolo will cut high frequencies, leaving low frequencies
intact.
• Cut Hi+Low: Alternately cut the high or low band (sometimes called a
“harmonic tremolo” effect).
• Cut ALL: This cuts the volume of the signal, like a traditional tremolo
pedal(Defaut).

BPM
BPM:: the BPM knob is used to set the rate of the oscillator.

• Free Run: in Free Run, the oscillator runs at the defined BPM, like a standalone
guitar pedal.
• Sync Play: in this mode, the oscillator uses its own BPM setting, but it
calculates the oscillator position from the host timeline; so repeated playback

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will always sound the same.

• Host Sync: in this mode, the oscillator always follows the exact position and
tempo of the host’s timeline (“Hard Sync”)

Oscillator Display
Display: this display shows the oscillator shape, as well as a vertical line
representing the current position of the oscillator value. Click & drag on the
oscillator display to adjust the “phase offset* of the oscillator. This allows you to
synchronize the modulation to emphasize a particular rhythmic pulse in the plugin’s
input signal.

Ster
Stereo
eo W
Width
idth: If the Stereo version is used on a track, then the display provides 2
different lines, and a “stereo width” knob which varies the distance between the 2
lines. For a dramatic stereo effect, use a very small distance between the 2 lines.

Divisions: Each LED indicator represents a different subdivision of the base tempo.
Use these settings to increase or decrease the oscillator speed, while matching the
tempo to the music. Select different ratios (1/12 or 2/3 on a 4/4 meter) to create
polyrhythms in the modulation.

Wet/Dry knob
knob: Turning this knob to the left will result in a 100% Dry sound (no effect
is heard). Turning the knob to the right will result in 100% Wet sound (no dry signal
is heard). A momentary button for ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ allows you to audition the effect
without permanently changing the knob setting.

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24.18. XT-VC Vocal Character

XT-VC Vocal Character is an effect similar to the XT-BC Bass Character except it is
optimized for vocals.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

The Vocal Character operates by detecting each musical note sung and then
applying an eq to make the note sound fuller and brighter (or weaker and duller, if
needed).

Best when used on: Vocals

* NOTE: the XT-VC is for mono tracks only.

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Scale + Spectrum Display:

The Vocal Character plugin operates like an EQ, but with one difference: the EQ isn’t
set at fixed frequencies, but rather the eq is applied to each detected note.

The red “spectrum” curve shows the harmonic content of the detected note. The
leftmost line indicates the “fundamental” or first harmonic of the note. Each vertical
line to the right indicates an additional harmonic (2nd harmonic, 3rd, etc). You can
use this graph to determine the balance of an instrument: whether it has too much
or too little fundamental, for example.

Controls:

The XT-VC plugin has 2 EQ bands: “Body” and “Clarity”. These bands are identical
except that the “Body” control is a low-shelving EQ by default, while the “Clarity”
band is a high-shelf EQ.

In/Out switch: The green button enables/disables each band.

Peaking switch: The yellow button changes the band to a peaking.

Q slider
slider:: when the Peaking switch is engaged, the Q slider engages, and adjusts the
Q ( sharpness ) of the band’s filter.

Momentary Bypass: the top-right corner is a momentary-bypass button. Press this

button to temporarily bypass the effect. Releasing the button will re-apply the
effect.

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25. Included (FREE) Plug-ins

Plugins
Mixbus comes with a suite of pre-installed plugins (in addition to the console-style
DSP that is built into every strip)

• ACE Amplifier ( free, full-functioning )

• ACE Delay ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE Reverb ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE EQ ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE Compressor ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE Gate ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE Inline Scope ( source-code provided) with Inline display
• ACE Inline Spectrogram ( source-code provided) with Inline display
• ACE MIDI Monitor ( source-code provided) with Inline display
• x42 MIDI filter plug-ins ( free, full-functioning )
• x42 Stereo Routing ( free, full-functioning )
• x42-Digital Peak Limiter (free, full-functioning) with Inline display
• x42-Whirl — Simple (free, full-functioning)
• ACE High/Low Pass Filter ( source-code provided) with Inline display

Included Instrument plugins

• x42 SetBfree modeled tonewheel organ ( free, full-functioning )
• General MIDI Synth ( free, full-functioning )
• Blonde Bop drum instrument ( free, full-functioning )
• RedZep drum instrument ( free, full-functioning )
• Black Pearl drum instrument ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE Fluid Synth ( free, full-functioning )
• ACE Reasonable Synth ( free, full-functioning )

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25.1. ACE Plugins

The ACE (*A*rdour *C*ommunity *E*ffects) plugins are developed by the Ardour
open-source community. These plugins provide a basic suite of effects including EQ,
Compression, Reverb and Delay, as well as utilitarian tasks such as scrolling
waveforms,

The source code for these plugins is available to be reviewed, or studied as the
basis for your own plugins.

ACE EQ
The ACE EQ is a simple 6-band equalizer with 4 fully-parametric “bell” (peaking)
bands, plus low-shelf and high-shelf filters.

Each of the 4 bands has 3 controls:

Gain (the top knob): amount of boost or cut, in dB
Frequency: the center frequency for the boost or cut
Bandwidth: the width (in octaves) of the boost or cut. (this is the inverse of “Q” in
some equalizers)

The High and Low shelves have 2 controls:

Gain: boost or cut, in dB
Frequency: the corner frequency of the shelf boost/cut.

There is an overall gain accessed by clicking on “Master” in the bottom-right corner.

The control panel has several notable features that are particularly well-suited to
novice and/or student users:

• The EQ bands are always located perfectly on the curve. This is slightly
different than traditional parametric EQs, and it results in a clean look.
• each EQ band displays the nearest note (on a chromatic 12-tone scale, based
on A=440Hz) underneath the frequency value
• the individual bands will highlight (bi-directionally) when you enter a band’s
control area. This helps to correlate the band graph with their control sliders.

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Inline display: the ACE EQ plugin provides a condensed “inline” display that shows
the EQ curve in the channelstrip.

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ACE Compressor

A ‘compressor’ reduces the volume of an input signal when the signal exceeds the
specified threshold.

There is also a stereo version which analyzes both left and right signals, and then
applies the maximum calculated gain reduction to both sides.

ACE Compressor is a traditional compressor with the full suite of controls:

Sliders:

• Attack time: the time (in ms) to attain full gain reduction
• Release time: time (in ms) to return to 0dB after the signal is removed
• Knee: adjusts the aggressiveness of the gain-reduction element as the signal
approaches the threshold. A larger “knee” effectively lowers the threshold but
also lowers the ratio, so that the onset of gain-reduction occurs sooner but
more gradually.
• Ratio: the ratio is the strength of the effect. At 1:1, no effect is applied. At

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20:1, the threshold must be exceeded by 20dB before the output increases
1dB.
• Threshold: this defines the input level where the compression will begin to take
effect. Decrease the threshold to compress more.
• Makeup Gain: since the effect of a compressor is to reduce the loudest signals,
the result might sound quieter than before compression. Use the makeup gain
to increase the level. (the overall result is to increase the level of the signal’s
quieter parts, therefore decreasing the dynamic range of the signal and
making it easier to hear fine details)

Switches:

• Enable: this engages or disengages the plugin. This parameter is smoothed

and may be automated.
• Sidechain: when Sidechain is engaged, the plugin ignores the input signal, and
instead uses an externally-selected “sidechain” signal to feed the input
detector (threshold, etc) see this topic for more details: sidechain compression.

! You must choose a release time that is longer than the attack time, or the
behavior of the plugin will be erratic.

The compressor’s transfer-curve is displayed on the control panel, displaying the

input-to-output levels of the signal. A bouncing orange “dot” shows the current
input-to-output ratio.

Inline display: the ACE Compressor plugin provides a condensed “inline” display
when added to a mixbus channelstrip, so you can see the input signal, threshold,
and resulting gain reduction:

(shown here in stereo mode, with the “sidechain” input disconnected)

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/j8nkjk0U2KM?rel=0

ACE Expander
An Expander reduces the signal’s volume when the signal is below the threshold (as
opposed to a compressor, which reduces the volume of a signal that is over the
threshold). Set aggressively, an expander can serve the function of a “gate” which
completely mutes the signal when it gets quiet. Sometimes called a “noise gate”
because it is used to eliminate extraneous noise when the signal is below a desired
threshold.

ACE Expander is a traditional expander with the full suite of controls:

Sliders:

• Attack time: the time (in ms) to attain full gain reduction
• Release time: time (in ms) to return to 0dB after the signal is removed.
• Knee: adjusts the aggressiveness of the gain-reduction element as the signal
approaches the threshold. A larger “knee” effectively lowers the threshold but

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also lowers the ratio, so that the onset of gain-reduction occurs sooner but
more gradually.
• Ratio: the ratio is the strength of the effect. At 1:1, no effect is applied. At
20:1, the threshold must be exceeded by 20dB before the output increases
1dB.
• Threshold: this defines the input level where the compression will begin to take
effect. Decrease the threshold to compress more.
• Makeup Gain: since the effect of a compressor is to reduce the loudest signals,
the result might sound quieter than before compression. Use the makeup gain
to increase the level. (the overall result is to increase the level of the signal’s
quieter parts, therefore decreasing the dynamic range of the signal and
making it easier to hear fine details)

Switches:

• Enable: this engages or disengages the plugin. This parameter is smoothed

and may be automated.
• Sidechain: when Sidechain is engaged, the plugin ignores the input signal, and
instead uses an externally-selected “sidechain” signal to feed the input
detector (threshold, etc) see this topic for more details: sidechain compression.

! You must choose a release time that is longer than the attack time, or the
behavior of the plugin will be erratic.

There is also a stereo version which analyzes both left and right signals, and then
applies the maximum calculated gain reduction to both sides.

Inline display: the ACE Expander plugin provides a condensed “inline” display when
added to a mixbus channelstrip, so you can see the input signal, threshold, and
resulting gain reduction:

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ACE Delay

Sliders:

• Time: the length of the delay from the initial input sound. Adjusting the slider
displays both the milliseconds and the BPM (referenced to the Divisor and
Dotted selections)
• Divisor: (only when Sync BPM is enabled): sets teh delay time based on
Mixbus’s current tempo
• Dry/Wet: when set to 0% (minimum), the input signal is passed through
without any delay. When set to 100%, the input signal is muted, and only the
delay signal is heard.
• Feedback: the output of the delay can be sent through the delay again. This
results in multiple echoes. Setting this value very high can result in infinitely
repeating echoes.
• LPF: A low-pass filter applied to the delay path. Reduce this value to recreate a
vintage tape delay, where each repeated echo gets duller.
• Output Gain: increases or decreases the output level of the effect

Switches:

• Tap: successively click this button with your mouse to set the delay time (in
pulses of quarter-notes)
• Invert: When enabled, the feedback path’s polarity (phase) is inverted,

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resulting in a slightly different character.

• Sync: When enabled, the plugin will use the Divisor selector to set the delay
time, and ignore the Time setting.
• Dotted: When enabled, the delay-time will be 1.5x the value of the divisor:
“dotted 8th” means an effective delay of “3 16ths”.
• Enable

* The default settings for the delay are intended for for insertion directly on a
track. If you want to use the delay as a send/return effect on a bus, you should
set “Dry/Wet” to its maximum value.

The following ACE plugins do not provide a

dedicated control panel. Instead they use
Mixbus’s “Generic Plugin Control Panel”
ACE Reverb
ACE Reverb is a minimal reverb plugin that gives fast&easy results.

Sliders

• Blend: at 0 (minimum), the signal is dry. At 1.0 (maximum) the reverb is purely
wet.
• Room Size: increase this slider to increase the perceived room size, and make
the decay longer.

* The default settings for the reverb are intended for for insertion directly on a
track. If you want to use the reverb as a send/return effect on a bus, you should
set “Blend” to its maximum value.

ACE Amplifier
This is a simple clean volume control. The only parameter is “Gain” which may be
adjusted +/-20dB

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ACE High/Low Pass Filter

This plugin provides a high-pass and low-pass filter.

• Steepness: filter order may be adjusted from 12 to 48dB/octave. Higher

numbers indicate a steeper cutoff filter.
• Frequency: the cutoff frequency of the filter. frequencies out side of this range
will be greatly reduced.
• Resonance: increasing the resonance will create a “bump” near the cutoff
frequency, and further sharpen the filter steepness. Extreme settings of
resonance can result in very large signal peaks.

Inline display: the ACE High/Low Filter plugin provides a condensed “inline” display
when added to a mixbus channelstrip, so you can see the input signal, threshold,
and resulting gain reduction:

ACE Inline Scope

The ACE Inline scope displays a scrolling waveform view inside the mixer strip:

Controls:

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• Logscale: if the signal is quiet, then enabling Logscale will increase the size of
the waveform and reveal quiet material, at the expense of less visual
resolution for loud signals.
• Timescale: the display can show from 0.1seconds to 5 seconds at one time.
Adjust this to scroll faster or slower.
• Height: this adjusts the height of the waveform display in the strip

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BUjcgxw2Svg?rel=0

ACE Inline Spectrogram

The spectrogram displays a scrolling view of the signal’s frequency content, with
low frequencies on the left, and high frequencies on the right.

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Controls:

• Logscale: if the signal is quiet, then enabling Logscale will increase the size of
the waveform and reveal quiet material, at the expense of less visual
resolution for loud signals.
• FFT Size: smaller FFT sizes will result in a faster-scrolling display, but doesn’t
show low-frequencies as well.
• Height: this adjusts the height of the spectrum display in the strip.
• Range, Offset: if the display is too saturated, or nothing shows up, you can
adjust these values to better match your input signal level.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/ONO0N7zDIqQ?rel=0

ACE Notch Bank

This plugin is useful to remove noise with a harmonic spectrum such as mains
power hum, or motor noise.

Select the base frequency to match the fundamental of the noise ( 60Hz for U.S.
power main), and choose the number os stages to increase the number of harmonic
filters above the fundamental. The Quality control is the sharpness or “Q” of the
filters.

Additionally, this plugin serves as an example DSP plugin written in the Lua
scripting language. The source code for this plugin can be found in your Mixbus
application bundle, in Scripts/notch-bank.lua

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ACE Slow-Mute
Another example DSP plugin written in the Lua scripting language. The source code
for this plugin can be found in your Mixbus application bundle, in Scripts/ACE slow-
mute.lua

This plugin slowly mutes the signal when “Mute” is enabled. De-selecting “Mute”
will return the signal to full volume.

This plugin has no other controls.

ACE MIDI Plugins

General MIDI Plugins

The following video describes the included MIDI plugins.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pnaFFA_AZII?rel=0

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/pnaFFA_AZII?rel=0

ACE MIDI Monitor

ACE MIDI Monitor is a troubleshooting tool that lets you see the flow of MIDI data in
your tracks.

The plugin has an inline display that reports MIDI note “on/off” and MIDI controller
messages directly in the mixer strip. In the example image below, ACE MIDI Monitor
is inserted directly before the “General MIDI” synth and is reporting the controller
and note-messages that are being sent to the synth.

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25.2. x42 Whirl (Simple)

x42-whirl (Simple) recreates the sound and properties of the electromechanical
rotating speaker device that brought world-wide fame to the name and products of
Don Leslie.

x42-whirl calculates six reflections depending on the angles of the horn and drum
as well as distance and position of the microphones to emulate the reverberant
scattering corresponding to the dimensions and scattering characteristics of the
cabinet. Furthermore the model accounts for artifacts such as signal leakage from
the tweeter which does not pass through the horn. The motor-control allows to set
two target speeds (slow/chorale and fast/tremolo) for each of the horn and drum
rotors in RPM as well as acceleration and deceleration time-constants in seconds (to
reach half the speed).

The Whirl is a great mono-to-stereo effect which can add stereo spaciousness to
keys, guitars, or even vocals.
p(banner tip). When inserted on a mono channel, whirl will automatically convert
your mono track into a stereo output – no manual “pin connections” needed.

Whirl (Simple) does not provide a custom GUI. Instead it uses the generic control-
panel with these controls:

• Enable: this switches the effect on&off, click-free

• Motors Ac/Dc: select the speed of the rotor horn and drum
• Horn Level: level adjustment for the horn (highs), in dB
• Drum Level: adjust the Drum level in dB
• Drum Stereo Width: move the slider left (lower) for a more mono sound. Move
it right for a wider stereo sound. 1.0 is the default stereo setting

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25.3. Stereo Routing

This simple plugin provides various utilities for stereo tracks and buses. You can use
this plugin to reverse left/right sides, and other utilitarian tasks.

* The MId/Side converter is provided for tracks that were recorded using the mid/
side techniques. Use the decoder to resolve a mid/side recording into normal
stereo signals. A mid-side encoder is also provided, allowing you to convert the
signal to mid/side format and back. Converting to mid-side before a processor,
and then back to stereo, can sometimes provide a useful effect. You can use
features like pin management to process only the ‘mid’ or ‘side’ channel.

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25.4. x42 Instrument Tuner

x42 Instrument tuner (or “Tuna”) is a high-quality tuner for acoustic and electric
instruments.

* You can learn more about the x42 Instrument Tuner at the developer’s web site:
x42

“Tuna” features an auto-tuner mode (detect closest note) with an idiosyncratic GUI
and optional spectrum display. Unlike many other (FFT based) tuners, the algorithm
follows the signal phase of the fundamental note, which makes this tuner suitable
for stretch tuned instruments.

Tuna also features an “inline” channelstrip display which allows it to remain visible
on the mixer window during recording or playback.

Best when used on: Monophonic instruments and vocals.

Tuner Display:

The tuner display is separated into 4 parts:

Text Display
Display:: The topmost text displays the pitch that is nearest the detected
(input) note, and a numeric display of the tuning error from the reference.

Tuner bar
bar:: the colored bar (green in the middle) is a representation of a traditional
tuner, where center indicates a perfectly in-tune note reference, and the left&right
sides indicate when the note is flat or sharp.

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Str
Strobe:
obe: The third bar (moving boxes) is a visual indicator of the difference between
the reference pitch and the input. Sometimes called a “strobe” display, this
provides a strong visual indication of the incoming signal’s phase when compared
to the reference…. this display often feels smoother & easier to match, than the
traditional flat/sharp display.

Signal L
Level:
evel: this indicates the detected signal level. If the level is too quiet, then
the tuner will not try to detect the pitch. If the signal is too high, it might indicate
clipping which could invalidate the pitch detection.

Accuracy
ccuracy:: If the pitch of the input signal varies widely, then the tuner will report
that accuracy is compromised.

Controls:

Tuning: This is the reference for tuning of note “A”. Default is A=440Hz.

Auto/F
Auto/Frreq/Note selector
selector:: Auto: the tuner will try to detect incoming pitch. Freq: user
defines the reference frequency to tune to. Note: user defines the reference note.
The latter options are provided in the rare case that the tuner cannot auto-detect
the note you are trying to tune to.

Inline Mode

When placed on a channelstrip in Mixbus, the Tuna plugin will appear with an inline
display. This provides a quick reference to check that your instrument input, or
playback, is in tune.

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25.5. x42 DPL Limiter

x42-dpl is a look-ahead digital peak limiter based on Fons Adriaensen’s DPL-1. It is
intended to be used as final step to avoid clipping when mixing or mastering, but
can also be used on individual tracks as well. It comes in mono and stereo variants,
the stereo version applies the same gain reduction to both channels.

A channel “inline” display is provided to give an indication when gain-reduction is

being applied:

You can find more details about this plugin, and purchase a license, at the
developer’s website:
https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-limiter

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25.6. Instruments
Mixbus includes several Instrument plugins which can interpret your MIDI
performance into sound.

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25.6.1. ACE Fluid Synth

This is a plugin implementation of Fluid Synth, a popular SoundFont playback
engine.

ACE Fluid Synth can open SoundFont (.sf2 and .sf3) patch files.

A SoundFont consists of a library of sampled sounds as well as accompanying

information on note mapping, sound layering, velocity sensitivity, and other
parameters.

While not as powerful as commercial sample libraries like Kontakt, SoundsFonts are
readily available online and can be quite high quality. Generally speaking, a
SoundFont package can match the capabilities of any state-of-the art “arranger”
keyboard from 1995 through 2005.

Fluid Synth uses Mixbus’s generic control panel.

To use Fluid Synth, you must first download a Soundfont (.sf2 or .sf3) file, and then
select it using the (SF2 File) browser in the control panel:

A built-in reverb and chorus effect can be utilized to audition sounds without
assigning additional plugins on your mixer.

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25.6.2. ACE Reasonable Synth

“Reasonable Synth” is a minimal instrument that makes a piano-like sound. RS
responds to note inputs on every channel. It is useful to troubleshoot MIDI problems
such as verifying that your MIDI keyboard is connected and working.

RS has no user-adjustable controls.

Because of its simplicity, RS is a great way to learn about MIDI and plugin signal
flow in Mixbus. Add a chorus or phaser effect after RS, and you’ll get a reasonably
good electric piano sound.

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25.6.3. AVL Drumkits: Black Pearl and Red

Zeppelin
The AVL drum kits were developed by Glen McArthur at AVLinux, and packaged by
Robin Gareus for use in Mixbus.

When compared to the drumkits in Mixbus’s “General MIDI Synth”, the AVL drumkits
utilize many more velocity layers, and therefore can deliver a more nuanced and
“real” sounding drum kit, when this is desired.

The AVL drumkits may output each drum sound on a separate output, and they
serve to demonstrate Mixbus’s multichannel instrument outputs. To learn more,
see: multichannel instruments

The “Black Pearl” drumkit uses a smaller kick drum and a tight snare for a
traditional “jazz” drum setup:

The “Red Zeppelin” drumkit uses a larger, boomier kick and a brighter, more
sustaining snare for a more aggressive“rock” sound:

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“Buskman’s Holiday” is a multisampled percussion kit containing “low budget”

percussion elements. Liven up your tracks with stomps, claps, tambourine, and … a
bucket !

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25.6.4. General MIDI Synth

This synthesizer implements the General MIDI (GM) soundset, and various common
extensions.

The synth responds to all 16 MIDI channels, as well as common control messages
like pitch-bend, volume, and filter cutoff.

For more details about using the General MIDI Synth, see: Multitimbral Instruments
and “General MIDI”

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25.6.5. SetBfree Tonewheel Organ

SetBfree is a faithful recreation of the tonewheel organs popularized by the
Hammond organ company.

Many instruments can be convincingly recreated by sampling each note; but the
complex character and many controls of a tonewheel organ require a more complex
emulation. SetBfree is a faithful emulation of every stage inside these iconic
instruments.

Operation:
SetBfree responds to 3 different MIDI channels (1,2, and 3) for each of the 3 timbres
(). This allows playing the instrument from 3 simultaneous inputs (2 manual
keyboards plus foot pedals). The various switches and manuals may be controlled
by your MIDI device controllers. (there are default config files for common
keyboards such as the Kurzweil 2500 or Oxygen61 included)

When opened, the plugin’s UI shows the most frequently accessed controls:

Controls
Users of a tonewheel organ will recognize the stops (sliders) and switches of the
real thing.

• Stop sliders: (2 for the bass pedals, and 9 for each of the 2 manuals): adjust
the overtones of the timbre.
• Overdrive/Gain: (not present on the real device): this adjusts the amount of

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tube distortion in the signal.

• Vibrato: these switches engage the vibrato for the 2 manual keyboards.
• V1/C1, etc … these switch positions select between various vibrato and chorus
effects
• Tremolo (Drum and Horn) … these switches effect the speed of vibrato sent to
the low (drum) and high (high) speakers (for a full implementation of an
accompanying rotating speaker, see whirl )
• Percussion: enabling these options provides a “click” (either soft or
pronounced) when a manual key is pressed.
• Reverb: a built-in reverb effect recreates the sound of the instrument in a
room, as it was likely to be heard.
• Volume: master output level.

Detailed Operation:
Click the question-mark near the top-right corner to expose some additional
functions that might be useful when performing with the instrument:

In addition to the sound modeling, the organ is displayed as a 3-dimensional model.

This allows the organ to be manipulated in various ways, including playing the
various manuals and changing the internal components (and their effect on the
sound):

More details about this plugin can found at the developer’s site: setBfree
Full source-code for the organ is provided at his site.

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25.7. MIDI Plugins

Mixbus provides a rich suite of MIDI Effects, utilities, and generators.

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25.7.1. MIDI Filters

Mixbus includes a free suite of open-source MIDI filters by developer Robin Gareus.

Name Description

Convert MIDI control change messages to note-on/off messages. Note off is

CC2Note
queued 10msec later.

Simple MIDI channel filter. Only data for selected channels may pass. This filter
only affects midi-data which is channel relevant (ie note-on/off, control and
MIDI Channel
program changes, key and channel pressure and pitchbend). MIDI-SYSEX and
Filter
Realtime message are always passed on. This plugin is intended for live-use,
button-control. See also ‘MIDI Channel Map’ filter.

Rewrite midi-channel number. This filter only affects midi-data which is channel
MIDI Channel relevant (ie note-on/off, control and program changes, key and channel pressure
Map and pitchbend). MIDI-SYSEX and Realtime message are always passed thru
unmodified.

MIDI Enforce Filter note-on/off events depending on musical scale. If the key is changed note-
Scale off events of are sent for all active off-key notes.

MIDI Event Notch style message filter. Suppress specific messages. For flexible note-on/off
Filter range see also ‘keyrange’ and ‘velocityrange’.

This filter allows to define a range of allowed midi notes. Notes-on/off events
MIDI Key-
outside the allowed range are discarded. If the range changes, note-off events
Range Filter
are sent to currently active notes that end up outside the valid range.

Change midi-channel number depending on note. The plugin keeps track of

transposed midi-notes in case and sends note-off events accordingly if the range
MIDI Keysplit is changed even if a note is active. However the split-point and channel-
assignments for each manual should only be changed when no notes are
currently played.

Change one control message into another — combine with scalecc to modify/
MapCC
scale the actual value.

Flexible 12-tone map. Allow to map a note within an octave to another note in
MIDI Keys the same octave-range +- 12 semitones. Alternatively notes can also be masked
Transpose (disabled). If two keys are mapped to the same note, the corresponding note on/
events are latched: only the first note on and last note off will be sent. The

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settings can be changed dynamically: Note-on/off events will be sent accordingly.

Harmonizer – make chords from single (fundamental) note in a given musical

scale. The scale as well as intervals can be automated freely (currently held
chords will change). Note-ons are latched, for multiple/combined chords only
MIDI Chord
single note-on/off will be triggered for the duration of the combined chords. If a
off-scale note is given, it will be passed through – no chord is allocated. Note:
Combine this effect with the ‘MIDI Enforce Scale’ filter to weed them out.

MIDI delay line. Delay all MIDI events by a given time which is given as BPM and
MIDI Delayline beats. If the delay includes a random factor, this effect takes care of always
keeping note on/off events sequential regardless of the randomization.

MIDI Channel
Duplicate MIDI events from one channel to another.
Unison

A midi arpeggio effect intended to simulate strumming a stringed instrument

(e.g. guitar). A chord is ‘collected’ and the single notes of the chord are played
back spread out over time. The ‘Note Collect Timeout’ allows for the effect to be
MIDI Strum
played live with midi-keyboard, it compensates for a human not pressing keys at
the same point in time. If the effect is used with a sequencer that can send
chords with all note-on at the exactly time, it should be set to zero.

MIDI Chromatic transpose of midi notes and key-pressure. If an inversion point is set,
Chromatic the scale is mirrored around this point before transposing. Notes that end up
Transpose outside the valid range 0..127 are discarded.

MIDI
Hold a note until the next note arrives. — Play the same note again to switch it
Monophonic
off.
Legato

Filter to block all active sensing events. Active sensing messages are optional
MIDI Remove MIDI messages and intended to be sent repeatedly to tell a receiver that a
Active Sensing connection is alive, however they can clutter up the MIDI channel or be
inadvertently recorded when dumping raw MIDI data to disk.

MIDI Duplicate MIDI Duplicate Blocker. Filter out overlapping note on/off and duplicate
Blocker messages.

Note2CC Convert MIDI note-on messages to control change messages.

MIDI Note
Toggle Notes: play a note to turn it on, play it again to turn it off.
Toggle

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This effect repeats notes N times. Where N is either a fixed number or unlimited
MIDI N-Tap as long as a given key is pressed. BPM and delay-time variable allows tempo-
Delay ramps. On every repeat the given velocity-adjustment is added or subtracted,
the result is clamped between 1 and 127.

MIDI Thru MIDI All pass. This plugin has no effect and is intended as example.

Live event quantization. This filter aligns incoming MIDI events to a fixed time-
grid. Since the effect operates on a live-stream it will introduce latency: Events
MIDI
will be delayed until the next ‘tick’. If the plugin-host provides BBT information,
Quantization
the events are aligned to the host’s clock otherwise the effect runs on its own
time.

MIDI Velocity
Randomize Velocity of MIDI notes (both note on and note off).
Randomization

Scale CC Value Modify the value (data-byte) of a MIDI control change message.

This filter delays note-off messages by a given time, emulating a piano sostenuto
MIDI pedal. When the pedal is released, note-off messages that are queued will be
Sostenuto sent immediately. The delay-time can be changed dynamically, changes do
affects note-off messages that are still queued.

Filter MIDI note-on events according to velocity. Note-on events outside the
allowed range are discarded. If a Note-off is received for a note that was
MIDI Velocity-
previously filtered, it is also not passed though. If the allowed range changes,
Range Filter
note-off events are sent to currently active notes that end up outside the valid
range.

Change the velocity of note events with separate controls for Note-on and Note-
MIDI Velocity off. The input range 1 – 127 is mapped to the range between Min and Max. If Min
Adjust is greater than Max, the range is reversed. The offsets value is added to the
velocity event after mapping the Min/Max range.

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25.7.2. MIDI Arpeggiators

A MIDI Arpeggiator is a plugin that accepts MIDI notes and generates a sequence of
notes or chords related to the input.

Combine an Arpeggiator plugin with our bundled “chord progression” clips, and you
can arrange a synth masterpiece in no time!

The 3 plugins are:

• Arpeggiator: a simple but full-featured MIDI note arpeggiator with divisions, up/
down patterns, gate time, and swing.
• Arpeggiator (Barlow): another simple monophonic arpeggiator, but this one
modulates the note velocities to produce rhythmic accents according to the
time signature and division settings.
• Arpeggiator (Raptor): a very complicated polyphonic arpeggiator that plays
chord inversions based on the input. Enable the Raptor mode to let the
arpeggiator generate additional notes (beyond what was input) according to
user-adjustable parameters like probability, harmonicity, and repetition. Raptor
mode enables pitch- and velocity-tracking. Enable the ‘loop’ switch when you
want to keep an idea on ‘repeat’. You can even send program-changes from
the plugin to your synth. And automate any parameter including program-
changes …. wow!

These plugins were contributed by Albert Gräf for the Ardour open-source project.
Thanks to Albert for these incredibly useful and fun new tools!

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Extensive documentation on the features and behaviors of the arpeggiators can be

found here: Using the Arpeggiators

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25.8. XT-EQ Equalizer

Harrison’s XT-EQ Equalizer is a cost-effective, smaller version of the XT-ME
Mastering EQ for tracks and final mixes.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit Harrison’s XT Plugin Page

The XT-EQ has 10 bands of equalization. The filters provide a “flat top” response,
meaning: if you boost 2 adjacent bands, the gain between the bands will be
consistent. (unlike a traditional graphic eq, where 2 adjacent filters will create a
camel-hump)

Each band has approximately 1 octave bandwidth. This makes the XT-EQ a very fast
tool for focusing instruments on their representative frequency ranges, and
reducing (but not completely filtering) the range outside their focus. The XT-EQ is
an excellent mixing tool.

To adjust the eq, simply click anywhere and drag to “draw” the desired EQ curve.
Because of the broad and even pass-band between bands, “what you see is what
you get”.

It is possible to adjust a single band (like a graphic eq) by clicking in the band and

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draggin up/down. Or point your mouse at a single band and use the mouse-wheel to
adjust only that band.

Hold “Shift” and drag across the EQ to reset the bands to 0dB.

Trim: This is a clean volume control that adjusts the output level. If you use a lot of
EQ “cuts” then you may need to increase this to match the level. And vice versa.

Momentary Bypass: Click and hold this button to momentarily defeat the EQ. It is a
good idea to use the Trim control to adjust the volume of the EQ’d signal so you can
compare the effect of the EQ, and not just the level difference caused by the EQ.

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26. x42 Plugins (require a separate license)

These plugins are pre-installed in Mixbus, but require a separate license to access
the control panel

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26.1. x42 EQ
x42 is a 4-Band Parametric EQ with Low/High Shelving, Filters, and pre- or post-EQ
spectrum displays.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-eq

x42-eq features a “de-cramped” algorithm which accurately models analog gain,

even when approaching the Nyquist frequency. It was recently updated with a
piano-keyboard that snaps your EQ frequencies to the chromatic scale.

You can find more details about this plugin, and purchase a license, at the
developer’s website:
https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-eq

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26.2. x42 Whirl

x42-whirl recreates the sound and properties of the electromechanical rotating
speaker device that brought world-wide fame to the name and products of Don
Leslie.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-whirl

The Whirl is a great mono-to-stereo effect which can add stereo spaciousness to
keys, guitars, or even vocals.

* When inserted on a mono channel, whirl will automatically convert your mono
track into a stereo output – no manual “pin connections” needed.

You can find more details about this plugin, and purchase a license, at the
developer’s website:
https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-whirl

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26.3. x42 Meter Bundle

A collection of audio-level meters following established standards.

! By default, the Plugin Manger window only shows audio effects plugins. The x-42
meters are tagged “analyser”, and are categorized with the Utility plugins. To
expose the list of meter plugins, you can click “Show Utilities Only” or type
“analyser” into the search bar.

* This plugin requires a license to enable the control panel. To purchase a license,
visit https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-meters

You can find more details about this plugin, and purchase a license, at the
developer’s website:
https://x42-plugins.com/x42/x42-meters

It includes needle style meters (mono and stereo variants):

• IEC 60268-10 Type I / DIN

• IEC 60268-10 Type I / Nordic
• IEC 60268-10 Type IIa / BBC
• IEC 60268-10 Type IIb / EBU
• IEC 60268-17 / VU

Stereo & Mono variants of bar-graph meters:

• 30 Band 1/3 octave spectrum analyzer IEC 61260

• Digital True-Peak Meter (4x Oversampling), Type II rise-time, 13.3dB/s falloff.
• True-Peak (4x Oversampling) + RMS (600ms integration time) combined with
numeric readout
• K-12, K-14, K-20 / RMS type K-Meters according to the K-system introduced by
Bob Katz
• DR-14 (crest factor / loudness range measurement method)

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and the following stereo plugins:

• EBU R128 Meter with Histogram and History

• Stereo Phase Correlation Meter (Needle Display)
• BBC Mid/Side M-6 (Needle Display)
• Goniometer (Stereo Phase Scope)
• Phase/Frequency Wheel
• Stereo/Frequency Monitor

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as well as these mono, technical troubleshooting plugins:

• Signal Distribution Histogram

• Bitmeter

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27. Power-User Topics

Session folder layout

Navigating to a session folder will display a series of files and folders:

• instant.xml : this file stores the most recently-used mouse mode, playhead
location, and other transitory information.
• {snapshot name}.ardour : each of these files represents a Snapshot, which
stores all of the edits, settings, and properties of a session.
• {snapshot name}.bak : backup files are occasionally generated for each
snapshot
• {snapshot name}.pending : pending files snapshots that get created when an
audio recording is initiated. this allows us to recover audio data, even in the
event of a crash or power outage. If a pending file is found when Mixbus is re-
launched, you will see the Crash Recovery dialog, and you can choose to
ignore or recover any lost information that was saved to the pending file.
• {snapshot name}.history : every snapshot file has a “history” file. The history

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file saves the UNDO history for that snapshot.

• analysis: This folder contains data relevant to any audio files that Mixbus has
analyzed for transient-detection and note-detection. By storing this
information, Mixbus doesn’t have to re-analyze audio when you initiate one of
these functions.
• dead: This folder serves as a waste basket for unused audio.
Menu>Session>Clean-up>Flush Wastebasket: will delete audio files located in
this folder. Click here for more
• export: This is the default location for exported files. Click here for more.
• externals: This folder contains a list of external files that are used in the
session, but were not copied into the session
• interchange: This folder contains imported audio, recorded audio, and MIDI
files.
• peaks: Contains waveform images for display in the editor. It is safe to delete
the contents of this folder, and Mixbus will create new data when the session is
re-opened.
• plug-ins: Contains plug-in settings. Some plugins (such as impulse-response
based reverbs) need to store more information than is practical in the session
XML file. The extra plugin data is stored here.

Session XML file format

Mixbus session files use the industry-standard “Ardour” session file format. These
files are plain human-readable XML. Other workstations that use this format include
Ardour and Waves Tracks Live.

A detailed description of the session format is beyond the scope of this manual, but
here is an overview of a session file contents:

• Config : defines the Session Properties that were chosen for this session.
• Metadata : the metadata information for the session ( personnel details, etc )
• Sources : a list of the audio and MIDI files that are used in this session
• Regions : a list of the regions (segments of an audio or MIDI file) used in the
session
• Playlists : a list of playlists that are used in the session. A playlist is a sequence
of regions, and their specific settings (trim, fade, etc)
• Locations : a list of locations (markers, cd markers, region markers, loop/punch
markers) that are used in the session
• Bundles : a list of bundles ( a bundle is a group of input (or output) ports that

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are associated, such as the 2 inputs of a stereo track )

• Routes : a list of “routes” ( tracks and buses ) that are used in the session. A
Route has many sub-fields:
◦ Currently selected playlist
◦ Channelstrip fader, EQ, compressor, and pan settings
◦ Plugins used in this route

Mixbus Preferences folder

The Mixbus “preferences” folder stores all of a user’s preferences, as shown in the
Preferences dialog.

The preferences folder location varies with each OS, but it is always found inside
the HOME (“~”) folder:

• Mac OS X: ~/Library/Preferences/Mixbus8
• Windows: ~/AppData/Local/Mixbus8
• Linux: ~/.config/mixbus8

(note:on Windows you might have to enable ‘show hidden files and folders’ in your
file browser)

Inside the Preferences folder, you will find a list of files and folders:

• config : this file stores your user preferences

• instant.xml : this stores transitory information such as the last playhead
location and window locations
• bindings file : this file stores your customized keybindings
• recent : this file stores the list of recently-opened sessions that is presented to
you when you launch Mixbus
• sfdb : this folder stores your metadata-info for any audio files that you’ve
tagged in the Import dialog
• my-dark.colors : this file stores your personal Theme colors for the Dark
theme. (Light theme is not yet implemented)
• plug-in cache ( VST and/or AU ) : this folder stores a list of plugins that have
been identified on your computer. If you delete this folder or its contents, you
will have to re-scan your plugins.

* If you delete any of these files or folders, Mixbus will recreate a new file with

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default settings when it is re-launched.

More details about the “instant.xml” file

The instant.xml file is a “semi-persistent” preferences file. It serves this purpose:

When you save a session, many of your preferences for this session are stored in
the session’s local instant.xml, and the global instant.xml. When you create a NEW
session, the global instant.xml file is used to create the new session’s instant.xml

There are many parameters that are stored in the instant.xml file:

• Window positions ( editor, mixer, meterbridge, plugins, etc )

• Action-Buttons assigned to the buttons in the toolbar
• Control Surface settings
• Clock mode selections
• Visibility of the Editor List and Mixer List panels
• Grid (snap) options
• Playhead position & zoom scale ( some instant.xml settings like this are
ignored for a new session )
• Selected mouse mode (tool) in the editor
• How the region-list is sorted ( by date, name, or whatever )

These settings do not have any effect on the session’s sound. They are not part of
the session data.

A session can have multiple snapshot files, but it has only one instant.xml that is
shared among all the snapshots.

What does this mean?

• When you create a NEW session, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that
some of your most-recent settings ( window positions, action-button
assignments ) are already set-up for you in the new session.
• When you return to an OLD session, you’ll find the session exactly as it was
when you left it. Your more recent sessions & preferences will not be applied.
The session’s instant.xml will define the window positions, etc.
• NOTE: if you visit an old session and save it, you will overwrite your current
global instant.xml, and those settings will be used in the next NEW session.

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This can be a nice feature, or a big annoyance.

This behavior is a compromise that was reached after many years of discussion &
feedback. We are constantly re-visiting these issues to see which parameters
should be stored globally ( in preferences ), in the global instant.xml, in the
session’s instant.xml, and the session snapshot file(s).

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28. Appendix A: Common Support Questions

I pur
purchased
chased Mixbus, but it says it is ““UNLICENSED
UNLICENSED”” and I occasionally hear a burst
of noise.

• Please check the Mixbus download email that arrived shortly after your
purchase. The email should include a link to your Mixbus license file, and
instructions for installing it.

• For security reasons, the license links will become inactive after 7 days. To
reset the license links, please email Harrison support at:
[email protected] Once you’ve downloaded the license file from
the link, you may store it on a backup drive or USB key for later use. Your
name is encrypted in the license file, so you should not share it with others.

• If you still have problems, please email Harrison support at:

[email protected]

When I try to open the GV

GVerb+
erb+ or 3D Delay, it says that the plugin is unlicensed.
How do I get a license?

• If you’ve already purchased these plugins, please check the installation email
that arrived shortly after your purchase. The email should include a link to your
license file, and instructions for installing it.

• These plugins are part of the Plugin Essentials Pack which is available on our
web store. The plugins are included in the Mixbus installation, but to utilize the
on-screen controls you must purchase a separate license. The Essentials are
available to all Mixbus users on all platforms ( Windows, OS X, and Linux ) and
are automatically installed as part of Mixbus. This allows you to share Mixbus
sessions with your friends and know that they will have the sound of the
plugins available, even if they haven’t purchased them! Neat, huh?

How do I show Mixbus wher

wheree to find my VST plugins? ( W
Windows
indows )

• In the main menu, click Window->Preferences->Plugins. Add the folder paths

that point to your plugins and click “Scan”. More Here

How do I rreport
eport a crash in Mixbus? ( OS X )

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• If you are using OS X and are still crashing at startup, the most likely cause is a
plugin that Mixbus is not able to scan at startup. When Mixbus reports “Mixbus
has closed unexpectedly”, please click “Generate Report”. This will open a
window with the technical details of the crash report. Please copy/paste this
information into an email to [email protected] for support.

How do I launch Mixbus fr

from
om a command-line pr
prompt?
ompt? ( for techies only )

• Windows: cd C:\Program Files\Mixbus4\bin Mixbus4.exe

• OS X: ARDOUR_BUNDLED=1 /Applications/Mixbus4.app/Contents/MacOS/
Mixbus4
• Linux: cd /opt/Mixbus4/bin ./mixbus

Wher
Wheree does Mixbus stor
storee its pr
prefer
eferences?
ences?

Mixbus creates a folder with several files

• On Windows, the folder path is something like ~\AppData\Local\Mixbus4\ ( this

varies with different versions of Windows ).
• On Mac, the folder path is ~/Library/Preferences/Mixbus4
• On Linux, the folder path is ~/.ardour5

The Preferences folder contains these files, among others:

“config” stores the user’s preferences such as auto-backup and other items in the
Options menu
“mixbus.bindings” stores the user’s selected keybindings (keyboard shortcuts) for
menu actions
“ui.conf” stores your color, font, and other theme preferences
“announcements” stores the latest announcements from Harrison (usually this is
empty unless a new version is available)
“instant.xml” stores the user’s last-used preferences such as snap mode, mouse
mode, zoom mode, etc.
“recent” lists the sessions that appear in the recently-used dialog
“sfdb” stores the metadata database which the Import dialog stores metadata
about files that you’ve “tagged” for later use.

If you delete the preference folder or any file inside it, Mixbus will create a
replacement with default values when it is next launched. Sometimes this will cause
a delay at startup; for example on OS X, Mixbus will have to re-scan the plugins
when it is next launched.

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Can I import K
Key
ey bindings to another computer?

Yes, you have to manually copy the keybindings file from one computer to the
other.

The file is found in your “preferences” folder:

~/Library/Preferences/Mixbus8 on Mac
~/AppData/Local/Mixbus8 on Windows

If your question is not answer

answered
ed her
here,
e, feel fr
free
ee to email us at
mixbus@har
[email protected]
risonconsoles.com for support.

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29. Appendix B: Known Issues

• On systems with the minimum supported screen height (900 pixels), you may
not be able to fit the editor or mixer window on your screen. You can visit
Preferences->Appearance and change the “mixer strip scale” to fit the mixer
to your screen, but sizes less than 100% will be compromised.
• Some third-party plug-ins may cause crashes, strange noises, or other
problems. We strive to support plug-ins as thoroughly as possible but due to
the many variables (Computer platform, OS version, Mixbus version, plug-in
version, licensing mechanisms, etc.) it is not possible to guarantee that all 3rd-
party plug-ins will work as expected on your system.
• On Windows, anecdotal evidence shows that a few devices (including the
Roland “Capture” series, Lexicon Lambda, Emu 0404, and Zoom R24) require
that you enable the “Buffered I/O” setting. This tells Mixbus to use an
alternative ASIO mode which works better on these devices.

For more details, contact Harrison via email ([email protected]).

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30. Appendix C: Videos (Training and

Tutorial)
The videos on the following pages are provided for your convenience and are a
great resource for learning more about Mixbus. Some of these videos were
produced using an earlier version of Mixbus, however the bulk of the information is
still very relevant.

If you have read the manual, then some of these videos may be familiar, as some
are placed throughout the manual, others are not.

These videos and more can also be found on our YouTube page. Don’t forget to
subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted to our new videos coming soon
soon!

And don’t forget our Mixbus user forum for more Mixbus information, or to just hang
out and discuss how fun and easy it is to mix with Mixbus!

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30.1. Quick Start Guides

For Mac Users

https://www.youtube.com/embed/vif6VaAncxc?rel=0

Licensing and the Home Folder for Mac

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/83lsyy0ztKU?rel=0

Quick Start Guide for Mac

For Windows Users

https://www.youtube.com/embed/To5SOyd0Qw4?rel=0

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Licensing and the Home Folder for Windows

https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ZU58nRzKI0?rel=0

Quick Start Guide for Windows

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nMPqBaQOW-o?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nMPqBaQOW-o?rel=0

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhr5BLH8AnM?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhr5BLH8AnM?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhr5BLH8AnM?rel=0

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30.2. Mix Tips

https://www.youtube.com/embed/q1WoKW_TKYo?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video explains side-chaining in Mixbus 3.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0&start=135

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DjlBbao5gMQ?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video explains gain staging in Mixbus 3

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuInwhnrtlk?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuInwhnrtlk?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cuInwhnrtlk?rel=0

This video demonstrates how to use grouping and bussing to enhance your session
workflow within Mixbus 3.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/67TcjTd7LIs?rel=0

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Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video demonstrates how to create a subgroup in
Harrison Mixbus

https://www.youtube.com/embed/iESeTOSvX80?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video demonstrates how to set up parallel
compression in Mixbus.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/ep5ietQjaq4?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video shows off some of the mouse shortcuts
available in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wn1SvzR2Nv4?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video tells you everything you need to know

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about the EQ in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sa3-ibczoK4?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video details the compressors in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cx_FqznRpbI?rel=0

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Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video explains many different types of clipping,
and how it applies to Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPCUFlAsO8Q?rel=0

Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video shows off the meters in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fs0m-wFXdZ8?rel=0

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Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video demonstrates how to use reverb in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbHwcsU7r2o?rel=0

Harrison’s “Shut Up and Mix” Video. Make sure annotations are turned on so you can
see all of the mixing tips!

<< 30.1. Quick Start Guides | 30.3. Pro Tips >>

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30.3. Pro Tips

https://www.youtube.com/embed/otZgZs3CDYM?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/otZgZs3CDYM?rel=0

Episode 1 of Harrison’s Pro Tips video series for Mixbus. This video shows you how to
quickly import tracks into Mixbus, and gives an explanation of the import dialog
window.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/wddiGR-Y1bk?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wddiGR-Y1bk?rel=0

Episode 2 of Harrison’s Pro Tips video series for Mixbus. This video demonstrates all of
the export options available in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nJKSImri0vA?rel=0

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Episode 4 of Harrison’s Pro Tips video series. This video demonstrates how to route
audio from Pro Tools into Mixbus.This is a power user function which Harrison does not
provide technical support for.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxGhN8w5D1s?rel=0

A follow-up to Harrison’s episode of Pro Tips on routing from Pro Tools into Mixbus. This
video demonstrates how to export audio tracks from Pro Tools to import into Mixbus.
This is a power user function which Harrison does not provide technical support for.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/aFWfLfrn_vU?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/aFWfLfrn_vU?rel=0

Episode 5 of Harrison’s Pro Tips video series. This video demonstrates the region
editing and crossfade features of Mixbus.

<< 30.2. Mix Tips | 30.4. EQ Tips >>

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30.4. EQ Tips

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wn1SvzR2Nv4?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wn1SvzR2Nv4?rel=0

Episode 4 of Harrison’s Mix Tips Video Series. This video tells you everything you need
to know about the EQ in Mixbus.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/O9WnyWbMim4?rel=0

This Quick Tip demonstrates how to use the mid-band of the EQ to notch out a problem
frequency on a track in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xb-prKFUdi4?rel=0

This Quick Tip demonstrates how to place your instruments in the sound field using the

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EQ in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HM8XSfaGJuw?rel=0

This Quick Tip demonstrates how to create a “bump” for your bass guitar with the EQ
in Mixbus. This can be done with a HPF and a Low Shelf.

<< 30.3. Pro Tips | 30.5. Quick Tips >>

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30.5. Quick Tips

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VOiyDFv8zt0?rel=0

This short video demonstrates how to loop record.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bXLtAYwH7XM?rel=0

Demonstration of basic trim, fade, delete, copy, and paste operations including Smart
Mode.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/7d33y5lVALg?rel=0

An example of sidechain compression used on a vocal track with a delay. Implemented

using the built-in sidechain compression features of Harrison Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/x7L6gc2lmHQ?rel=0

“Ripple” audio editing in the Mixbus workstation.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/XZU26CNDwmE?rel=0

A power users tip on using mutes and solos.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O9WnyWbMim4?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O9WnyWbMim4?rel=0

This Quick Tip demonstrates how to use the mid-band of the EQ to notch out a problem

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frequency on a track in Mixbus.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xb-prKFUdi4?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xb-prKFUdi4?rel=0

This Quick Tip demonstrates how to place your instruments in the sound field using the
EQ in Mixbus.

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https://www.youtube.com/embed/HM8XSfaGJuw?rel=0

https://www.youtube.com/embed/HM8XSfaGJuw?rel=0

This Quick Tip demonstrates how to create a “bump” for your bass guitar with the EQ
in Mixbus. This can be done with a HPF and a Low Shelf.

<< 30.4. EQ Tips | 31. Appendix D: MIDI Primer >>

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31. Appendix D: MIDI Primer

These pages will discuss basic MIDI messages, devices, and connections. It is
intended to give enough information to get you started. Much of the information is
presented in a generic way, not necessarily directly related to Harrison Mixbus. For
specific MIDI for Mixbus click here.

What Is MIDI?

Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a communication protocol that was

published in 1983. The intent was to allow 2 instruments, from 2 different
manufactures, to communicate with each other. One keyboard could be played
while a second connected keyboard (with tone module) could sound the same note
at the same time, doubling the performance.

It is important to know that the information being transmitted is not audio! It is

“performance data” in the form of MIDI messages such as the note played, timing,
velocity, etc.

Basic MIDI Devices

1. A MIDI Contr
Controller
oller produces and transmits MIDI messages. Controllers can take
on the functionality of keyboards or guitars, etc. They are designed to capture
the performance of a musician. They do not produce sounds of their own.
2. A MIDI Instrument
Instrument, or tone module
module, receives MIDI data and produces an audio
output. It may be software or hardware based. A user can have one controller
connected to one or more tone modules. Additionally, in the world of Digital
Audio Workstations there are “plug-in” versions called virtual instruments (VI).
3. A unit that combines a controller and instrument in one package will be
referred to as a hybrid for the purposes of this document. The most common
form of this is often referred to as keyboard synthesizer. It can generate MIDI
performance data and audio via an internal tone module. Sometimes the
internal tone module can be switched off with a command known as Local
Control. (If you seek out something called a “MIDI hybrid device” you may
come up short).
4. A MIDI Sequencer is a device or software application that can record, edit, and
play back MIDI events.

A single device can implement any combination of controller, instrument, and/or

sequencer features. For example, before computer sequencers were popular, it was

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very common to buy a keyboard that provided the keyboard, internal tone module,
and sequencing features in one device. These are sometimes called “arranger”
keyboards.

You may find tone module, tone generator, and sound engine are used
interchangeably.

* When a controller and tone module are combined together, there is often a
function called “Local Contr
Control”
ol” which determines whether the keyboard will
control the internal tone module directly. If you want to use a sequencer or DAW,
you might use Local Control to disconnect the internal tone module from its
keyboard. This way, when the controller sends performance data to the computer
sequencer, and the sequencer returns the data back to the sound module, you
don’t hear the notes from the sequencer and internal controller at the same
time.

MIDI Messages

The MIDI language is transmitted digitally. The information carried in the messages
are note on, pitch, velocity, program change, note off, and more. There are 2 types
of MIDI messages; Channel messages and System messages. These two sub groups
can be further broken down and will be explained below. These MIDI messages are
sent to other devices via a MIDI cable. More on the MIDI cable a little later.

Channels Messages: Each channel message contains a channel assignment and as

a result are assigned to specific channels rather than sent globally. With the
capability to transmit (Tx) and/or receive (Rx) on 16 channels, the user is offered
some flexibility. Once a channel is establish the channel messages will deliver
instructions such as Program change, Note on, Note off, and more. With this you
can send performance data from one controller, on one specific channel, so that
that one or more specific MIDI instruments on the same Rx channel responds.

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Voice and Mode Messages

The “Voice” portion of the channel message is the musical performance part and
contains information regarding the following:

• Note On: Identifies the note that will produce sound. The data sent is channel
number, specific note number, and key on velocity.
• Note Off: Identifies the note that will stop producing sound. The data sent is
channel number, specific note number, and key off velocity (notice that the
note command has a discrete code for off and on. More on this later).
• Polyphonic Key Pressure (Aftertouch): Some controllers have the ability to
sense how much pressure was applied. The data sent is channel number,
specific note number, and key pressure. If your controller does not have
aftertouch, a default of medium pressure (64 of 128 possible) is assigned.
• Control Change: Specifies what function of the synthesizer is to be controlled.
The data sent is channel number, controller number, and controller value.
• Program Change (sometimes called Program Select): Selects the type of sound
that should be played. The data sent is channel number and program number.
In the early days of MIDI, when a user wanted a custom sound he would need
to patch cables. Today this cable patching process can be replaced with a
stored file in memory, hence the name “patch”. You may also hear the terms
voice or preset. These are essentially all the same thing. You can create your
own patches or the manufacture can provide them for you. Because of the
format of the MIDI message, only 128 patches would be recallable if it wasn’t
for the Bank Message. Having multiple banks of patches, provides many more

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to choose from.
• Pitch Bend: Modifies, in a continuous manner, the pitch of the note being
played. The data sent is channel number and pitch bend value.

The “Modes” portion of the channel message tells the MIDI instrument how to
respond when it receives the performance part or the message.

Mode Full Name Common Name

1 Omni – On/Poly Omni

2 Omni – On/Mono no common name

3 Omni – Off/Poly Poly

4 Omni – Off/Mono Mono

Omni On/Off is used to determine the utilization of available channels. If Omni is ON

then it will Tx or Rx data on all channels. If Omni is OFF then it will Tx or Rx on just
one channel.

Mono/Poly tells the instrument whether to play 1 note at a time (Mono) or more
than 1 note at a time (Poly). The Mono modes are the least commonly used modes
(mode 2 and 4).

Polyphonic capability is merely the ability to play 2 or more notes simultaneously.

So if you want to play a 4 note chord you will need 4 note Polyphonic capability.

Multi Mode

With Multitimbral we are talking about many tones to produce a complex sound like
a piano part, a violin part, or a drum part. These are sometimes called
“programs”,“patches”, or “presets”. You can have many parts playing at once, each
assigned to its own channel. Before Multitimbral there was Monotimbral, where only
one part could be played. Multitimbral can replace multiple notes with multiple
programs so that we may produce the sound of an entire band with one MIDI
performance track.

* Timbral, or timbre refers to tone quality. Timbre is how we determine the

difference between the sound a bell makes and the sound a sine wave makes.
When pitch and loudness are the same, much of the difference lies in the

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harmonics or timbre.

16 part Multitimbral playback capability is not uncommon today. Also be aware

some manufactures may call Multi mode something different. For example, the
classic Yamaha Motif refers to it as “song mode”.

There are other commands that can be invoked with a mode message, such as
reset all controllers, local control, and all notes off.

Let’s address the “All Notes Off” message. As mentioned previously, the note on/off
commands are discrete messages. So what happens if a note is turned on and for
some reason the Rx equipment never gets the message to turn the note off? The
“All Notes Off” message addresses this. It sends a Note Off command across all
channels. In Mixbus there is a “MIDI Panic button” on the left side of transport
section that sends the “All Notes Off” message. The button looks like an
exclamation point. How appropriate!

above: the MIDI panic button circled in red

System Messages: These messages are mostly global and as such do not carry a
channel assignment.

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System Common Messages are for all MIDI devices in a network regardless of
channel assignment. These messages are things such as MIDI Time Code (MTC),
MIDI Clock, Song Select, and Song Position Pointer.

System RReal-time
eal-time Messages are used for synchronization with all devices in the
network that are clock based such as sequencers and drum machines. These
devices follow a tempo and need to be in sync. The resolution of the timing is
expressed as Pulses Per Quarter Note (PPQN).

System Ex Exclusive
clusive Messages are not global. They operate more as a point to point
type of operation. It’s kind of a catch all command that allows manufactures to use
it for a whole host of things. For example a stored patch can be transmitted to and
from equipment by the same manufacture. The manufacture can register their
equipment with The MIDI Manufacturers Association so that they can obtain an
exclusive SysEx ID so that only their equipment will respond to their commands.
The code that one manufacturer uses to write a patch is going to be different from
another manufacturer so sending a Yamaha patch to a Roland won’t do much good.
This is because each manufacturer has their own unique way handling information
such as patches.

General MIDI (GM and GM1)

General MIDI is not actually a message but rather a standard that specifies certain
functionality of MIDI equipment. Without General MIDI, each manufacturer can
assign whatever patch they wanted, to whatever storage location they wanted. This
would make it difficult to use different equipment from different manufactures. For
example, one manufacturer may have a French Horn for Bank 1 program 4, and
another manufacture may have that spot reserved for Viola. But General MIDI says
that Bank 1 program 4 shall be a Honky-tonk Piano. With this, when a command is
sent from one device to another the musician can hope for a sound closer to their
expectation. General MIDI 1 elaborated on this and added even more specifications
to the standard.

The MIDI Cable

The MIDI cable is unusual in that both ends have a 5 pin male connector.

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Pin layout:

• Pin 1: Normally not used (proprietary systems may make use of)
• Pin 2: Terminated to a shield to eliminate noise
• Pin 3: Normally not used (proprietary systems may make use of)
• Pin 4 & 5: A twisted pair, and carries the 5 volt MIDI message

Sometimes this cable is called a MIDI DIN (Deutsches Institut fur Normung). The
MIDI cable will carry MIDI signals in one direction only. If you need MIDI messages to
return, then you will need a second cable.

The MIDI DIN cable characteristics are:

• Unidirectional transmission
• Serial transmission
• Maximum recommended length is 50 feet (to insure reliability)
• Transmission speed is 31,250 bits per second

USB, FireWire, and Ethernet have become popular alternatives when connecting to
computers. However, if you need the full feature set that MIDI has to offer you will
need MIDI cables.

Types of MIDI Ports

Often you will find 3 types of connections on MIDI equipment.

• MIDI out: Transmits the MIDI message

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• MIDI in: Receives the MIDI message

• MIDI thru: Transmits a copy of the MIDI message found on the MIDI input (This
facilitates daisy chaining and star configurations).

MIDI Connections

Fig. 1 above: A dedicated MIDI controller is connected to a tone module. This

requires a MIDI cable. A USB or FireWire cable will not work.

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Fig. 2 above: A dedicated MIDI controller is connected to a DAW such as Mixbus via
a MIDI interface. Running a Virtual Instrument plug-in within Mixbus replaces the
dedicated tone module. The audio output from Mixbus can be routed to an internal
DAC / sound card or to an external audio interface.

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Fig. 3 above: A dedicated MIDI controller with USB MIDI out. In essence the MIDI
interface is built-in to the the controller eliminating the need for an external MIDI
interface.

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Fig. 4 above: In this example the MIDI controller has an on board tone module. Now
MIDI messages can be sent from the computer to the MIDI controller so that audio
can be produced with the on board tone module.

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Fig. 5 above: This is an example of a daisy chain configuration

configuration. A dedicated
controller sends MIDI messages to the first tone module which in-turn sends a copy
of the signal to the second tone module. If the chain is carried out too far, the
signal will degrade and become unreliable.

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Fig. 6 above: This is an example of a star configuration

configuration. The Thru Box allows this
configuration. Connecting many tone modules to a central point causes less chance
of signal degradation. The advantages of this configuration increases with the
number of devices on the network. For simplicity only 2 tone modules are shown. In
practice many more may be connected causing the diagram to resemble a star
pattern as the tone modules branch out around a central point.

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Fig. 7 above: A merge box allows 2 MIDI controllers to send MIDI messages to a
single tone module. An example of this configuration could be that one of the
controllers may be a keyboard and the other controller could be a string instrument
both playing together into one tone module.

The Interface From MIDI To Mixbus

You will typically need an audio interface with MIDI I/O as in figure 2 or 4 above, or
you may opt for a USB or FireWire connection as in figure 3. Of course you will also
need need a MIDI controller. Although you can input data straight into Mixbus via
the various tools provided in the software, it can be an inefficient method for
recording an entire performance. These tools are best suited for making
adjustments to an already captured performance or for step entry.

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above: some of the tools offered in Mixbus

below: the on screen keyboard (right click the MIDI track rec button)

What MIDI Controller Should You Get?

Only you can decide what is best for you, but if you are new to MIDI a keyboard
controller is a great choice for general purpose use and by far the most popular
because of its flexibility. You will want to consider the number of octaves you would
like the keyboard to cover. An alternative to a MIDI controller would be a
synthesizer, one that generates MIDI messages and can also contains its own tone
module. But because it can produce its own audio, it may cost more, take up more
space, and be heavier. If you like the sounds a MIDI hybrid makes, and if it has line
level outputs, you can record the audio straight into Mixbus via an audio interface
as shown in figure 4 above.

Recording MIDI into Mixbus

To record a MIDI performance into Mixbus, first add a MIDI track. If you would like to
hear your performance thru Mixbus then be sure a Virtual Instrument plug-in is in
the redirect box. You can use Plug-in Manager to do this (by default a MIDI track will
be created with the “Reasonable Synth” plug-in already in place).Then, in the MIDI
Connection Manager, confirm that your MIDI input device is connected to the track
you wish to record to. Record arm the track and click the master record button
located in the transport section. Once the transport rolls you will be able to record
your performance. MIDI messages will now be captured into Mixbus.

For more information click here

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32. Contact Information

Visit our website to see the latest news about Mixbus and plug-ins for Mixbus:
https://harrisonconsoles.com

For Mixbus support directly from Harrison, please email:

[email protected]

Visit our forum to chat with other users, and find common Mixbus questions &
answers:
http://mixbus.harrisonconsoles.com/forum

Physical Address and Phone:

Harrison Consoles
750 Jim Parker Drive
Suite 103
Smyrna, TN USA 37167

+1 (615) 768-5501

Harrison Consoles Main Website

www.harrisonconsoles.com

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33. Copyrights, License Terms, and GPL

compliance

* NOTE: a copy of this license can be viewed in the Mixbus software by clicking
About->License

The Mixbus logo, Harrison Logo, Mixbus graphics, and Mixbus DSP modules are
protected under copyright by Harrison Audio LLC. These may not be redistributed
without express permission from Harrison Audio LLC.

Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered

trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Confidential
unpublished works. Copyright 2024 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved.

Harrison does not represent or warrant that the Mixbus software or the hardware on
which it is installed will operate uninterrupted or error-free. Harrison specifically
disclaims any other warranty, guarantee or representations, including any implied
warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or regarding the use
or the results of the use of the Software.

Mixbus is an aggregation of (a)Harrison’s proprietary components and (b)modified

source code from the Ardour open-source workstation. Modifications to the Ardour
source code are published under the terms of Ardour’s license (shown below), and
are implemented in good faith and close collaboration with the developers of Ardour
and associated projects.

Harrison’s proprietary components and plug-ins use OpenSSL software, the full
license and notifications provided below.

Ardour License:

Ardour comes with NO WARRANTY. It is free software, and you are welcome to
redistribute it under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL), v2.0 or any
later version, shown below.

Plugin Clarification

The following states the Ardour developers understanding of the relationship

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between Ardour’s license (GPL v2.0 or later) and plugins.

For the purposes of this understanding, “plugins” refer to software dynamically

loaded by another program, where the interaction between the plugin and the
loading program (typically called “the host”) is defined by a 3rd party API. Such
APIs include (but are not limited to) VST, AudioUnits, LV2, LADSPA and CLAP.

Since (a) any such plugin may be loaded by any host that supports the API and (b)
any host may load any plugin that supports the API, we consider it self-evident that
there can be no “derivative” relationship (in the sense of the GPL’s use of this term)
between the host and plugin.

Consequently, Ardour may load arbitrarily licensed plugins, so as to cause

interactions between Ardour and the plugin via a 3rd party API, without any
implications for either Ardour or the plugin. In our understanding, Using such
plugins with Ardour is not impacted in any way by Ardour’s GPL licensing.

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, June 1991

Copyright © 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor,
Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim
copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

Preamble

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and
change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your
freedom to share and change free software—to make sure the software is free for all its
users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation’s
software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free
Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License
instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too. When we speak of free software, we
are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make
sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that
you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you
know you can do these things. To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that
forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These
restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the
software, or if you modify it. For example, if you distribute copies of such a program,

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whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have.
You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must
show them these terms so they know their rights. We protect your rights with two
steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license which gives you legal
permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software. Also, for each author’s
protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that there is
no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else and
passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so
that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors’
reputations. Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We
wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain
patent licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have
made it clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone’s free use or not licensed
at all. The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification
follow.

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING,

DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by
the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General
Public License. The “Program”, below, refers to any such program or work, and a “work
based on the Program” means either the Program or any derivative work under
copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either
verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter,
translation is included without limitation in the term “modification”.) Each licensee is
addressed as “you”.

Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not

covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).
Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.

1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program’s source code as you
receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish
on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact
all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give
any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.

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You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and
you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.

2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming
a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work
under the terms of Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these
conditions: a) You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that
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you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the
Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties
under the terms of this License. c) If the modified program normally reads commands
interactively when run, you must cause it, when started running for such interactive
use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an announcement including an
appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying
that you provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under these
conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this License. (Exception: if the
Program itself is interactive but does not normally print such an announcement, your
work based on the Program is not required to print an announcement.)

These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If

identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program,
and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in
themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those
sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you
distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based
on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of
this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the
entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.

Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest

your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to
exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or
collective works based on the Program.

In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program

with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of
a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under
the scope of this License.

3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in

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object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided
that you also do one of the following: a) Accompany it with the complete
corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the
terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software
interchange; or, b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to
give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing
source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source
code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium
customarily used for software interchange; or, c) Accompany it with the information
you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative
is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in
object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)

The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for
making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source
code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any
associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to
control compilation and installation of the executable. However, as a
special exception, the source code distributed need not include
anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary
form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the
operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component
itself accompanies the executable.

If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering

access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent
access to copy the source code from the same place counts as
distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not
compelled to copy the source along with the object code.

4. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly
provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or
distribute the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this
License. However, parties who have received copies, or rights, from you under this
License will not have their licenses terminated so long as such parties remain in full
compliance. 5. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed
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its derivative works. These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this
License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based on the

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Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and all its terms and
conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it. 6.
Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the
recipient automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute
or modify the Program subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any
further restrictions on the recipients’ exercise of the rights granted herein. You are not
responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties to this License. 7. If, as a
consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement or for any other
reason (not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether by court
order, agreement or otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do
not excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot distribute so as to
satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this License and any other pertinent
obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the Program at all. For
example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program
by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way
you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution
of the Program.

If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under

any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to
apply and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other
circumstances.

It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any

patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any
such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the
integrity of the free software distribution system, which is
implemented by public license practices. Many people have made
generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed
through that system in reliance on consistent application of that
system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is willing
to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot
impose that choice.

This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to

be a consequence of the rest of this License.

8. If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries either
by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder who places the
Program under this License may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation

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excluding those countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among countries

not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if written in
the body of this License. 9. The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or
new versions of the General Public License from time to time. Such new versions will
be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new
problems or concerns.

Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program

specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and “any
later version”, you have the option of following the terms and conditions
either of that version or of any later version published by the Free
Software Foundation. If the Program does not specify a version number of
this License, you may choose any version ever published by the Free Software
Foundation.

10. If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free programs whose
distribution conditions are different, write to the author to ask for permission. For
software which is copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free
Software Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions for this. Our decision will be
guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of all derivatives of our free
software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.

NO WARRANTY

11. BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY

FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN
OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES
PROVIDE THE PROGRAM “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS
TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE
PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
REPAIR OR CORRECTION. 12. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR
AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO
MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE
TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED
INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE
PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR

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OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

OpenSSL
============================
Copyright © 1998-2017 The OpenSSL Project. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are
permitted provided that the following conditions are met: 1. Redistributions of source
code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
disclaimer. 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or
other materials provided with the distribution. 3. All advertising materials mentioning
features or use of this software must display the following acknowledgment: “This
product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL
Toolkit. (http://www.openssl.org/)” 4. The names “OpenSSL Toolkit” and “OpenSSL
Project” must not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
without prior written permission. For written permission, please contact openssl-
[email protected]. 5. Products derived from this software may not be called “OpenSSL”
nor may “OpenSSL” appear in their names without prior written permission of the
OpenSSL Project. 6. Redistributions of any form whatsoever must retain the following
acknowledgment: “This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project
for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)” THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED
BY THE OpenSSL PROJECT ``AS IS’‘ AND ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
OpenSSL PROJECT OR ITS CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
============================ This product includes cryptographic
software written by Eric Young ([email protected]). This product includes software
written by Tim Hudson ([email protected]).
============================

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