Recording - October 2012 - 58

&
Toontrack EZmix 2
More features and more content expand an already by Mike Metlay powerful mix-assistant plug-in

...where we bring you follow-up articles with application hints and upgrade news about gear already reviewed in Recording

In our December 2011 issue, we reviewed Toontrack’s EZmix, a preset-based multi-effects plug-in (developed in conjunction with effects gurus Overloud) that’s designed to quickly help the user find an appropriate effects chain for any recording application. Users browse and select presets based on easily-understood criteria, and each preset offers a preconfigured chain of effects with basic controls that let the user quickly tweak his sounds to taste. EZmix’s utility is expanded by EZmix Packs, presets that are either created with a particular musical genre or application in mind or are inspired by the personal tastes of famous producers who lend their skills to the program. In our previous review, we looked at the first seven EZmix Packs: collections from famed mixmeisters Chuck Ainlay and Mark Needham, as well as genre-savvy Packs for Electronic, Metal, Modern Pop/Rock, Rock, and Songwriters’ Tools. Toontrack recently raised the ante with EZmix 2. Let’s take a look at what’s new in the latest version, and while we’re at it, we’ll take a spin through some of the new EZmix Packs on offer. EZmix 2 can run as a standalone application or as a plug-in for Windows XP SP3/Vista/7 hosts that handle VST and RTAS; the Mac version (OS X 10.5 or better) also includes AU. Once purchased and downloaded, each product can be authorized on up to four computers (and active on any two of them at a time); tracking your authorizations and serial numbers is made relatively easy and clear via your account at the Toontrack website. What’s new in 2? A lot! The number of effects in EZmix has more than doubled with the new version, and version 2 sports a new overall look. The new program is compatible with the old EZmix sounds and Packs; it just adds more options. EZmix 1 had 16 effect types: 5-band parametric eq, lowpass filter, highpass filter, compressor, limiter, transient shaper, frequency gate, tape simulator, chorus, hall reverb, inverse reverb, tape delay, filter delay, distortion, bit crusher, and Overloud (a “tone enhancer” combining compression, eq, and harmonic generation). EZmix 2 has now added: de-esser, multiband compressor, mastering limiter, advanced filter, aural exciter, special distortion (modeled, according to Toontrack, upon the famous Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi), guitar amplifiers, guitar cabinets, rotary speaker, wah-wah, vibrato, tremolo, octaver, flanger, phaser, stereo enhancer, and new reverbs (room, plate, and spring) with algorithms from Overloud’s BREVERB and SpringAge reverbs.
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RECORDING October 2012

With few exceptions this list of additions divides neatly into two categories: effects intended to bring tracks and mixes to a new level of polish (including effects normally seen in the mastering chain) and effects commonly used on guitar. Although many Packs have great guitar sounds, Toontrack won’t have a fully guitar-centric Pack out until November... but the Mastering Pack makes heavy use of these new capabilities, as we’ll see. While the “look” of the program is completely different— a virtual “gear storeroom” with the currently-active devices graphically highlighted (see the screenshots)—it works just like version 1 did. There’s a comprehensive browser that lets you hunt through presets by a variety of criteria and tag your favorites for storage in a separate list. You can sort by musical genre (e.g. rock vs. jazz vs. electronica), intended source instrument (e.g. bass vs. guitars vs. drums), “type” (e.g. insert vs. group bus vs. aux vs. master), and more—even the particular producer who designed the sounds. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, you just click through the presets until you hear one that’s close to what you like. Then you can tweak the two Big Dials until you’re where you want to be—these two parameter controls actually alter multiple settings on multiple effects at once in a sensible way, so while some things are being turned up, others are simultaneously being turned down if that’s what the sound calls for. A pair of displays gives the two parameters fanciful titles like “Lift” or “Punk”, or in some cases a description of what’s being altered (“Bit Crusher Drive, Compressor Threshold and Ratio”), and they can be automated in your DAW, as can the Input and Output level knobs (each with its own level meter). That’s it—browse, select, tweak, done. The new Packs Of the six newest EZmix Packs, four—Core Expansion, Dirt, Mastering, and a new Pack from veteran mixer Randy Staub—require the new effects in EZmix 2. The two other new Packs, Alternative Rock (by Chris Pitman, whose background includes Guns N’ Roses and Tool) and Metal Essentials, work with old and new versions of EZmix. Core Expansion is just that: an expanded set of sounds that provide a “core” for your mixing work, with a little something for everyone. EZmix 1 effects like the Transient Shaper stand next to new arrivals like the De-Esser and give you all sorts of cool audio tricks with just a click— check out Bass Lo-Hi Balancer and Snare Bottom Shortener. The widely varied presets range from very subtle and beautiful to truly raunchy (a 5-deep FX stack for tambourine?!), and makes this Pack a go-to for the user who wants a little bit more of everything. Dirt is very aptly titled: this mass of hugely distorted, eqtweaked audio filth holds the prize for “too much is never enough”, with chains of up to 11 effects in a single preset. The new stomp boxes and guitar amp/cabinet modules are in evidence here, but interestingly this Pack doesn’t have a large number of guitar patches (the few it does have are devastating). If you’re doing a lot of work in alternative, punk, metal, or any other genre that requires twisting and mangling your sounds, you’ll want to audition this Pack. The Randy Staub Pack showcases the workflow of an engineer whose multi-decade career includes artists from Michael Bublé and Celine Dion to Metallica and Mötley Crüe. What I found interesting about these presets was their simplicity and effectiveness—Randy rarely uses more than 3 modules in any



Recording - October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2012

Recording - October 2012
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
A Silver Celebration—25 Years of Recording!
Grace Design m502 500-Series Optical Compressor
Edwards Audio Research LE-10 Mic Preamp
Celeste Lear
AEA KU4 Unidirectional Ribbon Microphone
Reviewed and Revisited: PreSonus Interface Cascading
Plug-in Outlet: Nomad Factory MAGMA
Approaching The Mix
Roland R-MIX
Dangerous Music Bax EQ
Plug-in Outlet: Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
Mojave Audio MA-301fet
Reviewed and Revisited: Toontrack EZmix 2
Mixing—Rethinking The Process
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 10: Signal Flow Part 2
Readers’ Tapes
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - October 2012 - Intro
Recording - October 2012 - Recording - October 2012
Recording - October 2012 - Cover2
Recording - October 2012 - 1
Recording - October 2012 - 2
Recording - October 2012 - 3
Recording - October 2012 - Fade In
Recording - October 2012 - 5
Recording - October 2012 - Contents
Recording - October 2012 - 7
Recording - October 2012 - Talkback
Recording - October 2012 - 9
Recording - October 2012 - Fast Forward
Recording - October 2012 - 11
Recording - October 2012 - A Silver Celebration—25 Years of Recording!
Recording - October 2012 - 13
Recording - October 2012 - 14
Recording - October 2012 - 15
Recording - October 2012 - 16
Recording - October 2012 - 17
Recording - October 2012 - 18
Recording - October 2012 - 19
Recording - October 2012 - Grace Design m502 500-Series Optical Compressor
Recording - October 2012 - 21
Recording - October 2012 - Edwards Audio Research LE-10 Mic Preamp
Recording - October 2012 - 23
Recording - October 2012 - Celeste Lear
Recording - October 2012 - 25
Recording - October 2012 - 26
Recording - October 2012 - 27
Recording - October 2012 - 28
Recording - October 2012 - 29
Recording - October 2012 - AEA KU4 Unidirectional Ribbon Microphone
Recording - October 2012 - 31
Recording - October 2012 - 32
Recording - October 2012 - 33
Recording - October 2012 - 34
Recording - October 2012 - 35
Recording - October 2012 - Reviewed and Revisited: PreSonus Interface Cascading
Recording - October 2012 - 37
Recording - October 2012 - 38
Recording - October 2012 - 39
Recording - October 2012 - Plug-in Outlet: Nomad Factory MAGMA
Recording - October 2012 - 41
Recording - October 2012 - 42
Recording - October 2012 - 43
Recording - October 2012 - Approaching The Mix
Recording - October 2012 - 45
Recording - October 2012 - 46
Recording - October 2012 - 47
Recording - October 2012 - 48
Recording - October 2012 - 49
Recording - October 2012 - Roland R-MIX
Recording - October 2012 - 51
Recording - October 2012 - Dangerous Music Bax EQ
Recording - October 2012 - 53
Recording - October 2012 - Plug-in Outlet: Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
Recording - October 2012 - 55
Recording - October 2012 - Mojave Audio MA-301fet
Recording - October 2012 - 57
Recording - October 2012 - Reviewed and Revisited: Toontrack EZmix 2
Recording - October 2012 - 59
Recording - October 2012 - Mixing—Rethinking The Process
Recording - October 2012 - 61
Recording - October 2012 - 62
Recording - October 2012 - 63
Recording - October 2012 - 64
Recording - October 2012 - 65
Recording - October 2012 - 66
Recording - October 2012 - 67
Recording - October 2012 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 10: Signal Flow Part 2
Recording - October 2012 - 69
Recording - October 2012 - 70
Recording - October 2012 - 71
Recording - October 2012 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - October 2012 - 73
Recording - October 2012 - 74
Recording - October 2012 - 75
Recording - October 2012 - Advertiser Index
Recording - October 2012 - 77
Recording - October 2012 - 78
Recording - October 2012 - 79
Recording - October 2012 - Fade Out
Recording - October 2012 - Cover3
Recording - October 2012 - Cover4
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