ProAudio Review - March 2009 - (Page 22)

studio review by Rich Tozzoli Focusrite Liquid Mix HD TDM Plug-In Focusrite’s well-engineered, convolution-based plug-in suite is easy on the ears and the processor. I have to admit that the only thing that kept me from running Focusrite’s Liquid Mix 16 hardware in my studio was that you needed a slot-precious FireWire cable to run it. Well, scratch that problem: Liquid Mix HD is a new TDM plug-in for Pro Tools|HD users that provides up to 60 modern and classic EQ and compressor emulations. There are no cables needed with this bad boy — just install and play. The Requirements To run Liquid Mix HD (LMHD), you’ll need (of course) Pro Tools (V7.1 or higher), a minimum of 1 GB of memory, and an iLok key. At a minimum, you’ll also need Windows XP SP2 or OSX Mac 10.4.10 operating systems and a Pro Tools Accel DSP card. LMHD will run at sample rates up to 96 kHz with a totally respectable latency of 12 samples at all rates. Since I downloaded the basic installation software, a separate install of the emulation files was necessary. It’s a Convolution Thing Like the aforementioned Liquid Mix 16, LMHD uses a technology called, “Dynamic Convolution,” to generate the included emulations. Unlike the technique of simply modeling a sound, they actually sample the behavior of audio within each unit at multiple levels, settings, and frequencies. Out of this mound of data emerges an “accurate” emulation of each of the included analog processors. These are available to be called up as plug-in inserts with each instance (stereo or mono) providing one compressor and one equalizer each. What’s Inside The emulations provided upon installation are broken down into 40 compressors and 20 EQs. Additional library installs are available for free on the company’s website, with an expanding selection forthcoming. The emulations are selected on the GUI by using the dropdown menu available above each graph. While you’re never exactly sure what models they are, the cryptic codes such as Class A1: Brit 70’s, Brit Desk 2, Danish Classic Tube, etc. do provide clues (except for Focusrite’s own clearly labeled Red 7, ISA 130, and Green Channel Strip). The first thing I did was to scan through them all on the same piece of audio material to hear the impact of each and get a feel for it. The same dropdown selection applies for the EQ, except there you can choose to load All Bands or those associated with the original model. Compressor dropdown Rich Tozzoli is a producer, composer, sound designer, and the software editor for Pro Audio Review. www.richtozzoli.com 22 ProAudioReview | March 2009 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.richtozzoli.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - March 2009

ProAudio Review - March 2009 Contents Technically Speaking New Studio Products Opinion: Studio Sense Gear Trends In Nashville Focusrite Liquid Mix HD TDM Plug-in Daking Mic-Pre One sE Electronics RNR1 Active Ribbon Microphone WAVES Tony Maserati Plug-in Collection KRK Systems Rokit 8 G2 Monitors and 10s Subwoofer JBL Control 2P Powered Desktop Monitors Neumann TLM 103D Digital Microphone System Violet Design “The Wedge” Condenser Microphone New Live Products Opinion: Worship Audio Fender Passport Deluxe PD-500 Portable PA PAR Contributor Of The Month Behringer 2442FX 10x4x2 Analog Mixer Single Slice

ProAudio Review - March 2009

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