- EZmix is a simple, yet powerful mixing tool that gives you access to a huge array of mix presets for the whole gamut of mixing needs. Whether you need to mix drums, vocals, guitars, bass or keyboards this is your tool. Simply insert EZmix on a channel strip in your sequencer, and pick a.
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- Incorporates the complex EZmix 2 network of effects; From clean to distorted tones with various degrees of effect saturation; Expect anything from the beautifully soothing to the ominously haunting. This is a collection of guitar tones for any creative mind that likes to journey outside the box – in the box. Welcome to your new audio.
Wazzup Dawfreaks.
I am back with a fresh review.
Earlier this week TOONTRACK released the second generation of EZmix and TOONTRACK let me give you all a my review on it.
The latest version of EZmix is 2.1 on Mac Informer. It is a perfect match for Music Production in the Audio & Video category. The app is developed by TOONTRACK® MUSIC AB.
What is EZmix 2?
Ezmix 2 is a all in one plug-in that comes as stand alone and in Native-only plug-in format AU, RTAS and VST plugin format for MAC and PC, VST and AU supports both 32 and 64 bit hosts.
When I say all in one plug-in it basically is all in one, from EQ, Reverb, Compressor, gate to complete guitar rig or channel strips.
It can basically be used on anything you want, such as channel, subgroup, AUX or even master fader and can help you in stressed moments when you need to finish a mix faster then the speed of light.
EZmix 2 is a complete mixing tool with presets created by professionals and with professional high-end gear,for complete specs pleas visit the EZmix 2 page.
http://www.toontrack.com/products.asp?item=135
A first look
As I load up EZmix 2 the name becomes clear, the GUI is nice and very EZ.
EZmix 2 is divided in two Sections, browser and effect controls.
The browser has both a search function and a categorization listed as Instrument Groups. Drums, Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, Percussion, Strings, Vocals and Miscellaneous. This makes finding the right preset very easy.
When you have done your choices or made your search the matching presets will be listed nicely in the lower browser section.
Note that you can combined more then one choice in each category section to increase the chance to find the preset you are looking for.
Below that we have the actual plugin with effect controls, where the preset effects is adjusted through two turn knobs to increase or decrease the amount of processing you want.
Looking at the picture above you can see that the left knob will adjust the amount of predefined EQ and the right knob will adjust the amount of Tape Drive on the track.
The control section also holds volume adjustments for Input and output for a complete control of the processing done and the volume of the processed audio.
Working with EZmix 2
As I said before the GUI is very simple to understand, and working with EZmix is fun.
I decided to make a small song with some of the common tracks in it to show how EZmix sounds.
Before we go on, here is a mix with just panning done and no effects.
Inside Studio One v2
This song is set up with drums from TOONTRACK Superior Drummer 2 in a multi out setup. Bass guitar from Native Instruments Kontakt Elements, Piano, Strings and organ from the Studio One Presence library.
I found using the search feature was best and fastest, and then I just went through the different presets to find one I felt sounded good for this mix.
I used EZmix 2 on all channels, and I ended up with 16 EZmix 2 plugins as insert effects on the individual tracks and on most of the used Superior drummer output busses.
I also used EZmix 2 to get the distortion and clean sounds on the guitar tracks.
to top this of I used EZmix 2 as a send effect for Reverb on Kick, Snare and Toms,
and To finish of I used Ezmix as a final master effect on the Main output channel.
EZmix is dead simple to use and each instance takes les then a minute to et up,
Just find a preset, adjust in and output and then adjust the preset settings with the two Turn nobs and you are ready to go to next channel.
The sound you get is very good and you don’t have to spend hours and hours to get a pro mix on your song, and to top things of EZmix 2 is fairly CPU efficient.
The Included effects and presets are great sounding and even though you don’t have much control it seams enough to get a nice sound.
Talking of presets, TOONTRACK included
Here is the CPU usage of the Project.
Getting my mix done with EZmix 2 took me 10 minutes and I did not have to do allot of adjustment of the presets to get a sound I liked.
And here is the same song finished with EZmix 2 applied on the tracks.
Pros
+ Simple to use
+ Great sound
+ CPU efficient
+ Timesaver
+ Price
+ Loads of presets
+ Guitar and Bass rigs
Cons
– Limited
– cant combine presets to make a chain of effects inside EZmix
Conclusion
Toontrack has given us a great start point for mixing our songs quick and easy.
Ezmix 2 has all the different tools we need to get a good mix done.
The downside of EZmix 2 is.. it is EZ and you get a good sound from using it but it might not be your your sound.
EZmix 2 can only load 1 preset at the time so you cant chain more presets inside one instance of EZmix2, this means that you sometime will have to load two or more instances on your Tracks / busses to get a perfect sound.
Ezmix 2 comes with enough control to tweak the sound and can be used on anything you want making it a great all in one plugin.
You can also use the stand alone version to jam along with your favorite songs or for guitar / Bass practice, since it has Guitar and bass rigs (amps and effects) included.
And if you feel you need more effects and presets, EZmix 2 is compatible with all the expansions from EZmix 1 http://www.toontrack.com/products.asp?#EZmixLine
Over all I like the concept of EZmix 2 and I like that it works as both a processing effect as well as a guitar and bass rig.
Ezmix 2 is a very helpful tool for everyone in the music / sound industry and I believe it will be a timesaver for many people in this line of work for years to come.
And I have to say the price is just as EZ for what you get so go get it!!
The verdict
Great product for a small price.
Thank you for reading and I hope to se you back soon.
Please leave a comment below.
With the latest version of EZmix, Toontrack are offering ready-made guitar sounds and master bus processing as well as a huge range of mixing presets.
Toontrack's EZmix, reviewed in these pages back in December 2010 (/sos/dec10/articles/plug-in-folder-1210.htm), is a largely preset-based plug-in intended to make it easy for inexperienced engineers and musicians to buff their sources into shape at the mix. EZmix 2 builds on the paradigm of the original EZmix, but with a new interface, additional mastering presets and the addition of amp and cabinet modelling. A very low-latency stand-alone mode allows guitarists to take full advantage of these without distracting delays. There are also numerous preset expansion packs available, some of which are dedicated to particular genres or instruments, while others are 'celebrity' packs developed with the aid of well-known engineers such as Chuck Ainlay and Mark Needham. These are added by running their installer, then authorising them when you next use EZmix 2 — which is itself authorised online at the Toontrack web site.
Furrowed Browse
The central feature of the new interface is a browser, which breaks down the various presets according to criteria such as instrument, placement in the signal chain, effect type and musical genre. You can also search for terms of your choice, if you can't find what you're looking for directly. The various categories are broken down into multiple preset types where, for example, the drums section might offer different treatments suited to snare drums, kick drums and overheads. Some presets are designed for use as inserts on tracks, buses or master buses, and others for send/return operation. The Browser and Preset Filters section includes a favourites section to which you can add presets that you use regularly. Any tweaks you've made to the controls are stored with your favourite, though the original preset will remain unchanged, even if you keep the same name.
Each preset uses one or more individual components from the 'building blocks' available, which comprise guitar/bass amps and cabinets, chorus, phaser, flanger, rotary speaker, compressor, gate, de-esser, delay, reverb, distortion, EQ, exciter, octaver, stereo width enhancer, tape simulator, tremolo, vibrato and wah. Images for all these devices are shown in shadow to the right of the screen, and when you load a preset, the ones that are used are lit up. However, there's no direct control over the settings of any of these devices. Instead, the super-simple control panel beneath the browser presents just two effect control knobs — which often control multiple parameters simultaneously — and two further knobs for setting the input and output levels.
The Controls section includes two information windows that relate to the two main adjustment knobs, telling you what the knob does in the currently selected preset, in non-technical language that is intended to be meaningful to musicians not versed in engineering jargon. If you park your cursor over the info area, further information will appear explaining what different effects the knob controls, where multiple processes are involved.
The functions of the two knobs varies quite a bit depending on the preset. Sometimes they simply give you more or less of something (or a combination of somethings), while in other presets, they may emphasise a different effect at each extreme of the range with various blends in between. Sometimes the right control knob is used as a wet/dry mix control, or it might not even be used at all. Either way, there's no deep edit mode to get at the separate parameters directly, as the whole ethos of EZmix is simplicity of operation.
Ezmix For Mac Os
Send effects can be set up by using one of the presets that has a wet/dry balance control, which you'd normally set to 100 percent wet for use in an aux bus. The input and output gain controls both have level meters, so it is easy to maintain a healthy signal level without overcooking the signal, and all the controls, including input and output levels, can be automated in the host DAW.
EZ Does It
Although the new version looks quite different, little has changed about the way EZmix 2 operates compared with the original, which is a good thing given its simplicity. Clearly, its powers have been developed further 'under the hood', though, and the new separate input and output level controls are very welcome. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from such a simplified interface, but working with EZmix 2 turned out to be a bit of a guilty pleasure, and had me wondering what it might be like to try to pull off a Mix Rescue using nothing else! One thing to be wary of is that when the processor is switched in, the source immediately sounds bigger and more full-on, but this is often because many of the presets increase the apparent level when first called up. The only way to be sure that your choice of preset is doing the right kind of thing is to first balance the levels so they're subjectively the same with the plug-in switched in or out.
The instant gratification aspect of EZmix 2 is appealing, but when exploring some of the vocal treatments, including those supplied as additional expansion packs, I often found it frustrating that I couldn't adjust the overall amount of compression, where the controls were dedicated to the likes of delay and reverb. There are also occasions where you may benefit from putting two instances of EZmix 2 in series (or one insert effect and one send effect) — for example, you might want to use one preset to handle the dynamics and EQ, with the other used to look after overt effects such as delay and reverb.
The down side of EZmix's simplicity is that those who know what they want from their effects and processors may well feel frustrated by the restrictive nature of the controls. Personally, I often felt that having four effect parameter knobs rather than just two would have given me the flexibility I needed without making the product over-complicated. As an example, a vocal processor might benefit from separate knobs for dynamics, tonal colour, effect tweak (reverb/delay balance, perhaps) and effect level. I would also have liked to see a gain-reduction meter for presets that include dynamics processing: ears can get tired, but meters never do! A switch to lock/unlock delay tempos to the host DAW tempo would also have been useful.
As it stands, though, EZmix 2 makes it very easy for less experienced recording musicians to come up with a 'produced'-sounding mix very quickly, even to the extent of having presets with parallel compression built in, which many novices find difficult to master. For the more serious user, I think the restrictions often outweigh the convenience, but EZmix 2 was built for musicians, not engineers, and you really can't knock what it does when you take into account its target market.
Pros
- Supremely easy to use.
- Affordable and expandable.
- Can provide a polished, produced sound in almost no time.
Cons
- Experienced users will find the simplified controls restrictive.
Summary
Ezmix 2 For Mac
EZmix 2 does exactly as claimed for its intended market. It gives those musicians with less studio experience the ability to add a professional-sounding polish to their mixes. The expansion packs also increase its scope for relatively little extra cost.
Ezmix For Macbook Pro