Review: Euphonix MC Mix
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jason Scott Alexander
ETHERNET CONTROL SURFACE BRINGS HIGH-END DOWN TO EARTH
PERFORMANCE
I tried MC Mix on Logic Pro and Nuendo; neither required any additional setup. EuCon interfaces directly with the host and integrates at a much deeper level in its native mode than HUI or Mackie Control. Loading up a previously saved session, faders snapped immediately and quietly into place; the first eight tracks names appeared (to a maximum of 10 characters); tracks' solo/mute status lit up; and the rotary encoders defaulted to reflect pan settings. Aux buses, sends, inputs, master faders and more all showed up correctly as well. Nothing seemed awry.
I immediately wondered how plug-in assignments would appear, so I headed to the Knob Set selector section to call up the Inserts view. Some of those knob sets feature submenus. For example, the Inserts knob set shows the names of every plug-in inserted on the track in Channel mode, one plug-in name per knob. Depressing a given knob displays that plug-ins' first eight parameters across all knobs. Plug-ins with more than eight parameters must be paged across or, if you have multiple MC Mix units ganged, they'll cascade across. You can also instantiate plug-ins straight from the MC Mix.
I had no problem navigating even the deepest of my plug-ins, pressing the Back key occasionally and the Top key to return to the top of the Inserts knob set. I really loved how EuCon finds the parameters and maps them out for you. And the OLED display keeps you constantly informed of the currently selected track by highlighting it with a grid of small yellow dots. Back in Normal mode, a vertical level meter shows peak-hold and clip indication to the left of each track name and automation status (read, write or read/write) shows on the right. Simply tapping a fader or knob momentarily replaces a track or parameter with a numeric value for that fader or knob. That's the nondestructive beauty of touch-sensitive encoders.
Using MC Mix in Pro Tools wasn't as fluid, due in part to HUI's known limitations. For example, HUI allows only four objects (such as plug-ins) to be named at once. Euphonix actually works around that and displays eight; however, names appear starting on knob 5, and there was a slight lag in parameter names being displayed for knobs 1 through 4. Paging and banking would often overshoot the first or last track in a session, forcing me to page back to realign the displays. Parameter names were truncated to only four characters (HUI's limitation), resulting in my reverting to the computer screen more than I liked. EuControl also crashed several times under Pro Tools, but never once in Logic or Nuendo. Thankfully, the crashes didn't compromise the session, and the MC Mix came back online within seconds of restarting EuControl.
AIN'T NO SUCKA MC
For the longest time, the Mackie MCU was the only controller that allowed me to juggle between composing in Logic Pro and mixing in Pro Tools|HD with any kind of pro functionality. But its MIDI communication is less than ideal for precise fader moves or reliable metering, and the physical depth of the unit makes it a desk hog. With a MAP price of $999, the MC Mix brings the precision and ergonomics of its granddaddy MC systems to a wider audience. I can't say enough about the ergonomics of this unit and what it does to speed up mixing and editing.
Even though there are only eight knobs, you'd never know it. The MC Mix is the only controller in this price range to feature touch-sensitive rotary encoders and OLED displays, which make all the difference for intuitively interacting with plug-ins. Combing, intelligent native knob-set assignments, view modes from EuCon-supporting applications and smart user-programmable layout recalls, it's far easier, faster and more enjoyable to edit effects and soft synths on the MC Mix than any other compact controller in this class. I would like to see complete user-programmability of controller routings in future EuControl updates, however.
MC Mix marks the first affordable high-speed Ethernet-based controller to hit the personal studio market. JazzMutant's impressive Lemur and Dexter Ethernet touch-screen controllers pack tons of futur-istic tricks up their sleeves, but they also cost considerably more. The bottom line and sales clincher for me is EuCon's ability to control almost any parameter or chain of processes and to flip seamlessly between applications while doing so. That makes the MC Mix a wise investment that can grow with you.
EUPHONIX MC MIX
Pros: High-speed EuCon communications and control protocol. Eight motorized and touch-sensitive 100 mm ALPS faders, rotary encoders and high-resolution OLED displays/meters. “Application layer” operability. Comprehensive controls for session editing, navigation and transport. Compact and beautiful design. Simple plug-and-play. Easily expandable.
Cons: Currently functions only on Mac OS X systems.
Contact: www.euphonix.com/artist
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