Opinions on Toontrack EZmix?

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Although I really like Toontrack products, I somehow never really considered EZmix. It always seemed a bit too beginner-oriented and toy-like to me. But now, with version 3 on the horizon... have I perhaps missed something and let my prejudices get the better of me? Is EZmix actually a great program that shouldn't be overlooked? What are your opinions and experiences?

 

[saarangnarayan]

It's decent to get demos out the door and offers just the right amount of controls/tweakability if you can't be bothered surgically listening to everything. But it's just a stepping stone if you're getting into mixing or maybe a do-it-quick tool if you have a good ear for mixing but don't have the time to put in. I last used my copies 4-5 years ago and haven't really pulled them up at all since I got the Izotope stuff.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Well, I decided to check out the software because I found EZmix 2 (including the upgrade to 3) for an insanely low price (39.99 EUR at drum-tec.de).

 

[DrewJD82]

I got it when I was still teaching myself to mix but it’s pretty much like the other Master-Via-Presets plugins. I have my general reservations about using that stuff because I can’t see what’s going on and while they might be a quick answer for a demo but I’d really rather learn how to achieve the same thing via individual plugins.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Yeah, now that I've tried it out a bit, I'm pretty glad I didn't spend more money on it. For 40 bucks it's okay, at least because the upgrade to version 3 is included. Who knows, maybe I'll really like the new version. In that case I would have got an extremely good bargain, otherwise I haven't wasted much money.

 

[Sleezy E]

I use the mastering presets a lot of times on my master bus.
I bought a couple of the mastering expansion packs on black friday when they were 10 bucks. It's quick and easy to scroll through the presets.. if nothing flips my switch, I just do it the old fashion way..

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

I just installed EZmix 3, which is available now, and clicked through the guitar presets. What the hell were they thinking? They sound horrible, absolutely horrible.

 

[Sleezy E]

 

[la szum]

Who is buying EZMix for the guitar tones??

 

[Sleezy E]

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Who is buying EZMix for the guitar tones??

Of course I didn‘t. But I got a license for cheap (39 EUR) and thought why not give it a try?! I love Toontrack‘s stuff, but EZmix is terrible.

 

[norminal]

There’s nothing “EZ” about mixing.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Even the AI mastering presets suck and only produce overhyped bullshit. For example, I tried the Modern Metal preset and after analyzing the track, EZmix 3 thinks it's a good idea to master it with -6 db LUFS.

 

[paisleywookiee]

AI-driven amp captures supply plug-and-play access to outstanding bass and guitar tones

It would have been really cool if they had made it so you could open NAM captures in EZMix 3.

 

[la szum]

Even the AI mastering presets suck and only produce overhyped bullshit. For example, I tried the Modern Metal preset and after analyzing the track, EZmix 3 thinks it's a good idea to master it with -6 db LUFS.

Isn't that the standard these days? Master way too fucking hot and overhype ALL the frequencies.

Was curious about the preorder for EZMix 3, but glad I sat it out now.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

I love Toontracks products on the whole, but EZMix has never made any sense to me. The odds of presets, or even starting points being useful for any specific needs is so unlikely that you’re more likely to do damage than achieve what you’re trying to do.

I’m admittedly not the target audience for this stuff, but I also wouldn’t recommend this as a direction that will lead to anything positive. If you aren’t sure, less is more and just gradually add things as you feel comfortable. It doesn’t need to be complicated.

 

[Orvillain]

So I grabbed EZMix3, because the upgrade was only like £58 or so. It is actually quite nice sounding, and I like the similarity map feature. One thing I don't really like is that they just assume that if you're on a guitar category, that you want an amp sim; so most presets are in that vein. But I wanted some quick EQ's to scroll through just for processing a recorded guitar tone. Little thing on a ground for that sort of thing.

All in all, I think it's a pretty nifty thing for people who don't know how to mix but just want to get some passable tones together quickly.