Waves - CLA MixHub - Mixing With Mike Plugin of the Week

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[@ReeseWitherknife]

You always explain plugins better than anyone else

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers!

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

Mike I come from the analog world (there was no digital to speak of - remember editing tape with a razor blade?) and have never felt quite at home, "in the box" - because its always been one channel/track at a time, and it felt "chunky" to me. It was hard to get that integrated feeling. I feel that Chris has let us come home. And the audio quality of the various modules is simply spot on. I don't think that Chris will let anything leave the garage until it meets his demanding ear. I don't know how Waves and Chris did this but I'm beyond delighted that they did.

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

Hi Mike, great in depth video as always! Filter high-pass the Ultra Wide effect below 200Hz without affecting the original signal. I just made a video precisely about that

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers! Thanks for catching that one, not sure how I missed it.

[@hr2186]

Got this a few days ago. The new updates made it CPU friendly and I'm selling my BX strips. For me at least it was what I was looking for...love it.

[@guyincascade]

I would love to see you do another on this. I really gained a lot from this one.

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers!

[@aisharpproductions1351]

Hey, Mike! Great review, as always. Being a professional, do you personally see this making its way into your workflow?

[@delanomoore2977]

I truly believe they should’ve made a controller for this plugin.

[@delanomoore2977]

Motorized faders, all dynamic sections and full integration with a daw.

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

I use the SSL Nucleus control surface - my bet is that integration of the MixHub through a control surface is going to be a patch

[@mixingwithmike]

Great idea, but a tough sell without a commitment to long term product and software development. Softube is doing this with Console 1. If they came out with a Console 8 I think it could be a game changer for them

[@user-uu2xy3se6c]

Greetings. Can you please do a video where by you tracking vocals using the CLA mixhub, from mic to interface then CLA mixhub.

[@producerfuji_official]

Question using this mixhub plugin I noticed yours on the mix window of protools is inserted on the 6 audio input why is that ? And why not at the beginning of the mixing chain on the channel? Please example thx Love the video

[@MrBitterman75]

CLA clickfest. But Mike is great, as always.

[@petefaders]

Look who just came out with the same thing, MIKE PLEASE REVIEW Satson Channel Strip!!! :)

[@ramzes0205]

Could be great!

[@joolm4976]

The more I use new plugin technology, the more I come back to Cubase native console with it channelstrip. Sounds as good to me.

[@stupidusername38]

this plugin feels like it was almost there but was rushed for Namm. For instance why not have a VCA fader for the Output section so that we can alter the volume and maintain the relative fader levels? Also, why not have a bypass button in the bucket view for EQ and dynamics so we don't have to individually disable the power one at a time? I know there's no mute and solo because CLA has his tracked prep before mixing but not everyone works that way.

[@prussitotoiprussitotoi4713]

Hi Mike One more thing --- The bx-console ssl4000 E with TMT is the best SSL4000E desk emulation I know of until now BUT their dynamics section on the plugin falls way short compared to the REAL SSL4000E desk, it sounds flat, liveless and lacking the punch of a real SSL4000 desk - this was especially evident on drums. CAN you tell us if in your opignon, they were able to get the DYNAMICS section right in this Waves CLA Mixhub emulation ?

[@soundrocketstudio]

Mike u forgot to cut the intro part! 🤣 Great video as everytime btw

[@146truthstreet7]

Hey Mike, You really now your stuff and I mean that. I have tested the CLA Mix Hub SSL 4000 E............... against the Bx SSL 4000 E and found the head room is much better with the BX. Whats your thought. I'm sure I won't get a answer I know I have entered a politically correct question but to me the Bx is closer to the sound of a analog emulation.................. And head room is the game for plugins to play the catch up game.

[@mixingwithmike]

I have not done a side by side comparison of the 2 but I swear I can hear the difference in the modelling technology between all Waves, UA and BX plugins. Not sure what you mean by headroom. SSL E consoles did not have a lot of headroom which was actually part of the sound. Neve and API desks were known more for having more headroom. As far as my opinion goes, I think the UA SSL E is closest to the feel and sound of the SSL E but the TMT in the BX version adds a depth that I have not heard on any other emulation and has been my choice for most mixes recently. As far as the CLA MixHub goes, I think I have to play with it a bit longer to get a better feel for it. I love the workflow enhancements, love the Bluey addition and I felt that I got great results in a short time setting this demo up. Not sure what you mean by "headroom is the game for plugins to play the catchup game". Not sure that emulations will ever sound like the real thing. Plugins will never pass audio through thousands of feet of cable, connectors, patchbays, have impedance mismatch issues, random buzzes, noises, whining tubes, RF problems, crosstalk issues, or emulate poorly maintained analog gear you might be forced to use in a real analog studio. Not to mention that the tape slap reel needs to be set up every 30mins or so to keep the effect going. I haven't even gotten into the variation of component quality which I believe varies much more in real life than bx has emulated. Ask anyone who owns a 30+ year old E Series and is looking for the original capacitors. It's easy to forget that the vintage analog world was a minefield of potential problems and think that it was some kinda perfect world where everything sounded great all the time. Most of engineering was about doing everything you could to keep the tape recording high enough above the tape hiss without distorting and doing your best to manage noises everywhere they occurred. Not to mention making sure you had enough tape on the reel for another take. Try working in destructive record for all of your sessions over the next 10 years and see how much hair you have left... :-) Aaaahhh, I feel much better now after that rant, hope you enjoyed it too :-) Cheers! Mike

[@146truthstreet7]

@@mixingwithmike Cheers Back, Great response, The headroom? So when I ran side by side CLA and the BX SSLe on the same source with everything zeroed out. The fullness of the Bx was superb I had to bring down the gain on the Bx to match the level and it still was much fuller. It's like this get two mixes @ -0.2 One is full ,loud ,rich you get the idea and the other thin, crisp weak sauce ..Ha! Headroom is the answer to the Full in the way it was staged right. In a good built analog desk it's designed to max out the signal in the fullest possible way. So headroom is the name of the game with good components and that is what plugins are tiring to achieve as I see it. correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe I should have use a different word then headroom. I own most of Waves and BX.... The THD is a plus. but in my test it was not increased. Thanks for getting back.

[@Beexzz]

@@mixingwithmike Mike, you are the best! And don't you feel better now when you let the steam out?! Hehehe... Regarding "old analogue vintage" stuff - you are completely right. It was all the time battle to keep all in working order. Nowadays young(er) generations don't know how lucky they are having all those ultra fast machines and digital (emulations) stuff. It is not the sound of old analogue gear (plugin may be modelled 1:1 by some piece of gear that sounded worse than next consecutive setial number but accidentaly that one taken for emulation was taken into account because it was used by this-or-that guy) that counts but how the helping tools (plugins) are being used. Which one, where, how low or hot... Those kind of details. Anyway, I just wanted to applaude you and your effort for making all this stuff for world wide audience. Me included. I learned soooo much from you and I THANK YOU SIR for your gifts. Best and warmest regards from Zagreb, Croatia! Krešo

[@PatApoo]

I have the BX SSL E & G as well as the CLA MixHUb & the original Waves SSL Bundle. Although I think the bx SSL E&G are both excellent channel strips I do NOT feel they are the best SSL emulations. I don't care what bx say the compressors do not sound or feel like SSL. It's not that they are not good, they are. Just not SSL. The bottom end of the bx_SSL is beefy no question about that but it's NOT tight like and SSL. The upper mids lack the punch of an SSL. The bx channels do have more headroom and much more of an ANALOG sound than the others. I do think the bx channels are the best ANALG sounding channel strips on the market but overall I think the CLA MixHub is a better SSL channel strip.

[@marciomesquita]

@@mixingwithmike Wow! Excellent down-to-earth overview of the less glamorous side of the analog world. I haven’t been there with professional studio gear, as I am more of a home stereo / cheap guitar gear consumer from the 80’s and 90’s, but what you described is what I always imagined to be the reality of professional analog audio back in the day, rather than the glorified nostalgic descriptions of the always perfect-sounding idealizations sprinkled with sommelier adjectives that we see today. Your rants are very welcome! ;) Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all the great content you produce!

[@prussitotoiprussitotoi4713]

Hi Mike, thanks for the review. I just wanted to point out that this plugin is not fully compatible with Studio One (the plugin insert slot feature does not function for Studio One !!) Also, there is no mute or solo buttons in bucket view - a major flaw in my opignon. Then there is the high CPU usage several of us have noticed. If you wish to run this on all the channels in a mix, many will have to choose either this plugin with nothing else - or not using it on all channels which defies it's work flow ideology. I reviewed the plugin on the WAVES site after downloading and running it. A Plugin which is not 100% Studio One compatible is a no go for us Studio One users. This and the other problems together led to a review result with less than 3 STARS - and guess what - WAVES simply doesn't publish the review. In other words, WAVES only publishes reviews with 3 STARS or higher to ensure their score appears as very high. This, to me, is an immoral practice.

[@prussitotoiprussitotoi4713]

UPDATE - Waves has contacted us concerning the review and decided to publish it - respect to WAVES. They also wrote that they will try to release an update which should fix the Studio One incompatability. As for adding features they remained sceptic.

[@bigdoghat3827]

Apologies if this is a double post, I can't see my question now. Is there a way to have a sub master fader for each bucket where you could have control of say everything in the drums bucket on a single sub group fader for final overall level trimming after all the channel strip and bucket processing? Or does that have to be done inside the DAW? Would also love to know the difference between bluey and vca attack times, are we getting the super fast 1176 attack time in bluey mode or something a bit more moderate, closer to the vca "fast"

[@mixingwithmike]

Hi Sharon, No, there is no way to have a subgroup fader within the CLA Mixhub. It doesn't actually change any of the signalflow of the DAW you are using, it only allows you to view multiple instances side-by-side in groups of 8 so you can make adjustments without switching plugin windows. Setting up a subgroup should be done in the DAW. Cheers! Mike

[@bigdoghat3827]

@@mixingwithmike Makes sense, thanks. Also, I just wanted to say I really appreciate your videos, any time a new product comes out I look to see if you've reviewed it. I bought the UA ATR-102 after watching your excellent walk-through, thanks for the great work!

[@mixingwithmike]

@@bigdoghat3827 Cheers!

[@vontreherumaiBH]

How does this sound on vocals eq wise ? Anybody know before I buy this shit

[@ToniMazzotti]

This substitute NSL or works together?

[@bsmith8166]

?????different products entirely

[@MultiFreddy34]

To the several comments pertaining to this "sucking." I'm gonna have to accept Mike and his plethora of experience with real SSL consoles. If Mike or other pro's says it's decent/fairly true to the vibe and workflow of a real SSL then why not take their word for it? Who are all of you armchair mixers. Can't you defer to someone that knows what's up? Just because you've played with Bx console or any other number of plugs doesn't mean you have a clue/unbiased and credible information does it?

[@mixingwithmike]

Cheers! Thanks for the support!

[@MultiFreddy34]

Michael White YW:))

[@PeterStedtMusikproduktion]

Hi Mike Thanks for the video. Why would this be better than the channel strip you always have in for example Cubase (or other daw)? You get an excellent overview in Cubase and you can also always fill in with extra plug-ins on each track (and group tracks aswell) For example you can use Softube Consiole 1 where you have the SSL series. Many other suppliers also have similar plugins. As I see it with CLA MixHub, regardless of the quality of the sound, the workflow is totally wrong from my perspective. Fun to see your tutorial after all but NO, I should never buy this CLA MixHub.

[@Beexzz]

Is it just me or this CLA MixHub no matter how the idea IS GREAT is a pile of sh**t. Metering alongside the "ear leveling" (VU metering especially) is sluggish and overall feel is unfinished. I have never liked Waves plugins that much. Maybe I'm way off but this looks great as an idea but no so great on many other things. It's just more and more options and features but in real life you don't actually need all that stuff in one single plugin. And while talking about one single plugin, to have it all working efficiently IN ONE SINGLE plugin takes either horsepower or cutting corners somewhere. I wonder which is it? Maybe some of smarter people can chime in on this thoughts? And yeh, Mike, brilliant as always! Thank you for your fantastic videos and your expert explanations on the matter! Best regards man from half way around the world, from Zagreb, Croatia! Faithfull follower. Krešo

[@mixingwithmike]

Sluggish metering has more to do with my overall system load, live streaming, video recording and DAW all at once. Meters look great without all the extra stuff. As a workflow enhancement, I think it is a great idea and reminds me more of working on real analog consoles than any other plugin out there. Not sure how having channel strips side-by-side is a problem for anyone. No extra load on CPU as far as i can tell. Thanks for the support! I understand having a bias with certain manufacturers over others, but I love it when a company comes out with something unique like the TMT on the bx_consoles for example. I thik this one is unique in that way. Chheers! Mike

[@Beexzz]

@@mixingwithmike Hi Mike! Thank you for your reply and honest explanation. As I haven't tried it myself but just saw sluggish VU meters behaviour via your video, but also in other videos, I presumed that this is not a polished thing. Anyway, yes I am not a Waves fan but this has a lot of potential. And if it sounds right maybe I should try this one and then have a judgement! Thank you for everything. Krešo

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

@@mixingwithmike Mike, I have no issues with sluggish response at all nor system loading. It feels very much like an SSL analog console to me. Its what I was used to, and allows a "flow" within the bucket. Having channel strips side by side and in 8X buckets is the feel of a console, its really the feel we grew up with.

[@derrickchapman8504]

Neutron3 ozone 9

[@mixingwithmike]

I am a big fan of both but think the interaction between the plugins has a long way to go.

[@derrickchapman8504]

@@mixingwithmike i agree but would like to see you do a review on em i like how you deliver