FOCUSRITE LIQUIDMIX16 Details
The Focusrite Liquid Mix 16 is an affordable yet revolutionary multi-channel firewire mix processor.
The Focusrite Liquid Mix 16’s onboard DSP enables you to use 16 mono or 8 stereo instances of 20 classic EQs and 40 vintage compressor emulations simultaneously in your favourite DAW sequencer software – an impossible task to achieve with your computer’s CPU alone.
Each of the Focusrite Liquid Mix 16's sixteen mono channels (or eight stereo channels) provides Compressor and EQ emulations selectable from a huge pool of high-quality vintage and modern day classics. Forty Compressors and twenty EQs are available straight out of the box, with some additional emulations already online, available for free. Also a hybrid seven-band ‘super EQ’ is available in every instance, built out of separate classic EQ sections. Each channel appears as a separate VST/AU/RTAS effect within the sequencer and will work within all major sequencers, including Pro Tools.
Liquid Mix 16 comes with Liquid Mix v2.2 software, ensuring compatibility across all major platforms, for both Mac and PC, and including the latest side-chain processing options.
The Focusrite Liquid Mix uses the same patented Dynamic Convolution process as Focusrite’s Liquid Channel. Unlike standard convolution techniques, Dynamic Convolution utilizes vast processing power to sample the effect of a classic processor on a series of audio pulses, at many different gain settings and frequencies. In the Focusrite Liquid Mix, all this processing is done using onboard DSP, so the processing has almost no effect on your computer’s own CPU.
The same optional expansion card is available for both Liquid Mix and Liquid Mix 16. With Liquid Mix 16, the card allows users to increase the number of available channels at 48kHz from 16 to 24 (sold separately). This card is simple to install and fits neatly into the underside of both units.
Liquid Mix 16’s DSP is housed within an elegant desktop control solution and connects to the computer via Firewire, also providing bus-powering. The hardware helps to provide a tactile ergonomic solution, placing the sounds of an array of classic processors at your fingertips. You can choose to control each channel either from the desktop control unit or an alternative controller, or from within the sequencer using the same simple Liquid Mix GUI, which functions exactly like a plug-in.
The Liquid range of products has won in excess of twenty awards to date, becoming a worldwide hit in the audio production world, from project studios to post production and broadcast facilities, not to mention in the Live arena.
Focusrite Liquid Mix 16 main features include:
* Any Compressor and EQ in history. 40 compressors and 20 EQs, with a free expanding library online.
* Onboard DSP - 16 mono or 8 stereo instances – many more than are possible with CPU alone
* Software and Hardware control - EQ and Compression can be applied via a hands-on control surface, or within your DAW application via a simple GUI.
* Hybrid Super EQ creation - Unique 7-band super EQs can be created, constructed from separate classic EQ sections of your choosing
* Desktop Metering - Large format LED bar-graphs mean ergonomic display of levels and processor impact.
* Optional Expansion Card - An optional DSP expansion card is available to increase the maximum channel count.
FOCUSRITE LIQUIDMIX16 Specs
WINDOWS
Operating System
• VST, RTAS
• Windows® XP Service Pack 2 (Home, Professional, or Media Centre Edition) or Windows Vista (32bit only) - OS Version subject change
• Min version of ProTools required - 7.0 if planning to use the included FXpansion (earlier versions will require the full Fxpansion VST wrapper.)
Computer
• Windows® XP compatible PC (Pentium© 4 2GHz or higher recommended)
• 400Mb/s IEEE1394/FireWire port (OHCI compliant recommended)
• DVD drive required for Installation
CPU/Clock
• 1.4 GHz Intel or compatible
• 2.0 GHz Pentium© 4 or Xeon recommended
Memory (RAM)
• 256MB or more
• 512MB or higher recommended
APPLE MAC
Operating System
• AU, VST, RTAS
• Mac OS X Panther (10.3.9 or later) - OS Version subject change
• Min version of Logic required - Logic 7.1, but 7.2 highly recommended
• Min version of ProTools required - 7.0 if planning to use the included FXpansion (earlier versions will require the full Fxpansion VST wrapper.)
Computer
• Apple Mac Power PC G4, G5 or Intel Mac (any)
CPU/Clock
• G4/800 MHz (minimum)
• G4/1.5GHZ or higher recommended
Memory (RAM)
• 256MB or more
• 512MB or higher recommended
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Firewire chipsets from TI (Texas Instruments), VIA, and NEC are recommended
• It is highly recommended that Liquid Mix be run on its own Firewire bus/card
• In order to use Liquid Mix with a 4-pin IEEE1394 port you will need a 4-pin to 6-pin cable (not included) and must use the PSU (included)
• AMD users please read some special compatibility information here.
Latency
Due to the round trip transmission which is required on the firewire bus, a delay equal to 2 x the audio buffer size + 8 samples is incurred. This sample delay results in different amounts of time delay depending upon sampling frequency. With a DAW buffer size of 1024 samples (ie, Liquid Mix latency of 2056 samples), the Liquid Mix latency is as follows:
• 47 ms @ 44.1kHz
• 43 ms @ 48kHz
• 23 ms @ 88.2kHz
• 21 ms @ 96kHz
With a DAW buffer size of 256 samples (ie, Liquid Mix latency of 520 samples), the Liquid Mix latency is as follows:
• 12 ms @ 44.1kHz
• 11 ms @ 48kHz
• 6 ms @ 88.2kHz
• 5 ms @ 96kHz
Sequencer compatibility
Liquid Mix 16 operates as VST, AU, or as a RTAS-wrapped VST within compatible hosts.
Cubase 4 on Intel Macs does not support VST 2.3 plugins. If you want to use Liquid Mix 16 with Cubase 4 on an Intel Mac, you must install the Liquid Mix 2.4 VST plugins available separately on the Liquid Mix downloads page.
Optional Expansion Card details
The card is suitable for those people interested in increasing the channel count. The channel count increases as follows:
Channel Counts:
• 44.1kHz/48kHz: 16 channels mono, (8 stereo) unexpanded. Expansion card provides 24 mono / 12 stereo
• 88.2/96kHz: 4 channels mono, (2 stereo) unexpanded. Expansion card provides 8 mono / 4 stereo
Weight
• 0.8kg
• 1.76lbs
Dimensions
• 220mm (W) x 28 - 45mm (H - front to rear) x 152mm (D)
• 8.66" (W) x 1.1" - 1.77" (H - front to rear) x 5.98" (D)
FOCUSRITE LIQUIDMIX16 FAQ
Q: What is Liquid Mix 16?
A: Liquid Mix 16 is the second in a revolutionary range of Liquid multi-channel Firewire Mix processors, which allows a massive amount of quality vintage processing to be inserted into your DAW. It uses patented dynamic convolution (the digital part of The Liquid Channel) to emulate classic Compressors and EQs. The Liquid Mix 16 appears as multiple plug-ins within your sequencer and can be used to process up to 16 channels simultaneously (24 with the optional expansion card installed. Each one of these 16 (mono) plug-ins provides a different compressor and hybrid EQ, chosen from a list of 40 compressors and 20 EQs with more online, each powered and controlled by the Liquid Mix 16 hardware.
Q: So Liquid Mix 16 is a plug-in?
A: It appears as and acts exactly like a plug-in, or multiple plug-ins, but all of the processing goes on in the hardware, using the onboard DSP. This is how you can have 16 instances of Liquid Mix (processing 16 channels) simultaneously in one session, whilst barely touching the host CPU. In fact, as dynamic convolution is such a complex process, your computer would struggle to run even one instance without the help of external DSP support.
Q: But if the processing goes on externally, isn’t there a larger latency?
A: No. The hardware is connected using Firewire, which is extremely fast and has very high bandwidth. As such, the latency is around the same as it is for some standard plug-ins or other DSP processors, e.g. around 2ms.
Q: What’s the difference between Liquid Mix 32 and Liquid Mix 16?
A: The main difference is the number of channels that can be processed, with Liquid Mix 32 capable of running 32 mono instances of the Liquid Mix software at 44.1/48kHz, whilst Liquid Mix 16 runs a total of 16. Similarly, at 88.2/96kHz, the maximum number of channels that Liquid Mix 16 can process is half that of Liquid Mix 32. Only Liquid Mix 32 works at the highest sample rates: 176.4 and 192kHz. Both devices can have their track counts increased by installing the optional Expansion card, although the total will never exceed 32 channels as this is the maximum number that the Firewire bandwidth allows.
The other differences are down to operational features. Liquid Mix 16 has no LCD screen, or the switches just beneath it. This means that instances of the Liquid Mix software cannot be selected for control using the hardware, and instead the control surface locks to the plug-in currently open on-screen. Furthermore, emulations cannot be selected from the hardware and snapshots cannot be loaded.
Q: So this is the same product as The Liquid Channel but multi-channel and at a much lower price?
A: No. The Liquid Channel is primarily a recording strip and as such, emulates microphone pre-amps rather than EQs. It uses both analogue and digital processes to do this; whereas dynamic convolution is enough to capture the sonic quality of a pre-amp, the interaction with the microphone caused by the analogue front-end also plays a massive part in the character of the original hardware. Consequently, The Liquid Channel needs to have a vast and flexible analogue pre-amp itself, that can be as transparent or coloured, with flexible circuitry and expensive components that can be switched in and out as required. This analogue element comes at a price but is essential for the emulation of pre-amps. Liquid Mix 16 has no need for analogue processing, digital/analogue conversion or analogue connections, since it's solely concerned with processing in the mix, and thus constantly remains in the digital domain.
Q: So, how many Compressors and EQs can I use simultaneously?
A: Liquid Mix 16 allows 16 channels of audio to be processed at the same time and each one has a compressor AND an EQ. So, you get 16 compressors and 16 EQs (mono) in one session with Liquid Mix.
Q: How many Compressor and EQ emulations are included with Liquid Mix 16?
A: Liquid Mix 16 provides 40 different compressor, and 20 EQ emulations. However, the Focusrite website hosts an expanding library so the number of emulations continues to grow.
Q: Are the controls of each Compressor and EQ identical to those of the originals?
A: Yes and no. For compressors, you have the choice of complete authenticity or free reign, depending on your preference. For example, in the default mode, the controls will be identical to the original, e.g. if there are no attack or release controls then these will be inactive, or if the ratio only has 4 options then these will be the only choices with Liquid Mix. If, however, the FREE button is active then the compressor emulation will have all available controls with full ranges; a dream come true for those who love the sound of the original but want unrestricted control!
For EQs, the controls are identical but, and here comes the really exciting part, you can build your own EQs using all of the available 7 slots on the Liquid Mix, as each instance has the option of being a unique, hybrid 7-band EQ.
Q: What do you mean hybrid 7-band EQ?
A: So, there are 7 available bands of EQ in the Liquid Mix for each channel. You can fill all 7 bands in any way you please. For example, the high-pass filter from a 430 MKII for band 1, the low-mid parametric from a Platinum emulation for band 2, a mid-band from a true vintage emulation for band 3, and so on until band 7. Plus, you can do this for EVERY one of the 16 channels!
Q: Is the Liquid Mix 16 cross platform?
A: Yes. Liquid Mix can now be used with both Mac OSX and Windows XP.
Q: Is it only VST?
A: No. The Liquid Mix 16 is VST and AU, as well as RTAS compatible (using the FXpansion VST2RTAS wrapper). So, it will work with all audio recording platforms, even Pro Tools.
Q: Is Liquid Mix 16 Firewire 400 or 800?
A: Firewire 400.
Q: What if I only have 4-pin firewire?
A: The only difference between the two FW ports is that the 6-pin can supply power and the 4-pin can't. If you only have 4-pin then simply connect up the Mains adapter that's provided to power the Liquid Mix 16.
Q: How do I control each mono instance of the Liquid Mix 16, from the plug-in window?
A: You can control every instance from the software GUI or from the desktop hardware, depending on your preference; each has its benefits. The software shows all control settings simultaneously whereas the hardware allows tactile, hands-on control. The hardware is arguably the quickest as you can easily switch from one track in your session to another, but the GUI has clearer graphical display and metering.
Q: What's the expansion card all about?
A: This is for people wanting more instances of the software. Without the expansion card, the number or instances of the Liquid Mix software (maximum number of channels) that can be processed simultaneously is as follows:
• 44.1kHz/48kHz: 16 channels mono (8 stereo) unexpanded
• 88.2/96kHz: 4 channels mono (2 stereo) unexpanded
With the expansion card, these numbers increase to:
• 44.1kHz/48kHz: 24 channels mono (12 stereo)
• 88.2/96kHz: 8 channels mono (4 stereo)
Q: Can I run more than one Liquid Mix 16 from the same computer?
A: It's only possible to run one Liquid Mix 16 from one computer. You cannot daisy chain Liquid Mix or Liquid Mix 16 or attach two to separate Firewire ports.
Q: What about using Liquid Mix 16 and a Firewire audio interface like Saffire at the same time if you only have one Firewire port?
A: That’s absolutely fine. Providing the interface has two Firewire ports, like Saffire, you can chain the two devices together on the one port and they’ll work. However, if the devices use a lot of the available bandwidth (e.g. a Liquid Mix and a multi-channel Firewire interface) then the products may not work to maximum capacity on the same bus, and an additional Firewire PCI card or Express Slot (or similar) may need to be purchased.
Focusrite Liquid Mix16 EQ/Compressor
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