|
First, give yourself a chance to learn Fusion and become
skilled at using it. You may find differences in the product frustrating
at first because you know the old way so well.
After developing MixMeister through an evolutionary process through
seven generations, it was time to rethink the entire application. Based
on customer feedback and industry trends, we set out to address these
concerns:
-
Today, even the most basic music software gives you more immediate
control of your audio than Pro 6 does. For example, in Pro 6 when you
move a track’s volume slider, you hear the result nearly 2 seconds
later. Imagine if your mixing console did that.
-
Volume, EQ, and effects are things that change over time. A next
generation DJ application should always be recording your knob
movements. So, you can replay and refine these adjustments later.
-
VST is now the architecture of choice for effects plugins. VST
supports beat synced effects and parameter automation. DirectX, which we
supported in Pro 6, does not have these features and has far less
support from plugin makers.
-
Hardware controllers, like
this one from Behringer, are more
productive than a mouse and keyboard when it comes to manipulating
volume, treble, bass, etc. Also, using a mouse to drag a small blue
marker is an awfully touchy way to adjust the volume—especially when you
are performing in front of thousands of people.
-
On the fly looping is now a standard feature on DJ CD players. Many
DJs expect to be able to automatically loop a section of a song, without
having to resort to multiple copy and paste operations.
-
MixMeister Pro 6 looks too much like a Microsoft Office product and
offers no customization of its appearance. People use it in different
settings (daytime/nighttime, indoor/outdoor) and expect more choices.
It quickly became clear that these points are not just a small
enhancement to Pro 6. We focused on creating the best possible
solutions—not just maintaining the same approach as Pro 6.
The end result is something we believe surpasses Pro 6 in many ways. At
the same time, we acknowledge that it is different and will seem
unfamiliar at first.
We encourage you to check out all of the tutorials in Fusion. They
provide lots of detailed examples on how Fusion works. It will be a
great help in your deciding whether Fusion is right for you.
We wanted people to understand that this was a truly new product, not
just a minor upgrade to MixMeister Pro. We also think the word "fusion"
is more descriptive of the best attributes of the product, because it
combines the best attributes of live performance gear with the best from
studio production tools.
Yes, we removed some minor
functions because either (a) they conflicted with the new architecture
we implemented, or (b) very few users took advantage of them. Here's a
list:
-
Talkover muting (now there's a master volume control)
-
Export to DJ Intelligence
-
Play selection
-
Play selection looped
-
The ability to use the perform button while in single output mode
-
Pause Next (automated pausing is in Fusion)
-
Effects Presets
-
Loop Entire Mix
-
Sort Playlist by BPM
-
Randomize Playlist order
-
Automatically Align Overlay Tracks
Here is a chart that shows the
differences.
| Feature |
Pro 6 |
Fusion |
| Effects |
Hosts DirectX plugins |
Hosts VST plugins |
| Bundled Effects |
Includes 9 basic plugins |
Includes 17 basic effects plus two advanced
effects, including a mastering compressor |
| Effects automation |
Allows adjustment of the fade in and fade out |
Provides automation of each parameter or knob
on all track plugins |
| Effects on part of a track |
Use effects ranges |
Automate the enable/bypass on a track effect.
The easy way to do this is to select a range and then drag an
effect on top of it. |
| Effects Beat Synchronization |
none |
Enables filter sweeps and other effects to lock
with the beat or measure position |
| Looping |
You can copy and paste sections of tracks to
repeat them |
Provides on the fly looping for performance or
just improvisation |
| Catalog/Library Previewing |
yes |
Will automatically beat mix the previewing with
the playlist, when playing both at the same time. |
| Approach to mixing tracks |
Has two different types of tracks: Beat Mixing
and Standard Mixing. |
Each primary track has a transition it uses to
segue into the next track. There are 12 preset transitions |
| Approach to Beat Mixing |
Uses beat mixing ranges with fine adjustments
through inner sprockets |
Uses just one intro sprocket and one outro
sprocket per track. The song slicer is for fine adjustments. |
| Automated Pauses |
Uses special "pause" tracks |
Uses a special type of transition |
| Latency (Delay in making a change and hearing
the result) |
1-2 seconds |
0.05 - 0.20 seconds |
| Volume control |
Volume markers and onscreen slider with long
response time |
Volume markers and knob with immediate response |
| Frequency controls |
Treble and Bass |
Treble, Bass, and Midrange |
| Zooming |
Mouse wheel and toolbar buttons |
Mouse Wheel, Zoom Slider, Dragging the ruler at
the top of the timeline and the +/- keys |
| Snapping |
Offers two types of snapping: Position and
Length. Length is only meaningful for sprockets and ranges |
Only offers a single type of snapping. |
| Appearance |
Colors and graphics are fixed |
Customizable through skin files |
| Tempo |
By default, it automatically plays new tracks
at their original tempo, gradually adjusting start and end to
match adjacent tracks. |
By default, it automatically follows the master
tempo when beat mixing. For non-beat mixing, it follows the
original tempo. |
| Tempo Adjustments |
Allows manipulation of a fixed set of markers |
Lets you add new markers and change the tempo
on the fly |
| Hardware controllers |
Supports a few, limited hardware controls |
Offers MIDI compatibility to connect with
hardware controllers from many manufacturers. Use real knobs and
sliders to control volume, treble, bass, looping, etc. |
| Control of external devices |
none |
Can send MIDI clock for external hardware, like
a drum machine, to follow |
| Synchronizing with other devices |
none |
Provides push/drag tempo controls for manual
beat mixing with other sources |
| Time shifting algorithms |
Fixed Beat Slicing algorithm |
Adjustable Beat Slicing and Turntable Style |
| Snap Grid |
Snaps to hidden beat grid |
Snaps to grid defined by Song Slicer and the
intro sprocket. |
| Display of song phrases or 8 measure sections |
Uses black dotted lines called the "Beat Frame" |
Uses the ruler at the top of the timeline. At
each intro sprocket the measure numbers restart at 0 |
| Tweaks |
Requires that you choose a name for each Tweak
you save and that you save them one at a time |
Allows you to quick save multiple Tweaks at
once |
No, MixMeister Fusion will only support plugin effects that use the VST
format, and DirectX is no longer supported. The good news is that VST
plugins are generally more stable, more powerful, and more widely
available. We've licensed a bunch of really fantastic VST effects and
bundled them with Fusion at no charge. You can also choose from hundreds
of additional free and commercial plugins available online.
Yes, however there are several reasons why your playlist
may sound different and require some adjustments:
-
Effects: Because Fusion supports VST and MixMeister
6 supports DirectX, you won't be able to use your previous effects
in Fusion.
-
One anchor versus multiple sprockets: Fusion relies
on the song slicer to map out your beats while MixMeister 6 uses
multiple sprockets. You may need to adjust the song slicer to get
the beats to align correctly.
-
Overlays: Fusion handles them differently than
MixMeister 6. You may find that some of the overlay segments are
missing when you load a MixMeister 6 playlist in Fusion
-
Tempo: MixMeister 6 uses a set of fixed tempo
markers. Fusion will not recognize the markers when loading a
version 6 playlist. You may need to manually add tempo markers to
get your mix back to the desired tempo.
We suggest that you keep your copy of MixMeister 6
installed to play and edit your old playlists. Use Fusion for new
playlists.
Yes, however the same issues with playlists will also
impact your tweaks. See the
playlist topic
for more information.
The Song Slicer is where you define the beats and
measures for each song. Fusion will attempt to identify the beats and
measures automatically, but sometimes it will get it wrong and need
adjustment.
The Song Slicer uses two things to define the beats and
measures: The original BPM of the song and two or more measure markers.
The original BPM reflects the tempo of the song--before
any speed adjustments or tempo changes. In other words, it reflects the
BPM of the source recording.
The dark red measure markers indicate the first beat of
a measure, assuming 4 beats per measure. You don't need to mark every
measure. Fusion will create a "beat grid" by calculating the positions
of the beats and measures using the measure markers and the original BPM.
By scanning songs in advance, Fusion will create a
default beat grid. This grid may have lots of measure markers or just a
few. The automatic markers don't represent anything significant by
themselves. They merely work as a group to define a single beat grid for
the entire song.
Now that you have a better idea of what the Song Slicer
is, you may be wondering "why do I need the Song Slicer?"
The Song Slicer serves an important purpose: It tells
Fusion where every single beat and measure is in each and every song.
This information is critical to providing these features:
-
Snapping that lines up with the start of each
measure. You can leave the snap grid set to 1 measure and always
have a good sounding beat mix wherever you drag an anchor.
-
MixNow that produces a great sounding beatmix every
time. By knowing where the beats are, Fusion can automatically move
the anchors and deliver a great mix.
-
Automated looping that always lines up with the
start of measures.
-
Beatmixing across multiple tracks, without having to
resort to segmenting tracks and tweaking lengths. The Song Slicer
enables you to set the grids in more than two tracks so that you can
quickly lay down a mix between three or more tracks while
maintaining sync.
-
Beat synced effects. By knowing the beat and measure
positions, Fusion can line up that filter sweep with each measure.
-
External sync with drum machines, etc. By knowing
the beat and measure positions, Fusion can drive external devices
like drum machines, lighting controllers, laptops running Ableton
Live, etc.
Fusion creates an automatic beat grid based on scanning
the song in advance. For most dance music, the beat grid works perfectly
without requiring any adjustments in the Song Slicer.
Here is our suggested method for solving Song Slicer problems:
-
Spot check the track in the Slicer by playing it
back with the metronome. Listen at the beginning and near the end.
If the metronome plays in time then you are done.
-
If the metronome is off, try fixing the problem by
dragging the beat grid using the horizontal green bar at the top.
Spot check again in a few different places. If everything sounds OK,
then you are done.
-
Delete all of the measure markers and begin creating
them by hand. Place the first measure marker at or near the
beginning. Place the next marker near the end. Spot check the
playback a few different places in the middle. If it sounds good,
then you are done.
-
Divide and conquer. Keep subdividing the track and
adding more measure markers until the track plays correctly with the
metronome. If you are working with a live drummer, you may need a
measure marker every 10 seconds or so. For electronic music, one per
minute should be enough. If you are having to mark every single
measure, perhaps the original BPM is wrong. You may find it easiest
to fix the BPM using the Edit Tag option in the playlist. In the
Edit Tag window you can use the tap button to find the correct
tempo.
If you want to beat mix a song, the minimum number of
measure markers you need is two. In many cases with dance music created
by a computer, you only need to ensure the original tempo is correct and
that you have two measure markers: one near the beginning of the song
and one near the end.
For stuff with a live drummer, more markers may be necessary.
|
