The use of the 500 series rack layout is an excellent way to do this and gives the plug-in a unique appearance. And though we don’t have the space to review every individual unit here – there are EQs and saturators, too – the choice of processors is a good combination that will appeal to a wide range of users.
MixBox is an excellent multi-effect plug-in. The filters are taken from a number of famous pieces of hardware, including Roland and Moog synths, and there are many useful reverbs. The modulation effects, in particular, are very useable and have their own individual wet/dry mix knobs. As with the Neve preamp emulation, there’s quite a noticeable volume increase from the automatic make-up gain and requires a significant reduction in output volume to return the signal to unity gain.ĭespite our slight dismay at the overdrive effects, the rest of the effects offering is excellent for guitarists and studio users. However, it doesn’t have the metering options from the original for quickly setting make-up gain. The simple four-knob interface is transplanted and includes the button layout for different compression ratios, including the ‘all buttons in’ mode. The Urei 1176 limiting amplifier is one of the most emulated dynamics processors and one we use on pretty much every track. Next up is IK’s 1176 emulation, the Black 76. The only note is that this emulation’s output was a little louder than some of my other emulations, though this is easy to fix.
The EQ curve matches the other emulations, and the warmth that we expect to hear from this preamp is there in spades. We have several other Neve emulations and access to the real deal, and IK’s emulation compares favourably. We’re often concerned that multi-effects plug-ins will prioritise quantity over quality, and IK certainly hasn’t done that with this emulation. We start by trying to process some vocals using MixBox and reach for EQ-81, an emulation of the Neve 1081 preamp. The module names IK has chosen are all slightly cryptic references to the original products they emulate, though the styling makes identification pretty easy. When instantiated, MixBox looks like an empty 500 series rack waiting to be loaded with modules.
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