PreSonus has introduced and is now shipping Retro Mix Legends, a collection of three Mix Engine Effects plugins for the company’s Studio One professional DAW that are a follow-up to CTC-1 Pro Console Shaper Mix Engine FX plugins. The three new plugins—Alpine Desk, Brit Console, and Porta Cassette—can be purchased individually or as a bundle and are also included in a PreSonus Sphere members.
Mix Engine FX is a plugin paradigm exclusive to Studio One Professional that is designed to be used to subtly alter or completely transform Studio One’s native mix engine. Activating a Mix Engine Effect on any bus in Studio One will simultaneously affect and cross-process all channels feeding that bus, using one plugin.
Equipped with proprietary State Space Modeling technology and the Mix Engine FX architecture, the plugins are intended to provide thorough and true-to-life emulations of real hardware behavior, including inter-channel crosstalk, noise, drive, saturation, and character. Any bus, including the main stereo bus, can have its own Mix Engine FX assigned, significantly expanding sonic possibilities.
The new Alpine Desk plugin reproduces the complex sonic textures of a coveted American console, with a Drive control that allows users to “hit” the console’s preamps as hard as they like for added saturation and compression, while the Crosstalk and Noise controls can be used to “glue” tracks together so everything sits right where it belongs in the mix. Unique to Alpine Desk is a variable output transformer that lets users switch from a 1:1 to 3:1 gain ratio for higher drive settings and a unique dark and warm tonal contours.
Brit Console re-creates the sound behind arguably more platinum-selling records than any other console. Inherent signal noise plays an important role in defining the sonic character of any analog console; the modeled analog noise in Brit Console is different on every channel being processed, intended to make mixes more cohesive. It has three Style options: Vintage, Super, and Modern. Vintage offers a bit of top-end roll-off and a smoother character that defined the sound of British pop in the 1980s, while those interested in a cleaner sound may prefer Super. Enable Modern to switch to a more contemporary dual design with variable harmonic distortion that yields a gentle bass boost, letting users dial in everything from nuanced second- and third-order harmonic saturation to edgy transistor bite.
Porta Cassette replicates the smooth, analog, slightly off-kilter, lo-fi mojo of the four-track cassette recorders of the 1980s and ‘90s. Its Character control functions differently than that of any other Mix Engine Effect: Low settings govern the amount of console coloration while cranking it up introduces tape wow and flutter. The unique Pitch control allows users to detune or up-tune every element of a processed bus. Unlike hardware cassette machines, however, the Pitch control won’t affect playback tempo.
The Retro Mix Legends bundle is available now at the PreSonus Shop (here) at a U.S. street price of $79.95. Alpine Desk, Brit Console, and Porta Cassette can be purchased individually for $29.95 each. All three Mix Engine Effects plugins as well as CTC-1 Pro Console shaper and every PreSonus Studio One add-on are included in PreSonus Sphere memberships. Go here for more specifics.
