Waves MixCentric – A all in ONE KNOB tool for…

I already had a look on Voice Centric, which Waves produced in collaboration with Greg Wells. I liked the concept and the sound behind this little plugin. MixCentric continues this series, so let’s see whether it can keep up with the sound.

Overview

Simplicity. That’s what this plugin is all about. The interface is explained pretty fast: Two sliders for Input and Output levels, plus a knob in the middle which sets up the magic.

As the names says, this plugin is meant to be on your master bus. Drop it on a complete mix and turn up the knob. The effect is not that excessive as you might expect it from a Radio Imaging mastering chain, but it really glues the mix together and gives it a light, shiny sense of feel to the whole mix. Like its brother for Voice, I would not use it as a mastering plugin all alone. But its perfect for setting up a really nice sound for further processing like limiting or additional equing.

If you’re used to mix into your mastering chain without paying too much attention on differences in levels, you will see that the compressor, which is part of the chain inside this plugin, does a great job and evens out large dynamic ranges. Certainly this requires higher settings around 70-100. Don’t be shy – in my examples I could push the plugin hard without having any problems in the final sound.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250002316?secret_token=s-Q2eZ5″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250002328?secret_token=s-5UuXr” params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250002331?secret_token=s-pBwjz” params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250002335?secret_token=s-vXPYj” params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250002346?secret_token=s-KPXY8″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250002351?secret_token=s-VQAJ4″ params=”color=ff5500&inverse=false&auto_play=false&show_user=true” width=”100%” height=”20″ iframe=”true” /]

For best results I recommend to set up a proper input level before turning up the intensity knob. The light indicator should stay in the yellow area, for solid, static processing. But don’t hesitate to test different levels. You will see that the plugin will react differently in terms of compression or equing.

Waves holds back the exact ingredients of this plugin, but it definitely does not contain a limiter. So be sure to adjust the output level and use a limiter afterwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=N7e0CPhg_z4

Verdict

For my ears this plugin does a good job. It is really amazing that the guys set up a chain of processors which act nicely on pretty everything. It balances all elements of your mix and polishes it at the same time. But note, that this plugin alone won’t replace your whole mastering chain. There is still some need for further processing after setting up this plugin, because the compressor acts a little bit too slow. So especially loudness should be turned up by another plugin. But the interaction between the single compartments inside MixCentric is great and sets up your mix perfect for further processing.

MixCentric is on sale right know for $149 (reg. $199)