Is it worth it? And why?

Support and feedback for Acoustica's Mixcraft audio mixing software.

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Thomas
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by Thomas »

horses for courses
-Tom
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jlouvar
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by jlouvar »

Plisskin wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:41 pm
Acoustica Greg wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:02 pm Mixcraft sends an "All Notes Off" command when MIDI playback stops
which other DAWS do this? (spit out MIDI CCs you didn't record or engage)

... and leave out a toggle/(option bit) for the auto MIDI CC

... and omit the very existence of the 'feature' from the manual
how long has Mixcraft had this?- and it's never made it into the manual?

sorry but I found it bizarre.

wasn't fun to get Mixcraft and immediately have to fight issues.
Well Mixcraft doesn’t toggle, so you can either just keep complaining, and hope the toggle feature gets added someday, or you can try the suggested workaround, or maybe get different midi hardware, or get a different DAW. Best wishes

Joe
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freightgod
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by freightgod »

If not for Mixcraft's very reasonable pricing, I would not be able to afford to record music.
Plisskin
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by Plisskin »

jlouvar wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:10 pm Well Mixcraft doesn’t toggle, so you can either just keep complaining,
not complaining- just expecting basic midi functionality to be equivalent to other DAWS.
but we can call it a 'feature request' to make it more paletable :wink:
jlouvar wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:10 pm and hope the toggle feature gets added someday,
...it springs eternal
jlouvar wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:10 pm or you can try the suggested workaround,
I found a different workaround, thanks.
jlouvar wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:10 pm or maybe get different midi hardware,
Imagine telling a guitarist to 'get a different guitar' because of their DAW.
somehow, doesn't seem reasonable.
I'm not getting another keyboard.
jlouvar wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 8:10 pm or get a different DAW. Best wishes
I haven't given up yet, thank you for the encouragement.

Peace.
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jlouvar
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by jlouvar »

Plisskin wrote: Fri Jul 17, 2020 8:43 am I found a different workaround, thanks.
Fantastic, goodbye.
- Joe -

MX9PS, 64-bit, build 460. Windows 10, Intel i5, 64-bit, 1.8GHz, 8GB.
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cactus-head
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by cactus-head »

Hi barkietrin,

I've never been more than a hobbyist but I've used several different DAWs, midi sequencers and audio editors/creators over time both Linux and Windows. Anyway, Mixcraft works well and has a great feature set complimenting its ease of use. I was up and running recording midi and audio within a half an hour after gleaning a few tidbits here and there from the manual. I kinda stay away from phrases like "...a good value for the money... bang for the buck ..." etc. For example, if you are into guitar tablature, you could use a free program called TuxGuitar, or you could use a paid for program called Guitar Pro. Tux guitar is perfectly fine and it's free, but you don't get nearly the functionality as Guitar Pro accompanied by ease of use. Tux guitar is definately a great value, but it's not as useful to me as Guitar Pro.

Looking at, for example, a heavy DAW like Ardour for Linux, or Logic, the set up and the learning curves are just no fun. I felt Mixcraft let me get down to business and recording some stuff right of the bat. I tried Cakewalk recently as it's free and it's just a pain to go through. I think Mixcraft is definately worth it. Don't be lured by a high "professionally" priced product or even a free one! Just evaulate honestly what you need and research what the products deliver. Because Mixcraft offers what I need with ease of use, I definately think it is worth it.

I'm curious, what final recording does an expensive DAW offer over a final recording made by Mixcraft? Would the quality be any different if you know how to use your plug-ins and know how to mix and have decent audio hardware?
Last edited by cactus-head on Sun Jul 19, 2020 4:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by cactus-head »

Hi Plisskin,

I totally get it. There's this one thing you need to do and you can't do it because the software won't let you. It just won't accomodate and you spend hours trying to figure out what's going on and how do you fix it. It's very frustrating. However, I feel one will run into these kinds of situations no matter what program you are using - and you have to find a workaround or end up abandoning that program.

I didn't realize that MIDI CC 121 and CC 123 were sent as soon as Mixcraft stops playing. Even if you hit the stop button on the transport those codes are sent on all channels (I monitored it through MIDI-ox). For me, that's actually very useful because I like to make sure there are no lingering MIDI notes on any external equipment or software that is routed to through Mixcraft. But, I can understand the usefulness of being able to switch that on and off. As was mentioned earlier, MIDI-OX will let you intercept those messages and discard them before the signal reaches an external source. I tested it out and it's quite simple. If anyone's interested, I can post how I did it. If Mixcraft meets your other needs Plisskin, I would suggest that the MIDI all off messages aren't a show stopper.
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Rolling Estonian
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by Rolling Estonian »

cactus-head wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:29 pm I'm curious, what final recording does an expensive DAW offer over a final recording made by Mixcraft? Would the quality be any different if you know how to use your plug-ins and know how to mix and have decent audio hardware?
Anyone that tells you that there is is blowing smoke. Digital is digital, period, 1's and 0's, that's it. Some may have analog properties that are different but a DAW is a DAW.

M
Plisskin
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by Plisskin »

cactus-head wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:53 pm I totally get it. There's this one thing you need to do and you can't do it because the software won't let you. It just won't accomodate and you spend hours trying to figure out what's going on and how do you fix it. It's very frustrating.
Hello cactus-head,

Hit the nail on the head there- I appreciate the empathy/kind words.
cactus-head wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:53 pm However, I feel one will run into these kinds of situations no matter what program you are using - and you have to find a workaround or end up abandoning that program.
If it is not addressed by the author of the software, then yes.
cactus-head wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:53 pm For me, that's actually very useful because I like to make sure there are no lingering MIDI notes on any external equipment or software that is routed to through Mixcraft.


Too right! -It is indeed useful.
If I recall correctly, I accomplished this in software from a drop-down command (when it was needed).
Further back, some of us used the 'panic' button on our MIDI interfaces to send these commands... when the stuck note happened (again, when it was needed).
The trick is in how it is implemented.
cactus-head wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:53 pm I would suggest that the MIDI all off messages aren't a show stopper.
Doesn't seem to be a show stopper for Mixcraft's demographic...
I get the feeling the demographic for Mixcraft is not midi keyboardists, but singer/songwriter/guitarists (which is fine).
My focus though, is primarily MIDI ( in the first stages of a project ).
cactus-head wrote: Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:53 pmIf Mixcraft meets your other needs ...
For Audio tracking/mixing- Mixcraft looks great to me.
...perhaps Midi tracking with another DAW (rewire or Stems ) would be more reliable... not sure yet.

Again, thank you for the kind reply.
Win10 64 Pro, Ryzen 3600, 16G, NVME & SSD.
cactus-head
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by cactus-head »

Plisskin, I'm curious. What are you trying to do that is failing out of the box without a work around? Does Mixcraft cause your keyboard to play some weird notes or does it shut something off that was supposed to keep playing, or maybe all your defaults are reset?
pbognar
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Re: Is it worth it? And why?

Post by pbognar »

Somebody mentioned Mixcraft being "pro-sumer" - I say - so what? There are plenty of artists who created hit records using Garageband. People can have the GB experience (and more) in a Windows environment.

The thing I love about Mixcraft is that he most important and used features are intuitive and easy to find - AND - they aren't mixed in with the features you might use once a year.

They must have user tested Mixcraft with noobies and old farts like me :wink:
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