Harrison Mixbus 11

Mixbus is designed to replicate the experience of using a large‑format console, and its fully expanded Mixer view can be impressive!

Harrison’s distinctive console‑inspired DAW is now more usable — and more affordable — than ever.

Harrison’s Mixbus DAW celebrated its 15th anniversary last year with the milestone introduction of v10, as reviewed in the October 2024 issue of SOS. Yet such is the pace of development that, barely six months later, Mixbus 11 is already upon us.

This release sees a simplification down to two product tiers — Mixbus and Mixbus Pro — and some very tempting price reductions, which are explained in the box. Of course, both feature all the core functionality that made Mixbus Pro 10 a powerful platform for recording and editing audio and MIDI, mixing with a very console‑style workflow, composing to picture and triggering loops and samples, whilst Mixbus Pro includes Dolby Atmos support. Previous SOS reviews will have you covered on that front, so let’s focus on the refinements in this new release that might tempt existing users to upgrade or encourage new users into the Mixbus fold.

U & I

Mixbus 11 brings numerous UI refinements intended to make navigating core functions easier and more efficient. For example, on the right side of the toolbar, the buttons used to toggle between Mixbus’ four main working environments — Cue, Record, Edit and Mix — are now larger and much more obvious. To the left of these, you now also get dedicated buttons for easy access to the Audio Setup and Preferences dialogues, and to the right, you’ll find new ‘Edges’ options, allowing you to toggle open various properties panels within each of the four main screens. Keyboard shortcuts are also available.

Depending on which of the main screens you’re in, these properties panes can open at the left, right or bottom of the window, with their own sets of options. On the Cue, Edit and Mixer screens, perhaps the most interesting of these is the ability to display the Channel Strip contents for the currently selected channel. The fully expanded Mixbus Mixer, with its core Gate, EQ, Comp and Send panels, makes the program’s console‑based design ethos very apparent, but occupies a large amount of screen real estate. The new lower panel gives you a clear view of all the key Channel Strip controls, albeit for one channel at a time, even on a modest laptop‑sized display. These are laid out horizontally, with the signal chain running left to right. On the Mix page, this lower edge display also includes generic control panels for any plug‑ins you have inserted on the selected channel, allowing you to tweak some key controls without always needing to open separate plug‑in windows.

As well as MIDI clips for editing, the new lower edge panel also provides a compact view of the Channel Strip and plug‑in controls for the currently selected channel.

The transport toolbar has also been refined. The key controls are now larger, and some lesser‑used options are hidden by default; the Preferences panel lets you customise what’s shown. If you open multiple main page displays as detached windows, each of these now gets a full transport toolbar. You can, of course, also open a dedicated (and resizable) floating Transport Controls panel containing key controls, should you wish.

Other UI tweaks include an improved Locator Bar, new buttons within the Master Bus for easily managing visibility of buses, VCAs and the Monitor Section, navigation improvements within the right‑hand sidebars, easier options to enable/disable the EQ, Comp and Gate sections within the Mixer, and a new Comments section within the Rec/Input panel for note‑taking.

MIDI Made Easier

Mixbus 11 also brings some very welcome additional MIDI editing options. For example, in addition to inline editing within the Edit page, if you have the lower‑edge properties panel open, the contents of any selected MIDI clip are automatically displayed there, where they can be edited. Even better, if you double‑click on a MIDI clip with the Grab tool selected, you can open a MIDI region in its own window (this action is also possible from the right‑edge panel’s Regions list). As this is then fully resizable, including sub‑panels for editing velocity, pitch‑bend and other parameters, it provides a more adaptable environment for complex note or parameter editing.

It’s also worth noting that selecting (or right‑clicking) on an audio region in the same fashion will display that region’s properties within the lower‑edge panel, or in a detached window. This includes control panels for any of the region‑specific Region Effects introduced in v10.2, for speedy access and editing.

MIDI clips can now be easily popped open in a dedicated window for detailed editing work.

Touchy Feely

As I did my testing under macOS, perhaps the most notable of the other refinements is something that I can speak of only from a point of envy: Windows and Linux users get improved support for touchscreens, including multi‑touch.

Now, your mileage may vary, and may well depend upon how well you gel with any of the more upmarket DAW controllers that are currently available, but, having used Mixbus 11 on a large 4K display, the fully expanded Mix page, with all its core sections open, is a rather magnificent sight. A large‑format 4K monitor with touch capability will cost you upwards of £1500$1500, but I would love to experience the hands‑on control such a screen would offer! Obviously, it would not be the same as laying your hands on an actual Harrison hardware console, but the idea of having 30‑plus channels’ worth of faders, knobs and buttons laid out in front of you and all responding to as many fingers as you can muster undoubtedly has its appeal.

The idea of having 30‑plus channels’ worth of faders, knobs and buttons laid out in front of you and all responding to as many fingers as you can muster undoubtedly has its appeal.

Progress Report

Whereas Mixbus 10 introduced huge features such as Dolby Atmos support and the SSL 9000J EQ module emulation, I think it is fair to say that the updates to Mixbus 11 are more evolutionary than revolutionary. That’s not to say that they are not welcome, though. There is great value in improving the user experience and providing new ways to access and employ core tools. Mixbus 11 provides significant steps forward on that front that many existing users will appreciate. For potential new users, the change to the pricing structure will undoubtedly be appealing and, presumably, the change reflects a desire to broaden Mixbus’ user base.

Mixbus is a DAW with a very particular character, which deliberately recalls the experience of working with a high‑end, large‑format mixing console. That might not suit every type of music producer but, if it’s a concept that you do find enticing, at under $50, Mixbus 11 — with all the features previously found in the now‑retired Plus edition — is a bit of a steal.