Ayaic Mix Monolith is an innovative mixing plugin designed to streamline the mixing process and achieve professional-sounding results quickly. This “Automatic Mixing System” aims to set fundamental gain relationships between tracks and ensure proper gain staging, getting users “90% there” in their mix with minimal effort. Unlike many other smart plugins, Mix Monolith accomplishes this without relying on AI technology. The plugin comes in both mono and stereo instances and is meant to be placed on every channel of a mix, with each instance working independently but communicating with others. Mix Monolith uses Integrated LUFS to measure the average loudness of each track and applies gain adjustments to match preset target levels. It’s particularly useful for achieving consistent balance between drums and bass, which are often challenging elements in a mix. The plugin also offers features like ducking, expanding, and mute groups, allowing for precise control over mix elements and creative sound shaping.
Pros:
• Quickly creates a balanced rough mix with minimal user input
• Effectively handles gain relationships between tracks, especially drums and bass
• Offers ducking, expanding, and mute group features for advanced mix control
• Includes a Fine Trim fader with useful “level-plane” shortcuts
• Allows users to create and save custom presets
• Provides tutorial videos for easier learning
Cons:
• Requires individual configuration of each plugin instance before “learning” and mixing audio
• The manual lacks depth, potentially making it challenging for new users to fully utilize all features
Mix Monolith’s core functionality revolves around its two-step process for creating a balanced mix. Users first instantiate the plugin on each track and select appropriate presets. Then, they initiate the “Learn All Channels” function, which measures the Integrated LUFS of each track as the song plays from start to finish. After this learning phase, users activate the “Mix All Channels” function, which automatically calculates and applies gain adjustments to match each track’s output to its LUFS target.
The plugin’s interface displays an “Applied Gain” field, showing how much boost or cut is being applied to each track. Users can lock these values to maintain consistency across multiple learning passes. Mix Monolith also supports bus channels, allowing for a hierarchical approach to mixing where individual tracks are balanced first, followed by subgroups and finally the master bus.
One of Mix Monolith’s standout features is its ducking and expanding capabilities. The plugin offers infinite Duck/Expand Groups, enabling users to create complex relationships between mix elements. For example, the kick drum can be set to duck the bass, overheads, and even affect the entire mix, all within a single group. This precise control allows for creative mix techniques like using vocals to duck reverb and delay while simultaneously expanding distortion effects.
The plugin’s mute groups feature adds another layer of mix control, allowing users to quickly isolate or exclude specific groups of tracks. This can be particularly useful when focusing on specific mix elements or troubleshooting issues.
Mix Monolith’s Fine Trim fader includes “level-plane” shortcuts, enabling quick adjustments to an element’s position in the mix. This feature, combined with the plugin’s ability to lock Applied Gain values, provides a flexible yet consistent approach to mix balancing.
The plugin is optimized for projects with large track counts, making it suitable for complex mixes in professional settings. Its controls are designed to be intuitive, allowing for quick parameter adjustments either through the GUI or by typing in specific values.
Mix Monolith also offers a “Free” mode for time-based attack and release settings, as well as a “Host” mode for note-based settings. The “F” feature locks the attack to a fast 0.07ms when in “Sync” mode, providing additional flexibility in shaping transients and dynamics.
While there are several plugins on the market that offer automatic mixing or gain staging features, Mix Monolith stands out in its approach and capabilities. Unlike AI-driven plugins such as iZotope’s Neutron or Waves Clarity Vx, Mix Monolith relies on LUFS measurements and preset targets to achieve its results. This can lead to more predictable and consistent outcomes across different mixes. Compared to traditional channel strip plugins or mixing consoles, Mix Monolith offers a more holistic approach to gain staging and mix balance. While plugins like Slate Digital’s Virtual Mix Rack or Waves’ SSL E-Channel focus on emulating analog hardware and providing individual processing tools, Mix Monolith aims to handle the fundamental gain relationships across an entire mix. Mix Monolith’s ducking and expanding features are reminiscent of advanced sidechaining plugins like FabFilter Pro-C 2 or Waves’ Trackspacer. However, Mix Monolith integrates these capabilities into its overall mixing system, potentially offering a more streamlined workflow.
This plugin is best for:
• Mixing engineers looking to speed up their workflow and achieve consistent results
• Producers who want to quickly balance tracks before diving into detailed mix decisions
• Beginners struggling with gain staging and overall mix balance
• Project studio owners working on a variety of genres and needing versatile mixing tools
• Live sound engineers seeking rapid mix solutions in time-sensitive situations
Mix Monolith represents a unique approach to the challenge of achieving professional-sounding mixes quickly and consistently. By focusing on fundamental gain relationships and offering advanced features like ducking and expanding groups, it provides a powerful tool for both novice and experienced mix engineers. The plugin’s ability to create a balanced rough mix with minimal user input can be a significant time-saver, allowing users to focus more on creative decisions rather than technical adjustments. However, the need for individual configuration of each instance and the lack of a comprehensive manual may present a learning curve for some users. Despite these minor drawbacks, Mix Monolith’s innovative features and potential to streamline the mixing process make it a valuable addition to any producer or engineer’s toolkit. Its versatility across different genres and ability to handle complex mixes with large track counts further enhance its appeal in professional audio environments.