Focusrite Liquid Mix 16 FireWire Mix Processor (Macintosh and Windows)

Liquid Mix 16 is the latest product in Focusrite's award-winning Liquid range, bringing the power of Liquid Mix to an even wider audience. Combining the same pool of classic EQ and Compressor emulations with a killer control surface, Liquid Mix 16 brings the sound of the obsolete, the priceless and the historically significant, within reach of even the most modest studio owner.

Each of the sixteen mono channels provides Compressor and EQ emulations selectable from a huge pool of high-quality vintage and modern day classics. Forty Compressors and twenty EQs are available straight out of the box, with some additional emulations available for free online. As with the original Liquid Mix, a hybrid seven-band 'super EQ' is available in every instance, built out of separate classic EQ sections. Liquid Mix 16 also offers a 'free' mode for the compressor. Original compressors with limited or absent controls suddenly become fully featured - yours to use as you choose. Each channel appears as a separate VST/AU/RTAS effect within the sequencer and will work within all major applications, including Pro Tools.

The same optional expansion card is available for both Liquid Mix and Liquid Mix 16. With Liquid Mix 16, the card allows users to increase the number of available channels at 48kHz from 16 to 24 (sold separately).

Liquid Mix uses the same patented Dynamic Convolution process as Focusrite's other Liquid products. Unlike standard convolution techniques, Dynamic Convolution utilizes vast processing power to sample the effect of a classic processor on a series of audio pulses, at many different gain settings and frequencies. All this processing is done using onboard DSP, so the processing has a relatively low effect on your computer's own CPU, (variable subject to the sequencer used). Liquid Mix 16s DSP is housed within an elegant desktop control solution and connects to the computer via Firewire, which also provides bus-powering. The physical metering, rotary controls and buttons from the original Liquid Mix are provided here. The hardware helps to provide a tactile ergonomic solution, placing the sounds of an array of classic processors at your fingertips. You can choose to control each channel either from the desktop control unit, or from within the sequencer or an alternative controller, using the same simple GUI from Liquid Mix, which functions exactly like a plug-in.

The Liquid range of products has won in excess of twenty awards to date, becoming a worldwide hit in the audio production world, from project studios to post production and broadcast facilities, not to mention the Live arena. Focusrite looks forward to bringing Liquid technology to a growing audience, providing the sound of vintage processing and the reliability of digital processing to studios the world over.

Features
Unequaled Variety of Classic Emulations - 40 compressors and 20 EQs, sampled from vintage originals with a free expanding library online.

One of a Kind - The unique patented Dynamic Convolution process delivers unparalleled EQ and Compression emulations.

Hybrid Super EQ - Create your own totally unique 7-band super EQ, built out of separate classic EQ bands.

Compressor 'Free' Mode - Original compressors with limited or absent controls suddenly become fully featured - yours to use as you choose.

Hardware-powered Plug-ins - 16 instances of Liquid Mix run off the desktop hardware (24 with the optional expansion card installed), vastly reducing the impact on your CPU.*

Tactile Control Surface - Apply EQ and compression using hands-on tactile controls. Just plug in, power-up, and dial in the perfect mix.

Full Plug-in Operation - Each instance has a dedicated GUI which functions exactly like a plug-in, providing full recall within your session.

Desktop Metering - 12 LED meters on the hardware controller display i/o levels and gain reduction alongside their respective controls.

Optional Expansion Card - The optional expansion card, which is easy to install and fits neatly into the underside of the unit, allows Liquid Mix 16 users to increase the number of channels at 44.1/48kHz from 16 to 24 and the number of channels at 88.2/96kHz from 4 to 8.

* IMPORTANT INFORMATION: FOCUSRITE, the FF logo, LIQUID TECHNOLOGY, LIQUID MIX CONTROL and the LIQUID MIX logo are trademarks of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd. DYNAMIC CONVOLUTION is a trademark of Sintefex Ltd. All other product names, trademarks, or trade names are the names of their respective owners, which are in no way associated, connected nor affiliated with Focusrite or its LIQUID MIX products and which have not endorsed Focusrite's LIQUID MIX products. These other product names, trademarks, and trade names are used solely to identify and describe the third party products the sonic behaviour of which was studied for the LIQUID MIX products, and to accurately describe the functionality of the Liquid Mix products. The Liquid Mix products are an independently engineered technology which utilises the patented process of Dynamic Convolution to actually measure examples of the sonic impact of original analogue products upon an audio stream, so as to electronically emulate the performance of the original product studied. The result of this process is subjective and may not be perceived by a user as producing the same effects as the original products studied.

Technical Info

System Requirements

Windows - Operating System
VST, RTAS

Windows(R) XP Service Pack 2 (Home, Professional, or Media Centre Edition) or Windows Vista (32bit only) - OS Version subject change

Min version of ProTools required - 7.0 if planning to use the included FXpansion (earlier versions will require the full Fxpansion VST wrapper.)

Computer
Windows(R) XP compatible PC (Pentium(c) 4 2GHz or higher recommended)

400Mb/s IEEE1394/FireWire port (OHCI compliant recommended)

DVD drive required for Installation

CPU/Clock
1.4 GHz Intel or compatible

2.0 GHz Pentium(c) 4 or Xeon recommended

Memory (RAM)
256MB or more

512MB or higher recommended

Apple Mac - Operating System
AU, VST, RTAS

Mac OS X Panther (10.3.9 or later) - OS Version subject change

Min version of Logic required - Logic 7.1, but 7.2 highly recommended

Min version of ProTools required - 7.0 if planning to use the included FXpansion (earlier versions will require the full Fxpansion VST wrapper.)

Computer
Apple Mac Power PC G4, G5 or Intel Mac (any)

CPU/Clock
G4/800 MHz (minimum)

G4/1.5GHZ or higher recommended

Memory (RAM)
256MB or more

512MB or higher recommended

Additional Information
Firewire chipsets from TI (Texas Instruments), VIA, and NEC are recommended

It is highly recommended that Liquid Mix be run on its own Firewire bus/card

In order to use Liquid Mix with a 4-pin IEEE1394 port you will need a 4-pin to 6-pin cable (not included) and must use the PSU (included)

Latency
Due to the round trip transmission which is required on the firewire bus, a delay equal to 2 x the audio buffer size + 8 samples is incurred. This sample delay results in different amounts of time delay depending upon sampling frequency. With a DAW buffer size of 1024 samples (ie, Liquid Mix latency of 2056 samples), the Liquid Mix latency is as follows:

- 47 ms @ 44.1kHz
- 43 ms @ 48kHz
- 23 ms @ 88.2kHz
- 21 ms @ 96kHz

With a DAW buffer size of 256 samples (ie, Liquid Mix latency of 520 samples), the Liquid Mix latency is as follows:

- 12 ms @ 44.1kHz
- 11 ms @ 48kHz
- 6 ms @ 88.2kHz
- 5 ms @ 96kHz

Sequencer compatibility
Liquid Mix 16 operates as VST, AU, or as a RTAS-wrapped VST within compatible hosts.

Cubase 4 on Intel Macs does not support VST 2.3 plugins. If you want to use Liquid Mix 16 with Cubase 4 on an Intel Mac, you must install the Liquid Mix 2.4 VST plugins available separately on the Liquid Mix downloads page.

Optional Expansion Card details
The card is suitable for those people interested in increasing the channel count. The channel count increases as follows:

Channel Counts:
- 44.1kHz/48kHz: 16 channels mono, (8 stereo) unexpanded. Expansion card provides 24 mono / 12 stereo
- 88.2/96kHz: 4 channels mono, (2 stereo) unexpanded. Expansion card provides 8 mono / 4 stereo

Weight: 0.8 kg, 1.76 lbs

Dimensions (WxHxD) 220 x 28 - 45 (front to rear) x 152 mm; 8.66 x 1.1 - 1.77 (front to rear) x 5.98 in.

Trick-out your studio with a ton of vintage gear! The Liquid Mix 16 emulates 60 of the most famous compressor and EQ stages ever produced, with plenty of options for fine-tuning. FireWire interface provides 16 channels of I/O, and the tactile interface keeps you in total control. Mac and Windows compatible.