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Too Much Excitement... My excitement gets the best of me at times... and of course, the fact that I don't like to read doesn't help either. So, after I signed for my review copy of Mixman Studio Mac, I loaded it up on my computer (G4 350) immediately and just dove into the program. Big Mistake... I looked like the fat man (which I am) convinced that he could slam dunk a basketball on a hot day in front of all of the girls. Of course, this only proceeds to me hitting the reality wall hard, by missing the basket by a mile and ending up face to the pavement, hearing the laughs from the crowd. So, to stop any more embarrassment, I began reading the manual. Unfortunately, for me, that wasn't much help at first. However, being a reviewer, I had the distinct advantage of getting to speak to Josh Gabriel, Mixman's founder. Josh wound me back about two notches when we figured out that I was on a completely different plane than Mixman Studio. With all of that straightened out, I was on the ground running once again with the program.
Installation I guess the fact that I was able to install Mixman Studio without bothering with any instructions is clue enough to how easy it is - of course, that is expected with any Mac software. The minimum requirements are listed above, and they are true minimums. Keep in mind that 32 MB of real RAM is required (Mixman Studio requires that Virtual Memory be turned off to improve performance), and the more memory you have, the better. Once you have the software loaded all you need to do is double-click on the shortcut put on the desktop for you and the program opens!
Getting Started Shortly after you load up Mixman Studio, the splash screen gives way to a screen that shows you two items: a pair of turntables and a microphone. The two turntables represent the application that allows you to make and mix your music while the microphone allows you to add your own sounds through an input device.
Start the Music
Once your sounds are loaded, you can begin playing. Simply click on the sound, or hold down the corresponding key for that sound to play. When you let off the key it stops (using the mouse, it acts as a simple toggle, click to turn on, click again to turn off). To keep things going you just press the space key while holding the letter you want to continue playing. This allows that beat to just continue on. Repeat this with other sounds and then you are ready to make your first recording. Recording is simple... like using a standard tape recorder.
Introducing the Mixman Singles The sounds that come with Mixman Studio are practically endless (over 550 are included) and if you get bored of all the sounds that come with the software you can go to the site and download more Mixman Singles. Mixman Singles are Mixman files complete with TRKs recorded by artists such as Ice-T, George Clinton, skinny puppy and Missy Elliot. One thing to remember is that the Mixman Singles collection is growing and more and more musicians seem to want the sounds that they create to be put released as Mixman Singles. So, at the Mixman site, there are over a thousand more sounds that you can download. If you find this is not enough sounds for you, you buy Soundiscs from the web site which will give you even more sounds.
Using Your Own Sounds The only thing I could find wrong with the program was the limitations of it's recording studio. This is the second option that I mentioned you see at program launch. This area allows you to record your own sounds, albeit in a very limited fashion. A user may record audio directly into the recording studio but then the user can only modify that sound with two tools, auto trimming and auto gain. I really do not hold this against mixman though, for they offer so many sounds to download or buy that it almost makes it too easy. For someone that just wanted their own sounds and music, then the program will hinder them reaching their goal, they may have more luck using other software that is made specifically for that purpose. Of course these programs can cost well over $1,000.00 each and with the nice little price of the $79.95 for the complete version, the money is very well spent on Mixman Studio.
The Final Product I think that any one that wants to learn the art of creating music at their fingertips should begin with Mixman Studio. It will give a good hands on tutorial and introduce the complexities of making music. And I can say that getting the final product to sound the way you want is not easy to do. But once you are happy with your results, you can once again visit the web site and upload your song for others to listen to. Mine will be coming but trust me I have much work to do. You can choose to save your final work in either AIFF (ready to burn onto a CD-R to make an audio CD) or MP3 format (CD quality sound in a small file size... perfect for the Internet or archiving). Making a song sounds easy but it is really hard to do and I give props to all who seem to do it with ease.
Actually Reading the Manual... Once I decided to actually read, I found that the manual is very well assembled. It comes complete in a pdf (Adobe Acrobat) file located in the mixman folder under documentation. The quick start instructions that come with the CD are useful, but I would suggest to everyone that reading through the manual first would be the best idea. It will make things much easier from the start and will put anyone further ahead than I was in the beginning. I'm sure Josh did not mind helping me out but I'm don't think he has the time nor the patience handle everyone's phone calls :)
In Conclusion I have come to love using Mixman Studio and enjoy trying to create a new sound each time I start it up. With the help from the front office to the service Mixman provides I believe the company cares for its customers and has created a program that from a beginner to a expert could enjoy using. For those contemplating the purchase of Mixman Studio, a demo is available on their web site. I think anyone who uses Mixman Studio will find nonstop fun and excitement. Everything on the Studio is easy and user friendly. Mixman has gone out of their way to allow the user to have fun and make professional songs. And the fact that you will always have the choice of downloading more sounds and buying even more makes this product even better. The simple interface, artist contributions and the relatively low cost all lead to Mixman attaining a near perfect rating of 4.5 Smileys, with the only downside being the limitations in audio editing. I would like to thank Josh and the staff of the Mixman division for the help they provided me, making this program one I will always enjoy using.
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Title: Mixman Studio Mac
When
starting out, I would suggest that the user push the question mark
located at the bottom left corner of the screen. This labels all
of the on screen actions with their equivalent keys. It helps you
see what you are doing and allows for more efficient mixing (see
the key setup to the right for activating the sounds on the left
turntable) once you get going. Also, it can explain the less obvious
icons, as seen in the image below.
