Hi guys, I am not sure if this is the correct place to ask. Because this is not about software - it's about hardware. mixanalog.com is a website which hosts a new service. You can use analog gear over the internet.
Yes you heared right aaaaaaannnnnaaaaaaaaloooooooogggggg geeeaaaaar in realtime over the internet ....

"mixanalog is an online environment where you can process your audio with world-class analog gear. It's an online studio that you can access over the internet with your desktop, laptop or tablet. Be it from home, your studio or on tour, all you need is a good monitoring setup and a bit of inspiration. Sound the best you can, wherever you are!"

They claim you control real hardware over the internet that is moded with digipots and relays etc to process your material. If this is true this service is a very interesting business idea.

This is the chain you can control at the moment.
a 12-tube powered Fairchild 670 compressor/limiter, Pultec EQP-1A program equalizer and a GML/Sontec inspired, surgically accurate Distopik Precision Series EQ

Check them out they are in beta at the moment and you can try it for free.

Tell me what you think. Fake? Or genius idea?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 13, 2018

There is a "hint" : in REAL hardware, you can only process a SINGLE track at once.
So ... tell me HOW many ppl over the world can access the SAME hardware in REAL TIME AT THE SAME TIME ?


It smells Nebula/Acqua farm

PS : and please don't tell they have 100 similar chains at the same time.
Do the math before... money AND space.

 

If it is used, you have to wait. At the beta.
If I understand it correct you have to book time if the full pay service starts like in a studio.

I am not sure how they want to make money with this system, how many chains or how much hardware there will be available and how much it will cost. It seems fishy, but interesting that's why I encouraged you to try it for free. Is it hardware? Try it ...

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 13, 2018

I am interested in this, did some research found this...
I ll try this at the weekend I really like the idea.
Well lets see how it sounds.

 

@TW This is very interesting. Thanks for posting it. Wondering if someone has done it before.

 

Fake as in its not real hardware, but if you like using emulation then by all means use it.

 

This is what the CEO claimed today after I was alerted by another member of this "service" :

Bojan Šernek Hello! I'm here to help you or answer any questions. Let me know if you need anything!
@TonyG Good afternoon
Bojan Šernek Hey there! We're excited to help you out. Let us know your email address so that we can follow up in case we get disconnected.
@TonyG I have several questions
Bojan Šernek Its midnight here but pleased to meet you nevertheless. Fire away
@TonyG Do you do individual trakcs or the final mix
Bojan Šernek You can upload whatever you like
@TonyG And you do not provide engineering services correct?
Bojan Šernek No, we just give you an amazing collection of gear to use remotely in real time. The skills are yours and yours only
@TonyG Great. One more question. How do you save the presets on a Fairchild or any other analog gear? That is a question that really has me wondering. The whole idea is great but the presets is what really has me wondering whether is all analog or emulations.
Bojan Šernek It is indeed analog. We developed custom electronics several years ago in order to control analog, tube gear from a computer
@TonyG But how can you save presets on analog gear/ Do you understand?
Bojan Šernek Kind of m[a]rry the convenience of plugins and have the sound still be 100% analog. Anyway we took that tech, added lossless internet streaming and built a service around that. I’m hoping you will give it a try? It’s free this june.Presets are saved to a computer. The analog gear listens to commands of the computer.
@TonyG What do you mean by marry? A plugin is not "analog" Let us take the Fairchild 670. IF, a big if, it is the analog vintage Fairchild there is no way you can save its presets and do an auto recall. There is no way. We run 2 major recording facilities in the United States. In one of them, we do have a 670. If what you are telling me is correct, name your price and we will buy your system. That will increase our revenues and make our clients happier.
Bojan Šernek Please drop me an email to [] I’m sorry i couldnt reply sooner
@TonyG Are you going to sell us your system?
Bojan Šernek Yes if we can cone to an agreement but over email please
@TonyG You have my email. Send me a proposal.
Bojan Šernek Will so. Will do.
@TonyG We are going to be waiting. Another thing before I go, I am also an [ ]. If what you are telling me is correct and we can reach a mutual agreement everyone can benefit. However, if you are telling me some BS my advice is that you modify your Ad and sales pitch. Just some free legal advice.
Bojan Šernek If you have a minute check out our youtube channel. There are a few interesting things there that may interest you
@TonyG There is no need for it. A video is just a video. We are waiting for your proposal. Even better, I will draft a letter of intent and a NDA and send it to you.

 

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@Luka it has been done before and it is done on a daily basis all over the globe if you can afford it. All started back in 1990 when ISDN telephone links were offered for high-end studio use. Move forward to 1993, producer Phil Ramone ("RIP") records the "Duets" album with Frank Sinatra.This was first extensive use of "distance recording" via ISDN. The rest is history.

 

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I know there is digitally controlled equipment. I thought about replacing some of my stuff (distressor&5033) with WesAudio 500 series stuff because of the digital user-interface and recall. But that is not moded hardware its new designed...

I would love a service like mixanalog promises.

Never worked with a Fairchild and most of my hardware is cloned from a clone

 

But there is no digitally controlled original Fairchild 670. You have recreations of it. And I can not tell you whether they can be digitally controlled or not. I just want to add that I do not see how their business plan can work if they are using a real 670. During a session you can name your price for it if the client wants to use it. Clients that know how rare it is are willing to pay for it. Its price is not included in the hourly rate that is charged.

 

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Interesting though

 

if it's real that could be a good plan to make analog gear more accessible (thinking about people who are in country where there is not that kind of gear in local studio, like where I am). In the long run, the best idea would be to install that sort of equipment in different studio around the world, so you can use a lot more equipment and it's also a good way to have a studio booked 24/7. It's like the equivalent of a record shop starting to sell online, and could save some studio who don't work as much as before because of the home studio democratization.

About the preset thing, if you can control the gear from a computer, that mean they figure how to make the knob be moved by a computer. They have some video about that on their youtube channel. Don't really know the full process behind, but it seems like they find a way to put motorized knob on the hardware, so you can recall a preset just like on a console with motorized fader. As long as the sound go through the analog circuit, I guess it's ok to have some part of digital control in the process. But as you use the analog the same way you use a real one, by recording your stuff through it, the way you "save" preset could be the same as a real one, just using a screen cap instead of pen and paper

But yes, as the guy from White Sea studio say in the video post before, I want to see more before putting my money in that, especially in a time where there is pretty good emulation on the market.
Very curious about their Telefunken tape and how it can work without a man behind it, at some point will it have a tape with 100s of records on it, or do they change it every day ? A new band vs an old one could really impact the sound of it.

 

They discuss this service on gearslutz. Even with mixanalog. Mixanalog started the thread as an advertising...
Its a Fairchild clone so no 45000 buck one ...
But really interesting pics. If it is a scam they try hard to look legit.

 

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@TW you read the conversation with the CEO. What he is claiming is likely BS. One of my engineers told me that he is willing to bet his salary for a whole year that it is BS. Something like that would be the talk of AES members. Nobody from AES that we have spoken to has heard of a such a thing on an original Fairchild 670. We will send the CEO the paperwork and wait for a response back from him.

 

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There is a SIMPLE test : there is ONE chain ?
OK ... ask a friend to start the service at the SAME TIME than you.

If you can use TWO streams at the same time ... it is pure scam.
Dead simple.

If they have more than one chain ... a single picture showing them remote wired will be enough as proof.

 

The problem with your test is that it does not answer the question of whether or not they are using original analog gear or clones. And that is the crucial question here. In fact, if 2 people are using the service at the same time that alone does not turn the service into a scam because both clients actually are getting to use the service's gear. What makes it a scam is that both clients are under the assumption that they are using original Fairchild, Pultec, etc...and that is yet to be seen.

 

They use clones and d.i.y. stuff. They updated their homepage with that information because it was asked on gearslutz too. (the real deal or clones and if clones what company). That's why i lost my interest`a bit. I have my own d.i.y. stuff and clones. But I don't have a Fairchild.

Well, the company claimed they move to a new server room and then they will set up real pictures if they get out of beta.
Let's see what they come up with as a proof that they use at least hardware. I hope for a webcam in their hardware/server room where you can see your own sessions if you like. If it's proven that it is a true business and they get some more expensive hardware, this is a service I really would use. Imaging you don't have to maintain your hardware any more. As far as I know, you can still try it for the whole month for free.

 

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Another member here contacted me by PM and provided me with this link that clearly shows that mixanalog.com site is using photographs from gear they claim to have that does not even belong to them. Take a look @ https://www.xs2.com/xs2-timeline/xs2-year-1986/

 

I guess he was smart enough to avail himself of the "free legal advice" we gave him.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 14, 2018