Every year, Mix contributors Rich Tozzoli, Mike Dwyer and Bruce MacPherson decamp to St. John, USVI, and temporarily turn a house into a studio where they record TV cues while also testing new equipment and software, resulting in a bevy of Mix Real-World Reviews written in a unique part of the real world.
USVI (May 10, 2024)—With the introduction of the new Immersive versions of its well-used Blackhole and MicroPitch plug-ins, Eventide has given us a whole new dimension of sonic exploration. Built from the ground up with immersive audio in mind, both the Blackhole Immersive and Micropitch Immersive plug-ins are loaded with features that anyone mixing in Atmos or 360RA will love, such as separate EQs for the front, rear and top channels, and the ability to tilt most of the main controls toward the front or rear. Even if you’re not mixing in stereo, these plug-ins still have a lot to offer.
While Blackhole is most well-known for its massive ambient sounds that can turn almost any audio into a lush soundscape, drop the size and feedback knobs down and you’ll find a whole world of smaller, roomlike sounds, perfect for adding a little extra space to drums and, in our application, guitars and keys. Bring the feedback up a bit and you’ll find sounds somewhat reminiscent of plates and even springs—a great way to add some vibey ambience to guitars and keys. Of course, you can crank the size control back up and be right back into those incredible spacey sounds that only Blackhole can produce. Pair that versatility with the new built-in, three-band parametric EQ, and you can shape and sculpt the sound to fit almost any situation.
Kiive Audio Nfuse — A Mix Real-World Review…in the USVI
MicroPitch Immersive turned out to be equally versatile. From subtle chorusing for thickening up guitars to stereo pitch shifting for widening synths to deep, modulated delays, this plug-in was a lot of fun and added a ton of life and interest to our tracks. By far my favorite feature is the Morph Slider, which allows you to blend seamlessly between two entirely different settings with a single automatable slider.
For instance, on an arpeggiated guitar part, I set the Morph Slider to increase the delay’s feedback, increase the wet/dry mix, and boost and sweep the EQ’s mid band when turned up. I was then able to turn on automation and “perform” the morph control, bringing it up in between guitar lines, filling the space with a bright, self-oscillating delay, then dropping it back down to a warm, subtle delay when the guitar comes back in. Being able to play the plug-in like this, as if it were an instrument itself, led to some sounds and textures that were far more interesting than I might ever think to do if I didn’t have the Morph Slider.
