The Brainworx bx_enhancer: Mixing Made Easy
A channel strip on steroids.
The Brainworx bx_enhancer is a new mixing plug-in from Plugin Alliance with an intuitive workflow and a range of versatile features.
When one mentions Brainworx, I immediately think of specialized mixing and mastering tools with technical interfaces. However, the bx_enhancer is far more musician-friendly, allowing you to get results fast without such a steep learning curve.
Plugin Alliance Brainworx bx_enhancer
The bx_enhancer is a channel strip plug-in with an armada of different processing controls. Rather than being designed only for channel groups and the mix bus, you can use it to process any instrument in your mix.
The various sections of the plug-in include a useful tuner display, the Sculpt saturator and clipper, a compressor, an EQ section, and manual I/O gain controls with an auto-leveling feature.
In addition, the bx_enhancer has stereo width and panning controls, a mix control, and both Peak and RMS I/O metering with a correlation meter.
The built-in tuner is an interesting addition, as it can be set to any value from 300 to 500 Hz. This is a great tool for tuning guitars, string instruments, analogue synths, and pitched percussion like 808s. What’s more, you can keep an eye on vocal tuning throughout a particular performance or take, which can save you time in the long run.
Tone, Dynamics, and Imaging
With its uniquely straightforward set of controls, the bx_enhancer becomes an all-in-one processing Swiss army knife for any channel in your DAW, even your effects returns.
You can enhance tone with the clipper and saturator, as it can also introduce harmonic distortion when desired. Meanwhile, the Colour section gives you access to an extensive EQ.
For starters, you have variable high-pass and low-pass filters and gain controls for fixed-frequency bass, mids, and highs. Next, the Excite control scoops in the 1-5 kHz region, while boosting 10-20 kHz simultaneously. Also, both the Bass and Excite controls have three contour settings.
For more advanced bus processing, you gave the Mono Maker, a Stereo Width control, and a mix amount control for parallel processing. The Mono Maker operates below 1.5 kHz, tightening low-end and reducing phase problems.
Alternatively, the Stereo Width control gives you the power to broaden the stereo image of different aspects in your mix or make them sit more centrally. Finally, the Auto Level feature compensates for any gain changes, providing a match between the input and output levels.
Pricing and availability:
The bx_enhancer is currently available from Thomann.
More about the Brainworx bx_enhancer:
- Brainworx on Plugin Boutique
- More from Brainworx
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