How well does it work?

Alex Case and I have now done a couple of rock 'n roll mixes using Ultramix, and I've been using it, as I mentioned earlier, on a CD-length classical piece I'm composing that involves a zillion moves, many of them slow gain-riding, with much grouping, etc. From these projects I've gained a pretty solid feel for Ultramix, and Alex's comments are particularly helpful because he's just finished assisting on the latest Dave Matthews Band CD, using SSL Total Recall.

Speed

Speed refers to both timing accuracy and quick response of the software, and also to how easy the system is to use quickly, because we normally have to work fairly fast in this cruel world. In terms of the former, the Mackie shines. We haven't once been able to present it with something it couldn't follow. For the latter, the layout of the UltraPilot is really pretty elegant, and as we got the hang of it, we could get around pretty fast. There are some minor clumsinesses involved with grouping and the various "soft" keys, but operation is really pretty fast.

Flexibility

Good, but not great. No software provision for autopan (a grouped pair with inverse gain on one channel) or for mix merges, though you might be able to copy and paste from the event list editor to another mix. No indication of absolute MIDI value, null points or unity gain (except for some silk-screened values on the UltraPilot).

Intuitive Quality

Pretty good, but at first you are gonna go nuts trying to make the "glass faders" pass signal. The little green channel select triangles are a little confusing, and the Bypass buttons all light up in bypass mode, not vice versa - which cost me half an hour at one point.

Ergonomics

Really very good. The UltraPilot is very compact yet easy to use. The computer screen is great. The VCA package is elegant and effective. The whole system falls to hand quite well, and should really crank out work once you get familiar with it.

Musicality

Quite good. Ultramix did things in ways that seldom got in the way of the musical effort. For instance, sudden transitions in levels don't produce clicks or pops, and default settings don't expose you to ungodly levels or other booby-trap sorts of surprises. My only quibble here is the Null Mode, which should autopunch out at unity just the way it autopunches in.

Robustness & Reliability

Physical

Excellent. Physical construction is everything you could hope for. Everything looks, feels and behaves rock solid. Very nice.

Virtual

Pretty good, but I've got some quibbles. Ultramix Pro has crashed three or four times, which isn't particularly bad for software during learning while you are trying things that are irrational to the software even if they're pretty sensible to you. A bigger concern here is copy-protection of the software. From my conservative, old-line recording engineer standpoint, the hardware is only good for as long as the software is working. Hard disks crash, for a fact. Problem is, Mackie gives you only two installs. This means that after two hard disk crashes your Ultramix system is toast until you fork over however much bread ($2,500?) Mackie thinks it's worth to sell you replacement software. How soon will that unfortunate event occur? For me, I estimate 2-3 years. Two problems with this: first, it really reduces the life-value of the system and increases the long-term cost, and second, it defeats the archival benefit of automation, which is that you can go back and recover the mix at any point in the future. Not if the software is smoked, you can't. So what can you really promise your clients? It wants thinking about.