About MixHead :

Based on the vintage SPL Machine Head hardware digital rack unit that I reviewed all the way back in October 1997, the MBS MixHead plug‑in aims to capture the subtle sound‑massaging capabilities of the original, which was an early attempt to replicate the effects of recording to analogue tape. It approximated the saturation of analogue tape — not the wow and flutter or tape hiss — but there’s a lot more to the accurate modelling of analogue tape than simply soft clipping or saturation. For example, real analogue tape machines exhibit a low‑frequency ‘wrinkle’ known as head bump, which varies with tape speed. The SPL Machine Head did not seem to emulate this and similarly, the 40Hz to 70Hz bass reduction experienced when running at 30ips was not reproduced.

But while it provided a less accurate tape emulation than the more forensic modern approaches, the Machine Head was very much its own thing — and was prized for its very pleasing sound, not its modelling accuracy. It gained many friends in the pro studio community, and used originals change hands for eye‑watering prices.

Make Believe Studios’ MixHead aims to capture the spirit of the original hardware. All the common plug‑in formats are supported including AAX, and authorisation requires an iLok account. Unlike the original, sample rates of up to 192kHz are supported and all the benefits of plug‑ins, such as offline bouncing and the ability to use multiple instances, add to the flexibility.

System Requirements :

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• Windows 7 or later (32 / 64-bit)
• Compatible DAWS: Ableton Live, Pro Tools, FL Studio, Cubase, Nuendo, Reaper, Reason and any other major DAW software on the market.

Windows Compatible

Compatible with ProTools

VST