Metric Halo releases Make Believe Studios MBSI Channel Strip Plugin

Metric Halo has released MBSI, a recreation of one of the most successful custom built consoles in the United States - it is a faithful model of the channel strip from the Criteria Studio C Custom MCI console. It features a mic/line section, a dynamics section, an EQ section and a fader as well as an accurate model of the stereo bus output of the console.

Here's what they say:

Custom built by the technicians at MCI for studio C at Criteria Studios, Miami FL, this console was used in the production of dozens of hit records that sold millions of copies. Artists such as Eagles, Eric Clapton, the Bee Gees, and Grand Funk Railroad chose this room and this Console to work with some of the world's best producers including Tom Dowd and the legendary Bill Szymczyk. We teamed up with Make Believe and Bill Szymczyk to bring this legendary console to your DAW for the first time. Experience the sound of Miami 1976 now.

The original console was ruthlessly analog with a wonderful box tone imprinted just by running through the channel, and, like many devices of its time, was quirky and awesome. You will find (just like we did) that the markings on the face plate do not match the actual behavior of the processor.

The EQ module is especially sweet. It featured a simple design with limited components, utilizing the inherent characteristics of the components to achieve equalization. This means that all the controls interact, and that things like the Q of the filters change with gain and frequency.

This may seem (especially in modern times) to be a defect or challenge in use, but just like the console, MBSI pushes you into making good decisions based on what you are hearing and its limited yet musical range of options.

The dynamics section of the original console was a Suppressor meant to be used with analog tape, which is not that useful in a modern production context. The controls of the console were stepped. The mid-band of the EQ section was limited to boost only, and the filter section only supported low or high cut. In other words, the console was limited by the technology and design of the time.

In our discussions with Bill and based upon feedback from our beta testers, we determined that while we want to have a faithful reproduction of the original console's channel strip ("Classic" Mode), it would be great to have a mode that reflected a more modern workflow and represented the mods we would do to the console if we were updating it, so we added a "Modern" mode.

In Modern Mode, MBSI swaps in a channel compressor that reflects the types of external compression that Bill used with the console, and makes it so that the controls operate continuously (while still maintaining the ability to snap to the original stepped control values). We also added mods to allow you to do cuts with the mid-band, and enable both the high cut and low cut filters at the same time.

Key Features:

• World-class Signal Processing and Workflow.
• Faithful recreation of the box tone of the Line, Mic Pre, Overdriven Mic Pre, Dynamics and EQ modules.
• EQ Module features a 3-band design with LF and HF Bell-Shelf filters, a sweepable Mid Bell and Hi/Low Cut Filters. All the filters have highly interactive controls with the filter shape, frequency and gain being affected.
• Stepped controls matching the behavior of the console in Classic mode.
• Continuous controls with interpolations in the spirit of the original design in Modern mode (with the ability to snap to the classic stepped values).
• Operational Mods in Modern Mode to support cuts with the mid-band EQ and enabling both low cut and high cut filters.
• An incredible new compressor module in Modern Mode with simple operation and amazing sound capturing the dynamic vibe of the 1176 and dbx160.
• The Sound and Feel of one of the greatest consoles in the history of music recording.
• Many presets included.
• Adjustable UI size.
• MH Preset Manager - Provides cross-platform presets.

Intro Price: $99 until August 8th, 2024 (Reg. $179).