KMI K-Mix 8 channel Mixer / Audio Interface / Controller

Started by Elantric, January 20, 2016, 12:27:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Elantric

http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/k-mix/
KMI K-Mix 8 channel Mixer / Audio Interface / Controller

(Now Shipping)
http://www.keithmcmillen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/kmix-signalflow_diagram.pdf
http://www.keithmcmillen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/kmix_techspecs.pdf






I needed a very special mixer that did not exist - a fully programmable MIDI controlled ultra high quality portable mixer. To play live in a group without a sound-man, not having a mixer that could do all of this was heart breaking. K-Mix had to be capable of tying all of my needs together, from live inputs to USB interfaces, and operate as a fully programmable stage mixer.
KEITH MCMILLEN

GovernorSilver



Minor controversy on another forum as to whether Windows 10 USB support will be added or not.

Elantric

OSX 10.9 remains my pro audio OS
and for my focusrite, Boss, Roland, MOTU gear , OSX 10.9 it has much lower latency than any version of MS Windows and far better support for integrating Core Audio IOS devices as part of a real time music creation system


GovernorSilver

I'm on OSX myself, but intend to use the K-Mix more with iPad.  It will allow me to put the H9 and Octatrack on individual send busses, and integrate them with more than 2 channels of iPad audio.

Admittedly I'm assuming the output of one send bus can be routed to another send bus.  I'll definitely pore over the manual before buying.

Here's Cuckoo's video with actual demonstration of audio, features, etc. instead of just talking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuOQLW2anxc&feature=youtu.be

Elantric


GovernorSilver

#5
I knew you would post that.   ;D   That signal flow chart has been up for more than a year and I've attempted to make sense of it several times.  I've never been good at understanding circuit diagrams.

The manual should be easier to read.  To save you the trouble...

http://www.keithmcmillen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/kmix-manual.pdf

GovernorSilver

Found the answer in the manual.

3.5.2 – Aux Outputs
Outputs 3–8 are K-Mix's "auxiliary outputs", or "aux outs". These six outputs are split into three stereo pairs,
Aux 1, Aux 2, and Aux 3.
• Aux 1 = outputs 3–4
• Aux 2 = outputs 5–6
• Aux 3 = outputs 7–8
Audio can be freely routed out any of these outputs using the aux send levels and aux panning.
• Unlike the main output bus, the auxiliary outputs do not have any DSP effects.
• The reverb send effect is not mixed in to the aux outputs.

admin






https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130167&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150&sid=949b5530dad346991c615bf479ba904f



crackleb wrote>

I received mine a few days ago, and it was only out of the box for a few hours before I packed it back up for return. Four of the channel faders were defective - if I bumped the stop/nub at the bottom of the fader it would go to max gain, so you had to be very, very careful fading out. KMI Support stated that it is most likely due to "faulty triggering sensors".

There were two other problems I found that they were not aware of:
- There's no gain boost on the Phono input setting, so if you're using it as a phono pre-amp don't expect a strong signal.
- You can link channels into Fader Groups, so all channels can be controlled by a single fader, but this is disabled if you use the Pass Thru option, which makes the fader act in a traditional, continuous fashion.

Both problems are being looked at, I'm told.

On the positive side, I love the size of the unit and the controls were responsive, though you have to be willing to accept the lack of discrete controls. It sounded fine through headphones out of the unit, but I spent most of my time just figuring out how to operate it, and didn't do any critical listening.

I've got a replacement on the way, so my fingers are crossed that the hardware will work as expected, and I'll try to be patient with the bug fixes.

---
Paranormal Patroler wrote>
Received mine late at night yesterday and I have to say it looks brilliant. Packaging is great and the device itself feels solid and well built; like a tank actually. Turned it on but haven't plugged it in yet (no rest for the weekend TM) but I did check the fader action and it works fine. The fine setting is a nice addition but I'll have to recheck once I have the audio to mess about. No clicks on the buttons, everything works like a small touch sensitive surface. Will report back as soon as I have it programmed for quad panning and have my monitors all set up!


I have to say I'm in the honeymoon phase. Rocked the console tonight and I loved every minute of it. Downsides: I wish the quad panning would reach complete separation at maximum settings. The fader movement can be jumpy but in no way is this a big issue, it only happens if you're not paying attention. Wish the panning setting kept the "dot in the circle" visual. Not sure it's that easy to set the parameters in a fine way, but that can be done via the editor.
EQ can sound digital at points.

Happy camper so far. Liked the compressor. Reverb has some extreme options (delayish) which is a good thing. Noise Gate is fine. I would love the option of internal side chaining of stuff!

Well it seems that there is no hard panning and it's obviously by design: https://wiki.xiph.org/Ambisonics - check the section entitled 'Ambisonics and 5.1'

A friend of mine was saying that the way he sees it, this thing can be risky as it's easy to change the settings but I disagree for two reasons: a) you can go to VU mode and not be able to affect the slider position b) it's very playable which is lovely if you're looking for a live mixer.

And one more thing: I retract my earlier complaint about this baby having "only 8 inputs". With quad panning etc it doesn't make sense to go stereo on the inputs of the console. So 8 is fine, at least for my live setup.

I do think it can be made better (side-chaining between channels, reverb applied in quad panning for depth perception, convolution reverb etc) but I'm not sure whether KMI will do anything.


module1 wrote:
QuoteHow is the visual and tactile impressions?


I'll be frank, it's difficult to comment on the tactility as I've heard bad rumors about the Qneo but I've never used it myself. I find the Kmix very responsive, with no major issues. Were there any "hiccups" ? Yeah, but I'd jot those down as user stupidity; I wasn't paying attention. Have I accidentally changed a level? Yeah, but common' that can happen with an analog console as well. It's all down to good practice: my opinion is that one needs to train oneself to always put the console in VU mode in order to be safe.


QuoteOn a normal analog mixer, it is easy to get a quick overview of every setting/fader//routing/aux sends etc..this is great in a livesituation.
This might get lost on the K-mix!?



Nothing is further than a push of a button. Have you checked the manual yet? The VU mode is practical as you can see all the levels. I'd prefer a reverse VU for compressor action (I need to suggest that actually) but it's not there. I can't comment on the routing overview ... it has 8 inputs and 10 outputs. If you can't keep track of what's going on, well, you have to practice more. The internal routings are limited to having two channels act as a stereo pair and assigning channels to pan controls. There's not a lot of things to get lost in; if you want this as a live console as I do, prepare to spend time with it!

The EQ and per channel parameters aren't apparent from the main mode. So that isn't the same as on the analog domain where you see those. Same for Compressor and Noise Gate etc. But I don't think that's an issue, at least not for me.

module1 wrote:
QuoteHow easy is it to use the prelisten function? Does it need several buttons/menus to get there? ( think DJ-style mixng...with machines...)


Prelisten? You mean presets, right ? From what I've gathered you only need to press and hold preset and choose one of the 12 presets by pressing the A - J buttons on the right. Easy!

I heartily suggest you take a look at the manual razz

https://www.keithmcmillen.com/blog/k-mix-tips-combine-multiple-k-mix-into-a-single-aggregate-device/




Elantric

The KMI K-MIX is astounding, and will be the heart of my new pedalboard



Elantric


A quick demonstration video of the Leap Motion being used to control fader levels and panning in the KMI K-Mix.


"Having this onboard DSP... where I can record with compression, with gating, with an EQ, and not need to rely on internal processing for that from my computer, it's a really big help - especially in a live performance scenario." - Thavius Beck on the K-Mix

An Evening with Keith McMillian Instruments featuring Thavius Beck was held at Pyramind in April 2016. As a part of his presentation, Thavius got a chance to show off K-Mix, a state of the art audio interface, control surface, and fully programmable digital mixer from KMI. The free event was open to the public and included an open house sneak peak at Keith's latest instruments - the K-Board Pro 4, BopPad, and the K-Mix. We set up the instruments in our HD Studio Suite to give people a hands on demo of the devices.

Producer, rapper, and seasoned electronic musician, Thavius Beck, gave us in an in depth look into how he is using the K-mix to produce original music, featuring opera singer Hilary Whitmore. He live sequenced a beat while sampling Hilary, and was able to use multiple pieces of gear with ease due to the flexibility the K-Mix provides. He used an Elektron Octatrack, a Roland SP-404, Novation Circuit, Ableton Live and K-Mix for the live performance.

Elantric

#11





K-Mix by Keith McMillen recently hit the streets. Luckily, I was able to have one sent over to review. I dig in immediately and found that the K-Mix is actually much more intuitive than I initially thought. I mean the signature KMI design on a mixer left me to wonder how easy or not so easy K-Mix would be to incorporate into my workflow.

Read the full review here: http://wp.me/p2DmTM-2Gy


http://www.bboytechreport.com/2016/05/02/k-mix-review/

----
K-Mix by Keith McMillen recently hit the streets. Luckily, I was able to have one sent over to review. I dig in immediately and found that the K-Mix is actually much more intuitive than I initially thought. I mean the signature KMI design on a mixer  left me to wonder how easy or not so easy K-Mix would be to incorporate into my workflow.
The form factor and build is small, rather sleek and rugged with its KMI signature, nearly indestructible, matte finish.

The layout is pretty well arranged with the 8 mix faders front and center. The faders are made of the same touch sensitive material that all of KMI's devices adorn. The faders also serve as VU meters sporting the familiar red – yellow – green illumination for feedback on volume levels. Touch the top of any fader to solo. Touch the bottom of any fader to mute.
Important to note as mentioned in the manual, "Depending on the current mode K-Mix is in, the faders are in charge of controlling output levels, input trim levels, aux send levels, and reverb send levels."
Above the faders are numbered buttons 1-8 and Master. These are the channel select buttons. Use these to select a channel, for instance, when applying an effect to a particular channel.
The four large circular controls about the faders are the Rotary dials. They are illuminated with the red LED's for good positioning feedback. These rotary dials are used to adjust various parameters of the EFX, panning and EQ.
To the right of the rotary controls there is the Diamond Pad which is used as the transport controls and bank selectors. To the left is the power button.
On either side of the 8 faders are a number of mode buttons that are used for switching to various modes such as EFX parameters.
The preset button allows you to switch between the mixer presets. Presets are mad useful in terms of fully recalling the many different parameter settings that you may tweak along the way to your favorite configuration (and your next fav and your 3rd and 4th favs). KMix will store 12 presets onboard the physical unit.
The back is equipped with 8-ins and 10-outs. Two of the inputs are XLR / TRS and equipped with fantom power. The inputs are also equipped with Keith McMillen's Ultra-Low Noise µPre™ Preamps. The Ultra-Low Noise µPre™ Preamps sound great. The µPre preamps are clean but not at all brittle, so to speak. You can trust that your gear (synths, Dj equipment, drum machines etc.), mics, vocals and otherwise will sound pristine coming through the K-Mix thanks to Keith McMillen's Ultra-Low Noise µPre™ Preamps.
There are also mini and micro USb connections for powering the unit as well as passing audio and data through and to the unit. Such a handy set up that is at the crux of the units flexibility and compatibility with iOS devices, Macs and as a stand alone mixer.
At any rate, KMI bills the K-Mix as the 3 in one sort of mixer.  It's an Audio Interface, Programmable Mixer & Control Surface. My thought was to see how well it does each task.

Audio Interface
As an audio interface the K-Mix I found it pretty simple to connect. On the back of the unit there are two USB connection (micro and mini). Each of the connections will allow for the +5v DC power that the unit needs to operate. in short, K-Mix is USB powered. one of the USB connections is labeled audio. This is the USB connection needed to connect the K-Mix to your Mac. Once connected it transfers audio flawlessly.
Straight away K-Mix shows up in your DAW (Ableton Live in my case) and in your mac sound settings as an audio interface that you can choose to capture sound from or run sound to.
Audio Interface features;
USB Bus Powered
Ultra-Low Noise µPre™ Preamps
High-End AKM Converters
32-bit Floating Point Signal Path
8-in/10-out Audio
Programmable Mixer
As a Programmable mixer the K-Mix shines with its onboard effects and preset storage.
Obviously, with no USB to computer connection as a stand alone programmable mixer,K-Mix requires the included Power Adapter and USB cable to supply its power while away from the computer.
Once the power is connected,K-Mix is a pretty impressive little BIG mixer. It's onboard DSP effects, 8 inputs (2 of which are XLR ready and phantom power capable) and 8 outputs make K-Mix more than capable for those in need of a small footprint mixer or the musician / beatmaker on the go. Not to mention it's a nice companion for those of us who happen to be iOS musicians and beatmakers.
Programmable Mixer Features;
Per Channel DSP
Flexible Routing
Standalone Quad 5.1, 7.1 and Octo Surround Mixer
Onboard Preset Storage
No Computer Required
I did run into a situation where I had used the compressor and other effects to absolutely obnoxious proportions (Testing) and I wanted to reset the entire EFX section. Unfortunately, the ability to reset the entire EFX section is not available at the moment but this could be an added feature in future firmware releases.  Still, I was able to reset each preset with the help of the KMI team and the K-Mix manual. Here's how;
To reset a preset:
press & release the PRESET button to enter Preset Selection mode
Press & hold BYPASS and while held down, press one of the 12 mode buttons labeled A-L — button will blink 4 times and that preset is immediately overwritten with the default K-Mix preset.
Repeat for any additional presets you wish to reset.
Resetting Global Parameters:
Press & release the PRESET button to enter Preset Selection mode
Press & hold BYPASS and while held down, press PRESET.  The PRESET button will blink while all global parameters are returned to a default state.
Control Surface
As a Control Surface the K-Mix does as it should. It shows up in Ableton Live 9 (or your favorite DAW) and can be selected to be used as a control surface.
Control Surface Features;
Ultra-Sensitive Precision Rotaries and Faders
User Assignable MIDI Controls
Light Weight and Portable
Rugged Construction, No Moving Parts
Kmix Editor
The K-Mix editor can be downloaded from https://www.keithmcmillen.com (full link below). The editor is immediately responsive to touch. Meaning what you do on the physical unit will show on the editor in real time from what I can tell in use. With the Kmix editor you can store, load, edit and otherwise manage your presets. You can edit global settings from the unit or the editor, whichever suits your need.
For those that are more comfortable with the larger (not much larger) editor interface for editing rather than the physical unit editing, the editor is a god send and makes for easy changes and management of presets. Also, the K-Mix editor does double duty as a preset manager where you can store up to 99 presets.
It's worth noting that if you plan to use the K-Mix with a Windows PC you'll be disappointed as it is only compatible with Mac OSX at the moment. The good news is that KMI seems to be totally engaged in the development of K-Mix and iterations to come.

bboy_review_scale_4_5Overall, K-Mix is a great little big mixer. I can't say enough about how this mixer is the little mixer with the big agenda, so to speak. I'd imagine a scenario where one would have a Macbook or iPad, some sort of compact microphone (or in the case of a beatmaker or DJ, a couple of line in cables) and the K-Mix stuffed into a backpack ready for the mobile beatmaking / live beatmaking sessions. It's rugged and handled 3 totally different jobs effortlessly. Just connect your devices and flip a mode button or so and you are ready to rock! This one found a home on my desk, away from my large analog mixer and audio interface, next to my desktop synths as a sub mixer and sort of audio interface expander. I'd love to see a way to do a full reset  from the hardware but at least there is the K-Mix editor. Other wish list items are admittedly totally selfish. I'd love it if it had an adat output (is that considered dated tech now?!) that would allow for 8 in / 8 out with one pretty little wire. That would truly allow me to use it as a direct audio interface expander. Hey, maybe K-Mix MKII will have that as a 4th mode of use.
Short and sweet... K-Mix is dope. I don't think there is anything like it out there. I needed this years ago!
Available now for $579
More info
K-Mix Product Page
Manual
K-Mix Editor

http://www.bboytechreport.com/2016/05/02/k-mix-review/

Elantric

http://auriaapp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=13429&sid=50635b0390f15c7a281cd8032a3a5c4f

Keith McMillen Instruments states that K-MIX firmware version 1.2.11 brings full iOS compatibility.
They also stated: "Currently, however, Mackie HCU control protocol is only supported on the K-Mix transport buttons."
https://files.keithmcmillen.com/products/k-mix/documentation/kmix-manual.pdf
https://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/k-mix/
https://www.keithmcmillen.com/blog/quick-k-mix-transport-control-bitwig/


Elantric

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130167&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=225&sid=8bfadbfe5dd49d5e5437633e85baf27d

https://github.com/dataf1ow/K-Mix_RemoteScript

K-Mix_RemoteScript

This repository will store all of the python files for the MIDI Remote Script integrating the K-Mix with Ableton Live. Feel free to request features, and report bugs.

This script will work (for now) with the out of the box MIDI settings for the K-Mix in MIDI bank 1. You simply need to place the K_Mix folder into your MIDI remote scripts directory.

Feel free to reach out: evanbeta@keithmcmillen.com

Version Notes:

b0.1: Added control over the first 8 channels, and the master fader. 3/16

b0.1.1: Added a sesison view and navigation to give access to all tracks. Added track select buttons. Added Panning, and Send conttrol for the selected track. 3/17

b0.1.2: Added scene launch buttons. The script operates on an 8 track, by 6 scene clip matrix. 4/1

b0.1.3: Added LED handling for the track select buttons 4/15

b0.1.4: Added device pararmeter mode (that was tougher than I thought!) 4/20

b0.1.5: Added device selection and pararmeter bacnking buttons. 5/31

1.0!: Added VU metering mode, and fixed some bugs. 7/13



Elantric

#15


Windows support is almost here, check out this video showing K-Mix passing audio with Ableton Live on a PC!




Video for the post Controlling K-Mix with Web MIDI and the K-Mix API, Part 1, showing how to use K-Mix as a Web MIDI controller.



http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/keith-mcmillen-instruments-k-mix

Elantric

Now K-MIX has a Windows USB Audio / MIDI Driver,  and a K-MIX Editor for Windows
https://www.keithmcmillen.com/downloads/

chappi

Hi Elantric, how is the k-mix working for you? Any chance of an explanation of your signal flow/ routing setup?

I'm hoping to integrate gp10 L and R out,  Guitar out and midi in/out via midx10 with: effects and amp with direct out, iPad looper, and ipad based midi triggered instruments and a beatbuddy.

Main stumbling block is the routing diagram from kmi - can't get my head around it. Basically I'm hoping the kmix will work something like a channel/loop selector as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

Chris


chappi

It's ok , I've read the manual properly this time  ::)

Kmix can do what I'm looking for just need to figure how to get midi and USB audio in and out of the iPad but won't need help for that.

Chris

Elantric

Thanks to evolving firmware - the KMI KMix has been a moving target with significant evolution.

Of course aligning ones goals , needs and available time with the desirable firmware release schedule for any device is a an act of fate.
I need to make time to update the firmware on a few of my devices