The new additions mean that the library covers just about every mixing and mastering function you could wish for – this side of Mixcraft really is very well featured indeed However, once you get into it, this feeling soon passes loading instruments and effects, resizing, and customising all become second nature. The panel detachment feature is new to v9 – you could only do it with the lower panel in v8 – and it adds a great level of customisation to how the software is laid out, and you will want to use it, as taken as one block, Mixcraft can initially feel daunting. What we’ve always loved about this DAW is the smooth resizing of Windows so the mixer, for example, invades your arrangement just to the level you wish, and track width and height adjustments, along with zooming, are all slick and precise. It’s a very easy process and the installer takes you through all of the extras so you’ll soon be up and running.

You’ll also likely have to use a separate code and download to unlock the aforementioned Voltage Modular. (Image credit: Future) Performance and verdictĪfter buying, you’ll download the main 9 Pro installer (around 540MB) and unlock it with a serial code. Some of Mixcraft’s existing plugins look a little old school but sound a lot better. These refinements and a series of pro features have come through regular updates over many years that have seen the software mature to its current ‘Pro Studio’ status, and its Computer Music scores have grown accordingly (from a not so great 6/10 for its debut to 9/10s from version 5 onwards). There’s a well-featured mixer where you expect it to be and the UI is very welcoming indeed and easy to interact with, so the workflow is almost second to none on this platform.

It’s a traditional DAW in the sense that tracks go top to bottom and arrangement flows left to right. Mixcraft has always offered a welcoming music production environment with a claimed ‘great ease of use combined with raw power’, and it’s hard to argue with this. (There’s also a cut-down Recording Studio version at $99 that lacks the Celemony Melodyne integration, a lot of the included plugin instruments and effects and other features, so we think Pro Studio is well worth the extra 100 bucks.) It might also not be on your radar because it’s a PC-only DAW, but if it is on your radar, you’ll know it comes packed with enough features to be a serious PC contender, and at just $199 for the top-end Pro Studio version on test here, it’s a bargain to boot.

Acoustica mixcraft pro studio 8 review