Make Believe Studios: MBSI Channel Strip Plug-In

I’ve always been fascinated with the history of recording studios, the evolution of analog gear, and MCI equipment. There was one particular MCI console that almost seemed mythical: The so-called “Hotel California” console at Criteria Recording Studios in Florida. Criteria’s MCI really can’t be called a prototype, as it shares no circuitry with any MCI production console. It’s more of an amazing Class A discrete custom console that was light years ahead of its time. Huge hits were engineered on that board, and it still actually works! These days, we have a plethora of plug-ins that try to emulate hardware, so do we really need another? However, most of us will never be in the same room as this one-off unicorn console, so a spectacular emulation could be very useful.

The MBSI plug-in, sold and distributed by Metric Halo, came through an entirely accidental encounter. Rick Carson from Make Believe Studios gained access to the actual console through Bill Szymczyk’s [Tape Op #103] son. Bill, of course, is the man who originally engineered many hits on that board, including the Eagles. The console was owned by Lij Shaw (of Recording Studio Rockstars podcast and The Toy Box Studio in Nashville), who gave Rick extended sessions for this plug-in creation. So, Rick spent a good deal of time modeling Bill’s favorite module – channel 13.

MBSI’s GUI looks a lot like the actual console strip, complete with the very unusual arched quadrant faders. The controls are somewhat primitive compared to many modern plug-ins, but in a way that’s almost the point. More on that later. The input Trim control adjusts the level for all three input emulation types: Line, Mic, and O/D (overdrive). The Line selection is the cleanest of the three. Mic emulates the console’s mic preamp, including a model of the input transformer so it has a bit more color. In overdrive mode, MBSI stacks emulations of two high gain mic preamps in series, so it can really get into some heavy distortion.

Interestingly, there are two plug-in modes: Classic and Modern. In Classic mode, the three-band EQ is adjusted in 2 dB steps instead of continuously, and the midrange control is boost only. In Modern mode, the controls are continuous, and the midrange EQ can be either boost or cut. Classic mode honors the original console by forgoing a compressor in exchange for a dynamics expander called a suppressor. It has an Attack and Release control and the somewhat novel feature of both a Threshold and a Depth control, which sets the maximum attenuation depth regardless of the threshold. Back in Modern mode the suppressor is replaced with a compressor. This has the same set of controls, making it quite versatile. Although the original console did not have a compressor, the addition makes the strip much more useful. This new creation was designed to stay as true as possible to the sound of the original circuitry.

The three-band EQ is simple yet effective. The high shelving band is switchable to 8 or 10 kHz. The mid band peak has a range between 140 Hz to almost 10 kHz. The bandwidth can be switched between two width settings. The low shelf is switchable between 60 Hz or 100 Hz. Also, there are filters that can be switched in at 40 Hz or 10 kHz, or both simultaneously. Lastly, Make Believe Studios has included a very sophisticated randomization section that allows for varied parameter tolerances between plug-in instantiations, mirroring the subtle channel difference on an analog console. With this feature, the user can easily adjust which channel strip functions are affected and by how much.

So, how does the MBSI sound? I decided to do something rather unfair as a test. I remixed an elaborate country rock production that had been tracked in Nashville. I had previously mixed this using a big selection of hardware and plug-ins. This time, I only used the MBSI for both channel and bus EQ and compression. Why not? First, the punchline, then some explanation. This mix sonically blew away my original mix, and it was much easier and faster to get there. Why might this be? The controls are fairly limited by modern plug-in standards. But as stated earlier, that’s almost the point. This plug-in not only gets that sound of old-school analog but also puts the user in the mindset of old-school analog. Without getting too philosophical, earlier in my career I used tape and analog consoles day-to-day, then switched over to DAW mixing around 2000. A while later, I had to remix a project from tape again. With tape and a console, I was struck by how much easier it was to get the parts to lay together than with DAW mixing – this plug-in feels like that. Everything I wanted to do with the mix happened more easily and quickly. With MBSI, you do what sounds right, not what you think should be right. The EQ tone is amazing. The compressor is versatile enough to crunch up the drum bus very musically while also being able to level the vocal gently. Previously, I had used far more processing to get the vocal to sound right. This time, I could tame it with just the MBSI and no additional processing.

There’s no meter for the compressor, only a light. But simply listen to it. It sounds great. Crank up the trim in Mic mode, and the guitars thicken up. All the parts of the mix came through with clarity and distinction. Lastly, keeping true to the original console’s tone, the plug-in displays some pleasing nonlinear response characteristics with a slight rise at 26 kHz, and a low frequency bump at 20 Hz. Simply running tracks through it gave the mix a vibe. I have not been this impressed with any other channel strip plug-in, and I will be using MBSI on many projects.