Mixed In Key’s Human plugin promises to make your sterile digital tracks sound like they were recorded by a live band

One of the great things about your DAW is that it enables you to build up your productions track by track, but in doing this, you might lose some of the spontaneity and cosmic interplay you’d get if you were recording a live band. So, Mixed In Key has introduced Human, a supposedly “revolutionary tool” that’s designed to give your music the feel that it’s been missing.

Human has a certain amount of academic heft in that it draws on research conducted at the Max Planck Institute and Harvard University. Mixed In Key says that it doesn’t add swing, but instead recreates the “ebb and flow” you get when musicians are listening to and following each other.

Human works on both audio and MIDI tracks (two plugins come supplied), and you can apply its processing to multiple channels simultaneously. You need to tell it which instruments you’re working with so it can work appropriately - the bass will follow your drums, for example - and you can adjust the amount of processing using a single central knob. Because all instances of Human are interconnected, tweaking this knob on one track will affect others.

“Human Plugins revolutionises the humanization of electronic rhythms,” says Yakov Vorobyev, President and Founder of Mixed In Key LLC. “It's user-friendly, compatible with all major DAWs, and can be applied across multiple channels. The potential is vast; imagine a future where humanising music is as standard as using an EQ plugin. While the technology behind it is intricate, the results speak for themselves, making music sound more authentic and alive.”

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and one that you can explore further on the Mixed In Key website. Human runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats, and can be purchased with the reassurance of a 30-day money back guarantee. 

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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