Hit’n’Mix Infinity
Infinity lets its users make detailed edits to the component parts of polyphonic audio. Si Truss sees if it’s too good to be true…
Hit’n’Mix’s audio editing software has been around since the early ’10s. Initially, it was fairly patchy at living up to its promise of ‘unmixing’ audio files into their component parts, but over time the results have become increasingly impressive. Now at version 4.7 – and rebranded Hit’n’Mix Infinity along the way – it is capable of performing the sort of tricks that would have been in the realm of fantasy plugins just a couple of decades ago.
Described as an ‘Atomic Audio Editor’ Hit’n’Mix Infinity is a standalone application that works by dividing audio files into noise and melodic elements. When you drag an audio file into the UI, Infinity processes it to create a ‘Rip’, which is effectively a version of the file broken down into layers. Files always include two ‘noise’ layers – Unpitched (Low) and Unpitched (High) – along with a varying number of melodic layers depending on the complexity and polyphony of the file.
Creating the Rips can be time-consuming, depending on the power of your machine. My quad-core Intel Core i5 MacBook Pro took almost an hour to process a full seven minute techno track, but shorter and less complex material can be quicker.
Ripped files are displayed in a playlist down the right of the UI, below which is a list of the individual
I had a lot of fun creatively retooling sampled loops
layers with controls to mute, solo or adjust the volume of each (you can create new layers here, which you can reassign elements of audio to). To the left is an editing space where the audio itself is laid out visually across two axis representing time along the bottom and pitch to the left.
From here, Infinity offers users a broad range of tools that can be used to adjust the timing, pitch, volume, bends and more directly from the main window. For more detailed edits, Infinity also incorporates an Edit Unpitched view as well as a separate Note Editor. The latter allows for detailed adjustments to individual harmonic elements, including the ability to smooth out sounds, erase, copy, paste, paint and clone elements.
We’re just scratching the surface of what Infinity can do here, as there really is an abundance of tools, many of them script-based. Some of the most useful include abilities to delete all noise below a certain threshold, export audio as MIDI and even create new chords and melodic audio. It’s a powerful tool, which comes with a fairly steep learning curve. There’s a handy in-app help view though, and while the UI looks a little dated, it’s neatly organised so it’s usually simple to find the tools you need.
Despite its origins, Infinity is least convincing when used to extract stems. Results can be mixed, and elements often get muddled across layers or sound too odd once isolated. The application can be very inspiring and powerful in other areas though – I had a lot of fun making intricate adjustments to found sounds and ambient soundscapes, and creatively retooling sampled loops. In almost all cases edits work well and sound clean and convincing. It’s handy for tidying up troublesome audio too.