Hit’n’Mix RipX DAW PRO

RipX PRO offers high‑quality stem separation and an intriguing suite of tools for audio editing.

We’ve taken a couple of dips into Hit’n’Mix’s RipX in recent years (see the April 2023 and September 2021 reviews), but AI moves rapidly and Hit’n’Mix have now released v7 of RipX. This release brings a more straightforward dual version approach with RipX DAW and — with some additional advanced options — RipX DAW PRO. The core functionality of earlier versions remains intact but, of course, the latest releases bring refinements and new features. Let’s explore...

When Is A DAW Not A DAW?

For those new to RipX, a brief discussion on terminology is important to place the product in context. Digital Audio Workstation is a very broad term. The most common type of software referred to as a DAW tends to be audio and MIDI recording and mixing applications such as Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Reaper, DP and the like. However, there are other types of software‑based environments for working with digital audio that offer different sorts of functionality and are designed for different types of tasks. Audio editing environments such as WaveLab or SpectraLayers (both by Steinberg) or iZotope’s RX would be obvious examples; all three let you work with digital audio, but they are DAWs that focus on audio editing tasks.

RipX DAW offers audio editing and elements of music production and/or creation, so it certainly fits in the broad category defined by the term DAW. However, in the same way that WaveLab, SpectraLayers or RX provide workflow and functionality different to that found in Cubase or Logic, so does RipX. Indeed, in the world of DAWs (in that broad sense of the term), given both the workflow and feature set, RipX is somewhat unique. To misquote a well‑known line from Mr Spock, it’s a DAW, Jim, but not as we know it...

Fix It In The Unmix

As well as quality improvements, the stem separation process is now more efficient.RipX first caught general attention for its ability to separate a stereo source file into a number of instrument‑based layers (stems). When you drop a suitable audio file into the Rips panel, a dialogue lets you choose which stems you wish to extract, with Voice, Bass, Drums/Percussion, Guitar, Piano and Other available as options. While there are a number of tools that can now perform this type of stem separation task very well (including SpectraLayers and RX), the quality of the separation processing within RipX has always been a highlight of the software. It remains so in this release and Hit’n’Mix have continued to refine the process further, including some noticeable gains in the speed with which the ‘ripping’ process is performed.

I re‑ripped a few commercial tracks that I’d ripped with the previous release and, even without dipping into the PRO version’s Audioshop toolset (which, as mentioned below, offers some options for further cleaning up the stem separation process), I found some noticeable and worthwhile improvements in the quality of the stems produced. For example, the isolated vocal layers seemed a little cleaner. Yes, harmony vocal parts and vocals originally mixed with more obvious ambience treatments (reverb and delay) can still make life difficult, but there did seem to be fewer unwanted sonic details finding their way into the vocal layer. Whatever your use case for the output of the stem unmixing functionality, cleaner separation means less subsequent editing work and a faster workflow, so improvements on this front will always be welcome.

If creating remixes or musical mash-ups is your end goal, then the price of entry for RipX DAW may well be justified for this feature alone.

For many potential users, the stem unmixing capability may still be the headline attraction of RipX regardless of the other functionality Hit’n’Mix have added over more recent release cycles. If creating remixes or musical mash-ups is your end goal, then the price of entry for RipX DAW may well be justified for this feature alone. However, the same capability is also an incredibly powerful educational tool, especially as it is so easy to modify the playback tempo independently of the pitch. Whether it’s to create a backing track so you can practice your vocal cover, or slow the tempo down on an isolated guitar stem to work out the impossibly fast solo, RipX’s rips are useful for much more than grabbing an a cappella vocal.

My (AI) Generation

While there would appear to be plenty of clever AI within the stem separation algorithms, this release sees Hit’n’Mix leaning into AI within a further element of RipX. Clicking on the new green ‘brain’ icon within the main screen takes you to a dedicated Hit’n’Mix web page that contains links to AI‑based music generation platforms. The idea is that the user might generate an initial musical starting point using one of these platforms and then rip it within RipX. Once broken down into stems, you can experiment with any or all of RipX’s audio or MIDI‑based editing and manipulation tools to transform the AI generated original and craft it into your own musical idea.

The green ‘brain’ icon provides inspiration courtesy of AI music generation.

Hit’n’Mix indicate this resource list will be regularly updated as the available options evolve but, at the time of writing, the most accessible of the services listed was Stable Audio. This site offers both free and paid subscriptions, and the music generated is based upon whatever text prompt (and a few other user‑defined parameters) you wish to enter. While I’m not sure the full tracks generated by Stable Audio are going to put composers out of work yet, where I did find this effective was in asking the AI to generate specific parts of a musical track. For example, I prompted it to create a lo‑fi track featuring just drums, bass and acoustic piano, rather than a full arrangement. When this was imported into RipX and broken into stems, it was easy to see how the individual elements could then be manipulated, the sounds tweaked or replaced, and MIDI generated. The result was a cool little loop that could easily serve as a seed for further work, whether within RipX itself or exported out to the likes of Cubase or Logic.

Going PRO

As mentioned earlier, the PRO version adds some additional functionality. This includes options for separately cleaning up noise within unpitched sounds, harmonic editing, a RipScript language for building your own tools, the Repair panel tools and the Audioshop toolset (opened from the Panels menu). These options offer a number of additional corrective and creative possibilities for more advanced users.

Particularly interesting are the tools within the Repair panel. Whether you’re working on all the material within a layer, or pitched and unpitched elements individually, the Audioshop tools let you select either component and then provide options for repair and cleaning. For example, the Filter Background option lets you set a dB threshold to filter out quieter audio elements within the selection. Purify massages out amplitude changes for a smoother sound. The Tones & Hum control lets you remove unwanted sound elements based upon a user‑defined bandwidth. If you need to really extract the last few percentage points of quality out of that isolated vocal layer, then there are tools here that will let you attempt that.

It’s also worth noting that the PRO version provides various ways to integrate it with a more conventional DAW, be that as an external editor or via the VST3, ARA2 and AU RipLink plug‑in.

The X Factor

To return to where we started, RipX is a DAW but, given the eclectic and unusual combination of audio editing and sound manipulations tools, it is something of a unique product within that broad class of application. So, given its somewhat unusual nature, who might fall into Hit’n’Mix’s target audience?

First, if your primary need is stem separation, RipX DAW — in its standard or PRO versions — remains impressive, capable of standing its ground against any of the obvious competition. Second, if your preferred music creation process involves lots of sample manipulation, or creating new musical ideas from loops, the RipX DAW method provides an intriguing, unconventional, and somewhat unique way to explore that.

In either of these contexts, RipX DAW is not really like any other audio application out there and, for the more advanced editing options, there is a learning curve to be climbed through hands‑on experience. Sensibly, Hit’n’Mix do let you try before you buy: there is a 21‑day trial available on their website and, if you have any sort of experimental nature, it’s most certainly worth experiencing.