It’s more than an understatement to say that all musicians and artists want to sound great. That’s why we practice endlessly for a few short moments of main stage bliss. That’s why we constantly search for and buy pieces of that elusive “holy grail” rig, only to quickly realize that once you make the jump from live sound to recording that the whole game changes! That’s why we eventually invest in decent home studio setups. All to reach the end result of pulling a couple of tracks together into a demo or album.

Maybe you recorded these tracks in the studio or maybe you record live songs from your gigs and cobbled together the best takes. Either way, as you listen to each consecutive track you realize that, while reasonably good individually, the tracks don’t seem to fit together. Some of the songs are too soft and some parts – but only parts mind you – of other songs are too loud. Too much treble here, too much bass there. Too brittle. Too airy. Needs sweetening. Needs warmth.

That, my friends, is the doorway to the wonderful world of mastering which is traditionally an entirely separate process from the recording process. It’s true that “garbage in equals garbage out” – meaning mastering can’t make bad tracks good or good tracks great. What adept mastering can do is add a professional edge to your overall mix, letting your listeners know that you are serious about your art.
It requires special tools to do mastering correctly, particularly in the digital realm. Enter IK Multimedia’s new T-RackS 3, software specifically and meticulously crafted for the purpose.

IK Multimedia T-RackS 3 Mastering Software

I love IK Multimedia as a company really for one reason – they are very very good at emulation. So good, that I almost hate to call them emulations. We’ve seen this in action with AmpliTube and Ampeg SVX software (and recently AmpliTube Fender) and now in T-RackS 3. T-RackS is not new to most producers, and has been a staple in most studios for some time.

Now, most version changes are hardly worth the cost. Heck, I’m still using Windows XP on some of my computers, and I have yet to figure out what’s different between the last two versions of my video editing software. So, I don’t say this lightly when I tell you that if you are using a previous version of T-RackS, it is time to upgrade. T-RackS 3 is a *significant* upgrade, particularly the deluxe version.

For instance, one of the new processors included in T-RackS 3 is the Fairchild 670. The Fairchild is a famous limiter and compressor from the 1950’s considered to be the one of the ultimate pieces of mastering equipment to own…that is if you can find one…and if you can afford one. Although ubiquitous in its day, they are hard to locate now. My guess that if you can find someone to part with an operational Fairchild, it would run you about $30,000. A very good recreation will cost you $18,000. Or, you can just buy T-RackS 3 for $500.

Through an extremely rigorous process, IK Multimedia builds up each model using DSM™ (Dynamic Saturation Modeling) and SCC™ (Sonic Character Cloning) to faithfully recreate the original equipment. This even includes such detailed elements as electronics topology and behavior of the individual circuits. In this way, the resulting collective sonic behavior is virtually indistinguishable from the original. In fact, maybe this is heresy among some purists, but I would venture to say that IK Multimedia’s version is preferable to the original considering reliability, erratic behavior, and portability issues that surround antiquated electronics.

Just for the Fairchild emulation alone, T-RackS 3 is a bargain, but IK includes 9 excellent processing modules (5 of which are brand new in version 3) that can be configured in a nearly infinite variety of ways:

· NEW - Vintage Tube Compressor/Limiter model 670 – an incredibly accurate model based on the famous Fairchild 670. Faithfully created from an actual Fairchild unit.
· NEW - Vintage Tube Program Equalizer – another piece of famous vintage gear based on the Pultec EQP-1A
· NEW - Opto compressor – Optical compression unit
· NEW – Brickwall limiter – an intelligent, multi-algorithm limiter
· NEW – Linear Phase Equalizer – High precision, high definition, 6 band equalizer
· Classic T-RackS Compressor -- Classic tube stereo compressor/leveler
· Classic T-RackS Multi-band Limiter -- Multiband master stereo limiter
· Classic T-RackS Clipper -- Soft-clipping stage
· Classic T-RackS Equalizer -- Six band parametric equalizer

T-RackS 3 has also considerably amplified the software’s versatility. As with AmpliTube, T-RackS 3 runs as a standalone package as well as a plug-in to nearly all popular DAWs. In addition, T-RackS 3 features a fully configurable signal chain that can run up to 12 processors in parallel or series with high-fidelity oversampling to preserve audio quality through the entire mixing process.

A metering interface rounds out the list of new and updated features. This is a welcome feature, and something you will not find in most mastering packages or plug-ins.

T-RackS 3 Test Drive

Let me answer this question first? Why mastering software in the first place –doesn’t the stuff available in my DAW or plug-ins I already have work just fine? Well, yes, no, and maybe. If you already have great set of plug-ins, or a mastering set to begin with, it’s possible to produce pretty good results. Mastering software and equipment, however, are specifically designed, feature-wise and frequency wise, to put the polishing touches on final production tracks. For instance, an EQ that is designed for the stage may actually make the master sound worse (and vice-versa). That is why it is important to have the right tools for the right job.

I elected to install T-RackS 3 on my Sweetwater Creation Station alongside Mackie Tracktion 3 and Ableton Live. I remember being a bit hard on IK during my first experience with IK’s installation process with AmpliTube. They use a strong 2-step verification process (3-steps if you do not have an account) that takes a few extra minutes to navigate. Now that I’ve installed a number of their products, I can tell that I appreciate much more the benefits of this process. First, it defeats casual piracy with the encumbering need for a USB dongle or hardware based switch. Second, all of your software is tracked and available on your account page. Since you have 5 authorization keys for each product, it allows you to have authorized versions on your home studio and a laptop, with a few version keys to spare. Nevertheless, installation went smoothly with no glitches.

As mentioned, the software allows you to work in “plug-in” mode within your DAW or as standalone program. This is very powerful since it allows you mastering capabilities on each track (or even segments of tracks) within the operating space of the DAW. Also, T-RackS 3 provides DAW programming capabilities to enhance ease of use for power-users.

While I tinkered with this a bit, I spent most of my time engrossed in the stand-alone version. For some reason, it is easier for me to visualize the mastering process outside of the DAW, but I definitely appreciate the ability to finely leverage the power of T-RackS 3. I will note that depending on the number of tracks and options, T-RackS 3 can be resource intensive, so you’ll have to operate within your system’s ability – and select on/off options that are appropriate to mastering or mixing.

In my research, I found that people either like or dislike the T-RackS 3 interface. Personally, I loved it – honestly, I didn’t even need the manual. Within literally 5 minutes, I was loading sample audio files, poking through the presets, modifying the signal chain, tweaking equipment knobs, and changing and comparing options. The only thing I wished I could do was maximize the screen on the stand-alone package since underlying windows can be distracting.

Like all of IK’s products, the real beauty of their emulations is revealed in the user interaction with the virtualized equipment. You actually *feel* like you are tweaking knobs on the actual gear and watching real meters bounce. For example, on the Model 670 vintage compressor, it looks like a piece from the 1950’s with flip-switches, chicken-head knobs, analog meters, and some virtual “wear and tear” on the facing. There’s something tactile and awesome about the feeling of turning knobs on gear just to see what happens.



While the audio nerd in me loves the ability to tweak and create my own presets, I was pretty impressed with the 48 available pre-sets (15 from the standard package and 33 more from the deluxe). The casual user could get by just fine with the standard presets, with the professional will definitely want the extra options. I found enough here for all kinds of applications including but not limited to various music genres, voice-only applications, and video soundtracks. To each his own, but I found the “Vintage” setups in both the standard and deluxe versions to be my favorites.

One of the really nice features is the new metering section that includes easy to identify peak and loudness meters, as well as phase and spectrum graphic displays. Each of these had a variety of display options. Of these, I found the perceived loudness feature especially useful since there were tons of presets for selected audio and music applications. I should also mention that besides the obvious utility of this section, all the meters look really cool on playback!

The “compare” function is a godsend. It allows you to compare effects relative to volume balanced original and mastered tracks. This is very important because it is easy to be thrown off by variations in volume. The compare function takes this out of the equation and allows you to truly hear the effect of EQ, compression, etc. on the overall mix.

One last note that doesn’t have much to do with T-RackS 3. I would suggest a high-end set of studio monitors and/or headphones (preferably both) for this process. It is difficult enough to hear subtle difference in audio, without the challenge of sub-standard equipment. In my studio, I’m using KRK VXT6 monitors and Ultrasone 750PRO headphones.


Grade: A
Pros: Ease-of-use, Stand-alone and DAW plug-in versions, Vintage processor emulations in the deluxe version
Cons: Price a bit steep for the casual user, CPU intensive
Street Price: $199 Standard, $499 Deluxe ($299 Cross-grade)


Conclusion

In my opinion, T-RackS 3 by IK Multimedia is a must have upgrade or addition to a power-users audio arsenal. Certainly, if you already have some IK products, the cross-grade price is difficult to ignore for deluxe features. Without too much tweaking, I was able to get professional quality results quickly and efficiently. I found the interface to be very user friendly, with only minor complaints. T-RackS 3 can be resource intensive so, like most modern software and equipment, you’ll want to be aware of your system’s capabilities.

The program is feature rich, giving you effective access to some high-end gear, albeit virtually. Sonically, I found the results to range from subtle to stunning. For that reason, I’m happy to give IK Multimedia’s T-RackS 3 the GuitarGearHeads.com Studio Ready award for 2009.



Review by: Daniel Halberg

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