T-Racks. Any feedback?

[AudioGeekZine]

Thank for the link! I'd love to see you review some of these videos on your site sometime, especially the Pro-Tools, Beat Detective, Auto-Tune and mastering videos.

I have briefly here:
http://www.audiogeekzine.com/?p=603
All of the recent (as in last year or two) Groove3 ones are worth getting. HowAudio.com has some good ones, but nothing really good recently, nothing on Pro Tools 8 I don't think.

A subscription is totally worth getting if you have the time to watch them, and if not then I'm sure you can figure out a way to save them for later. Not that I endorse doing that.
They gave me a lifetime subscription because I promote them so much

I haven't got to the auto-tune one because I A)already know how to use it, B)don't have a need for it and C)hate hearing soloed vocals over and over and over

See the link for my opinion on the Beat Detective one.

 

[digitaldeath]

I have briefly here:
http://www.audiogeekzine.com/?p=603
All of the recent (as in last year or two) Groove3 ones are worth getting. HowAudio.com has some good ones, but nothing really good recently, nothing on Pro Tools 8 I don't think.

A subscription is totally worth getting if you have the time to watch them, and if not then I'm sure you can figure out a way to save them for later. Not that I endorse doing that.
They gave me a lifetime subscription because I promote them so much

I haven't got to the auto-tune one because I A)already know how to use it, B)don't have a need for it and C)hate hearing soloed vocals over and over and over

See the link for my opinion on the Beat Detective one.

Cheers, I was wondering if the Beat Detective tutorial on the PT 8 Tips & Tricks video is worth it compared to Beat Detective Explained? Sorry to the OP for going off-topic!

EDIT: I don't see the BD tutorial on Kenny's vids, only on the PT8 Explained vid.

 

[Plec]

+1 I used to use the old T-Racks comp and limiter on bass guitar, and clipper on snare. Thought it sounded decent.
Are you the same Plec that runs The Panic Room? If so your a badass man and you should post here more.

Yes, certainly not a bad idea. Used the old comp on cleaner guitar parts once upon a time with excellent results.

Thx for the kind words.. I'll try to contribute as much as possible.

 

[Jevil]

AudioGeek, I have to admit that today is the first time I enter your site. Very fucking helpful and useful. It's in my favourites folder.

 

[AudioGeekZine]

Cheers, I was wondering if the Beat Detective tutorial on the PT 8 Tips & Tricks video is worth it compared to Beat Detective Explained? Sorry to the OP for going off-topic!

EDIT: I don't see the BD tutorial on Kenny's vids, only on the PT8 Explained vid.

Kenny Explained his Beat Detective techniques in this one and in more detail here.

I know you want me to do a Beat Detective tutorial video specifically for metal. it would go something like this:

1. Record your drum tracks along with a click.
2. go to www.beatfixx.com and contact me
3. upload your drum tracks
4. ?
5. Profit

 

[digitaldeath]

Kenny Explained his Beat Detective techniques in this one and in more detail here.

I know you want me to do a Beat Detective tutorial video specifically for metal. it would go something like this:

1. Record your drum tracks along with a click.
2. go to www.beatfixx.com and contact me
3. upload your drum tracks
4. ?
5. Profit

Damn you! I've even left comments on your site about wanting that!
Why not make a great video (with included PT projects) and sell it for like $5-$10 on your site? Some of us just really want to learn how to use BD well, another trick up the sleeve if you will. Think I'll just have to sign up for Groove3...sigh!

 

[Ermz]

I'd happily do a BD instructional video, but I have no idea how to record the audio from the Mbox with an application like Freez, nor do I actually have anything other than a computer mic, so I'd be needing to record the output of 2 soundcards at once :s

Nice to see you round these parts, Plec. Do you give the Ozone much of a work out on your masters, or is it mainly that slew of analogue gear you're got rolling in there? I got myself a GSSL not long ago to get a bit more vibe in my mixes and I really dig it. Starting to get a bit tired of mixing entirely ITB here, though I guess the plug-ins are improving with each generation. From what I hear the T-Racks 3 set is impressive if you get your head around the Fairchild and Pultec. I'm still trying to find a good ITB clipper without needing to invest in some hardcore converters. Though I guess getting the level is your job, not mine

 

[digitaldeath]

I'd happily do a BD instructional video, but I have no idea how to record the audio from the Mbox with an application like Freez, nor do I actually have anything other than a computer mic, so I'd be needing to record the output of 2 soundcards at once :s

Hey Ermz, try post over at the DUC to see if those guys can advise you!

 

[Plec]

Nice to see you round these parts, Plec. Do you give the Ozone much of a work out on your masters, or is it mainly that slew of analogue gear you're got rolling in there? I got myself a GSSL not long ago to get a bit more vibe in my mixes and I really dig it. Starting to get a bit tired of mixing entirely ITB here, though I guess the plug-ins are improving with each generation. From what I hear the T-Racks 3 set is impressive if you get your head around the Fairchild and Pultec. I'm still trying to find a good ITB clipper without needing to invest in some hardcore converters. Though I guess getting the level is your job, not mine

Hey Ermin!
The Ozone is usually there in most stuff I do but in different dozes. As far as in the box clippers go I must say that IMO the Ozone is the very best of them all. The intelligent modes can give you a very wide range of results depending on how you set them. It uses a combination of clipping, limiting and compression depending on how you set it up, and even though IK tried the same thing with their new Brickwall Limiter, Ozone still does a 10% better job to my ears.

Most of the time I have it on as a kind of protection device at the very end, maybe taking 0.3-0.5db off the program but if there's a loudness quota that needs to be met I might be using it 1-2db in combination with other loudness making processes in the chain.

 

[Ermz]

Awesome, thanks Plec. I'll have to give the Ozone a try. Hopefully their 'intelligent' modes beat the Gclip which I so loathe

@Digitaldeath: With all respect man I just don't have the time nor patience atm for the DUC and rigging together a patchwork solution. I'd be more than happy to do a BD tutorial, but if it's going to take the better part of a day to get it working then I kinda start losing time, which in these 7-day working weeks translates to sanity and money. If I run into a good method to do this in the near future I'll go for it, but otherwise I don't really have it in me to be proactive. Sorry. A text-based tutorial would be a poor substitute for seeing it being done, so that's not really an option either.

 

[AudioGeekZine]

If you guys are interested in any of the T-RackS 3 effects but don't want to get the full package, there's a Group Buy promotion for the T-RackS singles going on until the end of August.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/Main.html?groupmix/index.php

Right now it's 3 for 1, soon it will be 4 for 1.
If you're even slightly interested, get the demos of the Singles, see which ones are useful to you and get in on the group buy.
At $33 each or $25 each it's a really good deal.

 

[digitaldeath]

@Digitaldeath: With all respect man I just don't have the time nor patience atm for the DUC and rigging together a patchwork solution. I'd be more than happy to do a BD tutorial, but if it's going to take the better part of a day to get it working then I kinda start losing time, which in these 7-day working weeks translates to sanity and money. If I run into a good method to do this in the near future I'll go for it, but otherwise I don't really have it in me to be proactive. Sorry. A text-based tutorial would be a poor substitute for seeing it being done, so that's not really an option either.

No worries man, thanks anyways!

 

[Jind]

If you guys are interested in any of the T-RackS 3 effects but don't want to get the full package, there's a Group Buy promotion for the T-RackS singles going on until the end of August.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/Main.html?groupmix/index.php

Right now it's 3 for 1, soon it will be 4 for 1.
If you're even slightly interested, get the demos of the Singles, see which ones are useful to you and get in on the group buy.
At $33 each or $25 each it's a really good deal.

I also found this additional group buy deal over at esoundz.com. They have additional incentives for purchasing into the group buy through them. Free stuff is free stuff.

PS - no I do not work for esoundz.

 

[darthjujuu]

using both, i would say ozone colors a TONNNN more than t-racks. ozone, IMO, can be deadly in the hands of a beginner, especially if you just put it across the 2bus and then start clicking the presets...it makes your flat monitors sound like a nightclub. t-racks seems to have more flexibility to me...little smoother in the "reaaally loud" range, i have an easier time getting a buttery mix at commercial loudness than i do with ozone on it's own.

 

[Plec]

Only time Ozone colors more is if you're using the tools that do color the sound. The presets supplied are for the most part useless. There are better multibands out there, the exciter and frequency dependent stereo imager is overkill for 99% of mastering projects so is the reverb part. The EQ is pretty ok when set to digital I think, but the only thing that is truly top notch is the maximizer part of the plugin.

 

[Ermz]

So... outboard compression, Pultec/Flux EQ for coloration and fine control, respectively. Then the Ozone Maximizer to smash the shit out of everything.... sound bout right?

Have any of you guys tried the Sonnox Inflator? I've been leaning on that for a few projects recently where the client wants it louder but you just can't get any more level the traditional way without
1) Losing transients
2) Clipping audibly
3) Clipping really audibly

It does some undocumented psycho-acoustic things to the audio to increase the apparent volume. It doesn't sound like it destroys the mix too much.

 

[Plec]

Inflator adds distortion to the program in order to gain apparent loudness... nothing strange, just the way it works. The input of the inflator, when going past 0db is also a straight digital clip stage. As with all distortion generators you change the character of the sound and I think the inflator adds a slight midrange crunchy thingy that can actually sound cool for most rock and semi-heavy stuff, but haven't had much luck with it for metal or other busy program because of it's tendency to smear the sound a bit too much for that... which again all distortion generators do to one degree or another.

 

[Kazrog]

Not totally mastering related, but I'm trying out the T-Racks 3.1 demo and I'm blown away by the Pultec and Fairchild clones. They totally slay the UAD-1 versions that have been my go-to plugins for guitars and drums for almost a decade!

I'll give T-Racks a go on the master buss soon as well; again my loyalty is with UAD-1 for their Precision series of mastering plugins... but anything is possible.

 

[RiF]

I went for the Pultec, Fairchild and will get the Opto Compressor today with their ongoing group mix promotion for a total of € 80,- for all of them. The Pultec is on the same level as my UAD-1 Pultec (does not beat the PultecPro, of course), the Opto is a great bus compressor which does not stand in my way (like it better than my UAD-1 Precision Buss Compressor). The Fairchild does some interesting stuff that I did not hear before, but I need to get used to it. Great deal IMHO. They all have 4 samples of latency in low-latency mode, which is a good thing, if you're on Pro Tools LE, like me.

 

[digitaldeath]

So... outboard compression, Pultec/Flux EQ for coloration and fine control, respectively. Then the Ozone Maximizer to smash the shit out of everything.... sound bout right?

Sounds like a solid mastering chain to me!
I might have to try the T-Racks plugs, I tried Ozone but haven't really sat down to learn it well. Plus, since Groove3.com have a video tutorial up on mastering with T-Racks, I've a feeling I'd get much better results with T-Racks since I just want to get good ITB mastering results for now.