IK Multimedia T-RackS 3 Deluxe - Mastering suite: Is IK Multimedia's latest mastering suite full of bite, or is it soon-to-be extinct?

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IK Multimedia T-RackS 3 Deluxe - Mastering suite

Is IK Multimedia's latest mastering suite full of bite, or is it soon-to-be extinct?

Little over a decade ago, mastering was still a dark art, an enigmatic alchemy that was kept obscured from the bedroom producer, locked away in the confines of high-end studios. The prohibitive expense of mastering hardware placed the elusive mastered �sheen� far beyond the reach of the average consumer. For better for worse, this is simply no longer the case. With increasing pressure bearing on producers to be able to handle each and every stage of the production process, software developers inevitably began to look for ways to bring the mysterious world of mastering to the masses.

The first of these developers was IK Multimedia, whose T-Racks mastering suite arrived way back in 1999. Ten years down the line, T-Racks is now in its third iteration. However, in those same ten years, a number of competing developers have caught up, offering affordable mastering solutions such as Izotope's popular Ozone 4, or UAD's Precision Mastering Bundle. So, can T-Racks still stand out in an increasingly populated market?

T-RackS 3 Deluxe can function as a standalone application or it can be loaded into your host DAW of choice as a plug-in. Also, as of version 3.1, it is possible to instantiate any one of T-Racks� nine processors independently of the main T-Racks GUI. This update is significant - previously it was only possible to insert the entire T-Racks interface as a plug-in, meaning less flexibility in how you order your master chain effects. Thankfully, this is no longer an issue.

Vintage warmth...

As previously mentioned, the main appeal of T-Racks 3 Deluxe the set of processors modelled on vintage (and very expensive) pieces of equipment. For example, the Vintage EQ emulates the sonic character of the classic Pultec EQP-1A, as well as aping the original�s stoutly utilitarian fa�ade, almost dial-for-dial. The result is an EQ that makes very flattering cuts and boosts to your audio, while still remaining sympathetic and free from colouration. That said, it does also add some pleasing analog character to the signal. EQP-1As are virtually impossible to come by these days, meaning that unless you have one built from scratch by someone who knows what they�re doing, this could be your only affordable option for capturing this sound!

The Vintage Tube compressor is another processor that wears its vintage roots on its sleeve, bearing more than a passing resemblance to Fairchild�s classic 670 compressor. As with the Pultec EQP-1A, the 670 is hardly the kind of hardware that can be picked up from any high street electronics shop, and as such it is somewhat tricky to assess how accurately IK Multimedia have replicated the original. However, whether faithful to the original or not, the sound that the Vintage Tube Compressor provides is unquestionably superb. It imbues that much sought-after, magical �glue� effect upon anything that�s thrown at it, while still preserving a great deal of clarity and focus within the mix. In fact, it seems almost criminal to restrict the Vintage Tube Compressor to mastering duties; before long we found ourselves using it for much more, such as tightening up drum parts.

Totally transparent...

T-Rack�s Opto Compressor is also a bit of a favourite, though unlike the Vintage Tube Compressor and the Vintage EQ, no single real-life piece of hardware is the sole inspiration for this processor. Instead, it feels a little bit more like IK Multimedia�s attempt at satisfying a wish list of what producers could potentially look for in an optical compressor. Perhaps the greatest advantage that the Opto Compressor has over its Vintage Tube brother is the greater degree of transparency. The Vintage Tube Compressor adds a fair degree of colour to the sound merely by being part of the effects chain. While this isn�t an inherently undesirable trait, it isn�t for everyone. As with all compressors of this type, the kind of compression that is on offer here is seductively musical, and very responsive to the material it works with.

The Linear Phase EQ provided with T-Racks is an equally transparent mastering tool, and one well suited to more precise EQ work. Given the relatively inflexible frequency band options available on the Vintage EQ, and the analog warmth it adds to the signal, it�s very thoughtful of IK Multimedia to include an EQ that is capable of more subtle and focused work. While it�s true that sometimes a mix needs a little bit of �character� added to it, it is sometimes necessary to apply a discrete, surgical adjustment to the signal with the minimum of fuss. While the Linear Phase EQ performs this job admirably, it does fall prey to a problem inherent to any processor that requires so much thinking: it chews up a great deal more CPU, noticeably more than some of the more lightweight processors. This is somewhat of a necessary evil though, and one worth bearing for the tightness of the EQ on offer here.

Defining the standard...

With all this love being directed towards T-Racks� glorious vintage plug-ins, you�d be forgiven for thinking that we�d forgotten about the �Classic� set of processors, which comprise the entirety of the Standard T-Racks bundle. As it goes, there is still a lot to be said for these processors as well. To the modern producer, The Classic Equalizer is perhaps a more familiar-looking EQ than the Vintage EQ mentioned above, offering EQ across six bands and giving an ever-helpful representation of the EQ curve across the bulk of the GUI. The sound itself is perhaps not quite as appealing as the complimentary tone of the Vintage EQ, but there is a great deal more control on offer in return, granting the ability to make far more detailed tweaks to the EQ curve than the Vintage counterpart is capable of. Compared to the Linear Phase EQ, The Classic Equalizer leaves a touch more �character� on the signal as well.

The Classic Compressor is a solid little unit too, offering very reliable results with a similar degree of colouration as the Vintage Tube Compressor. We must confess however that, given the range of processors to choose from in the Deluxe T-Racks package, we rarely found a lot of use for the Classic Compressor. The Vintage Tube Compressor and the Opto Compressor between them offer more versatile and pleasing results than the Classic Compressor could muster. Though, it�s worth remembering that this is less to do with the Classic Compressor being a bad unit - it isn�t by any means - and more to do with being outshone by the Vintage units.

IK Multimedia have also thrown a Classic Multiband Limiter into the mix, which is becoming an increasingly popular tool in the mastering process nowadays. Compared with the single-band compressors that come packaged with T-Racks 3 Deluxe, the Multiband Limiter is perhaps a touch more versatile and precise in it�s application, meaning that as well as standard compression duties, it can target and tighten up certain frequencies. As such, we commonly found ourselves using the Multiband Limiter as a way of applying some subtle �first aid� to uneven mixes. While IK Multimedia have gone for a suitably analog appearance for this unit, we were somewhat frustrated by the lack of visual feedback on the unit�s GUI. Many modern multiband limiting plug-ins offer some kind of reduction curve graph to provide a point of reference as the adjustments are made; it�s disappointing not to see one here.

Finally, there are two single-band limiters available, the Soft Clipper and the Brickwall Limiter. The former seeks to offer warm, fuzzy analog-style saturation at the end of the mastering chain, while the latter does pretty much the same, but with the added bonus of giving nine different limiting algorithms to choose from. Neither are as transparent as they could be, but ultimately there is a degree to which limiting is more about how you use it, not what you use.

All in all, we felt that the quality of the effects processing compared favourably to other mastering packages at a similar price point. When put side-by-side with Izotope�s Ozone 4, the sound offered by T-Racks is richer, more nuanced and, ultimately, a lot more musical.

Reading the meters...

So if each of T-Racks� plug-ins can be used individually within a host DAW, is there any reason at all to use the full T-Racks GUI either as a plug-in or a standalone program? Well, as a matter of fact, there is, as the lower half of T-Racks� main interface is home to a plethora of handy metering tools. Each of these tools should be fairly familiar to any producer worth their salt, with individual peak and RMS meters, stereo phase and correlation meters and a spectrum analyser.

One point of interest here is the RMS meter�s �Perceived Loudness� indicator. This provides a reference as to how loud the inputted audio �sounds�, based on the genre of the production, which is specified in the metering�s settings. A quick check with some professional productions reveals this feature to be surprisingly accurate; the loudness suggestion for �Pop Rock� is appropriately raucous (perhaps to the chagrin of �loudness war� purists!) while genres like �Chillout� and �Jazz� both offer slightly more docile suggestion. It�s a helpful second opinion, especially when ear fatigue is beginning to set in.

One gripe we do have about the metering section is the inability to collapse or maximize any of the individual meters. This applies especially to the spectrum analyzer, which could benefit from the option to expand it within the interface window or into a separate window. As it is, it sometimes feels a little bit too cramped to be truly helpful. Perhaps it�s unrealistic to expect too much from the metering tools, especially given the sheer quality of the actual effects processing, but certainly there is some room for improvement here.

When used in standalone mode, T-Racks 3 also has another rather handy trick up it�s sleeve: the ability to save and compare up to four different mastering chains side-by-side per project. This means that everything from minor tweaks to sweeping changes can be preserved and recalled at will by using the 'Copy To' button. Though there is a marginal increase in CPU load as each new chain is added, there were a couple of situations in which it proved effective.

The issue of CPU load is another point worth mentioning. Even when operating under fairly standard conditions, T-Racks still chews up a fair bit of processing power, and the strain begins to show even more as you pile on the plug-ins. As the CPU load heads north, the sample rate begins to go south and audio begins to stutter and struggle. This is understandable, given the degree of processing required to provide the best sounds, but it is worth bearing in mind especially if your computer is slow to begin with.

Summary

So, returning to the original question, can T-Racks still stand out as an entry-level mastering package for produceSo, returning to the original question, can T-Racks still stand out as an entry-level mastering package for producers looking to add a little �oomph� to their audio? The answer, we feel, is yes. The quality of the effects processing seems to single-handedly justify the sub-�400 price tag, and with a couple of extra metering and workflow-based goodies thrown in for good measure, it is more than worthy of a recommendation. There are a couple of small gripes that are worth taking into account, but in the grand scheme of things, nothing heinous. For the bedroom producer taking your first steps into mastering, you can�t go far wrong with T-Racks 3.