T racks mastering suite

[thejewdrummer]

Does anyone know any good tutorial websites or anything helpful with the t racks mastering package. This plug in is AMAZING... honestly I think I like it more than WAVES..... and that is hard to beat. I am very new to mastering and could use a couple pointers.... any references etc. would be much appreciated. thanks

[mindnoise]

HI,

try this for a start:
http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm
mastering, compression, EQ, Levels.

don´t expect instant results, Mastering is a long learning process till you know what you´re doing and WHY.

BTW: as much as I like to criticize WAVES - T-Racks is nowhere near the quality of it. No one trys to talk you out of liking and using T-Racks but if you deceive yourself into believing this is a quality mastering tool, don´t wonder why the results won´t live up to the expectation, then.

regs

[Slim Shady]

I was trying to hold back, but mindnoise is right. T-Racks is kinda deceptive because it's massive coloration sometimes sounds good on the occasional track, but overall it's a pretty pathetic mastering tool compared to Waves stuff. Real mastering pros wouldn't touch either of them though, but if you're a DIY'er, Waves gives you a whole lot more control and a lot less unwanted coloration than T-Rack does if used properly. Of course, that's why T-Racks comes free and waves is $1000+. The super secret answer though is a cheap little plug called PSP Vintage Warmer. While it does color the sound a little bit, it's nowhere near as heavy handed as T-Racks (and it gives you lots of control once you learn to use it), and man, it just sounds amazing with the right tweaks across a master fader or in a mastering sessions. I used to use a chain of about 5 plugs in a mastering session, now it's just an EQ and the PSP and maybe an L1 at the end for dither - the Vintage Warmer rules all. It also rocks on bass tracks, snare drums, guitars....

All that being said though, it still comes down to personal preference. If you like T-Racks sound, don't stop using it because people like me hate it, I'm just voicing my opinion based on personal experience. My bet though is that you'll get over it in a month or so and move on like most folks.

[L.A.Branville]

Quote:

"Sounds good on the occasional track".

Absolutley, and I also agree that there is substantial coloration -but it is usable with extensive tweaking.

Slim, I like that Vintage Warmer too! Great sounding plug IMO.

Happy Mastering!

len

[Loudnoize Ent.]

Have you looked into Ozone 3 by Izotope? Seems rather interesting and from I hear sounds pretty amazing.

[thejewdrummer]

thanks... i will take all that into consideration... i am mostly having trouble trying to figure out what settings do what etc... what i should apply and where....bla bla... any suggestions? right now i am trying to master an acoustic song... but most of my stuff is rock..... i DO have waves also.

[pk_hat]

www.digido.com

Get the book, too, it might the best book on audio recording you'll ever read!

[GORILLA]

www.digido.com

Get the book, too, it might the best book on audio recording you'll ever read!

Yep, Bob Katzs' book is a GOLDMINE of info.

[JFreak]

i personally will not touch t-racks ever. not even if that was the only plug i had in addition to the digirack, and certainly would never recommend anyone else using t-racks on master fader. it just plain and simply sucks. but good luck, you have a good start in getting excited about a new toy - you will have a lot of that experience down the road when you experiment with the better tools

my advice:

#1: trust your ears, everything you hear is true.
#2: what sounds great is great.
#3: when it sounds great - stop.

and i tend to also point out that it is very hard fixing a bad mix with some kind of magic called mastering. if the material you begin to master sounds terrible, just tell that to the guy who mixed it and ask if it's really his greatest work or could it be done better. if that guy is you, give yourself a gentle slap in the face and just do it better.

[Flux 1.21]

T-Racks doesn't suck, it's just not as good as Waves. You'll find here that if people aren't using Waves Diamond or Neve Pre's people will say you are just wasting your time.

If you think it sounds good that's all that matters. It's a wonder why there are still people trying to record music with some other folks comments. Not everyone can afford $2000 for a set of plugs.