When it comes to getting a “bang for buck” bundle for mastering without compromising sound quality, you should look no further than TRackS mastering suite.

Included in the bundle are 9 effects processors and 3 models of vintage analogue processors.  This, along with 2 optional “classic compressor” add-ons for the 1176 and LA2A. These are typically not used in mastering, but are rock mix staples.  Maybe you can see where IK Multimedia is progressing with TRackS? IK Multimedia hears my cries for a Distressor and Fatso Emulation!

The beauty of TRackS, compared to many other mastering bundles, is its flexibility to not only operate as a standalone program, but also as a single plug-in with up to 12 processors, or as a series of “singles”, to allow you to mix and match easy and save valuable CPU resources.  Take note Izotope!

I’d be lying if I told you that every single processor in this bundle is my preferred plug-in for its purpose. For instance out of the digital EQ’s I prefer the FabFilter Pro Q and for the Limiter I prefer the Fabfilter Pro-L and PSP Xenon. HOWEVER none of the processors are at all bad in fact they are all very good and if I could only afford one bundle then I wouldn’t think twice about buying only the TRackS bundle.

Also the Classic Clipper, White 2A, Black 76, Tube Limiter 670 are all readily used in my productions and masters and it I can’t think of a single production of late that hasn’t used at least one of them.  In my humble opinion IK multimedia’s emulations of classic hardware is second to none (although processor hungry) and a reason on its own to buy the TRackS bundle.

Metering is nice and efficient, the Peak, RMS and Phase meters are excellent however I’d love to see a more flexible Spectrum analysis like in Waves PAZ Analyzer and also a Dynamic Range and K-system meter.

There is some room for improvement. With such an array of plug-ins in a bundle I find it a surprise that there is no Stereo-expansion functionality (although I understand the phase minefield you enter with Stereo-expansion). I also find the standalone mode clunky and difficult to navigate and would always recommend that you used TRackS inside a host sequencer.

The TRackS bundle although marketed at the mastering engineer is in fact as much use when mixing (using singles) as mastering, which shows their versatility and stability.

To conclude IK Multimedia’s TRackS bundle is the best value and highest quality complete mastering bundle out there.  If you can only afford one then this is the one to go for.  If you can afford multiple plug-ins you certainly have more options but for the price I would still strongly consider buying the whole bundle especially for the quality of the analogue emulations quite frankly the LA2a and 1176 emulations are sound superior to the waves and UA versions, also heavier on the CPU than both.

PLUG IN RATING [8/10]

IK Multimedia TRackS is available here:

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/t-racks/features/

PRICE = $199.99 for the basic bundle.

For many years the there has been a fundamental difference in warmth, character and richness that analogue processing can provide compared to their digital counterparts.

Only the top mix engineers and high profile recording studios could afford the hybrid approach to mixing required to get the best of both the analogue and digital worlds.

This gap has steadily become less obvious with the progression of digital emulation, the popularity of analogue summing mixers and a plethora of tape saturation plug-ins. But have we really reached the point where we don’t need an analogue desk to produce the rich, punchy and warm tone associated with many a hit record? This is the bold and lofty claim that Steven Slate Digital has said to achieve with VCC.

It is a shock therefore that more research and resources haven’t been thrown into emulating the most popular and classic consoles that many hit records were made on, in a processor friendly manner to bring it to the masses.  Granted there are a couple out there but none with as much forethought and hype as VCC.

VCC actually has two plug-in modes, one is a virtual channel, which is intended to be put on every instrument channel in your mix and the second is the mixbus, which you guessed it, is bound for the erm mixbus.

You can see that from opening a virtual channel that it has 5 different modeled consoles and a little bit of deduction would tell you that the Brit 4k is an SSL console, the US A is an API, the Brit N is a Neve and the greek symbol is actually a trident. The other RC-Tube is based on an RCA broadcast desk.

Much like the mass of tape saturation plug-ins on the market it is best to load VCC on each channel first and mix with it already on to make the most audible difference to your mix. In fact if you load a single instance of VCC and then A/B it with the plug-in bypassed only the most seasoned of mix engineers will hear any difference.  This plug-ins magic (just as with the actual desks) is in the cumulative effects over a whole mix and using the drive function properly to let the console emulation really work for you.  The slight distortion, saturation and other theoretically negative side effects of analogue circuitry make the difference in warm, punch and richness previously discussed.

In short VCC sounds fantastic and not at all dissimilar to the original desks they are emulating (from memory of what the API pres. SSL and Neve desks I’ve used sounded like).  Does it remove the need for an analogue desk? I’m not completely convinced but it does get me MUCH, MUCH, MUCH closer than ever before to striking it off the wish list. Please also stay tuned for a video of me comparing VCC to an analogue summing mixer, which is in the pipeline.

The API had the punch and liked being driven hard.  The SSL was a good all rounder and the Neve had that noticeably classic British warmth in the bottom end.  The Trident and RCA were the more unfamiliar desks to me so judging them purely on sound I’d say that they are both best used when you want a more old school type of recording sound.

The only real noticeable flaws to VCC are in CPU usage and also the fact that setting up VCC takes a little longer than using Heat on a Pro Tools HD system (which is in-built as an optional upgrade into Pro Tools HD).

Speaking of CPU usage I have a pretty damn powerful Mac Pro (Dual Quad Core 2.8Ghz Intel, with 16 GB RAM) and although it ran smoothly and without flaw with as many tracks as I could throw at it in its normal mode. As soon as I tried to put it into its heaviest oversampling modes Pro Tools started to crash. The problem is these heaviest oversampling modes just sounded so much better!

Overall if you are a decent ITB (In the box) mix engineer and want to take your productions to the next level on a budget then VCC is for you. If you are a bit of a n00b VCC is still a worthy purchase, just don’t expect that it will be a magic pill to make your mixes sound great. Partly because no such thing exists but also due to the fact that gain structure and de-cluttering the low-mids to make a mix breathe, whilst retaining punch and warmth is even more critical once you start experimenting with consoles.

Steven Slate VCC is avilable here:

http://www.slatedigital.com/vcc.php

PRICE = $249

Over the years Paul Frindle and Paul Ryder the head honchos at Pro Audio DSP has been at the forefront of some of the greatest innovations in digital plug-ins including the previously reviewed Sonnox Inflater.

So one dark and lonely night, trawling through GearSlutz, I came across a thread introducing the Dynamic Spectrum mapper, a new breed of “smart” Compressor/Limiter. With an almost infinite number of potential uses in mixing and mastering popping into my head, I just had to give it a go.

I have learnt from experience that, when it comes to audio gear, it is best not to pay too much attention to your first impressions, not only because your first impressions tend to be visual, but also the fact that initially your own ears are very partial to what you are used to! In this case it was the former that could have fooled me, it has to be said that, for such a forward thinking and innovative plug-in, the GUI is both clumsy looking and outdated.

But boy am I glad that I didn’t trust that initial judgment.  This plug-in is indeed the “tour de force” I’d come to expect from the designers.

My first test of the Dynamic Spectrum Mapper was using it as a form of combined “EQ” (even though it isn’t actually EQ’ing anything)/compressor to control unwanted frequency “bulges” that mastering plug-ins such as compressors/clippers/limiters (and indeed the Sonnox Inflater) often produce.

This was done by capturing the EQ’d mix before hitting the other processing (compressors, inflater and clipper), and then using the Dynamic Spectrum mapper after those processes to almost “reset” the spectral balance after it had gone through this processing.

Hallelujah! I had the results I’d been looking for from a multi-band compressor and/or smart EQ that had thus far been so elusive.   The biggest difference here is that smart EQ’s had the tendency to make music that was badly mixed sound “thin and brittle”, and that pushing a multi-band limiter too hard made the music sound uninteresting and/or flat.  That is not too say that you cannot get great results from either but Dynamic Spectrum Mapper worked flawlessly first time, in half the time and without the aforementioned negatives.

It has to be mentioned at this point that I was very careful not to over compress the program material before coming into the plug-in, as it is very easy to forget that you are actually adding another level of compression, rather than EQ.  In fact, it is probably best to consider the Dynamic Spectrum mapper to be much like a Multi-band compressor with a mass of invisible bands to play with.

The next test was to start using it on individual tracks, and where better to start than where DSM is supposed to work best: on lead vocals.  If the technical information provided is to be believed, it can be used not only as a leveller, but also as an easy and transparent de-esser and a mic technique correction unit.  So was it up to scratch in these applications?  Another resounding yes is the short answer.  Not only was the particularly “essy” vocal I was working on significantly correct without the classic speech impediment sounding artefacts, but it was also able to level out the audio without even needing a second instance of DSM.

Like with any plug-in, you have to be able to use it right, and with a tool as powerful as DSM, it is very easy to overcook and negatively affect your audio.  The most dangerous thing about DSM is that it actually is the most subtle sounding compressor I have ever used.  Huh? What? Surely if it is subtle sounding, it is hard to overuse? Actually I’d have to argue that. Because of its subtleness, it is very easy to keep pushing it past the point where you need it when your ears become accustomed to it, because you are used to having to hear a compressor working to get the benefits you need.  This means that, when mastering, it is more important than ever to properly reference against commercially released material and also bypass the plug-in intermittently.

DSM is now right up there with my favourite and most used plug-ins.  However that doesn’t mean that it is without potential improvement.  I just want to outline a few possible upgrades to be considered in future updates, and what better way to do this than with a trust bullet pointed list?

•   A more detailed and flexible analysis meter.  The current versions meter has a very small display, and it actually shows very little of the low-mid end information, which I find to be the most critical to “de-muddy” when mastering amateur mixes
•   A multiple insert based cumulative “average” function to make the best compression algorithm across a whole album
•   It may sound stupid, but a nicer looking GUI would brighten my day a little!

Overall DSM is now my go to digital compression plug-in, and further experimentation is going to be done to compare its limiting functions to both PSP Xenon and FabFilter Pro-L.

Plug in Rating [9/10]

Dynamic Spectrum Mapper is available here:

http://www.proaudiodsp.com/products/dsm/

PRICE = £200

One of the biggest tricks in a pro producers arsenal is their skills at augmenting drum samples with original drum hits to get depth, punch and character it is impossible to achieve with just recorded drums alone.  Doing this properly is an art form in itself and can often include a lot of manual editing even after using a replacement plug in. This is because of a plethora of computer errors including mis-triggerring, flamming, bleed from other drums and complex drum rolls causing havoc. Many top producers even hire assistants to do this for them as well as vocal tuning, elastic audio and any other laborious editing tasks. Step up Steven Slate Trigger.
Before being recommended to check out Trigger by a fellow engineer friend of mine, I had used Drumagog, which is probably the most common of all the drum replacement plug-ins, so it became very obvious to me that as soon as I had learnt to use Trigger I should do a direct A->B comparison using the same sample set.  But more on that later……. (see what I did there?)

Steven Slate Trigger is a very clean and intuitive GUI in which everything labelled well and clearly defined, with the exception of its leakage suppression leveller (which is actually Triggers greatest success).  What is even better is that it sounds just as good as it looks.  The Steven Slate drum samples are quite possibly the best on the market and Trigger incorporates the use of up to 6 sample sets per instance of the plug-in. This feature allows you to mix close and room mic’d samples simply, thus making it flexible enough to handle any style and genre you throw at it.

Trigger has 2 detection modes Live and Accurate. Live is an almost 0ms latency setting which compromises a little of its timbre selection process to cut its processor demands and as you can tell is the default selection for anytime you are triggering from a stage or live environment. Accurate is the preferred studio setting which has the very best algorithm to handle dynamic triggering but comes at a cost of an 11ms latency.

Now for the drum roll (sorry for the bad pun) and explanation of the feature that makes Trigger the best drum replacement tool out there, Leakage suppression.   Where many drum replacement programs fall short is the fact that the program material may have bleed from other drums that are loud enough to trigger a sample wrongly.  Trigger uses side-chaining to make sure that Trigger knows which hits are genuinely in need of triggering and those which are in fact bleed.  To use this feature simply load the plug-in onto an Auxiliary bus, then send the channel you wish to trigger solely to the left hand side and the channel(s) of audio that you wish Trigger to exclude solely to the right.  After you have done this you can simply increase the “supp:” value within Trigger (in the wave view section at the top of the screen) to a level that exludes the wrong hits. You may need to reduce the send levels of the side-chained bleed tracks compared to the trigger track as the cumulative effect of several channels of audio could cause problems.

Note to the developers: For me this method is slightly cumbersome and overcomplicated, simply sending the bleed tracks to a bus and using a key input (like you see on many compressors) from within trigger would to me be far more elegant. This would also allow you to load trigger as in insert on the original drum track too.

So now back to the Drumagog Vs Trigger debate.  Sit back relax and listen to the following kick drum track with a fresh cup of tea:

http://audioproductiontips@audioproductiontips.com@audioproductiontips.com/audio/Original%20Kick.mp3

Now then, I have prepared two kick drum trigger mp3 sets (A and B) for you to listen to, one being the Steven Slate Trigger track blended with the original recorded kick.  The other being the drumagog version of the same thing.  Both were used using the Steven Slate sample set Kick 1AZ1. Please now listen to them and take another sip of your tea (if you’ve drank it already then I hope you have learnt your lesson and pace yourself next time).

http://audioproductiontips@audioproductiontips.com@audioproductiontips.com/audio/A%20(No%20Latency%20Adjustment).mp3

http://audioproductiontips@audioproductiontips.com@audioproductiontips.com/audio/B%20(No%20Latency%20Adjustment).mp3

Which do you prefer?

Yes I know you prefer A and I also know that, you know that it is Steven Slate Trigger. Now say that last sentence out loud! (I hope you aren’t following my instructions blindly!)

Well if that wasn’t enough for you I also have some further evidence to show you too, in the form of a Pro Tools 10 screen shot and a couple more mp3 files. These were created once I had nudged the recorded track to account for the plug-ins latency. Listening time again:

http://audioproductiontips@audioproductiontips.com@audioproductiontips.com/audio/A%20(Latency%20Adjustment).mp3

ftp://audioproductiontips@audioproductiontips.com@audioproductiontips.com/audio/B%20(Latency%20Adjustment).mp3

This screenshot clearly shows You can see that A is consistently ever so slightly behind the original hit and B is far more erratic.

So to conclude not only are the sample sets included with Trigger flawless but its detection algorithm is also a step ahead of the competition to make Trigger the must buy drum replacement plug-in. That with the leakage suppression feature being the icing on a truly rich cake means that you shouldn’t even begin to compare the competition and just reach for Trigger every time.

That said I still recommend recording in the triggered track and comparing it to the source (remember to turn off Delay Compensation in your DAW before hand), this is because of not only my audiophile instinct to get rid of that 11ms delay but also as a last check through the triggers to correct the odd mis-trigger. I however guarantee you that you will save over 2/3rds of the time using trigger to any other replacement plug-in.

Plug in Rating [9/10]

Steven Slate Trigger Platinum is Available here:

http://www.slatedigital.com/trigger.php

PRICE = $269.99 (approx £170)

It just takes one look at the GUI for Amplitube 3 to realize this a seriously in depth bit of kit and shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Even the first paragraph of the user manual is daunting:

“Amplitube 3 offers over 160 pieces of gear, 51 individual stomp boxes, 31 amplifier preamp & power sections, 46 speaker cabinet models, 15 high end stage and studio mics, 17 post amp rack effects and much much more”

Luckily for the end user and IK Multimedia’s purse strings the interface is set up in an intuitive and highly usable way. You should therefore be able to navigate the plug in with ease after about half an hour of toying with it.  This is despite the slightly un-nerverving amount of buttons and graphics on display.   But don’t get me wrong considering the amount of options available in one plug-in it looks stylish and easy on the eye, but how does it sound?

Fantastic is the answer, it is the best sounding amp sim I have ever used…period.  However I still don’t think that any amp sim has even got close to replacing me recording guitars through a real amp with a real mic.  This is mainly down to the fact that I think that software will never be able to fully replicate the sound of real valves being pushed.  This said, the modelling of actual amps and also the mic emulation and ambience controls are a quantum leap from previous versions so maybe I shouldn’t be so hasty to say never!

I know what you are thinking “So if you still record guitars through an amp, what use do you have for an amp sim?”.  Well actually I have many instances in almost every production that I still use them, these include:

• Tracking guitars at home before going to a studio to re-amp at a later date.
• Using the onboard effects to then send through to the amp
• Using some extra drive before hitting the amp
• Sometimes if I don’t quite get the tone right in the studio i’ll use an amp sim at the mix stage (to add more drive etc)
• The Ampeg Bass Amp sim is a staple of my Bass DI Channel and pretty much makes it onto every mix

Also it has to be noted that when modelling clean channels the Amplitube fairs much better; to such an extent that in certain genre’s of music I actually slightly prefer that clean digital sound especially with a nice healthy splattering of delay.  Think some of the more main stream “Post Rock” ala Explosions in the sky.

My slight skepticisms of the drive channels of every amp sim aside; IK Multimedia’s Amplitube really is the daddy of all amp sims not only in terms of sound but also depth, choice and versatility. The only alternative that could even tempt me away from Amplitube at the moment is Digidesigns Eleven rack system. This is because it reduces the resources needed by your processor to run.  However at over double the price of Amplitube is it really worth it? Surely you should just buy a more powerful processor?

As i’ve just mentioned amp sims can be very processor hungry and on a very dense mix it can make your sequencer feel slow and clunky. Luckily I have a very powerful Mac Pro, however for those of you that are more of a hobbyist IK have a solution for you.  They have created three operating modes “hi-mid-eco” to help strike the right balance between tonal quality and processor usage for each user.  I can also testify to the fact that even in eco mode the sound quality difference for all but the most serious of musicians are negligible.

One element that is sorely missed in my opinion is the ability to load guitar effect stomp boxes without having to load a whole instance of Amplitube and bypassing everything else.  For instance IK’s other most popular plug-in the fantastic T-RackS has the ability to run individual elements as a singular plug-in as well as being able to load the full suite in a singular plug-in.

Price wise Amplitube is on the top end of the guitar emulation prices however it has absolutely everything you need within the basic package.  However it is still possible to quickly spend a lot more in the custom shop with plenty more amp models and effects available, so lock up your credit cards when you first open up Amplitube!

Plug in Rating [8.5/10]

IK Multimedia Amplitube 3 is available here:

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/amplitube/features/

PRICE – € 269.99

I’ll cut straight to the chase: Fabfilter Pro-Q is the most elegant, intuitive and enjoyable EQ I have ever used and, dare I say it, “The best on the market”. It only has one real serious competitor for its crown, which is DMG’s Equality.

One thing that makes Pro-Q not only my favourite EQ but also one of my favourite plug-ins (if not my favourite outright), is that it is as easy for novices to use as it is rewarding for those experienced engineers.

On the surface Pro-Q seems like a pretty small standard digital EQ.  However packed within its simple but effective GUI are Mid/Side processing and Linear Phase settings to make it a real tour de force with mastering too.

Two things that jump out at me about Pro-Q is that you can simply click where you want to add a filter and it just appears there with no band restriction.  You can add a seemingly unlimited number of notches should you wish. Also the ability to select and affect Q and gain of a number of bands simultaneously by selecting them is extremely useful.

Another positive about Pro-Q is its in-built spectral analyser so you can also see the potential problem areas and the affect that your EQ is having.

So thus far I have been very complimentary of Pro-Q so does it have any real faults?  If you had asked me a year ago the only thing that would have made me consider a competitors product namely DMG’s Equality or one or Brainworx EQ’s is their “Auto-Listen” function.  This is the ability to in effect solo a frequency or frequency band to hear their sonic qualities to allow you to make better mix decisions.  However as of April 2011 FabFilter have added a solo option which not only allows you to hear a certain frequency but the whole band that is being affected (your Q value).

FabFilter Pro-Q really is the King of all Plug-in EQs.  I rarely reach for any other EQ, in fact the only other EQs I seem to regularly touch are Analogue modelled like the waves SSL EQ.  Occasionally when mastering I like the ease of Brainworx Digitals Mid/Side GUI because the EQ curves are on two graphs on separate sides of the interface but that is only on the odd occasion where such extreme mid/side processing is required.

So where could Pro-Q be improved? In terms of ease of use, transparency, versatility I don’t really think it could be.  However I think that a few features (some of which I am not sure have ever been done) would also take it to the next level:

• Auto-Q: A function that allows you to attenuate a certain amount of notes for instance an octave at the given frequency (as the wavelengths get shorter the higher you go it would takes some guess work out of EQ for some)
• Warmth Mode: Like in their Compressor have a setting to switch to a more warm sounding analogue EQ
• Time domain features: not only time domain analysis but also some dynamic EQ functions to help EQ decays over time from transient hits

FabFilter Pro-Q is also the most transparant EQ I have ever used and this transparency is really a signature feature of everything FabFilter makes, quite simply at £134 this plug-in is a bargain.  I wouldn’t get through even one mix without it being used.  For its effectiveness for both novices and expert sound engineers it gets the first perfect plug-in rating.

Plug-in Rating [10/10]

FabFilter Pro-Q is available here:

http://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q.php

PRICE – £134

Dither is definitely a boring mathematical process that to all but the most jobs-worth mastering engineers is “just done”.  Sonalksis have tried to to make this process and display it in a way that musicians will understand and ultimately find easy to use.  Have Sonalksis succeeded? Just a one word answer will suffice here: “yes”.

To anyone that doesn’t know what dithering is I will try and give you a very much broken down and simplified explanation as after all this is a product review.  Dithering is the process of adding a little noise to a signal to make the mathematics of the audio signal more accurate when you are reducing the quality of a mastered file (bigger file size) to be CD compatible (smaller file size).

Dithering is most often used as the very last plug-in used on any mastering chain.  Yes even after the hard limiter (although many limiters have a dithering algorithm built in).  Every other dithering plug-in I have experienced is either a simple unchangeable plug-in that only has a control for your output bit depth (for CD quality this is 16 bit) or it also has a noise shaping algorithm option.  These algorithm options are usually confusing by being simply being called something vague and un-inspiring like: “noise shaping algorithm one”.

What Sonalksis have done is given you four customisable options each with a sensible and purposeful name (why didn’t anyone think of this before?).  Here is a breakdown of these four controls:

• Quantisation: This is the output resolution you require to dither to.  A CD is 16 bit.
• Application: Although dithering is 90% of the time used at the end of a mastering chain it is also used every time resolution (quality) is lost. Switch to tracking when there is further processing applied to the signal after the dithering process
• Noise Shaping: The noise shaping algorithms are named: Acoustic, Electronic and Hybrid.   Your aim when selecting a noise shaping algorithm is that the noise added is as in-audible and un-intrusive as possible, sounds simple doesn’t it? Except this noise is so subtle that most people won’t hear it and that the noise is hidden in areas of our hearing spectrum that is less sensitive (aka extremely high frequencies).  This means that you are less likely to hear the noise on even nearfield monitors and I am guessing that mostofthepeople@planetearth.com do not have access to a large concert venue system to play their masters back on.  Sonalskis have taken the guesswork out of selecting the right noise shaping algorithm by giving you a simple selection paramater of whether your music is acoustic (real instruments), electronic (loops,synths and samples), or a mix of both (hybrid) and the noise that consequently will be added is less audible to those applications.
• Character: The character switch also further optimises the quality of the dithering algorithm by allowing you to select whether you audio is Dynamic (contains lot of varying volume levels such as an orchestra) or Compressed (a typical rock/pop song). Don’t ask me what changes this makes to the process and it isn’t really explained in the operational manual, “it just works”.

I really do not have anything negative to say regarding this plug-in.  No not even one.  The only thing stopping me giving this plug in a 10/10 rating is that fact I know that some people reading this would be questioning whether paying €159.99 for a plug-in that is barely audible on all but the best systems is worthwhile. Especially when dithers are bundled with most sequencers these days.  My answer is that anyone serious about mastering their audio for the mass market in mind should seriously consider investing in this plug-in.

Plug-in Rating [9/10]

Sonalksis Ultimate-D is available here:

http://www.sonalksis.com/ultimated.htm?buy=108

PRICE – € 159.99 Or bundled with their mastering suite