T-Racks_208-Stand.Alone.Mastering.Suite.ZONE
Equalizer:
T-RackS equalizer consists of a six-band stereo parametric EQ. Switch it on by clicking on the toggle switch and an LED lights up letting you know it is functioning. The six bands are from left to right on the GUI:
Low-cut high-pass filter from 15Hz to 5kHz which allows only frequencies higher than the set amount to pass-through the filter.
Low shelving filter which boosts/reduces all frequencies at a set cut-off point between 30Hz and 200Hz.
Low-mid peaking filter from 33Hz to 5.5kHz which boosts/reduces a portion of the audio spectrum around the set center frequency. The HiQ feature provides a narrower, more selective response while the LoQ provides a wider band response.
High-mid peaking filter which boosts/reduces a portion of the audio spectrum between 200Hz to 18kHz. Again the LoQ and HiQ features apply here.
High shelving filter from 750Hz to 8kHz which boosts/reduces all frequencies above the set level.
Low-pass filter from 200Hz to 20kHz which allows only frequencies lower than the value to pass-through the filter.
The frequency control knobs are lined up on top and the gain control knobs are lined up below. The frequency changes are displayed in the numeric display window and in a graphical scope-screen. As adjustments are made to your sound, you see and hear the changes and can narrow the adjustment down with great precision. The Hi/LoQ switches control the band width of the knobs. The sequence in which the EQ processes the signal is controlled by the patch button. Position 1 puts the EQ is first in the audio chain, relative to the compressor. Conversely, position 2 put it after the compressor. The limiter is always last of the three.
I found the EQ to be very easy to work with. This is in part because the numeric display and the graphical scope-screen give real visual feedback that verified what my ears were hearing. Narrowing down the range of a specific problem frequency is accomplished by combining the effects of the filters to isolate the offending frequency. You can easily ascertain what T-RackS has done by employing the on/off switch to do A/B comparisons.
The frequency sweep and response was very smooth, not grainy like other digital EQs I have used. This EQ works very well, sounds great and emulates the interface, functionality and sound of high-end analog EQ gear.
Compressor:
The Compressor features adjustment knobs for attack time, release time, stereo enhancement, input level and a VU meter with a virtual needle. Welcome home! The attack time knob controls the speed of compression. Higher settings (more time before response) will result in transients getting through, and conversely, lower values (less time before response) respond more quickly stopping more transients from getting through. You can read the actual numeric value of the setting in the numeric screen. The release knob adjusts the speed with which the compressor recovers. Again, higher settings (more time) mean that the sound will return to normal slower resulting in a less noticeable compression effect. Conversely, lower settings (less time) will result in shorter recovery times and an overall louder file.
The compressor does not operate on a threshold basis. The amount of compression is determined by the strength of the input signal. The more input, the more compression. You can monitor the amount of compression by observing the VU meter where "0" means no compression and negative numbers indicate the compression levels. The compression, depending on your settings, can be very smooth, almost imperceptible or very sudden. The compressor added volume and depth to the signal without noticeable "tunneling" of the sound. Very nice. Again, you can do an A/B test with the bypass switch.
Limiter:
The limiter affects three bands (low, mid, and high) separately using a proprietary function to reduce signal peaks. No user access is allowed, however, release times and overload settings can be made by the user. The overload function affects the way the limiter reduces peaks where a lower value will give more frequent gain reduction and conversely a higher value will result in less gain reduction. A higher value that is too high may result in clipping (preferred or not). Lastly, the user can set the release time as well. This affects the signal in a way that is similar to the compressor. This component allowed for maximum volume of the track with control over clipping.
Output:
The final output controls allow the user to set hard/soft clipping, maximum output levels, and whether to use the permanent three tiered level meter or a sample accurate level meter. I suggest using the sample accurate meter to get maximum information about the levels.
Snapshot:
T-RackS allows the user to preserve particular settings by using up to 8 "snapshot" functions that can be switched mid-stream while mastering. For instance, you can use one snapshot for a verse section and another for a chorus section.
