IK Multimedia T-RackS 6

The T‑RackS 6 Mastering Console.

Can one bundle really meet all your mixing and mastering plug‑in needs?

Faced with an absolute plethora of plug‑in choices, there can be something really appealing about the idea of buying one ‘do it all’ bundle from a single manufacturer that can cover most bases. IK Multimedia aren’t the only company to offer such a bundle, but their T‑RackS range is well established, well stocked, well regarded, and available in a single‑purchase, perpetual‑licence format, which will no doubt appeal to those who are uncomfortable with subscription‑based models. IK recently released T‑RackS 6, which adds new processors and new functionality to the package. So, if you’re tempted by the idea of a plug‑in suite, could T‑RackS 6 be a suitable contender?

Back T‑Racking

We’ve reviewed previous versions of T‑RackS on a number of occasions, most recently T‑RackS 5 Max in SOS March 2019. As a brief reminder, T‑RackS has two different forms: there’s a standalone application called the Mastering Console, that’s aimed primarily at mastering duties and lets you build custom signal chains from the suite’s individual processors; but all the individual processors can also be used as separate DAW plug‑ins (AU, VST3 and AAX, all in 64‑bit), so you’re free to use them for mixing or mastering duties in any suitable host. As I’ll explain below, though, the new release makes possible a third approach.

As before, T‑RackS is available in multiple ‘tiers’, whose prices and feature sets are designed to appeal to different users. In v6, these tiers are called Intro (a free taster version with only three plug‑ins), the standard version (just called T‑RackS 6, this includes 19 processing options), Pro (40 processing options) and Max (60 processing options). IK’s website displays a comprehensive list of the processors/plug‑ins offered in each version, but it’s worth pointing out that all of the processors are available for individual purchase too, so should you want to add just one or two extras to a specific tier you can do that. Whichever (paid) package you opt for, you’ll get an interesting combination of IK’s emulations of some classic hardware designs (inspired by outboard from the likes of SSL, Neve, Teletronix and Pultec) and their own original creations (for example, the Classic Compressor, Equalizer, Clipper and Multi‑band Limiter). The latter group sometimes also take their inspiration from hardware, but they also provide modern features made possible by the software format.

Interestingly, since my v5 review, the pricing has been significantly restructured, presumably because the plug‑in market is becoming so competitive, and the revised pricing makes each of the paid tiers far more accessible for first‑time buyers.

Rack ’Em Up

LO‑FI Punch, Bass ONE and Channel Strip X are among the most significant new additions.All the old favourites are still present and correct, of course, and still sound good, but given these have been covered in past SOS reviews, I’ll focus more on the highlights among the new and improved offerings of this latest release. This includes not just new processors, but also a revamp of the standalone Mastering Console. The broad look and workflow of this remain intact, but a new Module Manager panel lets you customise which plug‑ins and plug‑in formats are visible — so, if there are things you don’t use, you can keep them out of your way. When mastering, the lower panel now includes a Master Bus view alongside the Waveform or Chain (the signal chain applied to the currently selected audio file) options. The Master Bus lets you add up to four ‘global’ processors that can be applied to every audio track in your current project. Both the Master Bus and Chain views now also show input/output level meters between every processor in your chain, and so make gain‑staging much easier.

The Metering panel can now be opened as a customisable floating window that can display an impressive combination of loudness, dynamic range, spectral data and stereo image information to help you hit whatever technical specifications you might have in mind. Both the Album Assembly panel (where you can sequence and edit multiple tracks into an album‑style project) and the Preset window can now also pop open as floating windows.

From top: Pusher, Delay Lab, Dual Spring and Filter Fusion (click to enlarge view).I find the Mastering Console very impressive. Rather like the Montage approach in Steinberg’s WaveLab, it provides a very intuitive framework for mastering multiple songs in one project. As all paid versions also include ONE (IK’s excellent macro‑control all‑in‑one mastering processor) and the new Master Match X processor (more on this shortly), T‑RackS 6 is also a very accessible starting point for those looking to get into DIY mastering.

In With The New

A total of eight new processors have been added to the T‑RackS family. The standard edition gets Master Match X (a considerably revamped version of the earlier Master Match) and Channel Strip X. Pro then adds Delay Lab, LO‑FI Punch and Filter Fusion. On top of all these, Max gets Bass ONE, Dual Spring and Pusher.

Master Match X offers a function that’s similar in nature to iZotope Ozone’s Assistant View, in that it uses genre‑based references (or reference tracks you have selected yourself) as targets to ‘match’ in terms of tonal balance and dynamics. After a brief analysis period, Master Match X will suggest some initial settings and you can then use a compact set of macro‑style controls to make further adjustments, including detailed EQ/tonal balance refinements in the upper frequency‑spectrum panel. Master Match X is a doddle to use and, while you can undoubtedly push things far enough to make your master a disaster, if used sensibly it’s a very effective tool that almost anyone could use.

Master Match X lets you match the tonal balance and dynamics of your tracks to a specific audio file or genre reference.

Like the other T‑RackS ‘X’ processors, Channel Strip X avoids any attempt to resemble classic hardware, instead offering a compact set of macro‑style controls that are intended to give you all the EQ and dynamics options you need for routine processing of a single sound source. My only quibble might be that a few more Channel Strip X presets would have been nice, perhaps including some aimed at bus‑level processing. That said, it’s super easy to use, so it’s pretty quick to dial in something suitable for sweetening, say, a drum or guitar bus.

Of the two new ambience processors, Delay Lab and Dual Spring, the former is undoubtedly the highlight. I remarked in the T‑RackS 5 review that the collection needed a workhorse delay processor — Delay Lab ticks that box and more. The more conventional delay control set is complemented by a very useful visual display of the delay treatment, while the bottom‑most panel provides additional options to add more character. It can sound great, and is especially effective with vocals or melodic lines. Dual Spring sounds authentically spring‑like, with the pleasant twist of letting you blend two different spring reverb treatments in a single processor.

Bass ONE may well be the pick of the new additions for many users. It takes the ‘do it all in one plug‑in’ mastering tool concept of ONE and applies it to handling your mix’s low end. The macro‑style control set lets you refine the EQ, compression and stereo width, and add styles of saturation/distortion but, with simple filter controls located top left, you target just the low‑end elements. I thought it excellent. For example, with separate instances applied to drum and bass busses, it gave me all sorts of interesting ways to finesse the kick/bass relationship. As with ONE, there are enough options to play with that there’s a bit of a learning curve, but it remains accessible even to less experienced users.

Before giving LO‑FI Punch a spin, I was half‑expecting it to be IK’s answer to XLN Audio’s RC‑20 Retro Color but that’s not really the case — the focus is perhaps more on grit and characterful compression. Yes, with a suitable wet/dry mix, the Noise, Wow, Flutter and Pitch controls allow you to dial in some subtle sonic charm for those classic lo‑fi relaxation vibes, but a harder edge is also attainable here, and it can work really well if your musical needs are darker or more sinister.

Pusher is a sonically and visually colourful four‑band saturation processor. With five saturation modes per band to choose from, and options to drive the saturation with envelope followers, it offers a tremendous amount of flexibility: it can easily span subtle warmth through to flat‑out distorted destruction. The adjustable bands can be individually toggled on and off, so if you want to add the effect only to a specific frequency range, that’s easy to do. It’s great on a drum bus, provides all sorts of different ways to make a standard electric bass sound more assertive or aggressive, and is controllable enough to provide subtle thickening to either male or female vocals.

Filter Fusion was, to me, the biggest surprise among the new arrivals. A conventional set of filter types and slopes are offered, but there’s additional coolness in its three modulation sources: an envelope follower, a step sequencer and LFO can be combined and blended in real time using the triangular ‘pad’ on the top right of its GUI. Whether you use it to add an electronic element to a standard acoustic drum loop, spice up a static synth sound or add a filter groove to a rhythm guitar part, Filter Fusion is super easy to use and, most importantly a lot of fun!

In a single DAW insert slot and plug‑in window, you now have access to full T‑RackS‑based processor chains.

Best Of The Rest

Among T‑RackS 6’s other improvements there are two personal highlights that I must mention. First, you now get the T‑RackS 6 plug‑in, which puts the Mastering Console’s signal‑chain functionality into your DAW, to give us that ‘third workflow’ I mentioned above. In a single DAW insert slot and plug‑in window, you now have access to full T‑RackS‑based processor chains on instrument tracks or busses while mixing. The plug‑in ships with an impressive list of presets to get you off to a flying start in constructing a suitable chain for most common mixing tasks too. But whether you value a little assistance with your plug‑in choices, or simply need to work quickly, I reckon this is a very useful enhancement.

The new T‑RackS plug‑in includes a good collection of preset signal chains aimed at many common mixing tasks.

The second highlight is that IK have now added external side‑chain support for the various dynamics processors when they’re used as individual plug‑ins. This obviously has to be configured in your host DAW in the usual fashion (which might vary from DAW to DAW) but there’s also a small activation button in the plug‑in header strip that has to be enabled (top right, beside the A/B/C/D snapshot buttons — and this could perhaps be better documented in the PDF manual!). Side‑chain options are now pretty much ubiquitous when it comes to dynamics plug‑ins, so you might argue that this is a case of IK playing catch‑up — but catch up they have, and it’s a very welcome addition that will make T‑Racks 6 more useful to a lot of users.

A Full Rack?

As I hinted at the outset, there is a lot of competition when it comes to plug‑in bundles, but in terms of quality and choice IK are up there and deserve your consideration. With T‑RackS 6 you can achieve great results, whether mixing or mastering, and the three differently priced tiers of T‑RackS 6 each provide some great options, covering the essential mixing and mastering tasks of EQ, dynamics, saturation and ambience. Your choices in each regard and in terms of the depth of control increase as you move up the range, of course, and by the time you get to the Max edition, you have access to a pretty comprehensive bundle of tools. There are a few things you’ll find in other bundles/subscriptions that you won’t find here: there’s no pitch‑correction or, other than the modulated filter, creative modulation options. Equally, T‑RackS doesn’t include guitar rig simulation or instruments but, of course, IK offer those separately, not least in the form of AmpliTube and Tonex. It will be interesting to see if IK’s Total Studio packages (which have combined T‑RackS, AmpliTube and some of their virtual instruments) get updated to include T‑RackS 6. If they do (and they may well have been updated by the time you read this) then I have to say that these bundles represent astonishingly good value for money.