Comments on: Giving Musical Thanks: Help Kick Off CDM Notes, Win T-Racks 3

By: Rex Rhino

Rex Rhino — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:14:18 +0000

I do everything hardware… I record each track into my sampler, then re-sample the final mix into a .wav file and copy that to PC via USB. I do any final editing via Sound Forge Audio Studio 8 (the lite version, so it doesn’t come with the free copy of iZotope Mastering Effects).

I considered going with the newest full version of Soundforge and using iZotope, but I am really looking for simplicity over really fine control (iZotope looks way complicated).

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:19:59 +0000

@Rex: $400 is the premium version; IK has some cheaper versions that should serve you just fine — and right now via the link above you can pick up their EQ for free.

But Ryan is right, ears + setting up monitoring and your environment are a big part of it. What program are you using for production? What OS are you on, Mac or Windows?

By: Ryan Jaeger

Ryan Jaeger — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:58:13 +0000

@Rex,
Stock Sound Forge($250), your ears, a good monitoring chain, and a well acoustically treated room.

Don’t use presets though… However, if your music production is highly standardized, and every mix comes out with the same EQ balance, and power, then you can make some presets of your own that work for your unique situation.

By: Rex Rhino

Rex Rhino — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:32:28 +0000

Kind of off topic, but:

I have been considering purchasing T-Racks 3 for doing some simple mastering… i.e. not professional stuff, but just trying to make some tracks sound louder and better when I upload mp3s online.

How easy is T-Racks 3 to use, and how useful are the presets? I know that I like the sound from the demos I heard, but I don’t really have much mastering skills. Is it easy enough to pull up a preset (say, for house music, for example), do some minor tweaking, and be good to go? Also, is it a bit of overkill for that sort of thing ($400+ is a lot of money just to improve the sound of my MP3s a little bit)? Is there any cheaper alternative that provide what I am looking for?

By: Mesmer

Mesmer — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:55:11 +0000

Great.
Peter, if you have the ability to edit the thank-you message, perhaps a link back to CDM would be useful, since as it is, you’re left there high and dry.

all the best,
-h