Is this Tracktion's best friend?

[Lunch Money]

is this going to be a permanent Tracktion addition (i.e. in v.2) or just a sweetener to keep us all on board in the meantime?

From wshat I've seen it looks like it could turn Tracktion into a more viable mastering option...

Well, I highly doubt they'll give it to us and then yoink it away, so it'll be around in one form or another, I'm wagering. But it's ALSO something to keep us around in the meantime.

As for the second part of your statement, I think "more" is the key word. It's more viable than it was before, but it's probably not the final solution. Notice how you don't really see any reviews of it around? I tried Googling for info and didn't find any. Either the hype machine sucked ass and the marketing team should be fired, or it's not exactly the most kick-ass solution out there.

Back to that word "more", though-- I can tell you that I'm happier with what I'm looking at right now since getting Final Mix than I was previously. You could probably tweak individual results quite nicely out of carefully selected freeware, but it's a bit more of a piecemeal solution. I'm growing fond of this plug, despite obvious drawbacks like the fact that the preset window always resets to "Acuma CD Mastering" despite what the settings actually are.

Greg

[headquest]

Well, I highly doubt they'll give it to us and then yoink it away, so it'll be around in one form or another, I'm wagering. But it's ALSO something to keep us around in the meantime.

Or who knows - could it even be a hint of bigger things - e.g. a complete Acuma bundle with T2?

As for the second part of your statement, I think "more" is the key word. It's more viable than it was before, but it's probably not the final solution. Notice how you don't really see any reviews of it around? I tried Googling for info and didn't find any. Either the hype machine sucked ass and the marketing team should be fired, or it's not exactly the most kick-ass solution out there.

Yes, that's interesting...

Back to that word "more", though-- I can tell you that I'm happier with what I'm looking at right now since getting Final Mix than I was previously. You could probably tweak individual results quite nicely out of carefully selected freeware, but it's a bit more of a piecemeal solution. I'm growing fond of this plug, despite obvious drawbacks like the fact that the preset window always resets to "Acuma CD Mastering" despite what the settings actually are.

Greg

I've not got to really use it yet as I only returned from holiday on Monday...

Having said that I have been trying out these Kjaerhus golden plugs - very impressive - easy to use but deep features.

Final Mix has a slightly messy looking GUI imho, but I want to scan through the pdf manual and have a good play.

Back to the main subject though (do I always take these threads off topic?!) I'm interested in all the points people have made about eXT, but for my money (which is happily more than $40 ) Tracktions "Best Friend" is not going to be a rival host or routing system, but a programme that makes up for the more obvious deficiencies still in Tracktion - e.g. something with a better piano roll editor (e.g. FL Studio) and an event list, something with a decent sampler (e.g. Reason) or something that provides better effects/mastering solution. eXT is certainly a good programme in its own right, but not - I think - Tracktions "best friend".

[christianmusicmaker]

...is this going to be a permanent Tracktion addition (i.e. in v.2) or just a sweetener to keep us all on board in the meantime?

It has to be a permanent addition surely. I cannot see any reason for Jules to remove Final mix from V.2

The Final Mix plug will not work in any other host unless of course it is purchased separately for $399.

This is Tracktions's first big hitter as far as plugs go and a great draw for anyone in the market for an easy to use but powerful host with a very capable mastering plug.

I think only a catastrophic bug would make Jules remove it from v.2 or an even better version of Final Mix could surface in V.2 replacing this one

[TheWall]

If you ever build an eXT clone of either of those things, you'd better share your .ext files.

Hi Greg,

It'd be a major work for a clone of Xphraze...
A Quadfromage clone is much more straightforward though(Just slap in some LFO/env-to-MIDI plug-ins with some filters - doesn't worth sharing, IMHO ). But since I got Quad, there are little incentive NOT to use Quad but to build them in eXT...

[Lunch Money]

A Quadfromage clone is much more straightforward though(Just slap in some LFO/env-to-MIDI plug-ins with some filters - doesn't worth sharing, IMHO ). But since I got Quad, there are little incentive NOT to use Quad but to build them in eXT...

I'll have to start sourcing some freeware filters and LFOs for the job, then. Of course, part of the charm of Quadfromage is the QUALITY of the filters, so a clone might not sound half as good.

But since I don't have it myself, I wouldn't mind something that would work similarly.

Greg

[glurgle]

use the freeware frohmage and lfo's from the envelope comp in eXT

[Lunch Money]

Oh great. Now that you've made it seem easy, the thing to do would be to see the idea through to completion.

I should have stuck to my original comment, "If you do so, please share..." rather than make it seem like I'd do it. I'm just a lazy arse!

Greg

[TheWall]

OK Greg...Here's a very basic example:

Plugin used: Microtonic(to provide a drum progression - you can always route in anything you want), Frohmage, MoCon8LFO, PeakFreak, TLs_Maximizer.

DualFrohmage

A few notes:

1) Quad is quite flexible with its own routing design, yet it's totally up to us to decide how to route the filters in eXT. In this example there are only two filters in parallel(errh, so it's actually a DualFrohmage ). The same applies to env-to-midi, LFOs, add them to any parameter in eXT whenever you find them desirable.

2) Quad has many different filter types along with some FXs(RM/comb filter) that are hard to find the alternatives in the free plug-in realm. So, again, it's totally up to eXT users' choice of what to use.

3) Quad is much more CPU-efficient than the clones in eXT.

EDIT: I've just tried to load the ext but failed. Can anyone load it correct? sheeeettt it seems that, at last, ultram is completely incompatible with eXT... ultram is a bit buggy, but much lighter in CPU usage than other plugins...ah well. Now the example's replaced with tobybear's PeakFreak.

EDIT2: One day after reporting the issue to Jorgen, he has made eXT to work with ultram again - supposedly will be available with the next update. Excellent support.

[wrench45us]

i find ext useful in small quantities for layering vsts, for its enevelope control, chords and arps. In these small doses I find it usable.
withing the past 6 months when the sequencer got addded its grown into something else. I spent a few days picking up how the sequencer worked when I learned it had a freeze function and decided it was done better elsewhere. I haven't kept up on the latest developoments, but will watch th enew video tutorials soon.

To my thinking I would consider Project 5, with its ease of use for midi pattern recording, editing, track building to be a very valid complement to Tracktion. Projects can be built very quickly in P-5. It doesn't have the comprehensive midi channeling and manipulation that say Sonar does, but for midi note/pattern editing it's very user friendly.
But a lot of people just seem to hate it and it's hardly universally recognized for its 'superior' midi pattern building features, so I don't know if it's just me or what. Think of it as if some interface expert got hold of FLStudio and replaced/improved all the quirky editing. And ignore the synths that come with it, just use it as a Rewired midi capable host.

[christianmusicmaker]

To my thinking I would consider Project 5, with its ease of use for midi pattern recording, editing, track building to be a very valid complement to Tracktion. Projects can be built very quickly in P-5. It doesn't have the comprehensive midi channeling and manipulation that say Sonar does, but for midi note/pattern editing it's very user friendly.
But a lot of people just seem to hate it and it's hardly universally recognized for its 'superior' midi pattern building features, so I don't know if it's just me or what. Think of it as if some interface expert got hold of FLStudio and replaced/improved all the quirky editing. And ignore the synths that come with it, just use it as a Rewired midi capable host.

Hi Wrench...

I have Project 5 and it is very useful but I am moving away from rewire applications as I do not like having to save a project twice. Hopefully Project 5 v.2 will also be avaialble as a DXi or VSTi like FL studio already is. That way when I click save in Tracktion everything including my work in P5 would be saved as I can already do with FL Studio in Tracktion.

Because EXT can be used as an FX or VSTi I am pretty certain you can save any changes to it from within your host just like any other VSTi.

Project 5 is however still a superb application. Velocity is my main drum machine I see it more as drum mixer and a sampler.

[headquest]

I have Project 5 and it is very useful but I am moving away from rewire applications as I do not like having to save a project twice. Hopefully Project 5 v.2 will also be avaialble as a DXi or VSTi like FL studio already is. That way when I click save in Tracktion everything including my work in P5 would be saved as I can already do with FL Studio in Tracktion.

Hi there again,

I didn't realise that FL saved in that way... So is it better to use it in VST mode than as a ReWire?

How do you find it for piano roll editing, as opposed to, say Sonar?

Do settings on VSTs within FL also save their settings when FL is used as a VST within Tracktion?

If so, FL must also be a serious contender for the title "Tracktion's best friend".

[christianmusicmaker]

Hi there again,

I didn't realise that FL saved in that way... So is it better to use it in VST mode than as a ReWire?

How do you find it for piano roll editing, as opposed to, say Sonar?

Do settings on VSTs within FL also save their settings when FL is used as a VST within Tracktion?

If so, FL must also be a serious contender for the title "Tracktion's best friend".

Lets see...

1.Some prefer to rewire instead so if you prefer to work that way then that will suit you better but...if you want all the power of the rewire programme as a DXi or VSTi then I would only use FL as a VSTi in Tracktion, why save your project in two places if you don't have to or want to? I am not aware of any limitations in the VSTi or DXi version's of FL Studio (if anyone discovers any tell me)...seriously, I have not experienced any so far.

2.I prefer Sonar but Project 5's piano roll approach is the best I have seen yet next to Live 4 but neither have the power of Sonar but are far easier to use. Live 4's is way more creative in that real time environment as well.

3.Yes the settings stayed the same when I used Fruity's FX and instruments in FL as a VSTi Tracktion. As for 3rd party plugs I kept getting some kind of mild distortion when I tried those. Maybe I need to check my settings in Fruity as the same thing happened in the rewire and DXi versions.

4.Not Tracktions best friend for me...not yet anyway.