New T-RackS Compressor

[Ploki]

I'm actually basing my claims on what hardware manufacturers "say themselves", they're the first ones to tell you its not an exact art as much as they try to make it out to be.

Marketing?

Its also a fundamental principle in physics that it is "impossible" in the real world to manufacture exactly identical components. There will ALWAYS be imperfections. Imperfections in the process, imperfections in materials, imperfections in the design, imperfections in the power it feeds on, imperfections in the cables and other signal paths you use.

Yes its true we can manufacture things very close now, its still not perfect. And depending on how you use it, the wear and tear, any servicing, the longer you use these units the greater and more audible their variations.

There's plenty of information. on this online, so you don't have to take my word for it.

Being imperfect =! Having audible difference

[Ploki]

Only CSR is like that. We have talented in-house developers (before and) since then that wrote everything else. Please ask and check your sources before spreading information. Our developers are sought-after for their work on our plugins including Comprexxor as well as some surprising older plugins that are still popular - people attempt to poach them from us all the time.

We also have employees incredibly skilled in hardware including the hand-built compressor that was also coded by us into a T-RackS processor which is a one-of-a-kind ("from farm to table" if you will) because of that. Much of the earlier T-RackS is born from the skills our developers and others have in building and repairing high end audio gear (especially studio hardware and guitar gear). CSR is the exception rather than the rule, and it is a singular exception.

I know we're a privately-held company, but anybody you reached out to here could have given you the correct information instead of relying on hearsay and rumor or really what appears to be a large leap in assumption more than anything. We still employ the main brains behind IK's core DSP as our CTO and he oversees these projects as well as our on-board DSP on the speakers etc with the same attention to detail and standards which we plan to continue with the talented roster of in house developers we employ for years to come.

I wish someone poached the marketing and distribution team.
Jam points are annoying and having to download whole tracks for a clipper is insane

[Agreed]

So, now after the honeymoon is long gone, a question to Comprexxor owners: are you still using it? Has it taken the place of other plugins because it's so good? Or is it already collecting digital dust along with a hundred other compressors in a folder?

I'm going to test it again today, not to check if it sounds like Distressor (I can't care less), but if it does something other plugins can't do. I just grabbed Kush Novatron, which has a lovely sound IMO and it seems to be in the same ballpark (swiss-army knife compressor). The current Comprexxor price is nice tho

I used it as part of a final dynamics chain after Dyna-Mu, with Comprexxor in Opto mode, each one doing 1~2db of GR, Comprexxor giving some slight thd also, and really liked the sound on a recent track.

[flori89]

So, now after the honeymoon is long gone, a question to Comprexxor owners: are you still using it? Has it taken the place of other plugins because it's so good? Or is it already collecting digital dust along with a hundred other compressors in a folder?

I'm going to test it again today, not to check if it sounds like Distressor (I can't care less), but if it does something other plugins can't do. I just grabbed Kush Novatron, which has a lovely sound IMO and it seems to be in the same ballpark (swiss-army knife compressor). The current Comprexxor price is nice tho

I used it as part of a final dynamics chain after Dyna-Mu, with Comprexxor in Opto mode, each one doing 1~2db of GR, Comprexxor giving some slight thd also, and really liked the sound on a recent track.

Yea I still like it very much, very distinct sound. But it doesn't work on everything, to me it's really a character compressor.

[pixel85]

Finally I grabbed it.
I don't use it gently but rather heavy on channels, like I did with hardware. I like to push it hard to smash things It really can control dynamics and peaks like no other. It's fantastic on voice-overs. Yes it's a very character-full compressor.

I don't really like it on groups and master bus (I didn't had opportunity to try it on live drums yet, where it's probably will be useful on a group). This is where Novatron has its use

I'm still missing ability to make exploding transients like I could do with a hardware unit and what Mike-E plugin can do (too expensive for my liking). But I need this ability very rarely.

Ps. I couldn't buy it from IKM website because I was getting a "wrong coupon code error", on 2 different browsers and devices. I was too lazy to write to support but I could get similar price on 3rd party vendor without using jampoints, thanks to $ to € conversion

[yppse]

Ps. I couldn't buy it from IKM website because I was getting a "wrong coupon code error", on 2 different browsers and devices. I was too lazy to write to support but I could get similar price on 3rd party vendor without using jampoints, thanks to $ to € conversion

This happened to me, too. I opened a support ticket. After like 5 or 6 emails back and forth, the guy from ikm could replicate this behaviour. He never really read, what I wrote, that is why it took so long. And in the end, he never told me when it was solved, I had to find out through trial and error.

bad support!

[pixel85]

Ps. I couldn't buy it from IKM website because I was getting a "wrong coupon code error", on 2 different browsers and devices. I was too lazy to write to support but I could get similar price on 3rd party vendor without using jampoints, thanks to $ to € conversion

This happened to me, too. I opened a support ticket. After like 5 or 6 emails back and forth, the guy from ikm could replicate this behaviour. He never really read, what I wrote, that is why it took so long. And in the end, he never told me when it was solved, I had to find out through trial and error.

bad support!

This is what I expected. Or that it will take so much time that I'll get an answer a week after promo ended I've never really grew a confidence in software support services.

[Tchad Froom]

IK customer support has always been poor. That why I spend my $$ elsewhere

[simon.a.billington]

I'm actually basing my claims on what hardware manufacturers "say themselves", they're the first ones to tell you its not an exact art as much as they try to make it out to be.

Marketing?

Its also a fundamental principle in physics that it is "impossible" in the real world to manufacture exactly identical components. There will ALWAYS be imperfections. Imperfections in the process, imperfections in materials, imperfections in the design, imperfections in the power it feeds on, imperfections in the cables and other signal paths you use.

Yes its true we can manufacture things very close now, its still not perfect. And depending on how you use it, the wear and tear, any servicing, the longer you use these units the greater and more audible their variations.

There's plenty of information. on this online, so you don't have to take my word for it.

Being imperfect =! Having audible difference

Well no it doesn't, but then you hear stories of engineers like Mick Guzauski auditioning different units of the same device to find the right one to fit the project, because according to him "they all sound different"

So don't take it from me, the info is out there. People have just been disillusioned by the "idea' that the same device equals the same sound. On the surface of it, that is true, until you put them back to back and clinically compare one with the other, just as Michael has done.

Places like this doesn't help, because all it does is promote false notions like this.

[Ploki]

Well no it doesn't, but then you hear stories of engineers like Mick Guzauski auditioning different units of the same device to find the right one to fit the project, because according to him "they all sound different"

So don't take it from me, the info is out there. People have just been disillusioned by the "idea' that the same device equals the same sound. On the surface of it, that is true, until you put them back to back and clinically compare one with the other, just as Michael has done.

Places like this doesn't help, because all it does is promote false notions like this.

Stories like that are fun and sell shit, also romanticising equipment and personifying objects isn't anything out of the ordinary, but that doesn't make it fact

Anytime i worked on professional equipment, results were consistent.

The point of professional equipment is you can get a 1:1 replacement, such as in the case of studio monitors. Professional monitors are sold as singles, they don't need to be matched pairs because they're built tight to tolerances to not have such a dramatic effect on sound.

[simon.a.billington]

Yes, but in the cases of this "story" nothing was being sold, it was anecdotal. He's not the only one to make that observation. Just looking at products like Brainworx TMT, whether you like it or not it exists because the developers acknowledge that tolerance not only exists, but its audible. If there was no differences there for them to measure in the first place that product wouldn't exist. Or Waves' NLS.

So your experience may be different, but did you really put two units back to back and do the whole critical listening thing. Most people don't, they look at what hardware they have to use, and they patch it in to where they want it and just use it. And because it sounds like the memory of the same device they use a few days or week ago its good enough. For all intents and purposes it should be. People don't split hairs with these units the same way they do plugins. Because they are over-romanticised they just use that one move on.

You do see a little bit of that with plugins, some people swear by UAD, others by Waves, there would be those who'd swear by IK too. Like with hardware people just accept the plugins for what they are, they are just a tool to be put to use and they move on.

it makes absolutely no sense for plugin developer to say, "ah well, its 80% there, close enough, lets sell it". Have you seen what happens in forums like this, developers get torn apart for less!! It affects their image which affects their sales. It makes no sense at all. Worse business strategy ever. If you don't care enough about your product, then people won't care enough about you.

Personally, I hear the differences between plugins but I accept them and use them to their sonic advantage. The Waves CLAs sound a bit more vintage too me, so I tend to pu;; them out when I want a vintage LA2A or 1176. IKs sound more modern, so I'll use them for a modern sound. Or maybe I have some modern, borderline hard sounding synths where it may be beneficial to counteract it with a vintage sounding processor.

Everything has its use, people just need to get over themselves and stop being gear/plugin snobs and start being more creative with the plugins they sue and the way they apply them.

Sorry for all the words bro.

[simon.a.billington]

[double]

[simon.a.billington]

[triple]

[simon.a.billington]

Apparently I'm computer illiterate.

[imrae]

Well no it doesn't, but then you hear stories of engineers like Mick Guzauski auditioning different units of the same device to find the right one to fit the project, because according to him "they all sound different"

For LA-2As, sure. I doubt he does this for Distressors, or comparable modern high-quality devices.