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Topic: Ozone 5 |
Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 6 Mar 2012 3:08 am |
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There is a current thread about the T RackS 3 mastering software. I downloaded the demo for T RackS 3 Deluxe (currently discounted to $199) and also the demo for Ozone 5.
I'm finishing a CD project for a singer so I took some of those songs and "mastered" them using one of the defaults in both programs. My personal opinion was "Ozone 5 wins" but I gave copies of both to the singer, but didn't tell him which was which. He picked the Ozone 5 mixes.
I bought Ozone 5, same price as the discounted "old version" T RackS 3. The T RackS 3 is a relatively old product (first reference I see to it is 2008) so the reason for the discount is that they will probably be out with a new version shortly.
I realize T RackS 3 is popular (it seems to be split about 50/50 with Ozone 5 on the Sonar Forum), but for my applications Ozone 5 won. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 7 Mar 2012 2:12 pm
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Glad you like the Ozone5, I have read good things about Ozone 4 as well.
With regard to presets I believe the intention is to get one of the "pre-written programs" within range for the project. I have found I like to use 2 or 3 of the TRACKS3-S embedded presets,( I believe there are 15 or 20 )as a starting point then work the individual processors to improve on the preset. I have also found that it takes several "mastering takes" to reach the one that I prefer to my ear, with my car audio being the final authority for sound.
Small tweaks in the EQ and compressor make huge differences in the outcome, much of the outcome is also based on the track before it enters the mastering suite,especially on low end roll off and
clashing frequencies where shelves are called for.
The great news about these programs is that folks with small home studio's can get a pretty nice finished track right there on the PC in front of them.
Listening to the track and making changes while it is playing allows for subtle changes that make a huge difference in the sonic outcome, I can certainly see why mastering engineers are held in such high regard. This is certainly an education for me...
t
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 7 Mar 2012 2:59 pm
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Tony, I used the presets for the test mixes. I didn't want to screw them up fiddling with them as I don't know enough about either program.
As I work with the program and get more familiar with the modules available, I'll start "customizing". |
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Richard Tipple
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 7 Mar 2012 4:04 pm
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I just recieved my,, T racks 3 Deluxe,, software today,,,man ,what a nightmare getting through the authorization code  finally cranked it up & ran a file through it,,very nice, but I have so much to learn about mastering with this software. One thing for sure,,less is better when tweaking finale mixes . |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 8 Mar 2012 3:29 am
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It looks to me like the "KISS" principal should be applied to most mixes. There are so many options and tweaks to consider. As I mentioned that was the reason I just used built in setups for the comparison mixes with the two programs.
I already has an IK Mulitmedia account so authorizing wasn't too big a hassle with T RackS 3. My Sonar X1 Producer came with a version of Amplitube 3 (even though it came with Sonar it still required registration).
Ozone 5 registration was relatively easy as it uses iLok which I already had. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 8 Mar 2012 4:33 am
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My TRacks registration process took abut 2 minutes ! There was no difficulty whatsoever. I have it loaded on two PC's, the primary recording PC and another PC where I run it in standalone mode.
As mentioned in an earlier thread, I did acquire the Mastering with TRACKS book by Bobby Owsinski, it covers each module and each function in excellent detail. I actually understand this stuff now where some of this was Greek to me previously. I would think there is a Mastering with Ozone book out there as well, probably well worth the $15 bucks or so.I am not afraid to tweak . I can always go back to the starting point with the module reset plus tweaking presets need not be saved and you can still process the file. Had Ozone been on sale it would have been a consideration as well. The ability to clean up the track by rolling off the low end frequencies or any specific frequency is quite amazing...I sometimes make 2 or 3 different masters, (make notes) listen to them in the car and then determine which one is closest to a professional track...I did come to learn that I don't like my MAudio 5" Near Fields . I guess here comes another expense...PC speakers are also a good point of reference .
One tip that I have come to use is I run a track of a song I like the sound of ( not me ) I then compare the sonic sound of that one to the track I am working on..comparison... AB...
t
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 8 Mar 2012 7:14 am
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Tony, I don't see much for Ozone 5 yet. It was just released in November. Groove 3 does not have a tutorial for it yet, and I don't find any books on Version 5.
There are a couple of YouTube videos on it and I'll take a look at them.
T RackS 3 is a "mature" product (released in 2008 from what I find) so they've had a lot of time to write books about it. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 8 Mar 2012 8:30 am
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I hear ya Jack, I would be willing to bet that any book is a good cross reference, compressor are compressors, EQ's are EQ's the language is the same..one would think...without seeing Ozone 5 my guess is that the control sets/functions/knobs etc.. are probably very close to T-RACKS.After reading in the T-Racks book it is apparent to me that this is all common stuff...sure the general operation and functionality of the software may be different but how much different can they all really be ?
have fun with your new software toy..
t
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Richard Tipple
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2012 10:35 am
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I guess I should explain my problems with authorization with T Racks. After downloading the T Rack CD ,I followed all the steps in the authorization process & recieved my authorization code through my e mail. Applied the code & launched T Racks. Screen came up & showed the T racks screen, then went dark, as if I had shut the monitor off. My PC then re-started inself ? Then after three more of the same events, my PC locked up, wouldnt shut down, just showed a blank screen ?
Well enough of this,,I deleated T Racks & went through the whole process of re-installing ,authorization code & the whole nine yards.
Again, all I got was a blank screen & this time, my PC would re-start every time I launched T Racks 
By this time ,im pretty well pissed ! So I called T Racks in Florida to get some answers. I got a recording from thier tech support team, it said they do not give tech support over the phone! to go to T Racks web site for tech support, which I did. I posted the problems I was having on thier forum & asked for any help anyone might give me.
About two hrs later I recieved an e mail from the forum administrator of T racks telling me the forum wasnt the place to ask such questions & I needed to send an e mail to thier tech support team & they would get back with me in a couple of days. They also said I should download T Racks from my area & re install it. I thought this is why I bought the T Racks CD in the 1st place ?
To make a long story short, thier web site has downloads for windows,,,which I have,,so I downloaded the 92mb zip file there,,deleated my T racks again & installed thier download & what happens ??? it says I can try this T racks for 10 days as a demo or if I register it ,It will be permanent,,so I went through the authorization process all over again 
Launched T Racks & it didnt shut my PC down , although I did have to adjust audio hardware to get any sounds . T Racks was wanting to see ASIO sound drivers & my PC was set to run on my Sound Blaster Audio drivers. This was no big deal to change, & finally, the T Racks software works great 
Only took me 7 hrs,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 8 Mar 2012 12:32 pm
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Tony, Ozone 5's graphical display is totally different than T RackS 3. Ozone 5 does not present the various units graphically as a "rack" device, like T RackS 3. All available devices are in the master screen and you can enable/disable each device,display that device, modify it, etc. Ozone 5 has quite a few more built in presets.
Here's a couple screen shots:
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John Gould
From:
Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX
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Posted 18 Mar 2012 9:46 pm
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I use Ozone 4 almost every day at work. It's great!
I have not tried Ozone 5 but from the screen shots looks like they have made a great tool even better.
_________________
A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 19 Mar 2012 1:58 am
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The thing about these programs is they all do effectively the same thing. The TRACKS version I have, I can only speak for me, it's the S version, 4 modules, It has 15 starting presets and each preset has multiple presets for each module within so the exponential power of 10 increases. I don't need or even desire any more presets..As it is I have used 2 or 3 at best and work from there, I am saving my own program presets which are now becoming stock "SETS"...You can view the RACKS, as that's what the program is, TRACKS...or you can view the chain and all the while the graphs are visible as well. The entire point is to listen to the music and make a positive change to enhance the end product. I certainly agree that presets are important, but they are intended to be starting points not final points. Ozone is a great program, SO is TRACKS...they both lead the user to a quality end result. Me, I am a tinkerer, I like turning the knobs and listening to whats happening, the good news is you can see see whats happening as well. What I have learned over the past month or two while working on some projects is that the mastering tools have forced me to pay better attention to the EQ's and compression for each track in the multi-track mix. Clashing EQ's cannot be fixed in a mastering suite...over compression cannot be fixed in a mastering suite, etc..As much as I am liking the Mastering Tool, I am actually spending way more time on the individual tracks, as that's where the music is anyway !
If you are interested to hear a few tracks that I have recently completed , below is the link..I have a dedicated goal this year...10 or 12 instrumental songs written and completed by approx Oct, about 8 are written in the box.These are acoustic music, Americana, Celtic, maybe Bluegrass , Blues and Country , yes the Steel and Telecaster are on an in process track. I'm attempting to really mix it up. one of the completed tracks is out for consideration for a corporate video, tuff field to get into...I will most likely go back and revisit each track as I gain more experience. So for me, the mastering tool is an ends to a mean.
http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_songs/1278126
here are a few TRACKS shots for those that may not be familiar...
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Richard Tipple
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Mar 2012 8:57 am
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I dont know if some T racks registered users know this, but, IK Multimedia,s web site had a promotional goal , where if there were 2000 or more new registered users to sign up within the last 30 days, they (IK) would give all users of T Racks, a free download of thier ,,White and Black, compressor plug in,s,for free. They have met that goal and then some .
I have downloaded them both today  These are $100 plug in,s
_________________
steelguitarguy.com |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 19 Mar 2012 9:25 am
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Thanks for the heads-up !
t
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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