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 | | | | Feb28Written by:Rip Rowan
Sunday, February 28, 1999 6:00 PM  I've been looking wistfully at the new generation of DSP-enabled audio cards. In particular the ability to run several bands of real-time EQ and compression on every channel is SO exciting.
So you can imagine my surprise - and glee - when I stumbled across a demo download on the Waves site (http://www.waves.com) called AudioTrack and loaded it onto my computer.
AudioTrack is the essential track insert. It is a self-contained DirectX processor that incorporates a 4-band paragraphic EQ, a compressor, and a noise gate in a single plugin.
 Waves AudioTrack
All the usual controls are provided. The EQ provides 4 bands with 5 curve types: peak / notch, low-pass, high-pass, low-shelf, and high-shelf. Each band has configurable gain, frequency, and Q controls. The curve is displayed on a graph with controls to adjust frequency and gain / cut directly from the graph. If you've ever used a Waves Q4 then you know exactly how this EQ works. This is a full-featured EQ that provides as good or better control than you will find on any console at any price.
The compressor section and the noise gate includes Threshold, Ratio, Attack, and Release. Input levels are displayed on the blue input meter. The compressor threshold is indicated against the meter with a yellow arrow, and the noise gate threshold is indicated with a blue arrow. This provides a great, and easy way to set threshold levels for both the compressor and the noise gate. Attenuation is indicated with a red meter. Above each meter is indicated the peak (for the input meter) and the max attenuation (for the compressor / gate).
Output gain (or cut) can be controlled with a makeup control. Output levels are indicated with a pair of meters that include a clipping indicator. The clipping indicator informs the user if the input has been clipped (reduce input gain) or if the output is clipped (reduce output gain) or both. The unit includes a bypass button with an adjustable gain so that you can click bypass and A/B the dry / effected signals at the same volume. Very nice.
So, this is a great processor that incorporates all the functionality that most of us will use with EQ and dynamics inserts. That's nice. But what's so AMAZING about this insert is its efficiency.
Careful attention has been paid to this unit to make it as efficient as possible. The goal is to create a track insert that you can use on every track in your mix, if necessary. And, the result is an unbelievable success.
I run a Do-It-Yourself rig: overclocked Celeron 300A running at 450 MHz, 128 MB SDRAM, Maxtor 8.4 GB 5400 RPM drive, AGP video, 16 bit DAL Card D+ converters. This is a $1200 CPU. No DSP, no dual processors, no rocket science at all.
I started benchmarking the system using SoundForge 4.0's CPU usage meter. I began by measuring the similar individual plugins offered by Waves. The Q4 EQ measured 3% utilization, the C1 Compressor measured 6%, and the C1 Gate measured 3%. Then I tried AudioTrack. It measured 5%. That's less than just the C1 Compressor by itself!
Next I tried the plugin as a track insert in a 16-bit Cakewalk 8.0 project.
With this rig, I was able to run AudioTrack on 20 solid tracks of 16 bit audio in Cakewalk 8.0.
That's right: 80 bands of EQ, 20 compressors, and 20 noise gates. In real time on 20 solid tracks. No DSP used.
I was also able to achieve these stunning results: 17 channels of audio, each with an AudioTrack on the track insert, and a Waves TrueVerb (a high-density resource-intensive reverb) in the Aux bus. And 16 channels with 16 AudioTracks, and a Waves TrueVerb in both Aux buses. That's 64 bands of EQ, 16 compressors, 16 gates, and 2 dense reverbs. In real time. With no DSP.
All You Need?
So, is AudioTrack a replacement for the more expensive software from Waves and others?
Not really. There's a few reasons why you need both.
First of all is choice and control. Maybe you need more control over your compressor or gate. Maybe you need an expander, not a gate. Maybe you need band-specific or multiband compression. Maybe you need lookahead capabilities. Maybe you need more than 4 bands of EQ. AudioTrack is vanilla, plain and simple. The dedicated EQs and compressors that are available offer more control and configuration capabilities.
Second is sound quality. More sophisticated software is available that offers better sounding EQ and compression than you can get with the basic AudioTrack software. AudioTrack is a 16 bit processor (correction, it is 32 bits - Ed.), so it doesn't sound quite as good as more advanced plugins. And it doesn't have the advanced features that can offer better sound, such as variable release control, zero phase-shift EQ, or 'warmth' processing.
Finally is efficiency. Huh? Well maybe you don't need compression or gating on a particular track. Then a better choice for you would be a dedicated EQ. That will actually offer better performance, and maybe even better sound.
But for many tracks you will want to use AudioTrack because you need all the advantages of EQ, compression, and gating. Take an 8-track multitracked drum kit. You've got individual channels for kick, snare, hi hats, three toms, and two overheads. When I run a kit like this, I want compression, EQ, and gating on everything but the overheads, which might need only a little EQ or an inverse expander. I use either 6 or eight AudioTracks just for the drums. And what a drum sound I'm getting. For most EQ and compression applications, AudioTrack is perfect.
So AudioTrack doesn't REPLACE the high-end effects processors. It AUGMENTS them by allowing you to run AudioTrack on the "basic" tracks, and save the more esoteric processors (and the bandwidth they consume) for vocals or acoustic guitars. I happily use them both.
Bad News, and a Warning
Warning: Waves also sells another product called MultiRack that includes the words "Audio Track." on the box. It is not the same thing as AudioTrack.
Bad News: Currently, AudioTrack is only available in the Waves Gold Package. That means that you cannot buy it separately. What a shame.
Can you say, "Marketing Plan?" It's as if someone at Waves forgot AudioTrack exists. And, that's not far from the truth.
I talked to some people from Waves and discovered that this product has been kicking around for a while, and the company isn't paying it much attention. Alas, the product was released too early. Native processing power sufficient to run lots of DirectX plugins affordably has only been available for the last few months. The market only recently became ready to accept AudioTrack for DirectX. But Waves had already given up on the product.
And, word on the street is that another software company is getting ready to release a high-effeciency EQ+Compressor DirectX plugin soon. Will Waves get smart and start selling AudioTrack as a standalone product? Or will it fold? Questions abound for which there is no clear answer.
Update! As of June 7 1999, AudioTrack is available from Waves as a stand-alone product!
Visit the Waves web site for more information on AudioTrack!
Summary
My question to you is this: if a 450 MHz Celeron can run 64 bands of EQ, 16 compressors, 16 gates, and 2 high-density reverbs in real time, what do you think a 600 MHz system will do? My guess is this: more than I'll use. Say, 32 tracks of AudioTrack, 4 reverbs, and several "special" effects. Maybe more.
Now, I'm not saying that you don't need DSP. I can't say what your DSP requirements are, because I don't know how you use your system.
But, I can say this. New host processors and new, more efficient plugins like AudioTrack sure raise a valid question: is a DSP system the best use of my money? Maybe so. But, there is an alternative.
Contact waves (http://www.waves.com) for pricing and availability. And let them know they have a great product on their hands.
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