Tracker Setup.

Incorporating Outboard Hardware into your DAW

There are many reasons why Sound Engineers incorporate outboard hardware into their workflow. One of the major drivers is the opinion that plugins cannot accurately emulate the non-linear nature of hardware. And while most hardware found in traditional studios has been well emulated, many will still say nothing beats the real thing! So it is no surprise that most DAWs are fully capable of supporting outboard components.

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In order for a DAW to access external hardware, they typically employ what is called an I/O (Input/Output) plugin. Here you will select from the various Output and Input ports available in your Audio Interface(s). When connecting external hardware to these ports, you will be sending and receiving audio at Line-Level which is similar to the output from a preamp or a DI (Direct Inject) box. Unless the hardware is meant to receive a signal from a microphone or an instrument, most external hardware operates at this level - both input and output - so we can ensure standard compatibility.

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Even though these I/O plugins will support Line-Level audio, they should also allow you to manage the output level leaving the DAW. And similarly, the input level your DAW will accept, coming back from the interface preamp or line-in jack. However, most interfaces also have an adjustable preamp gain dial as well (e.g., Scarlett, Apollo, etc.) which can be used to manage gain into the interface. Managing gain out and back from the DAW is not that complicated if you are applying gain staging that aligns to a standard.

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The Send level is used to increase the amount of saturation against the source track. For the Return signal, which is connected into one of your interface preamps, ensure the gain is turned-down all the way, and do not engage the pad. You may need to increase this gain as you work toward Unity Gain.

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And finally, latency is also a factor when dealing with outboard gear. In the box, your DAW works at the speed of light, but sending a signal from your DAW to hardware and waiting for the response may take a few samples or milliseconds. Your I/O plugin should also account for this latency.

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Managing Send and Return Levels

Tracker will produce saturation and compression as you increase the level of the source you send to it. Sources that have a lot of Low-end energy will excite the circuit sooner, while mid & high-end dominant sources may require a little push:

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• Peak of Source - Generally speaking, your raw source should peak around -18 to -12dB. If the track has a level higher than -12dB, it will limit the range of saturation you can apply (i.e., hotter signals excite Tracker faster)

• Send Level - On your I/O plugin, leave the Send level at 0dB until you are ready to set the level of saturation

• Return Level - On your I/O plugin, set the Return level to +9dB for starters

• Unity Gain - Now check for Unity Gain. If you are not there yet, ensure you do not have the preamp pad engaged and add gain to the preamp until unity

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Selecting Levels of Saturation

As you increase the Send in your I/O plugin, Tracker will become more excited and start to apply natural compression to the source. A Send of 0dB and a Return of +9dB should result in Unity Gain. If you want to maintain Unity Gain as you are auditioning different saturation levels, for every dB boosted on the Send, attenuate the Return by 1dB until you get to +5dB on the Return.

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NOTE: For every dB you add to the Send level, you will need to decrease the Return by 1dB to maintain Unity Gain. You may desire to set the Return to 0dB after selecting the level of saturation desired.​​​

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Tracking with Tracker (in Logic Pro)

Because most DAWs do NOT apply anything in the FX chain to the recorded track, your setup may seem a little odd, but believe us, it is not difficult to grasp. This method is one of a few commonly employed setups in professional studios that allows you to apply plugins like EQ, Compression, etc. to the recording:

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Tracker Send AUX - Create an Aux, name it "Tracker Send" and set the input to the source of your incoming signal.

• Then add the I/O plugin to the chain and ensure you have selected the appropriate output and input ports, and have adjusted for latency. Set the Return to +9dB (with a Send of 0dB) so you are at Unity Gain

• Use your preamp gain to set the peak level (around -12 to -18dB is a standard)

• Set the output of this track to a new Aux (Tracker Return)

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Setting Saturation Levels

• Audition the source and increase the Send level on the I/O plugin until you have a achieved the level of saturation you desire

• Reduce the Return level from +9dB if necessary to adjust for Unity Gain​, or set it to 0dB to eliminate the unity boost

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Tracker Return AUX - This Aux is receiving its signal from the Tracker Send Aux, so name it "Tracker Return"

• Change the Output of this Aux to "No Out" so it won't double the signal on your stereo out

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Recorded Track - Now create a new audio track and change the name to whatever you are recording like "Vox - Lead"

• Set the Input to the Tracker Return Aux

• Hit [Record]​​​​​​​...

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