TC Electronic Finalizer Express

Many people have run from the idea of having hardware mastering tools in such a digital world. But after learning so much from being in school to be a engineer and having hands on experience with all types of gear. Hardware mastering tools are still very powerful, the TC Electronic Finalizer Express is one of those pieces of gear that you must have! You can rack this unit, and it will take up one space. It is a complete mastering tool, it has limiting, and normalizing.


UTILIZATION

The TC Electronic Finalizer will ad some really good energy to your music without putting forth much effort. This mastering tool has made a lot of songs I have engineered have a big sound to them. It has worked for me way better than a lot of DAW mastering suits. I really like how when you put a mix on a song, and its time to master but you don’t want to lose the feel of the bass. This will keep your bass lively and manage to keep it tight and too much. For a while this Finalizer was all I would work with.


SOUND QUALITY

It has 20 and 16 bi dithering, and all of your main connections like MIDI and S/PDIF. The sound quality of your master you will get using this device is incredible. You do feel kind of limited when it comes to EQ though because EQ on a hardware device is a lot different from using a EQ in a software. So it could take some time to get to understand the Finalizer if you have not worked with hardware before (mainly mastering hardware devices).


OVERALL OPINION

This is a great tool to have, if you have the space you should purchase this. Most of us don’t carry hardware like this in our home setups. But if you have the room you should buy it and watch your mixes turn into high quality masters. Mastering a song needs tools like this, you cannot master a song without great compression and limiters. Understand how to use this unit and it will make you some money!

COMPRESSOR EXCELLENT QUALITY!
PRO XLR connectors

UTILIZATION

Use very simple, in one hour we toured.
But it takes several days to find the right settings, depending on each sound to be processed.
Manuel simple, perhaps a little lacking, though ...

SOUND QUALITY

The compression effect is really "KILLER"!
I weigh my words.
It's simple, my voice already optimized taken with my Focusrite preamp VoiceMaster Pro are even more "in your face" with the Finalizer to the taking!
I do not recognize my trusty guitar patch Disto my old Roland JV1080 expander.
A decision, it "feels" transients that vibrate like never!
The only machine that blew me away as is the RNC from 1773 to 300 € new, also very powerful!

OVERALL OPINION

6 months of use = OK
Value for money = top (Well I bought used in € 600). But again, I'll take another with eyes closed, even at € 1,200 (A credit still ...)
And this for one reason: "HAVE THE BIG HEAD TAKEN WITHOUT ITS"
And Yes! We forget the Vsti instruments that plant, or Cubase that Bugge, or compression effects that not always on top.

VOILA, simplicity and efficiency.
End of story, and let the music artists for us, not the PC technophiles.

This is a digital mastering processor. The compressor operates in three frequency bands.
Complete connectivity: XLR + SPDIF coax

UTILIZATION

This version called "express" has the settings "essential" but it's more than enough saw the possibilities of the device.
The manual is very correct and French (available in pdf).
The basic configuration is pretty simple but it is important to understand the philosophy of the craft and do a lot of tests to find the correct settings from its sound. And do not hesitate to re-test after a few months of use to adapt to his style in detail.

SOUND QUALITY

I use it as an insert console device mastering.
Once found the right setup, this machine is truly formidable, quality and accuracy, confirming the famous TC Electronic in this area.

OVERALL OPINION

I bought mine used there are 6 or 8 months. Before I used a behringer ULTRAMIZER of the comparison stops there. Even if the behringer been quite good, the Finalizer has nothing to do, we are really in the range of pro equipment and you can hear bad!
As I said, I use insert on hand coupled with an equalizer.
Initially I started with the settings generally advised to son for months, I refined these settings to make it really sticks in my sound.
It's really an indispensable machine in a home studio and I do it again this choice without any hesitation. once it has, we can not do without it!

The Finalizer Express is a compressor / limiter multiband stereo. This 1U rack Gnrale mastering destiny is Designed around a DSP.
3 compressors / limiters act on Self-Employed 3-band (Bass, Medium, High) Frequencies of cuts which are fixed 315 Hz and 3.15 kHz linear phase filters numriques.
Many sizes are available as input and output:

-Analog inputs and outputs (Jack) (A / D conversion and D / A 24-bit).
Numriques-inputs and outputs: S / PDIF (RCA or opto), AES (XLR). (16, 20 and 24-bit, 44 or 48Khz i)

The signal is provided continuously on the sets of outputs.
RESOLUTION The default is 24 bits but the "Dither" can be converted into 20 or 16-bit output signal without affecting the internal performance.
Implantation-MIDI Volume control.
-Possibility of Volume control with optional fader (Jack)

25 pRSET ditables not offer compression ratio and attack time determined for each of 3 bands.? Other Paramtres accessible by potentiomtres and buttons are?-Normalize: adjust threshold gnral compressors. Compensation for loss of output gain is done automatically.? Softclip-1: enables the activation of limiting global upstream of multiband processing.? Softclip-2: allows the setting function of each band restrictors own.? - The spectral balance: each band availing oneself of his own rglage volume?-The accent or emphasis: to increase the compression ratio of a band when it is engaged.? Fade-in / out: You can adjust the output level without affecting general De compression applied to the signal.

UTILIZATION

I use it in home studio, its use is simple and effective.

Even if the manual is not very clear, the grip is very quickly no matter who knows how to use a compressor.

Its simple interface allows use very fast and pleasant use.? The "Maître seen" is very readable and presents both all the useful signals.?

If the multiband compressor is originally a mastering tool, use the Finalizer can be also very effective on a premix or on a single track. ? This is a very versatile machine which is usable in many configurations. For my part I connect S-PDIF on a map Motu, so I can use it as a multiband compressor without "breaking the chain numrique" ... Moreover, I simply select the bypass and its analog inputs to enjoy only its A / D quality.??

SOUND QUALITY

It's ace hardware and pro fit. Ds his arrival I test on my old model of 17 years ago, at a time I was mixing the songs not really, well short of models dirty ... and I have jubilee of facets to discover insouponnes. The finalizer A veritable gives a more pro ts, the mouth mixes with missing class.

Creativity, when pushed, it may restrict avrer formidable a bunch of audio sources ..

But after almost a year, I must confess that I do not use it as in a mix of today because it has a little too low tendency eat my taste. And c 'is my big criticism: the lack of heat, treble too flattering. Let's say I like things more roots ...

Nevertheless have I use it daily to the quality of its converters: they are very clean and even though I prefer the D / A my Motu rounder who is always A / D finalizer that I used to numriser a signal.