Focusrite Platinum Trakmaster

Just got this baby, and I must say woooow! Any of you tried the mackie preamps on their desks would say, those are great sounding preamps, but wait till you get your mics running threw this little baby, i can guarantee you, you wouldnt hesitate tracking all your vocals, guitars and extras through this unit forever, the sound is so warm and has a great tone to it, its hard to explain the feeling you get when you can hear a noticably better sound from a cheaper unit, than an expensive mackie desk.. It sounds kick a**!

I use the unit mainly to track my hip hop vocals with my quality AKG c414 condenser mic, and i must say they make a great match with each other. Ive used m-audio, joe meek and art pre's before, and i can honestly tell you, that this is the cleanest and warmest preamp ive used in my 7 years as a mix engineer. The one thing is this pre lives up to, is its Focusrite name. The compressor is also quite a nifty little gadget, but first you must know how to use it, else theres no point in saying its f***** with your sound, cause its not, only unless you use it correctly.

Never had a problem, besides the intial few hours tweaking and messing with its knobs. visit my myspace site to hear some of the material ive used and recorded with this unit, www.myspace.com/iamscage

yes, and i got a quick response, with all the info i asked for.

Go and purchase one, its worth every pound, dollar or currency you use!

I love this pre amp. I use it for my dedicated bass rig. QSCPLX3602 on a Warwick 8-10 NEOPRO cab with the Focusrite preamp

This the best sounding preamp I've found so far for me.

So far!

Have not needed them .

I play classic rock. So my opinions are based on that.

The manual is a really helpful starting point if your new to all this "pro audio" gubbins. compression is a funny old thing and takes time to master. This unit takes away a lot of the unknown. I was able to double the sound of my bass rig before i even started tweeking.

i am using this unit as extra preamp between my Warwaick Courvette/Ashdown MAG 300 bass rig. I used it live the night i purchased it. This baby is incredible. It fattened my whole sound beyond recognition. I have quite a dynamic playing style and i was a little consirned that I might loose a little dynamic range, but the OPTO compression was absolutely transparent. Really clean pre-amp stage and make up gain stages. Be careful not to overload the input stage as this sounds about as bad as it gets. Really powerful EQ, I used a little bass roll-off pre compression to remove a excess pumping. I had a beaming smile on my face all night and kept getting compliments on my new huge sound. I am now testing as a front end for my digital recording setup, so far, its living up to the focusrite name.

No problems at all. Set it up, played, packed up. Job done!

Have delt with Focustrite before. Very helpful people. I bought the unit from Academy of Sound (Nottingham) they're spot on.

Go and buy one now!!! I've not even tried it as a mic pre. Only good things can happen.

As easy as it gets. This was the missing piece to my puzzle. As a non-engineer type, I appreciate being able to get a great sound quickly. Using this gear does take some know how though, as in knowing the right application. I am using it as a insert for my miked isolation cab, more about that later. Manual is helpfull in setting up basic sounds and applications.

This is where this unit shines. I have built a great guitar recording system around what I have learned from people here. Before I started coming here, I didn't have any idea how to get a great miked guitar sound while living in a condo. Here is my setup "all based on my research here". Guitars, Brian Moore i2.13, Ibanez 540 PII, Polaris Explorer. Effects, Line 6 POD, Lexicon MPX 200. Amp, THD univalve. Cabinet, Randall Isolation 12C "Celestion Vintage 30". Microphone, AKG C-3000B. Mixer, Yamaha MG 16/6 FX inserted on the miked channel with the Focusrite. Breakout Box, M-Audio Omni. Recording software Cubase 5.1 PC.
There is absolutely no noise from this unit, even though it is very close to my monitor due to space restrictions.
I have played AC/DC, Rush, Nickleback, Sevendust and assorted others through this unit to test its tightness. This thing makes all my other stuff happen. I knew I needed a compressor with the system I was running, there is alot of other stuff out there and it is always finding the right piece of gear. I saw the "Sure Sound" comparisons on the net and was kind of second guessing my choice, but at half the price and twice the size I dont think I went wrong.

I just got it today, and was so blown away, that I just had to write a review, so this area gets a NO OPINION.

Nope haven't talked to them, I would like a free t-shirt though.

I play Rock/Jazz/Fusion. Like I said I am not a engineer, but I want engineer quality recordings. I got tired of wasting my money in studios a long time ago. I dont know a compression ratio from a hole in the ground. I just press buttons and turn knobs until I get a sound I like. I have bought alot of stuff in the past that gave my sound nothing. Luckily there is Harmony Central, and a person like me can now get the right piece of gear. This unit is a big plus to my sound, others may not think so, it is all in what you use and what you are trying to attain.

This is a great bit of kit that could not be any easier to use,one compression control,with tight and punch switches that give fixed comp ratio's of between around 6.1 and 3.1 also release control. Easy to use e,q section which has switches for mic or instrument e,q.
I like that fact that the xlr input and 1/4 jack instrument input is on the face of the unit,unlike a lot which are on the back. Also a handy pre/post e,q switch and bypass.

This is a very nice sounding class A pre that gives your signal real punch and character!. Nice warm optical compressor section,with valve sound emulation to grain your sounds up further,ala..sixties vibe!.
The e,q, is simple in it's operation and very musical sounding,you can really screw the bass on without the associated boominess that's typical of some equalizers on the cheaper end desks.

Have not experienced any probs with this unit,and i've had it for over a year now,it seems to be quiet in it's operation.

I emailed Focusrite before i bought,and got a reply fast, they were very friendly and helpfull,no sales pitch,just a gentle reasurance that i wouldn't be dissapointed....i even got a free T shirt..hehe!

I track straight to tape with this little beauty everytime,and it sounds fantastic,It also has a digital option as well for an extra 100 pound if your recording with p.c. "if that's your bag",so it will never be out of date with technology either. I'm really glad Focusrite brought out the platinum range,i could never afford any of the others.
This is a good bang for the buck,it may not be a Red!!,but it's a Focusrite,and for the money, do yourself a favour! and go out and buy one,or two if you can afford it!!

The Trackmaster is very easy to use: great-feeling solid rubber knobs, buttons, and a nice plethora of colorful lcd's to offer readout. The manual seems to be solid though I haven't had to use it much!

Man, this box is so fucking cool. Since it's Focusrite, there's no cheap shit to be had with this, all top-quality compression, eq, and preamps... and it's tube!! This sounds wonderful. There's a "warmth" knob which is variable from "warm" fully clockwise to "cool" fully counter-clockwise. You like cold digital soundscapes, warm punchy analog bass, or anything in between? You got it here, thanks to the powerful eq, which has gobs of gain... very responsive. The compression is pretty responsive too, either let the signal through or squash it down to size. My ears don't detect any extraneous noise when on or off. I run the Trackmaster through my mixer's fx loop before hitting a TC FireworX.

This unit is magnificently built: the face is brushed aluminum. The knobs and buttons are all solid. I would absolutely use this without a backup.

Never had to contact Focusrite and it doesn't look like I will anytime in the forseeable future.

I've been doing industrial, noise, and electronic (and music in general) for many years. Powerful eq, compression, and preamp all in a single beautiful one-rackspace unit... very attractive in concept and appearance. Very well laid out. Each section has it's own on/off switch so you could, for example, only use compression or just eq. For bass, you can pinpoint which frequencies you'd like to have the gain, with the variable frequency knob. The mids (presence) and treble also have knobs. The eq, by the way, is switchable between pre or post. When on "cool", the tubes give my guitar a more harsh, hollow, cold tone which suits me very well, since I do industrial/noise. Of course, this will do wonders for everything, even expensive synths which already sound orgasmic. Oh, and there are dedicated XLR (for mic) and 1/4" inputs on the front panel for easy access, with a switches to select which one you're using, of course. I don't have a wishlist and can't find a single negative about this box! I arrived at the Boston/Brookline Guitar Center looking for a multi-purpose compression/eq/preamp and this is it. Thanks to Rob Baker in keyboards for the recommendation. He knows his shit. I love my Platinum Trackmaster! Woohoo!

There is tons of gain in this box which is great, like any piece of gear just sit with this for a little while and you can great sounds. Editing patches? There are none. The manual is helpful, it gives you tips to get the best sounds from different instuments and even has a whole section on the basics of compression.

This is a very transparent unit. It's not noisy and with a little tweaking, lets you get great sound from almost anything you plug into it. I run everything through it before it goes to the digital 8.

This is the Platinum series which seems well built.I don't gig so I don't know but it is a Focusrite!

I actually e-mailed someone at Focusrite before I bought it, with some questions. He was friendly helpful and honest. He didn't try to shove this stuff down my throat. I was very impressed with the Focusrite people.

I've been playing guitar for 16 years and just recently ventured into home recording. I needed something up front that made everything sound better. This unit does that. It's a mic pre a compressor and an equalizer. There are no effects and no presets, you just turn the knobs for instant gratification. I looked at DBX (386) stuff which didn't have the gain, features, or sound I was looking for. I don't think focusrite would put their name on anything that wasn't great and this box delivers. What would I change? Well, I wish it had a dual channel. That way I could run my stereo drums from my sampler through it for compression and a little EQ. I guess you have to buy 2! I also wish it had a few more things in the vocal section like de-esser, but I guess that's why they make the voicemaster. Anyway, if you are on a budget and you want a do all kind of pre-amp I don't know why you'd get anything else.