TrackControl
by DMG Audio · Utility · Channel utility
Not rated yet
TrackControl is a free channel utility from DMG Audio with the tools from the top and bottom of a console channel.
It adds M/S panning, width, phase and channel swap, a high-pass filter and time offset. It is free with a DMG Audio account.
Best for: Mix Bus, Vocals, Drums, Guitars, Acoustic Instruments. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: utility, free, mid/side, wide, metering, mixing, bus processing, drums, full mix, mix bus, thin, vocals.
What it does
TrackControl is DMG Audio's free channel utility. It gathers "utilities from the top and bottom of a console channel" into one plugin, so the basic gain, phase, stereo and filter fixes live in one place instead of being spread across the DAW.
- Gain: input and output gain sliders running from off (minus infinity) upwards, for trimming levels before and after the rest of your chain.
- Mid-side: M/S encode and decode, for setting up mid-side processing with other plugins.
- Panning and width: M/S and L/R panning plus a stereo width control.
- Phase and swap: phase (polarity) invert and left/right channel swap.
- High-pass filter: adjustable frequency and slope, for clearing low-end rumble on single tracks.
- Time offset: delays a track forwards or backwards in time, using the host's delay compensation, to line up mics or fix latency.
- Metering: sample-accurate peak meters.
Version 1.13 (October 2023) is free. It was released in December 2016 as the only free plugin in DMG's Track range of mixing tools.
Source: DMG Audio product page
When to use it
TrackControl is the pick when you need the plain channel functions a console gives you, not analysis. Compared with Voxengo SPAN or iZotope Insight 2, it doesn't show a spectrum or loudness; it fixes things, with polarity, offset, width, M/S and a high-pass filter in one free insert. Its peak meter is basic next to Youlean Loudness Meter 2, so it works best alongside a proper meter. It can also shift a track earlier in time, not only later, which helps when aligning close and room mics.
- Best for: polarity and time alignment of multi-mic recordings, quick stereo-width and M/S fixes, gain staging and a high-pass filter on individual tracks.
- Genres: any; it is a utility.
- Look elsewhere if: you need analysis or loudness metering (Insight 2, SPAN, Youlean Loudness Meter 2) or EQ beyond a high-pass filter.
What producers say
Coverage is thin but positive: it is seen as a well-designed, very complete free utility.
- Bedroom Producers Blog (Tomislav Zlatic, 2016) called it "the most feature-packed channel strip plugin on the freeware market" and gave it "a massive thumbs up".
- Interface: the same review praised a "nicely designed interface" that doesn't feel cluttered despite the number of controls.
Where to buy
- DMG Audio: Free
Tutorials and reviews
- Overview of FREE DMG Audio TrackControl Plugin
- DMG Audio TrackControl
- DMG Audio Track Control : A Swiss Army Knife of Track Control. My Favorite Free Plugin
- Here's a Plugin I Actually Use: DMG Track Control
- Mixing with FREE DMG TrackControl
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