n-Track Studio Review

Upon first loading n-Track studio, I was faced with an onslaught of various buttons and windows; all decorated in grey and made even less favourable through the abundance of gradient fades and overly bevelled edges. At this point, it was tempting to rest my head at the teat of that oh-so expensive software towards which I am, invariably, smitten. It would be particularly easy to conjure some pseudo-sarcastic/dramatic/ literarily entertaining review. However, I decided to give this software a chance, and found it to be very rewarding.
My first thoughts (after the dire skin) where not particularly great. At first loading, there is no comprehensive set-up; which means that you have to spend time exploring the various menus to get the right drivers, set up in the right way and recording at the rates you desire: this is crucial to the functionality and quality of the product. Because of this, someone new to home recording (the assumed target of this software) may have trouble in achieving good quality recordings. Second, the icons are quite meaningless, offering little help to people new to recording; if you are new to recording, you will have to rely on experimentation to arrive at the destination you require. However, anyone remotely versed in another recording application should feel at home before too long as the menu systems are intuitive and logically placed.
After this, the software began to feel like home, it had automatically found my VST library and was ready to record. I hooked up a condenser, added a new track, assigned the correct input and started recording in moments. The very basic elements of recording; solo, mute, freeze (render), record and monitor (end to end) are where you would expect them to be and function just as you would expect them to. In truth, the recording process is a breeze, it is quick, functional, well laid out and suffers from no issues of latency or using resources to excess.
The next point I’d like to air is that it appears to have no functionality issues with VSTs. I successfully loaded and used a myriad of external VSTs; ranging from amplifier simulation to vocal correction. The DSP plug-ins that come with the software are certainly not the best; particularly the reverb, which sounds cheap and artificial, but there is functionality in some of the other effects (the equaliser takes on an impressive twist, where you can actually draw the equalisation curve onto the screen). Most importantly, free, good VSTs may be found easily on the internet, bolstering this programs functionality and performance for free.
The one downfall of this software is the lack of a comprehensive mastering section. This incurs a reasonable drop in functionality, as it limits the user’s potential to polish a track, unless of course they outsource this function to a plug-in or external application.
To conclude, this is a good piece of software. Will it ever compare with big hitting brands of computer recording? No. Is it designed to compare with these brands? No. This software is immensely cheaper than most software you’ll find in a professional studio; it is designed for a home user. If you are beginning your foray into recording and want to be sure that this avenue is for you, before you invest a deal of money; this software is for you. If you want to record a demo, or think that being able to record yourself will help with compositions; this software is for you. The truth is, this software will carry you for quite a way, it will never compare with a recording in a professional studio; then again, neither will most home recordings. Considering the software is cheaper than most condenser microphones, it is definitely worth the money.