Softube Empirical Labs Trak Pak for Console 1 Softube

Ever wonder how an Empirical Labs console would sound? Trak Pak has your answer and it’s an emphatic, hell yeah. Introducing the Empirical Labs Trak Pak channel strip expansion for Console 1. In partnership with Dave Derr, the mastermind behind ELI, we expertly modeled two killer hardware units: the intensely punchy Lil FrEQ de-esser/analog equalizer and the hairy, fat-sounding Mike-E saturator/compressor. Turns out, these two get along like gangbusters.

Combined and configured for mixing, this pairing stuffs obscene amounts of power, punch, character, and analog warmth into a single channel strip. With the highly valued Console 1 workflow and bone-deep ELI sound, Trak Pak is unique for Console 1 and unlike anything on the pro audio market today. Drop exceptional analog sound and the perfect amount of vintage mojo onto your ecosystem with the Empirical Labs Trak Pak.

Features:

• The punchiest strip in the Console 1 ecosystem
• Created in partnership with the one-and-only Dave Derr and Empirical Labs​
• The closest thing yet to an Empirical Labs console
• Featuring Lil FrEQ’s EQ/de-ess and Mike-E’s comp/sat on the Console 1 sections

Designed by Experts, Built on Legacy
Softube has a long history of modeling professional gear. After nearly two decades working in collaboration with premium pro audio brands like Tube-Tech, Solid State Logic, Chandler Limited®, Weiss Engineering, and Trident, we have a solid track record recreating indisputable classics in software form that sound precisely like their hardware counterparts.

Empirical Labs Trak Pak for Console 1 is built on this legacy, and we took the same meticulous approach we always do – everything needs to be exact, with skillful recording, precise testing, and fine-tuning to sound exactly like the hardware that inspired it or even better. Nothing less.

Coming Out Shining: the ELI sound
Masterfully recreated in cooperation with Dave Derr and Empirical Labs, Trak Pak is a channel strip unlike any other in our catalog. It combines the signature ELI sound with the myriad workflow benefits that Console 1 is known and loved for. It’s the nearest thing to an ELI console going.

Between the Eyes: Mike-E’s compression and distortion
The Mike-E compressor is that flawless blend of compression and distortion that modern production tracks demand. To make it more versatile, we split its functions into two Console 1 sections: Compressor and Drive. Compressor handles the pure compression side of things while Drive administers the gritty and warm distortion that Mike-E is famous for.

Smashing Punches: Lil FrEQ’s EQ, filters and De-ess section
The four-band parametric EQ, with the LF and HF sporting the now-classic fixed-frequency shelving filters. Added non-stepped high- and low-cut. The De-esser/HF Limiter in the Shape Section, making for some truly original sounds when combined with Mike-E’s impressive Compressor and Drive sections. The heart and soul of Lil FrEQ have been transplanted into Trak Pak. And it’s giving us life.

Temple of ELI
Based on components from the precisely-modeled Empirical Labs Lil FrEQ and Mike-E units, Trak Pak is our punchiest-ever channel strip for Console 1. Configured for mixing pros and optimized for the Console 1 workflow, Trak Pak features Lil FrEQ’s High-Pass filter and a newly designed Low-Pass filter in the Input Section, Lil FrEQ’s De-esser/HF Limiter in the Shape Section, and Lil FrEQ’s parametric EQ and High/Low Shelving in the Equalizer Section.

Mike-E makes his mark in the Compressor Section. Trak Pak’s Compression Section is the compression section from Mike-E’s CompSat, which is based on the famous Distressor. Coming straight from the “sat” in Mike-E’s CompSat, Trak Pak’s Drive Section offers full-on, retro-flavored distortion. If you’ve ever been curious about how a Mike-E/Lil-FrEQ supergroup would sound, check out Trak Pak.