FAME Studio Reverb

FAME

Studio Reverb

Through these doors: step into the Muscle Shoals sound

Among those in the know, it’s called the “hit recording capital of the world.” For over 60 years, FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, has produced an endless stream of iconic hits powered by a sound that simply can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Above the door hangs the famous sign: “Through these doors walk the finest Musicians, Songwriters, Artists and Producers in the World.” Now, T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb lets you step inside the magic as well, capturing the sonic mojo of this world-changing studio’s live rooms, iso booths, plate reverb and - for the first time in decades - their newly restored chamber.

It’s as close as you can get to adding this little town’s big sound to your recordings.

The sound of music history

Producer Rick Hall built FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) studios in 1960. Funded in part by Rick’s first production, Arthur Alexander’s “You Better Move On,” the first sessions in the new studio produced Jimmy Hughes hit “Steal Away,” the Tams’ “What Kind of Fool” and Tommy Roe’s “Everybody.” Major labels were shocked to see a small-town studio produce such a stream of Top 40 hits, and the world quickly took notice.

By the mid-1960s, FAME had established itself as a unique destination for artists of all genres. Backed by the now-famous “Swampers” and “Fame Gang” house bands along with FAME’s legendary lead guitarists Duane Allman, Eddie Hinton, Reggie Young and Travis Wammack, FAME delivered hits for Etta James, Clarence Carter, Wilson Pickett, Lou Rawls, Little Richard and Aretha Franklin, cementing the Muscle Shoals Sound and FAME’s reputation for sonic excellence.

By the 1970s, FAME had established Muscle Shoals as an international draw, attracting artists from around the world. And FAME has stayed strong ever since, hosting talent like Alison Krauss, Demi Lovato, The Raconteurs, Steven Tyler, Ann Wilson, the Revivalists and countless more.

An entire studio’s worth of spaces in one plug-in

T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb offers a total of 9 spaces, with 2 live rooms, 5 iso booths, an EMT plate reverb and FAME’s newly restored echo chamber, plus Modern and Vintage modes for each, giving you a full suite of reverb effects in a single plug-in.

Audition sounds faster with everything in a single plug-in, so you don’t have to jump between chamber, plate and room plug-ins to experiment with what sounds best.

A newly restored part of music history

In addition to the rooms and plate, IK is proud to have helped FAME’s Rodney Hall restore one of FAME’s original echo chambers. Long out of use, this newly restored chamber is equipped just as it was in the ’60s and sounds every bit as amazing now as it did then.

That exact sound, instrument by instrument

IK worked hand-in-hand with FAME to precisely capture not just the mic placement used on all their iconic albums, but where the performers were as well. Select which instrument you’re processing and T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb instantly re-positions both microphones and source in the room, putting you right where the magic happened.

From Aretha Franklin’s setup on the piano to Duane Allman’s favorite spots for guitar amps, it’s all in here.

Iconic consoles for iconic spaces

Beyond using FAME’s extensive vintage mic locker, IK took care to capture each studio’s unique sonic signature.

Studio A boasts a Neve 8232 console, while Studio B, recently renovated and restored by Rodney and GRAMMY award-winning producer Glenn Rosenstein, offers an SSL 6056 E formerly loved by Stevie Ray Vaughan and used on his most successful albums.

Or, for a more vintage sound, you can switch either studio to use FAME’s original Universal Audio 610 console, hand-built for FAME, to precisely capture the vibes of FAME’s earliest decades.

The deepest level of authenticity

To capture both the unique acoustics of each studio, IK used its unique Volumetric Response Modeling (VRM™), an advanced hybrid convolution technique, to deliver the highest-quality reverb effects possible.

T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb takes this to a whole new level, using proprietary new techniques to enhance the measurement process for a truly immersive experience. The new SPREAD control lets you broaden each room’s response to best fit your sound source.

Choose BROAD for more open sources like drums, piano or vocals, or FOCUSED to mimic the more focused sound of a guitar amp or brass instrument. IK’s VRM technology captured both reverberation patterns to ensure you always get the most true-to-life experience.

Convenient tone shaping

T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb offers all the necessary controls to shape your spaces including reverb time, width and frequency controls, microphone controls (left, right, or both) and accurate leveling/monitoring of the mixed signals.

To offer even more realism, when using the two studio’s live rooms, FAME Studio Reverb offers two faders for mono room ambience, which can be mixed into the stereo signal or used alone, just as you could if recording at FAME itself.

Features

• Captures the sound and vibe of the iconic FAME Studios
• Includes both studios with iso booths, chamber and plate reverb
• Includes FAME’s newly restored original echo chamber
• Dedicated mic positions per instrument deliver unmatched authenticity
• Console preamp modeling lets you add the vintage sound of FAME’s original console to each studio space
• Newly improved, proprietary VRM™ technology delivers the most realistic sound spaces ever
• Pre-delay & Decay Time controls, EQ and mic options
• Dry and Wet signal level controls with solo buttons

System Requirements

Mac® (64-bits)

• Minimal: Apple M1 or Intel® Core i5 Processor, 8 GB of RAM, macOS® 10.15 or newer (macOS 11 or newer required for Apple Silicon Processors). 9 GB of hard drive space.
• Requires an OpenGL 2 compatible graphics adapter.
• Supported Plug-in formats (64-bit): Audio Units, VST 2, VST 3, AAX.

Windows® (64-bits)

• Minimal: Intel® Core i5 Processor or equivalent, 8 GB of RAM, Windows 10 (64 bit) or newer. 9 GB of hard drive space.
• Requires an ASIO compatible sound card.
• Requires an OpenGL 2 compatible graphics adapter.
• Supported Plug-in formats (64-bit): VST 2, VST 3, AAX.

Important note: Internet connection is required as all of the Custom Shop operations are web based.