Among those who know it, it is 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 fueled by a sound that simply can't be found anywhere else in the world.
Above the locked door is the famous sign: “Through these doors pass the best musicians, composers, artists and producers in the world”. Now the T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb also lets you step into the magic, capturing the sonic mojo of this studio's live rooms, iso booths, plate reverb, and - for the first time in decades - its newly restored chamber.
It's as close as you can get to adding the big sound of this small town to your recordings.
Producer Rick Hall built FAME Studios (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) in 1960. Financed in part by Rick's first production, Arthur Alexander's “You Better Move On,” the first sessions at the new studio produced the Jimmy Hughes hit “ Steal Away,” the Tams’ “What Kind of Fool” and Tommy Roe’s “Everybody.” Major record labels were shocked to see a small-town studio produce such a massive influx of Top 40 hits, and the world quickly took notice.
By the mid-1960s, FAME had established itself as a one-stop destination for artists of all genres. Backed by the now famous house bands “Swampers” and “Fame Gang”, along with legendary FAME guitarists Duane Allman, Eddie Hinton, Reggie Young and Travis Wammack, FAME has delivered hits for Etta James, Clarence Carter, Wilson Pickett, Lou Rawls, Little Richard and Aretha Franklin, cementing Muscle Shoals Sound and FAME's reputation for sonic excellence.
In the 1970s, FAME established Muscle Shoals as an international attraction, attracting artists from around the world. And FAME has remained strong ever since, hosting talent like Alison Krauss, Demi Lovato, The Raconteurs, Steven Tyler, Ann Wilson, The Revvalists and many others.
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, offering gives you a complete suite of reverb effects in a single plug-in.
In addition to the rooms and plaque, 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 1960s and sounds as incredible now as it did then.
IK worked hand in hand with FAME to accurately capture not only the microphone placement used on all of their iconic albums, but also where the artists were. Select which instrument you're processing and T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb instantly repositions the mics and source in the room, putting you right where the magic happened.
From Aretha Franklin's piano setup to Duane Allman's favorite guitar amp spots, it's all here.
In addition to using FAME's extensive vintage microphone closet, IK took care to capture each studio's unique sonic signature.
Studio A features 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 previously loved by Stevie Ray Vaughan and used on his most successful albums.
Or, for a more vintage sound, you can switch between studios to use FAME's original Universal Audio 610 console, hand-built for FAME, to accurately capture the vibes of FAME's early decades.
To capture both the unique acoustics of each studio, IK used its exclusive 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 new proprietary techniques to enhance the metering process for a truly immersive experience. The new SPREAD control allows you to broaden the response of each room to better suit your sound source.
Choose BROAD for more open sources like drums, piano, or vocals, or FOCUSED to imitate the more focused sound of a guitar amplifier or brass instrument. IK's VRM technology captures both reverb patterns to ensure you always get the most realistic experience.
T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb offers all the controls you need to shape your spaces, including reverb time, width and frequency controls, mic controls (left, right or both), and precise leveling/monitoring of mixed signals.
To provide even more realism when using the studio's two live rooms, FAME Studio Reverb offers two faders for mono environments, which can be mixed into the stereo signal or used alone, just as you would if you were recording at FAME itself.
Like all T-RackS plug-ins, T-RackS FAME Studio Reverb offers two ways of working: as a single plug-in or within the T-RackS 5 shell.
The T-RackS shell offers a unique modular system with up to 16 processor chains, series & parallel routing, easy A/B/C/D comparison, up to 192 kHz/32-bit floating point processing, and more, both in a plug-in and a standalone mastering application.
T-RackS 5 is a 64-bit application and requires a 64-bit CPU and operating system.
Mac® (64-bit)
Windows® (64-bit)
NOTE: The EQual processor requires an OpenGL 2 compatible graphics adapter.
