FasTrack is the go-to plugin when you need to work quickly and effectively. It can improve the sound quality of live vocals or spoken word whether you’re recording a podcast, live streaming, in the studio, on stage, or broadcasting. FasTrack is the star of the show when working with karaoke! If you are working within a DAW but need the immediacy of a live console workflow, FasTrack is the plugin you need.

 

Features

• 14 expertly curated presets to get you started fast
• 11 unique ultra low latency processing components  
• Dynamics gate, de-esser and compressor
• Harrison’s famed 32C parametric EQ with High Pass Low Pass filters
• Chorus, delay and reverb effects
• Flexible signal processing routing

 

Presets

With the Presets module, you can switch between different presets in seconds without wasting time on menus. Whether you need a preset for vocals, drums, guitars, or keyboards, you can find it in the 14 factory presets or create your own in the 6 user preset slots. The Presets module lets you customize your sound on the fly and adapt to any live situation.

Factory Presets

The factory presets are meant to serve as helpful starting points for various types of signals including vocals, drums, and bass. Below is a list of factory presets along with some useful mixer notes for each.

 

Noise Gate

Background noise can ruin your mix and make it sound muddy and unprofessional. That’s why you need a quality noise gate. FasTrack’s noise gate is a powerful dynamics processor that can easily attenuate any signal that is below a level that you set. Eliminate unwanted noise from your tracks and make them sound clean and clear. The Noise Gate also has an expander mode that gives you more control over the attack and release of the gate. With the Noise Gate, you can improve the quality of your mix and make it sound better than ever.  

 

De-Esser

Get rid of those annoying sibilance sounds that ruin your vocals and smooth out the harsh frequencies that make your mix sound unpleasant FasTrack implements Harrison’s famous De-Esser algorithm, which is trusted by many professional audio engineers around the world. It is easy to use and effective, and it will make your mix sound more balanced and polished.

 

Compressor

FasTrak’s Compressor module lets you shape the sound of any signal with ease and precision. Whether you want to add some punch to your drums, smooth out your vocals, or glue your mix together, the Compressor module has you covered. The Compressor module also has a sidechain filter so that you can avoid unwanted pumping or ducking effects. With the Compressor module, you can enhance the dynamics of your mix and make it sound more professional and polished.

 

32C Equalizer

Experience the legendary sound of the Harrison 32C channel EQ in your mix. The 32C Equalizer module gives you four bands of sonic sculpting power, with a HI, LOW, and 2 MID bands. Whether you need to add some sparkle, warmth, punch, or clarity, the 32C Equalizer module can help you achieve the perfect balance for your tracks.

 

32C Filters

The 32C Filter module is a powerful tool for shaping your sound to perfection. You can use the High-Pass Filter (HPF) and the Low-Pass Filter (LPF) to dial in the exact frequency range of your signal. Whether you need to cut out low-end mud, smooth out harsh treble, or add some creative flair, the 32C Filter module offers you the versatility and quality you need to make your mix sound better.

 

Chorus

The Chorus module is an effect that can be used to add width and depth to a signal. The chorus effect essentially creates multiple duplicates of the signal and adjusts their pitch and delay to create the perception of multiple overlaid voices. This effect is particularly useful on vocals, but it can be used on other types of signals as well. 

The detune knob controls the amount in which the 2 voices are pitch-shifted up and down from the original signal (measured in cents).

The delay knob adjusts the delay offset from the original signal in milliseconds.

The mix knob sets the percentage of wet signal that gets blended with the dry signal.   

 

Delay & Reverb

Parallel Effects Processing

Note that the following Delay and Reverb modules are different from the other processing modules because they are processed in parallel with the main signal path. This means that the signal is split off from the main path to be processed by the effects and then gets added back to the main path at the end of the signal chain just before the final output stage. This routing is meant to emulate the traditional method of using effects sends/returns and allows the effects’ output level controls to function as effects return faders for blending the effects signals with the main “dry” signal. 

The delay and reverb “sends” are the points along the signal chain in which the signal splits off from the main path and gets sent to either of the effects paths. These sends can be located either pre or post processing. Pre-processing means the signal is sent to the effect at the very beginning of the signal chain before it has been processed by any of the other modules. Post-Processing means that the signal is sent at the end of the signal chain after it has been processed by the other modules. The PRE buttons located in the top bars of the Delay and Reverb modules allow for toggling each effect’s send between pre and post processing. In the Routing Section there are 2 markers labeled “DELAY” and “REVERB” which show the positions of the effects’ sends.

 

Delay

The Delay module is a basic delay effect that is primarily used for adding short delays to vocal signals. 

The delay time sets the amount in milliseconds that the wet signal is delayed from the original dry signal. This control is capable of setting short delay times up to 250 ms.

The feedback sets the percentage of signal that gets fed back into the delay and can be used to set the amount of delay repetitions. Note that setting the Feedback to 100% will cause the delay to enter an endless loop of repetitions that can only be stopped by bringing the feedback down below 100%.

LPF and HPF sliders set the cutoff frequencies for the low and high-pass filters which are applied to the delayed signal.

The output level slider on the right controls the level of the “wet” delay signal that gets added to the main “dry” signal just before the final output stage (see section on “Parallel Effects Processing” above).  

 

Reverb

The Reverb module is a useful effect for altering the spacial characteristics of signals.

The room size controls the size of the simulated space for reverberations and essentially dictates the decay time (larger room size = longer decay time).

The damping controls the damping properties of the surfaces being reflected off of, which affects the presence of high frequencies in the reverb tail. More damping will decrease high frequency reverberations to create a warmer reverb sound while less damping will increase high frequency reverberations for a brighter sound.

The LPF and HPF set the cutoff frequencies for the low and high-pass filters which are applied to the reverb signal.

The output level slider on the right controls the level of the “wet” reverb signal that gets added to the main “dry” signal just before the final output stage (see section on “Parallel Effects Processing” above).  

 

Master Controls

The Master Controls module contains controls that affect the input and output stages of the plugin as well as a VU-style output meter. 

The master input trim on the left adjusts the gain of the signal at the input stage before any other processing takes place. If you’re working with a signal that is too low or too high, the master input trim can be used to adjust the level so that it is more suitable for mixing. 

The polarity button in the middle inverts the polarity of the input signal when selected.

The master output trim on the right adjusts the gain of the signal at the final output stage after all other processing has taken place. This can be used to increase or decrease the output level to compensate for any gain changes caused by any of the internal processing elements. 

The output meter at the top of the module displays the overall output level in dBFS.

 

Routing

FasTrack lets you customize the order of the 6 processing elements at the bottom. Just drag and drop them to change the order. You can also swap them by dragging one over another. The INPUT and OUTPUT controls are always at the start and end. This way, you can shape your sound exactly how you want it.

 

Additional Features

At the top-right corner of the plugin window are the Momentary Bypass and Settings buttons.

Momentary Bypass

The Momentary Bypass button bypasses the plugin for as long as it's held. This is useful for auditioning A/B comparisons quickly. 

 

Settings

The Settings button reveals a pop-up menu where the window size can be adjusted. It also contains a link to the plugin manual and version info at the bottom.

 

Control Behaviors & Shortcuts

Various mouse & keyboard shortcuts can be used to perform certain actions on the following controls:

Sliders/Knobs

 

Labels

 

Combo Boxes (Drop-down menus)

 

Band Controls

 

Graph Rulers

 

System Requirements

Your system must meet the following requirements in order to run Harrison plugins:

• Windows 7 or higher
• Mac OS 10.9 or higher
• Linux GCC 5 compatible systems
• OpenGL 3.2 or higher
• libcurl-gnutls on Linux

macOS M1/ARM Support: This plug-in is provided as a universal binary for macOS and features native M1 support.

Note for Pro Tools users: Pro Tools 11 or higher is required on Mac, 10.3.5 or higher is required on Windows.

Additional requirements on Windows

Harrison plugins require the “Windows C++ Universal Runtime” to be installed on your computer.  Universal runtime is part of the system’s core libraries on Windows 10. On Windows versions Vista to 8.1,  it will be automatically installed via Windows Update. It is also possible to install the runtime manually, but that is outside the scope of this manual.

Note for Linux Users

If you’re experiencing issues with the plugin’s graphics or the GUI isn’t showing up correctly on Linux, make sure your system’s graphics driver supports the minimum required OpenGL version of 3.2 or higher. To check this, run glxinfo | grep Max in a terminal window and make sure that the value listed for the OpenGL core profile version string is at least 3.2 or greater.

If your core profile version meets this requirement but you are still experiencing graphics issues like the ones mentioned above, it is likely that your system is reporting an OpenGL version lower than 3.2 to ensure backwards compatibility with deprecated OpenGL functions. To work around this, you can force the system to report an OpenGL version of 3.2 or higher by setting this environment variable: MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=3.2

You can use this as a prefix when opening your DAW from a terminal command like so:

MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=3.2 {command_to_launch_program}

This will set the environment variable for that particular terminal session only, so it will be reset once the session is ended. If you don’t want to run this command every time you launch your DAW, you can set the environment variable in your profile script so that it automatically gets set every time you login.

 

Installation & Licensing

Licensing on macOS & Windows

This plugin is licensed through iLok on macOS and Windows. Visit iLok, Licensing and Activation for guidance on activating your Harrison plug-in. 

 

Licensing on Linux

This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)

In DEMO mode, after using the plugin for a certain amount of time, it will display a message:

This message will come up periodically unless a license is provided. You can purchase a license directly from Harrison’s web store or from an authorized plugin reseller. Once you’ve purchased a license, install it by entering your license key into the designated field on this screen. Continue to the next section for detailed instructions on how to obtain your license key. 

Obtaining your License Key

After you purchase a license, you will receive a license key that will look something like this:

{your  name}*AVA-BF*DC-138971-151520-1|gGLbnvCZJe386ULohzfQN6cIsoZ71n7c+AUg==|

This license key is required to install your license and activate the full version of the plugin. The way to obtain your license key varies depending on where you purchased the license from.

If you purchased the license from Harrison’s web store, you will receive an email with a link to download a text file containing your license key. If you purchased the license from a reseller, you will receive an email containing the license key text.

 

Licensing your Plugin

When prompted by the plugin, copy and paste your license key into the designated text input field. This will automatically install your license and register it with the plugin.

Once installed, Harrison’s license files are simple text (.txt) files which are stored in the user’s HOME folder. The HOME folder is the folder that contains your Desktop, Downloads and other folders. The location of your HOME folder is different for each operating system:

• Linux: /home/{your username}

You may keep a copy of this file for your own use. The license is a per-user license and you may install the license file on all of your computers. To install the file on a new computer, simply save the file to a USB key or other transferable disk; then transfer the license file to the new computer’s HOME folder. The license file has your name encrypted in it, so you should not share it with other people. Your name will appear on the top of the plugin’s control panel to indicate that it is licensed to you.

The plugin will automatically detect your license key as long as the license file is stored in the HOME folder of the computer you are using. After transferring the license file to a new computer, it may be necessary to close and re-open your DAW in order for the plugin to detect the license.

If you don’t want to keep your license in your HOME folder for whatever reason, you may also store it in the following alternative location:  ~/.config/harrisonconsoles

 

Finding the plugin in your DAW 

DAW operations vary tremendously. Generally speaking, to use the plugin you must follow these steps:

1. Install the plugins, using the provided plugin installer application.
2. Follow your DAW’s instructions to “scan” for new plugins.

Please refer to your DAW manual to see which plugin formats (AAX, AU, VST, or VST3) are supported by your workstation.

Most plugin formats require that plugins are installed to a specific location on the system. In these cases, the installer will place the plugins in the default locations.

For VST format, on Windows, it is normally expected that the user defines the location of VST plugins, and tells the workstation where to find the plugins. The default location for VST plugins is C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VST.  The plugin installer will save the VST (.dll) files to that location if a custom VST path is not provided by the OS.  If you are having trouble, you should verify that the path is included in your DAW VST scan paths.

 

Thank you for purchasing this Harrison plugin!

Harrison has been making products for the audio engineering industry since 1975. We continue to make these products, with intense dedication, from our Nashville, Tennessee factory.  

As the audio industry has changed through the decades, Harrison has too. Originally launched to provide mixing consoles for music recording studios, the Harrison brand has extended to provide products for live broadcast, live sound, theater installations, post-production, film dubbing stages, and bedroom studios. We’ve lived through the launch of the commercial music industry, the maturation of analog, the digital revolution, the establishment of the internet, and now the acceptance of computers as the de-facto platform for the audio industry. In our pursuit of audio excellence, we’ve developed our own analog circuits, digital I/O solutions, digital DSP engines, control surfaces, audio workstations, and nearly every aspect of pro-audio technology.

“If you asked a hundred engineers, mixers and producers to define the “perfect console” you would probably get a hundred answers. The answers, however, would all contain the same salient points.”
“The “perfect console” would have totally transparent sound, capturing the true musical quality of all performances. It would have unlimited features, facilities, and functions. It would perform all required tasks with a minimum of operator effort. It would be totally reliable and require no preventive or corrective maintenance…
You can spend the rest of your life looking for the “perfect console”. You’ll never find it. You will find, however, that we have what you need.”- quote attributed to Dave Harrison;  Harrison MR20 brochure; circa 1982

True-er words were never spoken; indeed every year there are many products and technologies that seem tantalizingly necessary for audio excellence. Our lasting experience has proven that simple, straightforward, well-engineered, and great-sounding tools are the only necessity.

These plugins represent the pinnacle of Harrison’s engineering practices for digital audio sound & workflow. We sincerely hope that you enjoy using these tools as much as we enjoyed creating them. Your continued support is greatly appreciated!