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I Tried Mastering a Track in My Car with IK Multimedia T-RackS - Here's What Happened

I put T-RackS 6 MAX to the test by mastering my band’s new track entirely from my car - and the results surprised me. With just a laptop, Bluetooth connection, and the right presets, I achieved a pro-level master without stepping into the studio.

By Chris RoditisMusicngear Lead Editor

You’ve just wrapped up your latest mix, and it sounds perfect in your studio monitors. Full of excitement, you hop into your car, plug in your phone, and hit play. Disaster. The stereo image is wonky, the bass swallows everything, and the track feels lifeless and flat. If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone.

For many of us, the car is the ultimate truth-teller, and often where we spend most of our time listening to music. It only makes sense to consider: What if I could master my track directly in the car? Well, that's exactly what I set out to explore.

The Setup: What You Need

Mastering your music inside your car might sound unconventional, but with just a few essential pieces of gear and the right approach, it’s entirely possible to achieve professional-sounding results on the go. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

1. Audio Connection

• Preferred method: AUX cable from your laptop’s line-out to the car’s AUX-in (for the best quality).

• Alternative: Bluetooth (version 5.0 or newer) - convenient, but introduces mild audio degradation.

I went with Bluetooth for simplicity.

2. A Laptop with Mastering Software

My go-to has long been IK Multimedia T-RackS, a suite I've trusted for its intuitive interface and professional-grade mastering tools - and I recently upgraded to IK Multimedia T-RackS 6 Max see price , which offers an even broader range of powerful modules and enhanced metering.

To run it smoothly, you'll want a laptop with a sufficiently powerful processor (ideally Intel i5 7th generation or better), at least 16GB of RAM, a fast M.2 SSD for quick file access, and a long-lasting battery to keep you going during those extended mastering sessions away from the studio.

The Track: Britpop Meets Synthpop

I decided to test this “car mastering” approach on my band Mobvibe’s upcoming track, Sunday Afternoon - a britpop-inspired rock anthem that veers into synthpop during the choruses. Plenty of dynamic and tonal range to put both my mastering software and my car to the test.

Getting Started: Preparing the Master

I downloaded the IK Multimedia Product Manager, registered a new account, and installed T-RackS 6 MAX with just a click. Next, I fired up Ableton Live, made sure there was at least 6dB of headroom on the master channel, and exported the mix as a 32-bit WAV file with no dithering. I briefly considered inserting T-RackS One into the master bus to allow real-time tweaks during export, but ultimately decided to keep the process clean and focused on mastering a finished mix rather than adjusting the mix itself.

Into the Wild: When The Car Becomes A Studio

Armed with my Fujitsu T939 (Intel Core i7-8665U, 16GB RAM), a cold bottle of water, and curiosity, I stepped into my mobile studio: a Nissan X-Trail on a blazing 33°C summer day. With all four windows down and AC on low, I connected my laptop to the car stereo via Bluetooth, launched the T-RackS Mastering Console, loaded my WAV file into a new project - and hit play. Nothing. A quick trip to Preferences > Output Device > Headphones (MYCAR), and boom - crystal clear sound with near zero latency.

The Preset Hunt Begins

First, I opened Metering and selected the Pop-Rock LUFS profile, targeting a loudness range of -10.5 to -7 LUFS Integrated.

Then, I began cycling through T-RackS' available mastering presets, listening to each one from the car speakers. After around 30 minutes, I narrowed it down to four favorites:

• Simple Parallel

• Multiband and Pump

• Electronic Power

• Vintage in Between

To compare them more easily, I loaded each preset into a different Chain slot using the incredibly useful Chain A/B/C/D feature. This allowed instant switching between them.

Note: I had "Equal Gain" turned off - this means I was hearing each preset at its actual output level, not volume-matched. This helps gauge how close each preset is to your desired loudness range before further tweaking.

Dialing In the Perfect Sound

I chose "Vintage in Between," a preset featuring EQual, VC-670, EQP-1A, and ONE (the all-in-one processor). Why? It already sounded great and featured modules I was comfortable with. Here's how I tweaked it:

• EQual: Added +1 dB low-end boost
• VC-670: +2 dB to both input gain channels (for compression coloration)
• EQP-1A: +0.5 dB to the low frequency
• ONE: Increased Width slightly, Push +2 dB, Volume +1 dB

At this point, I was at -10.7 LUFS, so I gave the VC-670 a final output push of +0.6 dB - reaching the perfect -10.5 LUFS mark. Mission accomplished.

(I don’t usually follow the common advice of targeting around -14 LUFS Integrated for digital releases because that often results in low volume for my taste; instead, I aim for about -10.5 LUFS Integrated with a peak around -0.5 dB to leave enough headroom and avoid clipping while still achieving a punchy, loud master.)

Wrapping It Up: Did It Work?

Mastering from the driver’s seat isn’t exactly ergonomic. But it absolutely beats running back and forth between studio and car every time you notice something’s off. With the right setup and the intuitive interface of T-RackS 6 MAX, I managed to create a professional-sounding master in the most objective listening environment I own: my car stereo.

The result? Sunday Afternoon now sounds flawless - from the high-end sparkle to the low-end punch - and I didn’t even have to leave the driveway. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off on my favorite forest route, windows down, and the song blasting at full volume.

Try It Yourself

You can get T-RackS 6 MAX here
Give it a shot - your car might just be your new favorite mastering room!

About Chris Roditis

Chris Roditis has been an active musician since 1995 in various bands and projects across a variety of genres ranging from acoustic, electronic to nu metal, british rock and trip hop. He has extensive experience as a mixing engineer and producer and has built recording studios for most of the projects he has been involved with. His passion for music steered his entrepreneurial skills into founding MusicNGear in 2012.

Contact Chris Roditis at chrisroditis@musicngear.com

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