The TC Electronic Finalizer Express is a stereo mastering processor designed to be inserted between the stereo output of a mixer or workstation and the final mastering recording medium. Released with an August 1998 Version 1.0 manual, the TC Electronic Finalizer Express was positioned as a fast and efficient way to turn a mix into a professional master, drawing on TC Electronic’s Finalizer mastering technology in a simplified and direct hardware format. ([ZZounds][1])
The TC Electronic Finalizer Express was intended to add the finishing stages of clarity, warmth and punch to a stereo mix, while helping prevent digital overs during the mastering process. Its role was to refine completed mixes before recording them to the final master format, improving spectral balance, tightening bass, optimising level and giving the mix the character of a finished master.
At the centre of the TC Electronic Finalizer Express is TC Electronic’s multiband compressor and limiter processing. The unit allows the incoming stereo signal to be shaped across three bands, with Spectral Balance controls for low, mid and high frequency adjustment. This allowed the user to boost or cut across three frequency areas while also applying multiband dynamics processing, giving the TC Electronic Finalizer Express a simplified mastering workflow without requiring the user to manually configure a large number of detailed parameters.
The Finalize Matrix provided 25 variations in style and rate, allowing the user to choose different combinations of processing intensity and response. The lower-left area of the matrix was used for more subtle dynamics processing, while the upper-right area provided heavier and fuller processing. This interface made the TC Electronic Finalizer Express much more immediate than more menu-driven mastering processors, with a front panel designed for fast operation and clear visual feedback.
The TC Electronic Finalizer Express included Automatic Make-Up Gain for optimising overall level, along with Emphasis keys that added extra compression in each band. Soft Clipping was included to help prevent overs, while the Look Ahead Delay allowed the processor to foresee incoming peaks and respond more accurately to transient information. The Normalize Soft-Clip section was described as emulating the input stage of analogue preamplifiers, adding soft saturation while retaining operation within the digital domain.
Connectivity was a major part of the TC Electronic Finalizer Express design. The unit included balanced analogue XLR inputs and outputs, along with AES/EBU, S/PDIF and optical Tos-link digital connections. It used 24-bit resolution A/D and D/A conversion, with 16-bit and 20-bit dithering for digital output. The digital I/O supported AES/EBU, S/PDIF, EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958 and EIAJ optical formats, with sample rates of 44.1kHz and 48kHz.
The TC Electronic Finalizer Express also provided high-resolution LED metering for input, output and multiband gain reduction. The meter section allowed the user to see input and output levels, soft clipping and compression activity, giving a clear indication of what the processor was doing to the stereo signal. A bypass control allowed direct comparison between the processed and unprocessed signal.
Fade control was also included. The TC Electronic Finalizer Express could record fades from its built-in digital fader, from the optional TC Master Fader, or via MIDI. It could also transmit fader values over MIDI, allowing a fade to be recorded into a MIDI sequencer and played back later.
The TC Electronic Finalizer Express was housed in a 1U rackmount chassis with an anodised aluminium front panel and plated and painted steel chassis. It used an auto-selecting mains power supply covering 100 to 240V AC at 50 to 60Hz, with power consumption below 20W.
Features
- Based on TC Electronic Finalizer mastering technology
- Designed to be inserted between a stereo mixer or workstation output and mastering recording media
- TC Electronic multiband compressor and limiter algorithms
- Three-band Spectral Balance controls for low, mid and high adjustment
- Finalize Matrix with 25 variations in style and rate
- Automatic Make-Up Gain for level optimisation
- Emphasis keys for adding extra compression in each band
- Soft Clipping to help prevent overs
- Look Ahead Delay for faster and more accurate peak response
- Normalize Soft-Clip section for soft saturation within the digital domain
- 24-bit resolution A/D and D/A conversion
- 16-bit and 20-bit dithering
- AES/EBU, S/PDIF, optical Tos-link and MIDI connectivity
- High-resolution LED metering for input, output and multiband gain reduction
- Built-in digital fader with optional TC Master Fader and MIDI control
- Bypass control for comparing processed and unprocessed signal
- Balanced analogue XLR input and output connections
- PCMCIA interface supporting SRAM cards up to 2MB
