iZotope Neutron 4

S
ince Neutron 3,
which first hit the
virtual shelves in
2019, iZotope seem
to have taken some
time to mull their
next steps with the
plugin. Neutron 4 takes what was
already a sophisticated suite of
mixing tools – compression, EQ,
transient shaping, distortion and the
like – and offers some enhancements,
some additions and some new ways
of working. The artificial intelligence
bent is still evident throughout, but it
new way of working. Activate it and
you’ll be asked to start playback, after
which Neutron will crunch the
numbers and come up with a set of
modules – and requisite settings – as
a starting point for your mix.
Assistant View identifies the
instrument you’re using and offers
four key areas that, in theory, should
play the most crucial part in shaping
your sound: Tone Match, Punch,
Distort and Width. The whole window
is well set up and easy to make sense
of for broadstrokes changes or
beginners. The ‘old-school’ view of
your loaded modules and their full
parameter sets is still available, only
now this is known as Detailed View.
The Assistant View controls are all
actually macros that command
particular features of the modules
added to the processing chain: Tone
Match operates a Sculptor’s amount
to make the track conform to an
‘ideal’ spectral response, Punch
operates the controls on the new
Punch compressor (more on that
elsewhere), Distort commands the
Exciter module behind the scenes,
and Width controls the output Width
control of the chain.
These four processing areas might
not sound like they’ll play the most
crucial role in the mixing experience
– “Hey, where’s my EQ and vintage
compressor??” – but in use, the
results prove the choices are a very
reliable and effective way to get a
solid first mix.
Unmasking made simple
Neutron’s newest module, Unmask,
offers a quick and easy way to get a
sound out of another’s way. While
Neutron was already equipped with a
masking view as part of its EQs, the
idea here is to load Unmask onto a
sound (eg a piano) and sidechain in
the sound (eg a vocal) that you want
to make space for.
In use, Unmask works very well.
Not only can you simply and quickly
officiate the competition between two
sounds, you can set how strongly this
is done (Sensitivity) and define the
Attack and Release times of the
effect. Vocals are, in particular,
effectively brought out when
sidechained into competing channels
(send the vocal to the sidechain
pre-reverb for better results). Even
kick and bass can be tidied up very
effectively using the Unmask module,
although the process takes a little
longer in fine-tuning Attack and
Release times.
Unmask is a true candidate for
replacing multiple tools in your
doesn’t make itself a compulsory part
of the experience.
Chief among the new additions is
the Assistant View, a new, simpler
and more intuitive window for making
crucial changes to a channel’s sound.
A key part of this view and workflow
are the new Punch mode on the
Compressor module and a beefed-up
Exciter module. Elsewhere, there’s an
Unmask module to quickly get a
sound out of another sound’s way.
In need of assistance
Assistant View gives Neutron users a
THE PROS & CONS
+
Unmask module
provides instant
mix readiness
Exciter is much
more versatile
Assistant View is
great for beginners
-
Expensive
WHAT CAME BEFORE
iZotope Neutron is a mixing plugin suite that comes with
seven modules: EQ, Compressor (two are available),
Exciter, Gate, Sculptor, Transient Shaper and now
Unmask. For self-service mixing applications, these
modules can be added to the chain, re-ordered and
tweaked as necessary, or you can call on the AI
assistance function to give you a few recommended
modules and a startpoint for their parameters, based on
an analysis of your audio. Also included are the Visual
Mixer and Tonal Balance Control plugins, to help you
balance a
mix on one
screen, and
compare your
spectral
power to
averages that
are based on
commercial
music norms.
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iZotope Neutron 4 | Reviews
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