MOTUnation.com

At year end, things slow down around here and I can do some evaluation.

Looking at my Slate Digital account, I realized that I purchased the Slate plugs I use all the time... the Everything Bundle was going to renew in about 2 weeks (like I say, I do all this kind of stuff year end), and would give me access to a bunch of EQ and 'verb plugs I'm not really using very often.

I also checked out Izotope's year end sale on the Ozone/Neutron bundle, and was amazed to find that I could save another hundred bucks for owning some other Izotope stuff. Interestingly, the "me" price for "Advanced" versions of both programs was exactly the same price I was about to autospend on the Everything Bundle, sooo.....

I paused my Everything Bundle and bought the Izotope stuff! After reading reviews and checking out Groove3's Ozone videos, it was a no-brainer. I still own the VMR, VBCs, FG-X, the VCC and SSD4 from Slate, and bought the ReLab LX480 earlier this year ... I won't miss the others.

Ozone 8 Advanced looks like the absolute killer mastering app. Can't wait to dive in!

Gravity Jim wrote: Ozone 8 Advanced looks like the absolute killer mastering app. Can't wait to dive in!

I'm ridiculous when it comes to this, but I'm torn about buying that same bundle. It's about $400 for me, which isn't a huge amount, but I mainly master for my own demos and releases, I don't do much professional level stuff, so ease of use, i.e. all the integrated automagical mastering algorithms they tout in the new version looks at the very least to be a great starting point. The tonal balance thing if it works right would be useful for those times when ear fatigue makes you like an overly dull or tinny mix...

What I should do though is get more and more comfortable with what I have, since I have stellar mastering software as it is in DMG Limitless, EQuilibrium, and PSP Xeon, Master Compressor... not to mention Fabfilter Pro L, Q and C as a bundle. I suppose it's time to sell some of this anyway, so there's that. I also suppose I wouldn't lose a lot if I sold it a month from now after the sale is over and someone else is cursing their misfortune to have to pay full price. GAS is a thing...

I looked at all the bundles and realized that the $299 iZotope Music Production Suite Upgrade from Music Production Bundle 2 was the ticket for me as I had everything in the older package. Now I have a single serial number to cover them all.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search ... &Go=Search

I have spent so much money over the years on various bundles and upgrades that, at last count, I had 15 upgrade coupons in my Izotope account.

Mike C., I hear ya. I felt that FG-X was a big leap forward in my mastering chain, but these Groove3 videos sold it for me. Still, if it hadn't been the same $299 that I had just avoided spending on the Everything Thing... I might have passed.

Mike H., I did the same thing. I was completely on the fence about the $499 deal... but when I snooped around the website and found they'd sell it to me for $299, I bought it so fast I can't remember doing it.

PS: Only had time to dip a toe this PM, but I must say these Izotope plugs sound grrrrreat!, even at first blush. Super clean and balanced... you can tell however you set them that this is very high-quality DSP.

Gravity Jim wrote: Mike H., I did the same thing. I was completely on the fence about the $499 deal... but when I snooped around the website and found they'd sell it to me for $299, I bought it so fast I can't remember doing it.

I bought from Sweetwater and expected to be asked for the qualifying serial numbers (I got lots and lots) and wondering how I was going to enter them all or, if one, which? But that never happened.



The email I received said, Offers expire October 31, 2017.

Gravity Jim wrote:Mike C., I hear ya. I felt that FG-X was a big leap forward in my mastering chain, but these Groove3 videos sold it for me. Still, if it hadn't been the same $299 that I had just avoided spending on the Everything Thing... I might have passed.

Bit on the O8 N2 bundle, almost went with the whole suite, but Ableton 10 is coming in a few weeks among other $200+ expenses coming up. I found too many things useful, the built in LUFs calculator in the mastering limiter, the Tonal Balance Control, that's a perfect thing for ear fatigue IMO. Anyway it will be near free after selling various mastering limiters.. Audiodeluxe had it at $338 (for owning standad iZo plug ins) after their discounts.

First impressions on just using Tonal Balance Control and Ozone 8, haven't had much time to get into Neutron 2. Money well spent. The speed that I can get a decent sounding master just calling up the web streaming setting and letting Ozone do the work, then tweaking here and there is crazy! This is with the "modern" setting alone, which is basically going to get you a radio friendly master. I can imagine with using your own batch of songs to learn the setting of then tweaking, this could be a real threat to mastering houses, at least for small potatoes underground music like myself and others.

I think for me anyway, I can't mix and master my own stuff half as well as I can someone else's stuff. After spending hours or days composing it, ear fatigue is a real thing for me, but having the built in guidelines in Ozone and I would guess Neutron too, is going to save me from some pretty crazy sounding mixes!

I think I can safely say I'm going to sell the other mastering plug ins I own, and just concentrate on learning the ins and outs of Ozone . A lot of people online are complaining about the awkward or not very generous upgrade prices to this new suite for Production Bundle etc. but there's a ton of new tech in this pair, and I would guess for a lot of ultra pro mastering gurus it's not that necessary, but to me I would say it's damn well worth it, even if I wasn't able to cut cost selling other plug ins to make up for the price.

I just finished getting an instrumental project of mine mastered back at the initial recording studio, because the guy that owns the place is really great at both recording and mastering projects.

After setting some compression and reverb for the horns, he opened up Ozone for the main mix.

He said that he's learnt everything about mastering, spent thousands of dollars, read all the books, taken lessons himself from other engineers, and has even taught recording at a nearby university.....but that Ozone does everything he wants!

My horn project now sounds like it was recorded and engineered by some guru's from the '60's. Sound wonderful!

So I bought Ozone Advanced myself just yesterday using my loyalty discount.

It's great. Pretty amazing what one can purchase. No regrets for this money out the door!