Alloy 2 for $99?

[bayswater]

Alloy 2 is $99 for Ozone users until Feb 1. Is there anything unique about it? I think I've got what I want for eq and compressors between DP, Waves and T-Racks, but maybe the exciter and transient shaper is worthwhile? And what does Izotope mean when they talk about zero latency tracking through Alloy effects? How do they do that?

[buzzsmith]

Don't know, but I'm tempted. I have Ozone 4.

What I'd really like to find is something very, very close to the Roger Nichols Dynamizer. (Discontinued...long story.)

I believe that this plug was even mentioned in Bob Katz's book.

I heard a track recently that used this along with an SSL one (name escapes me as I'm at my piano gig) in the mastering chain and I was impressed.

Buzzy


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[Kubi]

Got the offer too since I own Iris... any Izotope product qualifies.

The thing that impressed me the most when I first looked at Alloy was how well thought out this plug-in is. It's very flexible and very easy and fast to use and edit, and I remember it being low on CPU.

Truth is, most of us need another plug-in like we need another spam email - but this one is really designed not to round out what you already have but to replace it most of the time - by being easier and faster to use.

That said, not sure if I need to spend $99 right now...

[mhschmieder]

Alloy is great for quickly throwing out a mix before doing final production work, which of course takes eons. Not sure I'd use it on final production -- at least in full (I might use parts of it).

I wish they'd break this out into components as they did with Ozone, so I could selectively use the parts that are truly professional in final production vs. making as tough all-or-nothing choice.

But to me time is money, and this plug-in does the job when I want to quickly give someone an idea of what a vocal production is going to sound like.

The presets are mostly awful (though improved in version 2), as they are so overdone, but it's easy enough to make your own or edit the ones that are there.

It's very helpful that they have categories and genres as starting points. Possibly even more helpful than in Ozone, where I sometimes wonder what examples they were listening to in each genre.

I own almost all the iZotope plug-ins, except the gimmicky ones named after DJ's/producers (i.e. StutterEdit and T-Pain Effect). I'm also holding out on the dynamics plug-in until it gets revised, as the recent update to the distortion modeling plug-in was truly transformational (I hated v1).

[daniel.sneed]

Alloy is just what I need when it comes to distortion. Very tweakable.

My main usages are adding life to dark vocal tracks and sometime de-essing.

DP Preamp does a great job on exciting, but I find Alloy to be more versatile. IMHO, it does fit in very different contexts.

[wylie1]

Where do you see it for $99 all I see is $1.99

[bayswater]

Where do you see it for $99 all I see is $1.99

It's in an email to users of other Izotope products. Ozone in my case.

[wylie1]

Thanx I see it Jan 15th 6:34pm

[mhschmieder]

My apologies; everything I wrote was in regards to Nectar, not Alloy. I keep getting those two confused.

Unlike Nectar, I use Alloy on final productions constantly. I find it strongest on individual drums and the drums busses. I don't use the presets except occasionally with major tweaking, but find Alloy 2 easier to use than version 1 as well as sonically superior. It's also the perfect mix tool for B3 Organ.

[wylie1]

I use Nectar as well I just bought Alloy can't wait to try it on some drum tracks I'm working on I hoping its going to help with a kick I never seam to be able to get right.

[mikehalloran]

I like Alloy 1 and intend to upgrade. The very first version of A1 was cpu intense but they fixed that quickly. I like the side chain and de-esser. I am hoping that the promised improvements can help with a very annoying finger squeak on a live recording that I am trying to tame - also it's now 64bit so worth the money as far as I am concerned.

I am guessing that owning any Izotope product works for the $99 price. They sent the email to an address that I used when I bought Ozone 3 and never linked to anything else.

Owning A1, I have a $79 upgrade to Alloy 2.

[wylie1]

Got around to trying Alloy 2 today and I'm little blown away.
I put it on every track 12 altogether,a little bit of tweaking and in about a 1/2 hour I had a better sounding mix than stuff I've worked on for days.
Even my guitar amp that I thought I was having to re-record sounds like its right there in the monitors.
This thing is going to save me tons of time,glad I saw this post I probably never would have open that Email

[bayswater]

Got around to trying Alloy 2 today and I'm little blown away.
I put it on every track 12 altogether,a little bit of tweaking and in about a 1/2 hour I had a better sounding mix than stuff I've worked on for days.
Even my guitar amp that I thought I was having to re-record sounds like its right there in the monitors.
This thing is going to save me tons of time,glad I saw this post I probably never would have open that Email

Did you use the transient or exciter functions? How good are they?

[wylie1]

What I did just for a test was start with a blank mix and put Alloy on every track just using the built in pre sets.
The guitar track I've been having trouble with is a new set up for me,a Marshall amp with a Rode's NT1, I was using various DP plugs but wasn't really able to get the amp sound as clear as I wanted it.
I put an Alloy electric guitar preset on it and bang there was the exact sound I've spent hours trying to get.
Same with the most the drum tracks, I didn't find anything out standing with the vocal presets but I'm just working with bed tracks there anyway.
I didn't have time to get into detail with it but I'll be working with it more today but to hear and see my mix like that with only 1 plug on a track was very unusual.
For $99 you can't beat it.

[bayswater]

I see Groove 3 did a daily special on Alloy 2 for $5 a few days ago. It's still available.