iZotope Neutron

Let's get started by outlining the goals for this section of the course.

Setup a mix to work on throughout the course.  If you have your own mix, great.  If not, download the zip file with this lesson to use the audio tracks from my course example.

Discover iZotope's Relay plugin and start seeing how IPC works before running Mix Assistant or Visual Mixer.

Focus on Relay, what it does and how to understand it's applications in your DAW and mixing workflow.

Learn how to work more efficiently with Relay and Visual Mixer - especially which channels to apply them on.

Rename your Relay instances and make Visual Mixer more intuitive.

Let's actually run Mix Assistant!  We'll see how easy it is to get a rough mix done AND how to make customizations, exclude tracks and set your focus.

Let's pause for a moment and review/summarize the really important takeaways from this section.  This lesson is a good way to make sure you're using Relay, IPC and Mix Assistant properly.  I'll also suggest a good "final project" for you if you want to practice the topics in this section.

Before we start, let’s outline what this section is about, specifically.

A good balanced mix involves a track ‘focus’, ‘clarity’ and ‘consistency’. We’ll see which tools are best suited to achieving each element.

We’ll discover Nectar and how to use it in the context of Neutron as a replacement of Relay.

Learn how to improve a vocal (focus) track by using Vocal Assistant’s umask (using a buss). Machine learning automatically mixes your vocal against other tracks of your choice.

Using gain match is the best way to hear the impact of your processing, regardless of how the audio level changes.

Let’s walkthrough some examples using Sculptor to refine our individual channels to have the ‘right’ tone.

Discover an easy, graphical way to unmask your tracks using EQ and inverse linking.

Walkthrough designing better transients in order to maintain transient consistency in your mix.

Dive deeper into using dynamic EQ and sidechaining to apply powerful control to bass and drums.

Review and summarize what you’ve learned and get some background on this section’s assignment.

We’ll get started by identifying the main features & topics that we’ll tackle in this section.

Discover how all-purpose sculptor targets can help clear up a buss (group track).

Sculptor is a great quick-fix tool for background vocals and in this lesson, we’ll use a preset, range controls and more.

Gating is a great way to clean up a vocal. We’ll also use filtering, dual thresholds (open/close) to optimize our gate for breath sounds.

Neutron can listen to our track and create a custom spectral target curve to enhance a specific channel. Let’s see how that’s done!

Using high pass filters (HPF) to remove excess bass from your channels, busses and stereo mix will bring more clarity to your mix overall.

Visual Mixer is a very intuitive way to position your tracks in the stereo field.

Width can be easily managed in Visual Mixer and snapshots let us compare different mixes.

Let's review what you've learned and introduce the section's practice project.

Using a compressor to ‘glue’ our tracks together is a great way to bring consistency to a mix. Here, we’ll explore Ozone because it has powerful tools (i.e. Learn).

Using Sculptor ‘all-purpose’ targets also work really well on a buss to perform a similar ‘glue’ effect.

Automation curves are a powerful tool for managing our dynamics and energetic consistency as well.

We’ll discuss the considerations around mixing low end bass. We’ll use a Neutron EQ to set careful high pass filters.

By modifying our high pass filter to a dynamic EQ node in Neutron’s EQ, we can design much more precise control over the bass.

Ozone offers a valuable tool for managing the low end of our mix - suitable called ‘Low End Focus’.

Find out how to use multi-band compression to set the depth and spacial context of your mix (while also managing volume).

Take steps to own the skills and knowledge you’ve learned!

Let’s get oriented with the goals for this set of lessons.

Learn why Pre-Mastering gives you an opportunity to shape your final master.

A look at modern vs. vintage modules and the workflow for effectively using this easy click-and-master tool.

Ozone makes setting (and hitting) a target loudness very easy. This lesson walks through this feature.

Mastering for streaming services or lossy audio formats requires awareness of how the codec will alter your track. Here we’ll look at how Ozone helps us manage these considerations.

We’ll see how using a reference track (Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes) can quickly optimize your pre-master for a specific genre.

The location of Maximizer in the signal chain is critical. Let’s talk about why.

Discover how Ozone’s gain match feature provides our ears with an even ‘playing field’ where spectral decisions can be influenced by volume or level.

Tonal Balance comes bundled with Ozone Advanced and this lesson explores the insights (like Crest Factor & EQ) that it provides for creating a more tonally balanced pre-master.

Let’s look at the Low End Focus module - specifically as a tool for modifying our crest factor value.

Let’s review how our pre-master has improved and then see how using iZotope’s Insight (specifically loudness history) can be a “2nd Opinion” on our loudness target.

A practice activity that gives you a chance to practice what you’ve learned!

A very quick summary of what to expect from the lessons in this section.

Learn why and how to use Neutron Sculptor as the perfect buss effect.

A good mixing technique is as simple as keeping notes (and documenting patterns and fixes that you discover).

Using hotkeys to complete repetitive tasks will dramatically improve any mixing workflow.

Learning your DAW’s track preset feature speeds up the mixing process AND brings more consistency and professionalism to your mixes.

Discover an important feature of iZotope’s advanced software for optimizing CPU bloat.

This feature alert focuses on iZotope Nectar’s EQ Follow - a unique feature with great value to any producer who has experienced the frustration of notching moving harmonic frequencies.

Learn how to automatically ‘ride’ the main vocal fader - but in seconds flat! This is a major workflow improvement.

Nectar’s harmonizer is a timesaver AND contributes to a richer final mix anytime a vocal is lacking attention.

Learn hotkeys for soloing EQ frequencies to sharpen your ear or tweaking your mix.

Save time and hassle copying the same plugin settings to multiple tracks.

Know how professionals monitor their mix levels for ideal streaming compatibility.

Wrap up the course and take steps to identify these tips and tricks in your DAW.

Some reminders of how you can proceed from here.  Now that you've completed the course, there's a lot you can do to start incorporating Neutron into your mixing workflow!

Don't miss this bonus lecture for more valuable learning resources!