Today iZotope has released Ozone 8 and Neutron 2 as well as a Tonal Balance Control plug-in that can link the two tools together. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at the new features in Ozone 8.

Master Assistant

Master Assistant is designed to use the sonic profile of your audio to help you get to a logical starting point. Because iZotope believes your time is better spent adding your sonic signature, Master Assistant has been designed to suggest targets, signal chain, and processor settings, so you can get back to what’s most important—adding that personal touch.

Tonal Balance Control in Ozone 8 Advanced

The new Tonal Balance Control plug-in introduces industry-first visual analysis and communicates with all instances of Ozone so you can shape a perfectly balanced master. You can instantly call up any Ozone Equaliser and adjust your tracks to targets based on ten of thousands of professional masters. You can even create your own custom targets from one or more songs in your personal library.

Ozone 8 Meet Neutron 2

The Tonal Balance Control plug-in has been designed not only to communicate with the Ozone 8 Equaliser and Post EQ modules but Neutron 2 EQ modules as well. This inter-plug-in communication is designed to help you fix mix issues during mastering and help bridge the mixing and mastering gap.

New Spectral Shaper Module

The new Spectral Shaper module in Ozone 8 has been designed to help you smooth and sculpt problematic and harsh frequencies. Use it to mould your audio by applying frequency-specific dynamics, surgically or creatively, to create smooth, balanced audio. Try it for taming percussive transients, as Spectral Shaper has been designed to tame sibilant hi-hats, harsh vocals, plucky acoustic guitars, and other overly bright mix elements. For a creative twist, try the Spectral Shaper across any frequency band to experiment with timbre, resonance, and transient information without affecting other elements of the source audio.

Intelligent Track Referencing

A/B your master against reference tracks directly within any instance of Ozone or its standalone application. Now an integrated process, track referencing is easy, intelligent, and incorporated into Ozone’s workflow. Load up to 10 tracks and Ozone will identify sections of references like a Verse or Chorus for easy playback, so you can spend less time searching through references and more time mastering.

IRC IV You

iZotope has added a low latency mode with all the power of IRC limiting minus the lag. We’ve also improved IRC IV’s low-end fidelity to provide better feedback for a more responsive, smooth limiting algorithm.

Maximum Independence

Transient/Sustain Stereo Independence in Ozone’s Maximizer takes your master to the next level by detecting and separating transient and sustain information for a wider, deeper sonic profile. Transient Stereo Independence reduces pumping, introduces fewer artifacts, and leaves you with more of the sound you want, without narrowing your stereo image.

New Look And Feel

iZotope has made workflow improvements across the board to help you work faster and more instinctively between mix and master with a similar workflow in Ozone 8 and Neutron 2.

Ozone 8 Feature Comparisons

Pricing & Availability

Ozone 8 is now available from iZotope and select retailers. 

Ozone 8 Advanced will also be available as part of iZotope’s new Music Production Suite. This incredible value combines iZotope’s latest products with its most popular tools including RX 6 Standard, Nectar 2 Production Suite, VocalSynth, and Trash 2 Expanded. All new products are on sale now through October 31, 2017:

• Ozone 8 is available for $199 USD (reg. $249)
• Ozone 8 Advanced is available for $399 USD (reg. $499))
• O8N2 (Ozone 8 Advanced and Neutron 2 Advanced) is available for $499 USD (reg. $699)
• Music Production Suite will be available for $699 USD (reg. $999)