iZotope has recently released updates for 2 of their subscription-only software packages, Ozone Pro and Nectar Pro. In this article, we explore the new features that iZotope has added to their subscription versions of Nectar and Ozone.

These are upgrades to the AI-powered audio assistants within Nectar Pro and Ozone Pro, two of the plug-ins included in iZotope’s Producers Club and Music Production Suite Pro memberships.

Both of these packages include a collection of audio tools, members-only learning content, and more. These assistant upgrades mark the first of many regular updates to iZotope’s memberships, meaning subscribers will always have up to date music production tools, technology, and techniques at their fingertips with no unexpected upgrade fees.

These improvements have been designed so that users can expect improved real-time functionality, additional controls, and smarter processing that helps you get to an even better starting point for your vocals or master.

What’s New In Nectar Pro

iZotope has updated the settings in Nectar Pro’s Vocal Assistant to give you more creative control.

• When you run Vocal Assistant, Nectar Pro generates different configurations in the background and lets you easily A/B each suggestion in real-time.

• They have added an Intensity slider in place of static presets. This controls the strength of Nectar’s processing. Like the Tone controls, you can audition Nectar’s processing in real-time, rather than having to run the Assistant again and again.

• You can now set the Tone of your audio for specific vocal sounds. Together with the Intensity slider, these new “Tone Cards” give you nearly unlimited combinations of different vocal sounds to play with. The chart below outlines the sound of each of these options.

• Nectar remembers your audio. If you close Vocal Assistant, Nectar saves your settings so you don’t have to re-run the assistant to make changes.

• Vocal Assistant now listens to your audio before presenting you with suggestions to create personalised results. After the listening pass, all further adjustments you make happen in real-time. No need to do multiple listening passes!

Sung And Spoken Vocal Detection

Professional engineers know there’s a huge difference in mixing vocals in different musical contexts. As such, Nectar Pro can now detect a sung or rapped vocal and can narrow down the best range of options for your performance. 

You can also manually select the vocal type:

• Rap: For spoken vocals or dialogue, Nectar Pro creates a drier, up-front preset. This configuration will tend to avoid reverb processing.

• Spoken: Similar to rap vocals, Vocal Assistant will create a dry preset suitable for dialogue in a non-musical context.

• Sing: Nectar Pro will add additional effects such as reverb, and use more subtle EQ targets.

Nectar Pro builds a vocal chain based on the vocal it detects. Play with the Tone controls on different types of vocals and try different approaches. If you get an unexpected result, you can always manually select your vocal type in the Vocal Assistant menu.

Personalised Character EQ

Nectar Pro now uses improved processing to make smarter EQ decisions for your audio.

Vocal Assistant can create a preset tailored to your audio. This is implemented in the second EQ in the vocal chain after you run Vocal Assistant. The EQ will now only boost or cut when your audio is “off-target”, as determined by Vocal Assistant’s Tone settings. If your audio is already within the set tonal range, no EQ changes will occur in that region. 

Vocal Assistant has been improved to be even smarter about constructing its module chain with EQ. Any compression will now take place between your EQs to avoid affecting your tone. In addition, EQ 1 now tracks pitch automatically, so you can have two EQs in your vocal chains that have two specific roles:

• EQ1: Uses subtractive EQ changes that clean your audio

• EQ2: Uses character EQ that affects the Tone of your vocal

What’s New in Ozone Pro

iZotope tells us that they have big plans in store for Ozone’s Master Assistant, but for now, their plans are to lay the groundwork with under-the-hood updates to Master Assistant’s EQ.

In addition to minor fixes and updates, you can expect:

• EQ Improvements: iZotope has received feedback from some users that Master Assistant sometimes made low-end decisions that weren’t appropriate to their specific audio. Consequently, they have upgraded the logic of both the Dynamic EQ and the Equaliser to avoid cutting low end if your music is within a good range for bass.

• EQ Scaling: In addition, iZotope recently added a new EQ scaling control to Ozone Pro. This was a much-requested feature that lets you scale the gain intensity of all your EQ nodes at once. This lets you easily tailor any EQ setting to your audio without losing the overall EQ curve.

Coming Soon...

It’s not often that a brand shares their plans for their product but iZotope tell us that we should expect to see even more Ozone updates very soon. These will focus on:

• Improving loudness and clarity

• Speeding up the Master Assistant workflow

• Upgrading the controls in Master Assistant 

How To Update

As both Nectar Pro and Ozone Pro are only available to iZotope subscribers, the easiest way to update your products is through Product Portal. You can also visit The Control Room to check for the latest updates.