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  #11  
Old 09-18-2021, 12:45 PM
nst7 nst7 is offline
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

I also suggest you download Ozone 9, but for a different reason: It will allow you to test exactly what you're asking about.

Ozone 9, in Protools, can operate as an all in one suite with individual modules inside of it. But those modules also show up as individual plugins as well. So you could run a test using the suite containing the various modules, then, using the same settings in the individual plugins, run the individual plugins in the same order, not as part of the suite. Then compare the results.

There may be other programs that do this in a similar fashion, but I know this one works this way, and it's easy to find out.


Also keep in mind, before you decide to get this:

Usually when Izotope comes out with a new version of RX, then about a month behind it, is a new Music Production Suite, which contains the new RX as well. It will also have Ozone as part of it, perhaps even a new version. So definitely hold off a little bit.
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  #12  
Old 09-18-2021, 01:58 PM
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

My 2 cents:
Use whatever gives you the results you want. I have done more mastering than I want(because budgets aren't what they used to be) and have done it with Ozone, as well as stacking up chains of individual plugins. Its how you reach the end result that matters. Any mastering "suite" can be fine, but Ozone's big advantage(to me) is the Master Assistant. Does it make a "better" master? Maybe, maybe not. Does it do it faster? Absolutely. Now, how do you define "better"?(and here is the missing bit of this discussion). There are 2 things that a "real" mastering pro brings to the table; awesome monitoring(their speakers and listening room usually cost as much as my house) and fresh ears(its really hard to be objective when you've listened to the song 200 times). Assuming you are lacking these 2 things(I know I am), using individual plugins can have you chasing your tail for days, while Ozone's mastering assistant might well get you in a good place quickly(time=money) and if you can let go and trust it, the AI that is at work is not going to be fooled by budget monitors in a poorly treated room(because its not listening to that). I say try the demo and listen to the results on many systems outside of your studio space(that's where all this matters the most)
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  #13  
Old 09-18-2021, 02:26 PM
musicman691 musicman691 is offline
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

Quote:
Originally Posted by nst7 View Post
I also suggest you download Ozone 9, but for a different reason: It will allow you to test exactly what you're asking about.

Ozone 9, in Protools, can operate as an all in one suite with individual modules inside of it. But those modules also show up as individual plugins as well. So you could run a test using the suite containing the various modules, then, using the same settings in the individual plugins, run the individual plugins in the same order, not as part of the suite. Then compare the results.

There may be other programs that do this in a similar fashion, but I know this one works this way, and it's easy to find out.


Also keep in mind, before you decide to get this:

Usually when Izotope comes out with a new version of RX, then about a month behind it, is a new Music Production Suite, which contains the new RX as well. It will also have Ozone as part of it, perhaps even a new version. So definitely hold off a little bit.
Thanks but the individual modules are only available in Ozone Advanced and not the vanilla version. As far as holding off my loyalty price is only good until the end of September and the new rx is due out mid October.
Quote:
Originally Posted by albee1952 View Post
My 2 cents:
Use whatever gives you the results you want. I have done more mastering than I want(because budgets aren't what they used to be) and have done it with Ozone, as well as stacking up chains of individual plugins. Its how you reach the end result that matters. Any mastering "suite" can be fine, but Ozone's big advantage(to me) is the Master Assistant. Does it make a "better" master? Maybe, maybe not. Does it do it faster? Absolutely. Now, how do you define "better"?(and here is the missing bit of this discussion). There are 2 things that a "real" mastering pro brings to the table; awesome monitoring(their speakers and listening room usually cost as much as my house) and fresh ears(its really hard to be objective when you've listened to the song 200 times). Assuming you are lacking these 2 things(I know I am), using individual plugins can have you chasing your tail for days, while Ozone's mastering assistant might well get you in a good place quickly(time=money) and if you can let go and trust it, the AI that is at work is not going to be fooled by budget monitors in a poorly treated room(because its not listening to that). I say try the demo and listen to the results on many systems outside of your studio space(that's where all this matters the most)
I uninstalled the Advanced version and installed the vanilla version and have been messing around with it. Something I've found in going through the presets is that I have to really dial back the levels on the Maximizer. I gave the Master Assistant a shot on one tune and it did pretty darned good but that's only one tune.


A couple of things I really don't like is I see almost no reaction on the screen from changing the knee hardness/softness. Another thing is I don't seem to get a good readout on the gain reduction. I know there's gr going on but the metering or the gr line doesn't who much of anything until I start pulling a LOT of reduction. If there's a way to change the resolution on the gr line I haven't found it.
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  #14  
Old 09-22-2021, 04:48 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is offline
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

Update:
After of several trials go back and forth with Ozone and separate plugins I decided to get Ozone. That doesn't mean I'll never again use separate plugins to 'master' but there was just something that I could get in Ozone that wasn't all that easy to do with separate plugins. I'm thinking it's a combo of Ozone's eq's (I always liked iZotope's eq's) and the Maximizer that's bringing a bit of 'magic' to the table.
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  #15  
Old 09-22-2021, 03:47 PM
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

Glad its working for you! Even when I do use Ozone, I still have a couple of other things in front of it. I stick Fabfilter ProQ3 in slot B(I leave slot A empty)for a steep hi-pass, the spectral display and main metering. And the Slate Grey for some "glue"(its an SSL-style bus compressor with a side-chain filter I set to 150Hz).
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  #16  
Old 09-22-2021, 04:50 PM
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

Quote:
Originally Posted by albee1952 View Post
Glad its working for you! Even when I do use Ozone, I still have a couple of other things in front of it. I stick Fabfilter ProQ3 in slot B(I leave slot A empty)for a steep hi-pass, the spectral display and main metering. And the Slate Grey for some "glue"(its an SSL-style bus compressor with a side-chain filter I set to 150Hz).
So you master in PT then I take it? I have Pro Q3 and will give your method a shot.
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  #17  
Old 09-22-2021, 05:52 PM
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

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So you master in PT then I take it? I have Pro Q3 and will give your method a shot.
I do now. I used to use Wavelab, but once we got off-line bounce, that was the last buzz-kill, solved.
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  #18  
Old 09-22-2021, 06:40 PM
musicman691 musicman691 is offline
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

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I do now. I used to use Wavelab, but once we got off-line bounce, that was the last buzz-kill, solved.
I use the lower tier Wavelab for CD assemblage & final touch-up. Being it has only two insert slots per segment I had to find a way around that limitation. I've tried to separate mastering from mixing and thought the best way was to use a separate program from PT. Seeing as how PT doesn't really do cd assemblage I had to go to Wavelab. Yes - I have clients that want cd's.
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  #19  
Old 09-23-2021, 06:58 AM
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

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...Seeing as how PT doesn't really do cd assemblage I had to go to Wavelab. Yes - I have clients that want cd's.
I master in PTools and do assemblage for audio CD (when somebody really really insists on a CD...) with HOFA. I used to use Sony CD Architect, but have now moved on to HOFA - a really solid software.
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  #20  
Old 09-23-2021, 07:14 AM
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Default Re: Mastering - suite versus individual plugins

I used to use Sonic soundBlade for CD mastering (license for sale, PM me if anyone is interested) because making final DDP deliverable was so easy. But it never got to 64bit so it is not compatible with my current system and I am too lazy to pull up old computer just for CD mastering.
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