Hey Izotope users...

W

whoknows46

Member
Hello all,

Been trying to find testimonials and/or recommendations from filmmakers who use Izotope (Neutron and Ozone). Most of the info out there, understandably, seems to be from those producing music.

For the purpose of mixing/mastering, are these tools overkill as compared to stock tools in Premiere/Audition? I create YouTube content and am not mixing for cinema at the moment, but I'm admittedly obsessed with putting out a better and better product every week and willing to part with some money to do so.

They're running a sale at the moment and $400 gets you both Neutron and Ozone 8, so I'd like to gather some more info before deciding, because I'm not a Rockefeller.

If you have recommendations for comparable software, I'd also like to hear about that.

Thanks!
 
Neutron and Ozone are aimed at music producers/mixers/etc. They're pretty cool, but if you're not sure you need them, then you don't. Especially for $400.

The iZotope package of most value to people like us is, I think, their collection of audio-repair and noise-reduction tools, iZotope RX.
https://www.izotope.com/en/products/repair-and-edit/rx.html

They recently had a sale on RX (IIRC), and there will probably be another one down the road. But you know, the built-in tools in many modern NLEs are kind of OK (and some use code licensed from iZotope). And RX takes a little experience to use well; it's not super hard, but the more you use it, the better grip you'll have on how much is too much, when to multipass, etc. So wait until you bump up against the limits of the audio tools in your NLE (or in Audition if you're a Adobe CC subscriber).

Also, the iZotope RX Cookbook can really help you get a grip on how to approach common audio-for-video post problems. The information is somewhat applicable to other non-iZotope products. And you can try out the solutions with a free demo version of RX... and comparing what you get with what you own now vs with RX can help you determine if it makes sense to drop the money to buy and time to master RX:
https://www.izotope.com/en/support/support-resources/guides/rx-cookbook.html

And keep an eye out for sales; they're pretty regular.

Well that's my take.
 
On basic sound-for-picture work (and aside from iZotope's RX), I could get by w/o the iZotope MI plug-ins, though I do like and frequently use the iZotope Mastering Suite multiband comp/limiter, which was included with Sound Forge Pro prior to v12.0. (FWIW, SF Pro 12 now includes Ozone Elements) Audition, SloTools and most other DAWs have usable plug-ins (dynamics, FX , ect). There are also some very good free plug-ins available, but that requires finding the ones that float your boat.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm not as concerned with audio repair, as I film in reasonably controlled conditions and can use Audition to remove the occasional pop or click.

I'm more concerned with the fact that several people who straddle the A/V world (for example, audio techs who do some filming on the side) have said that Premiere's built-in compressors/EQ are kind of crappy. Again, I know they get the job done, but I'm just trying to understand how much of a "level-up" Isotope would be.
 
I hope you find your answer...but I would also maybe consider investing in the actual audio production side.

Your equipment and skills may already be superior but if not, purchasing some nicer gear or learning better audio capturing methods could provide you much better quality where you wouldn't even consider any post processing.

(Mics, preamps, using a lav vs. a shotgun boomed close to your mouth, adding treatment to the room/walls if possible, etc.)

However, I do also understand that if the budget is $400 or so you may not have the option to do so (an improvement in capturing is doable though).
 
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