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3. AI mastering with Ozone 9

1 iZotope’s Ozone 9 is an incredible AI-driven mastering suite. Using it to perfect and polish off our mixes is one of the easiest routes to finishing our track without handing it over to somebody else.

2 Once installed, the first thing we need to do is apply an instance of the plugin to our master or Stereo Out channel. This allows Ozone to view the complete tonal output of the track.

3 Next, apply an instance of the separate Tonal Balance Control plugin to your master channel. This shows you precise areas (highlighted in blue) where your frequencies should be sitting.

4 Tonal Balance’s deductions are based on thousands of masters that the software references to back up its claims. Using it, we can see that our bass frequency needs some dialling down (even using a ‘Bass Heavy’ Target Curve).

5 With our overall tonal balance secured, let’s take a look at Ozone’s mastering tools. One of the most advantageous additions to Ozone is the Master Assistant. This will intelligently judge what you need to do with your mix.

6 Once you’ve made some preliminary decisions, play your track and let Mastering Assistant listen. You should see it adjust the EQ, dynamic range and the Maximizer threshold on the fly.

7 Ozone’s deductions are bang on for our track, and right away we can hear a noticeable – and specifically calculated – lift. But, we do have the ability to finetune our master by manually adjusting those channels that need more emphasis.

8 Our bass is still not quite punching as well as the other track elements, so we can open up Low End Focus. This low-end tailored module can be instructed to intelligently select between a ‘Punchy’ or ‘Smooth’ bottom end, with a processingincreasing slider.

9 Finally, there’s the Ozone Imager. This module allows us to give our track more stereo width and present a broader, all-encompassing impact on the listener. With just a handful of smart modules, we’ve got our robust master.