Neutron star

There are a couple more timesaving features of Neutron 2 to mention. Dynamic EQ is pretty commonplace these days, but plugins vary greatly in their complexity, and some can be unnecessarily tricky. Neutron 2’s take on the concept is very simple and integrated into every parametric and shelving band of the Equalizer.

With Dynamic Mode activated on a filter band, it continues to act like an EQ, so you can still boost and cut. However, you can also superimpose a thresholddependent cut (Down) or boost (Up). There’s even the option to switch in a sidechain signal, either externally sourced or from among the plugin’s other bands.

As well as that, the EQ Learn function analyses the input signal and adjusts the frequencies of the EQ nodes to match the audio content. It picks up on obvious frequency issues such as sibilance, low-frequency rumble and dominant resonances, but it only affects the currently enabled nodes and doesn’t apply any gain, unlike Track Assistant, which activates the nodes as required and dials in the recommended gain. Nonetheless, it’s still a useful thing to have.