Ozone 9 £389

iZotope

Last year we stated how amazing it was that iZotope manage to keep on finding new decent features to add to the list of must-haves in Ozone. This year, we can only repeat the same words, repeat the 10/10 score for the latest version 9, and bestow the Mastering Effect of the Year Award on it… yet again.

You see, Ozone just does mastering, and all the once intricate and black magic processes within it, just so damn well. It is a standalone package and plugin, from which you can assemble a range of processors (like Dynamics, EQ, Exciter, etc) to create an ideal mastering chain. The last version improved workflow and functionality, although the big star of the show was the Mastering Assistant which analyses an input source or reference track and creates a mastering template for you. At worst, this is a great starting point for the mastering process; at best, your complete solution.

Ozone 9 adds two new spectral processing modules: Master Rebalance allows you to click the Vocals, Bass or Drums button to target that part of your mix; and Low End Focus controls low-end transients. While there are a number of other tweaks and improvement – Mastering Assistant gets a new Vintage mode, for example – it was these modules that most impressed us.

“As predicted, we have no hesitation in once again awarding top marks to iZotope’s incredible mastering system. Master Balance is one of the most powerful spectral processors we’ve ever used; Low End Focus is useful; the Master Assistant, Imager and Match EQ improvements are great; and none of the ‘unimproved’ tools have lost any of their lustre in the last year.

“In summary, for mastering in the box, nothing else comes close to Ozone 9’s dazzling combination of user-friendliness, depth, featurerichness, and – most importantly – knockout sound.” Will Ozone 10 win next year we wonder?

277 » 10/10