iZotope oZone

[PrinsJan]

Bought the fantastic iZotope oZone mastering plugin, but not that fantastic on my system (@ home)

Cause when I playback a project with only one track with 1 plug-in. (the oZone on my master), the system crashes and Protools gives the next warning "You are running out of CPU power. Remove some RTAS plug-ns or increase the CPU Usage Limit in the Playback Engine dialog.

This is very strange, becasue I normal use 20-30 plug-ins in one project (Waves c4 etc...), never problems.

But allright, so I did.


Set the H/W Buffer Size on 1024 samples, the RTAS Processors on 2 Processor, the CPU Uasge Limit on 95%and the DAE Playback Buffer on Level 8.

Also rejust the oZone system preferences of the plugin to his maximum buffer size:1024.

Still problems !! :(

Work with a Mac (g4) 1,25 GHZ Processor and 1,5 GB DDR SDRAM, Protools LE 7.1.

This stuff has to be able to handle one oZone plug-in, I guess ??

Can someone help me ? Is there a wrong setting in options ?







Use Protools Le 7.1 on a Mac G4

[zoff]

Originally Posted by PrinsJan

Bought the fantastic iZotope oZone mastering plugin, but not that fantastic on my system (@ home)

Cause when I playback a project with only one track with 1 plug-in. (the oZone on my master), the system crashes and Protools gives the next warning "You are running out of CPU power. Remove some RTAS plug-ns or increase the CPU Usage Limit in the Playback Engine dialog.

This is very strange, becasue I normal use 20-30 plug-ins in one project (Waves c4 etc...), never problems.

But allright, so I did.


Set the H/W Buffer Size on 1024 samples, the RTAS Processors on 2 Processor, the CPU Uasge Limit on 95%and the DAE Playback Buffer on Level 8.

Also rejust the oZone system preferences of the plugin to his maximum buffer size:1024.

Still problems !! :(

Work with a Mac (g4) 1,25 GHZ Processor and 1,5 GB DDR SDRAM, Protools LE 7.1.

This stuff has to be able to handle one oZone plug-in, I guess ??

Can someone help me ? Is there a wrong setting in options ?

Use Protools Le 7.1 on a Mac G4

I could barely use any of the Izotope plugs on a PowerBook 1.25GHz, but since switching to a MacBook Pro (2.33 GHz, 2 gigs RAM) no problems.

Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3.1

[lobsterinn]

It's CPU usage varies a lot depending on what you are using in it. In my opinion, the stuff worth using is the limiter, dither, digital eq, and occasionally the reverb (big cpu hit on that).

The presets tend to use the whole suite at once and eat up all your computer's power. Try adding one feature at a time and using it that way.

[Musiclab]

First off who told you it's fantastic? It's not. When you get it to work be carful with the loudness module, it behaves more like a loudness control on a stereo than a limiter

[MASSIVE Master]

Yeah, "fantastic" is a bit of a stretch - Although I can think of a few adjectives after it that would make it viable.

[ootle]

It could be a fantastic plugin, depending on what you expect from it. Now, from a professional mastering studio I wouldn't expect big cheers for this plug, but I like to use it sometimes and I think it does a decent job.
Sound on sound, a respectable mag in my opinion, just had a an overview of usefull plug-ins and this one was on top of the mastering plugs.
As to the system trouble: make sure to go easy on the verb.......it's bound to get your system down. I found that some plug-ins don't seem to collaborate very well with this one. You wouldn't happen to be using PSV VIntage Warmer, now would you? That always seems to put the brake on my mac. Also, sometimes I use only one processor when in trouble, and sometimes it helps. Don't ask me to explain it technically, it just works sometimes!....

Ootle

[Top40Music]

[QUOTE=zoff;1094230]I could barely use any of the Izotope plugs on a PowerBook 1.25GHz, but since switching to a MacBook Pro (2.33 GHz, 2 gigs RAM) no problems.

Pro Tools M-Powered 7.3.1[/QUOTE
How Many Izotope plugs Can you use Before you start running into problems on you're MacBook Pro .

[PrinsJan]

Originally Posted by Musiclab

First off who told you it's fantastic? It's not. When you get it to work be carful with the loudness module, it behaves more like a loudness control on a stereo than a limiter

Used fantastic in a sarcasm way

[Jamz0r]

Lots of people love to bash any mastering ITB, but as someone who owns and uses Ozone 3, I find it to do a very good job as long as you stay away from presets, don't overprocess, and use your ears while making adjustments.

To prevent CPU overload, avoid the MB Stereo Imaging, MB Harmonic Exciter, and use the Reverb sparingly. Most times, with any good mix, you should only need the EQ, MB Compression, and Loudness Maximizer anyway.

[Killahurts]

I use Ozone as a plug for DP - I've never had it crash my dual 1gHz. G4, no matter what modules I turn on.

I don't use it for final masters (I get that done by real ME's), but I do use the brickwall limiter on songs while I'm working on albums, to at least get the levels up for references and have a decent choice of dither. Like someone said before, Ozone's good for the digital EQ, and the maximizer (better than Waves, IMO). I don't find myself using the other modules very often. In fact, the digital harmonics thing comes to my mind as being downright unusable.

[littledoodler]

Here's one for ya. I had a powerbook G4 with pro fools MBOX 1, and that CPU error would come up always everytime I recorded. I did all the turning off of screen savers and spotlight and the rest of the long list on the DUC that they suggest. Still got these errors. So, I decided to upgrade my computer to a core duo imac. Guess what, I still got those damn error messages. Solution: selling MBOX and never looking back.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by Jamz0r

Lots of people love to bash any mastering ITB, but as someone who owns and uses Ozone 3, I find it to do a very good job as long as you stay away from presets, don't overprocess, and use your ears while making adjustments.

To prevent CPU overload, avoid the MB Stereo Imaging, MB Harmonic Exciter, and use the Reverb sparingly. Most times, with any good mix, you should only need the EQ, MB Compression, and Loudness Maximizer anyway.

How do you explain the behavior of the loudness maximizer? FWIW I have other plug in's yes I prefer using analog gear but that plug in is just not good, looks good tho

[Jamz0r]

How do I explain it? It's a limiter that works as a limiter.

If you don't want the master to sound harsh, don't overuse the limiter.
Under normal "dynamic" use, it works fine...similar to other limiters I've used.

Moderation is key.

[MatzeMillion]

Recently I did a shootout with some maximizers/limiters. Surprisingly I voted oZone to the first place! It sounded most transparent at same loudness. Here my ranking:


1st oZone (Limiter only)
transparent and rich sound, preserves transients.

2nd Waves L2
loud without artifacts, but a little bit harsh

3rd Waves L3 (Stereo)
flat like pancake, sounds dull compared to the L2

4th to 6th Sonalksis and some other demos I found on the net
not my taste, more like compression than limiting

7th Nomad Factory BlueTubes Brickwall
completely pumping jam

8th Finis (Roger Nicholls, formerly Elemental Audio)
highly acclaimed trash. (but their eqs and metering tools are great!)


I just ordered the oxford limiter AU-plugin... hope to get a new no1

[cristian_vogel]

I am a big fan of Ozone 3 -

I always use it at the end of mastering or mix sessions to dither down to 16 with DC offset, and maximise final digitial level to -0.3 ( no more than -6 db ) ... I don't apply so much of its multiband compression, but the phase -linear digital EQ ( at maximum resolution ) is excellent - as is the analog EQ model , especially with the ALT- solo to isolate resonances.


This is a very good mastering plug-in. . . Izotope have priced it fairly, and have also provided a large amount of documentation, that can help with your general education about mastering skills...

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by Jamz0r

How do I explain it? It's a limiter that works as a limiter.

If you don't want the master to sound harsh, don't overuse the limiter.
Under normal "dynamic" use, it works fine...similar to other limiters I've used.

Moderation is key.

How do you explain the way it adds bass to the program material. It works more like the loudness button on a stereo than a limiter.

[Jamz0r]

It adds bass?!

That is completely false.
You must be perceiving loudness as bassiness...possibly due to a poor listening environment.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by Jamz0r

It adds bass?!

That is completely false.
You must be perceiving loudness as bassiness...possibly due to a poor listening environment.

right thats what I have is a poor listening environment, how come in my poor listening environment this is the ONLY limiter that does this?

[cristian_vogel]

there are other limiters that can give an enhanced perception of bass -

aphex 661 , drawmer 1968 edition - to name but two

spectral changes are a natural result of compression and expansion

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by cristian_vogel

there are other limiters that can give an enhanced perception of bass -

aphex 661 , drawmer 1968 edition - to name but two

spectral changes are a natural result of compression and expansion

Not like this plug in

[NowandThen]

Bought the fantastic iZotope oZone mastering plugin, but not that fantastic on my system (@ home)

Cause when I playback a project with only one track with 1 plug-in. (the oZone on my master), the system crashes and Protools gives the next warning "You are running out of CPU power. Remove some RTAS plug-ns or increase the CPU Usage Limit in the Playback Engine dialog.

This is very strange, becasue I normal use 20-30 plug-ins in one project (Waves c4 etc...), never problems.

But allright, so I did.


Set the H/W Buffer Size on 1024 samples, the RTAS Processors on 2 Processor, the CPU Uasge Limit on 95%and the DAE Playback Buffer on Level 8.

Also rejust the oZone system preferences of the plugin to his maximum buffer size:1024.

Still problems !! :(

Work with a Mac (g4) 1,25 GHZ Processor and 1,5 GB DDR SDRAM, Protools LE 7.1.

This stuff has to be able to handle one oZone plug-in, I guess ??

Can someone help me ? Is there a wrong setting in options ?

I had this problem when I used protools their solution is to by an HD system!
so I switched to Nuendo. I just Did a session with 12 Stereo Tracks Each with Ozone 3 and waves LinEQ!
Good luck,
Chris Sorem

[Jamz0r]

Well, since in most mixes bass eats most of the headroom, so when you boost the level with a limiter of course you will notice louder bass...along with louder mids and treble.

I've mastered over 100 songs with Ozone 3 and have not witnessed this "loudness button" bass phenomenon.

Looking at your studio pics, it looks unlikely that it's environmental.
Perhaps it's just plain ...mental! lol
I dunno...sometimes the guys with all the hardware critique lesser tools more harshly...to justify their gear.

I'd really like someone else to chime in on this, as I would definitely be interested if this has been noticed by others as well.
Until then, I may try some of my other limiters to compare.

[lobsterinn]

I think it's default setting is a bit mellower (not so fast/ loud) as the default on most limiting plugs I have used, so it doesn't sound so-hyped and bright right off the bat if you are just quickly checking it out. Maybe that is what is happening with the 'loudness' comment.

I think if you spend some time with the plug-in's settings, you hear that can do pretty much what any of the other best ones do, and better than most.

[LAVLAB]

izotope plugs are big fat overrated cpu HOGS! tutt just my opinion

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by Jamz0r

Well, since in most mixes bass eats most of the headroom, so when you boost the level with a limiter of course you will notice louder bass...along with louder mids and treble.

I've mastered over 100 songs with Ozone 3 and have not witnessed this "loudness button" bass phenomenon.

Looking at your studio pics, it looks unlikely that it's environmental.
Perhaps it's just plain ...mental! lol
I dunno...sometimes the guys with all the hardware critique lesser tools more harshly...to justify their gear.

I'd really like someone else to chime in on this, as I would definitely be interested if this has been noticed by others as well.
Until then, I may try some of my other limiters to compare.

When you described it as a lesser tool, you got that right. I wound up buying quite a few other plug-ins partially because of what I hear Ozone
doing to the audio. Like the PSP and some of the Waves stuff. First it's my environment, then it's mental, gee can we be alittle insulting now, Maybe I'm a little more picky

[Jamz0r]

It wasn't meant as an insult. I'm referring to placebo effect...it must sound worse since it's cheaper than my hardware! ...that kind of thing.
It's human nature to think that way. No worries!

I still don't hear this added bass you speak of...and would like others to give their opinion. I've read many reviews and have never heard of such a thing.

BTW, I'm sure your gear sounds fantastic...your studio looks killer.

[paultools]

I would love to own a rack of Manley, Weiss and GML Mastering gear!
At this point, I can't afford it, but if I could, then the clients in this market couldn't afford me. I would still like to master some local projects, and my clients would like me to provide a service that fits their budget.

Maybe I should just quit.

Or maybe I could learn to make the most of the tools available to me, including the Waves, TC, Sony and Ozone plugs! I recently downloaded the generous Ozone plug, and the more I experiment with it, the better it sounds! Maybe my clients and I can accept that I am not Bob Ludwig, but I can use what I have to make their mixes sound better... and make a little money doing it.

Funny how a plumber with a box of $500 worth of tools can command $100 an hour in nearly any market, but an engineer with a high 5 or 6 figure investment cannot do the same. Plus, I've never seen a 24-bit wrench, which may or may not be better than a 16-bit wrench since it's all going in the toilet eventually.

[Musiclab]

Originally Posted by paultools

I would love to own a rack of Manley, Weiss and GML Mastering gear!
At this point, I can't afford it, but if I could, then the clients in this market couldn't afford me. I would still like to master some local projects, and my clients would like me to provide a service that fits their budget.

Maybe I should just quit.

Or maybe I could learn to make the most of the tools available to me, including the Waves, TC, Sony and Ozone plugs! I recently downloaded the generous Ozone plug, and the more I experiment with it, the better it sounds! Maybe my clients and I can accept that I am not Bob Ludwig, but I can use what I have to make their mixes sound better... and make a little money doing it.

Funny how a plumber with a box of $500 worth of tools can command $100 an hour in nearly any market, but an engineer with a high 5 or 6 figure investment cannot do the same. Plus, I've never seen a 24-bit wrench, which may or may not be better than a 16-bit wrench since it's all going in the toilet eventually.

I just think the Waves stuff and the PSP stuff is a big step up from the Ozone plug in.
Ozone gives you alot for the money in terms of feature and looking very nice, unfortunately sounding good is a key part that it kinda lacks. When I master projects which I prefer not to do but will if there's no money for killer mastering, I generally try to use my analog processors, but there are times when I have to do it in the box
and when I do I try to not use tools that I have to immediately compensate for.

[MattGray]

Originally Posted by Musiclab

I just think the Waves stuff and the PSP stuff is a big step up from the Ozone plug in.
Ozone gives you alot for the money in terms of feature and looking very nice, unfortunately sounding good is a key part that it kinda lacks. When I master projects which I prefer not to do but will if there's no money for killer mastering, I generally try to use my analog processors, but there are times when I have to do it in the box
and when I do I try to not use tools that I have to immediately compensate for.

I've been using Ozone for sometime as the final limiter for my mastering sessions & I find the limiter section far more transparent then any of the Waves stuff. I also have PSP Master Comp which is excellent & very transparent but I don't use this for limiting or compression funnily enough I like it for it's expansion.

Just for the record I have not experienced this 'loudness' affect that you are talking about with the bottom end either. What I do notice though is that once you bring the levels up in can sound like the bass is coming up which it does but so does the mids & highs. I would say evenly across the frequency spectrum. If in doubt level match your original or pre limiter mix, then compare the bass spectrum between pre & post Ozone. I always do this when I'm mastering so I can hear that I'm making improvements on the original mix not going backwards.

One thing that should be noted here is that the limiter section has many different character settings. Personally I find the most transparent sounding one to be the 'clipping' setting or 'very fast' maybe -0.5 on the character slider. Occasionally I use the 'transparent' or 'smooth' setting if it suits the music better. But my point is that they all sound slightly different in tonality & how they affect the transients, which makes this limiter very versatile.

The best thing about Ozone's limiter is that it doesn't turn the transients into harsh mush like the Waves L series can do very easily the L2 & L3 can swallow drums very fast which I hate. Also the MBIT+ dither module in Ozone is excellent rivalling POW-r which I also have at my disposal.

I find the rest of the modules in Ozone less worthy of praise... but the limiter & dither section can't be beat for me & believe me I've tried just about all of them including the Sony Oxford Limiter, L2, L3 etc. So far I've probably cut about 300 mastering projects with it & I'm very happy with the results.

Matt

[MatzeMillion]

Matt +100

same experience here.