Posted by Gabe Gibitz on Feb 2, 2012 | 4 comments

Publisher: iZotope Inc.
Platforms: PC & Mac
Description: Audio Mastering Software 
MSRP: $249 / $999 (Advanced)
Expected Release: Available Now
Official Website:  http://www.izotope.com
Samples: Click Here 
Demo: N/A
Special Discount: N/A 
Critique Issue: Issue #73 (02/12)
Critiqued By: Gabe Gibitz
Final Score: 9.5

iZotope’s classic mastering suite is now better than ever.

Though many video people are just starting to hear of this innovative company, iZotope has been making professional, affordable audio plug-ins for years. First released in October of 2001, Ozone has been one of iZotope’s landmark audio plug-ins. Ten years after Ozone first came on the scene, this innovative audio company has now released Ozone’s biggest update ever—Ozone 5. Not only has iZotope rewritten several of Ozone’s audio algorithms (making it sound even more realistic than ever), they have now rolled out two versions of this mastering suite: Ozone 5 and Ozone 5 Advanced (to read my review of Ozone 4, click here).

Ozone 5 gives filmmakers access to mastering tools once available only to mastering engineers. Arguably, iZotope Ozone has single-handedly opened musicians, sound engineers, and filmmakers to the world of mastering due to its affordable price tag. And the program continues to become more professional with every new release. Ozone 5 sports seven mastering effects filmmakers can apply to their film audio: Equalizer, Reverb, Harmonic Exciter, Dynamics, Stereo Imaging, Post Equalizer, and Maximizer. Each mastering effect has been revamped, reworked, and redesigned to make it even easier for you to make your films sound better.

Ozone 5 Advanced gives filmmakers and musicians alike even more control over their final product’s sound. The release of Ozone’s advanced version follows in the footsteps of iZotope RX2, allowing Ozone to serve both mastering engineers as well as those just getting into mastering.

Ease of Use

Ozone’s new interface makes it even easier for users to understand how they are manipulating and professionalizing film audio. In this major update from Ozone 4, iZotope has moved away from the neon green interface to a much more colorful interface. For the effects that adjust different frequency ranges, each range is color coded (red, yellow, green, and blue). This makes Ozone’s interface look much cleaner and more professional.

As always, Ozone is packed with presets, making this mastering suite very easy to use both for those new to mastering as well as those in a time crunch. Once you select a preset that sounds good for your film or music score, you are then able to learn how iZotope made their preset by clicking through each mastering effect that is being used. The presets will never replace a trained audio ear (iZotope will tell you that), so you will need to learn the basics behind mastering to use this program to its fullest potential. To help you in learning, iZotope has written several training manuals that are free for anyone interested. You can find those on their website.

Though this is not new to the mastering plug-in, Ozone 5 also has two different learn modes. The first learn mode applies to splitting up different frequency bands for using ‘multi-band mode’ with the Exciter, Dynamics, and Stereo Imaging effects. This allows Ozone to detect where to split your frequencies in multi-band mode. This comes in very handy when you either don’t have the time or don’t understand where to split your different frequency bands. The second learn mode asks Ozone to learn mastering EQ curves from finished music and film audio. This clever tool offers users a glimpse into understanding how the pros mix and master different kinds of audio.

Depth of Options

This all-in-one mastering suite is exploding with effects, buttons, and various options.

Along with the hundreds of general presets (which I mentioned earlier), Ozone 5 now gives users the option to select presets for each effect separately. Not only are you able to choose a general mastering preset, but you are then able to click the dropdown button next to each effect’s on/off button, giving you even more pre-designed settings. While I would love to see more individual effect presets, this is still a great addition in Ozone 5!

iZotope has also completely revamped Ozone’s Reverb effect. They have added more reverb options, such as improved Room and Plate modes along with an added Hall mode. Ozone 5 Advanced offers users even more reverb options including modes such as Theater, Cathedral, and Arena. This doesn’t necessarily replace a reverb effect like Altiverb, but it is great that they include this in the mastering suite!

Ozone has a new Post Equalizer on top of the Equalizer that was already in Ozone 4. The iZotope team has also added a new IRC III mode to their Maximizer, giving users the ability to increase the loudness of a piece of audio without completely squashing other elements of the incoming audio signal. This is perfect for sound effects and music scores. Ozone 5 is also complete with a new ‘undo history’ feature, allowing users to both scroll through every tweak that has been made within Ozone as well as compare those settings with an A/B comparison button. Finally, Ozone offers several different ways of metering your sound output, which come in very handy for film, TV, and broadcast production.

Performance

Ozone’s performance is better than ever!

The way Ozone processes incoming audio is now cleaner and more transparent than ever. They have updated many of their algorithms, making this plug-in even more robust and professional. Whether you’re using Ozone’s new IRC III limiter or Meter Bridge (the latter of which is found in Ozone 5 Advanced), this is a wonderful mastering plug-in to consider for your next film budget.

Ozone’s Meter Bridge is perhaps my favorite part of this new version. While only found in the Advanced version, the Meter Bridge gives users access to a 3D spectrogram, which offers a visual perspective of your film’s audio. Ozone’s use of 3D technology gives you the ability to see the volume of your audio frequencies over time. The 3D spectrogram even allows users to color-code up to 8 separate audio tracks. This gives filmmakers the option of assigning audio stems to different colors to best see how each element fits in the overall mix of a film. With future releases in mind, I would love to see iZotope add more ways to personalize the spectrogram’s viewing experience (opacity controls, the ability to view certain frequency ranges without zooming in on the entire spectrogram, etc.), but this is a great start for an ingenious addition to this mastering suite.

In regards to CPU usage, Ozone 5 does demand more of your processor than Ozone 4. On one hand, this means filmmakers are getting a very powerful product; on the other, users may have some problems running it with other video and audio plug-ins running at the same time. I had very few problems running it on my 5-year-old MacBook, but it is definitely something worth keeping in mind.

Value

To buy any mastering suite for $249 is an amazing of a deal! Some individual mastering effects will cost you that much. More than that, however, you are getting ten years of iZotope’s audio mastering research in Ozone 5, as well, making this mastering suite an incredible investment. If you are in the market for some professional audio plug-ins for your next film, iZotope is definitely worth looking into!

The value of Ozone 5 Advanced will depend on both your audio expertise and how bad you want the new Meter Bridge. To be able to actually ‘see’ how all of your audio stems interact with one another is, in my opinion, of incredible value. The Meter Bridge alone could help you immensely in fitting together all the audio pieces of your next film. On top of that, Ozone 5 Advanced gives you a plethora of options that will allow you to finalize your film audio even more. To decide whether or not Ozone 5 Advanced will be worth your money, I would highly suggest downloading a 10-day trial and looking at the differences between the two products on iZotope’s website.

Final Comments

iZotope Ozone has come a long way since this innovative company released this mastering suite 10 years ago, and Ozone 5 is truly this plug-in’s biggest upgrade yet. Ozone’s move from neon green to a mix of reds, greens, and blues is simply a reflection of the increasing professionalism this plug-in is achieving. For a fraction of the cost of other mastering plug-ins, Ozone 5 gives users access to 7 mastering effects, all of which have a place in the production of film audio. The introduction of Ozone 5 Advanced is a wonderful addition to the iZotope family, as well. The Meter Bridge as well as other advanced features will speak volumes to filmmakers wanting to take their films to the next level in audio production. Download a free trial today, and be sure to check out the Meter Bridge! You won’t be disappointed.

Gabe Gibitz

Gabe Gibitz is a worship leader and home-recording guru in Lexington, KY. With no formal degree in music, he has learned most of what he knows about recording by reading lots articles, picking the brains of audio masterminds, and delving into the field himself. He plays a blue guitar and loves spending time with Abbie, his wife. You can download his latest e-book and 3 free songs at www.gabegibitz.com.