I bought some EZmix + EZmix 2 + Lead Vocals.

Just trying out Izotope Nectar 2 + Alloy 2.

Whilst not a million away from each other, Izotope seems more refined and smoother, more studio sound like whereas the EZmix does sound a tad harsh by comparison.

Any thoughts on these programs?

I am a big - Izotope Nectar 2 user and I love it and recommend it. Great sound and flexibility. Don't know the other one.

I use Izotope Ozone for mastering. Alloy is their product that allows Ozone-like control but with low CPU impact, so it can be used on each track for mixing.

I haven't used the other products, but I use Alloy and Ozone all the time. Essential.

Toontrack who make EZmix make presets with little control. Simply select a preset and go. Tend not to get many presets per pack.

I have Ozone and would not want to give it up for anything. It's one of my 2 main "go-to" plugs. It's in the master buss of every song and even occasionally it gets used in a track.

Hi Paul,

I have EZMix but I rarely use it now. I got it, tried it, and was disappointed in the fact that you have little control over it. There is little you can do with just two knobs! BUT I did take notice of what effects were used then used Sonar's effects to duplicate them so as I learning tool it was invaluable for me.

I have no experience with Izotope Ozone or Alloy but it looks like something that I might want to investigate.

You'll want to investigate Ozone.
And demo it .. but not before accepting you will end up buying it.

I'm using Nectar 2 and Ozone 5. A few of the seasoned folks here recommended Ozone and boy were they right. I have much to learn about fine tuning those plugins, but they made a huge positive difference just with the presets.

I use Ozone 5 Advanced in all my tracks, and in all my final mastering tracks. (Each song in a CD gets its own mastering stereo track)

Walt

yeah, I bought Ozone/Nectar/Alloy around this time last year. I have not used Alloy a ton but Nectar gets used on every vocal track and Ozone on every mix as the last step! And the presets on these programs are so good you may find yourself rarely tweaking beyond a preset!

Yes, you can download a demo version that will run fully functional for 10 days. But, before you DL it... be sure you have the funds needed to buy it. Once you try it, you're gonna wanna buy it.

Ozone 3 & 4... the ones I have, all have 6 different modules in them. You can turn the various modules on or off as needed. And trust me, there are more than 2 knobs in the modules so customizing the module parameters is a given.

They start you off with a bunch of presets..... several for nearly each situation or instrument you may be using as well as mastering presets. Each one can be tweeked and saved with new names.

I just moved from Ozone 5 to 6 and find it hugely more intuitive and easier to modify modules than 5. I'm no longer using presets and am creating the master program for each song on the fly.

Necter 2 is worth the price for the reverb module alone which is an EMT 140 plate emulation. Way beyond vocals this is a great reverb for general use. One of the finest reverbs in recording history the EMT has been used as the only reverb on some great albums.

Thanks guys. I'm trying it out all three Isotope programs. My mixing is trial n error to be honest. I know so little. I think my mixes are 'ok' but they lack the dynamic sparkle.

The other day I added Ozone to my Master channel and was quite impressed with the improved sound. I have about a week left and can see myself buying the bundle. However I have so many presets with Studio One, EZMIX2 and now Isotope that it's a challenge what to not use?