Anyone with a serious interest in the "finishing" aspect of music production, should check out the Elevate mastering bundle from Newfangled Audio (and sold by Eventide). Especially when you can buy it for $99 instead of $199, as is the case until March 31.
All the info you need, is on the product page and there are also a couple of good videos on You Tube. The widely shared verdict of just about anyone who's worked with this, is that Elevate is an exceptional toolset. Outstanding even among other exceptional solutions.
I'm not Piet, and I am not a mastering engineer, and in fact I would place mastering your own tracks just slightly below DIY neurosurgery, but, I will acknowledge that a couple of these so-called mastering tools can add some of the polish that a talented mastering engineer can provide.
I'm going to split the mastering tools into two categories. The first category is equalizers and compressors that are labeled as mastering tools, such as the truly lovely Shadow Hills Compressor from PA. It's a wonderful tool, and the hardware is designed for mastering engineers. What that means, mostly, is that the channels are very closely matched, and the controls are stepped instead of continuous - neither feature is actually necessary in a plug-in.
The second category is tools like Elevate, and Ozone, that are designed to help you master your own tracks in the comfort of your own home, and in the absence of any training, experience, or a suitable acoustical environment. Five years ago that was pure marketing nonsense, but in 2020 I think it is maybe not so much nonsense as misplaced expectations.
Elevate is pretty remarkable. Ozone is pretty remarkable. These are tools that can help you get closer to a mastered track. Depending on your ears and your experience I'd say pretty darned close.
They are still no substitute for a trained, experienced engineer in a facility built from the ground up for mastering. But they can do things with a stereo track that was purely in the realm of mastering facilities not too long ago.
I believe there is a trial available for Elevate, I don't remember. If there is, and you want to go to that next step I think it makes a lot of sense to give it a try. I tried it, purely out of curiosity, and with the expectation that it would reinforce my opinion of DIY mastering. I still won't call myself a mastering engineer, but I do like the polish that these tools can add. Give them a try!
(no, I don't think I am in need of a good recipe for crow just yet, but that might happen sooner than I thought!)
I have Ozone 7, and if you think Elevate is about on par with that, I’d definitely skip it. There are modules I do use (the Rx’s, the stereo-izer, etc) but I don’t get along with Ozone as a general mastering tool. I find the GUI confusing and inefficient for easily achieving good results.
Lawrence wrote: ↑Mar 17, 2020 6:12 pmDoes that include your personal endorsement, Piet?
I only bought it yesterday evening so I’m still studying the thing, but based on my experiences so far, I’m already pretty confident that in a few days time, my answer to that question will be an unequivocal and droolingly enthusiastic “Absolutely!”.
Also keep in mind that those $99 don’t just buy you the Elevate plugin itself, but also Punctuate (multiband transient designer), Saturate, and last but not least: the mighty EQuivocate (multiband linear phase paragraphic & match EQ).
Punctuate and Saturate are already present inside Elevate as part of the mastering chain, yes, but it’s very nice to have them as separate plugins as well.
As for EQuivocate, that plugin alone could easily be sold for twice the amount of money the entire Elevate bundle goes for at the moment, and nobody in his/her right mind would find it an unreasonable price.
I have Ozone 7, and if you think Elevate is about on par with that, I’d definitely skip it. There are modules I do use (the Rx’s, the stereo-izer, etc) but I don’t get along with Ozone as a general mastering tool. I find the GUI confusing and inefficient for easily achieving good results.
I don't get along well with anything past Ozone 5, which I thought was brilliant, save for the marketing it as a mastering tool set. That multi-band compressor is one of the best I've ever used, and I've been known to fire up Sound Forge V9 for access to it.
If I had to choose between the Elevate bundle and the current Ozone bundle I'd probably pick Elevate. If I had to choose between Elevate and Ozone 7 I'd pick Elevate. If I already owned Ozone 7 it would be a more difficult choice. If I could cover the $100 price tag I'd probably get Elevate. There is a demo available, so I will suggest investing a little time to take it for a test drive.
And you know how much I enjoy making product recommendations, if that factors into your deliberations<G>!
