Hey guys,
I just now noticed that Ozone 5 (non Advanced) is $250. I seem to recall that the last time i checked, Ozone was more like $499 for one version.. So, should i buy it? I notice that it really changes my mixes, often for the better, so is this coloration good always? maybe i would apply it to individual tracks and not my final mix?

$250 is still quite a bit of $$ for me.. So, any advice would be appreciated..!

Ozone is a really good program. I haven't much to say about it, but as far as I have used it, it does what it is intended to do really well: Spectrum leveling and dynamics processing. And the presets are really professional and you could probably find everything you needed from one. The harmonic exciter is pretty good, but then again that is a matter of taste. Why not demo?

i have demoed in the past, but i am wanting a second opinion.. i think that my mixes sound "better" with it, but it is an unfamiliar quality to my ears.. i would need to work with it all year to fully come to grips with it....

so, it sounds like you say i would for sure gain something from using it.. i don't want to realize later that you guys do not endorse it..

I personally believe the Fabfilter Mastering Bundle is the 'best kept secret' mastering solution out there, and acts as a kickass set of individual plugins as well. I think if you know enough about mastering to get the best out of Ozone, you probably wouldn't use Ozone anymore. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but in the wrong hands it's just going to screw a mix as there's too much to fiddle with.

Have been using Ozone since version 3, got v5 in Decembre - great allrounder tool and v5 really brings some new things on the table. I often combine it with Pro-L, although the Limiter in Ozone is very capable as well.

ok - i will have to check out fabfilter then - i already have Volcano 2 and i love its quality.. i will try to demo both and compare, but i don't know if i can afford fab.. that i will see at the end of next month i suppose..

I think Ozone took a substantial leap to the front of the pack with 5. The combination of the dynamics processing and limiter together outperform the competition now in my opinion (but these things can be very subjective). The EQ also bests the competition as well now with its ability to do analog, digital, and 'surgical' hybrid mode... And matching. The harmonic exciter can replace tape, tube, and solid state saturation plugs. The stereo imaging is very useful. And you get multiband and mid-side processing.

Bang for the buck established.

Who are the competitors to Ozone? ...I think as far as mastering bundles, the only other I knew was the IK T-Racks. I just read that Fabfilter has one. Other than that, as far as 'mastering bundles', I was not aware of others. I think competition is fairly sparse. Now there are a ton of 'mastering limiters' and mastering stage programs: Brainworx XL, Slate FG-X, Elysia, sonalksis, Waves has a slew of their Ultramaximisers & Multimaximizers and so on, But IMO they are all meant to be used in a mastering chain along with other tools like EQ's, saturators or whatever you fancy, not an 'all-in-one' program. I have tried the demo awhile back (older version) and though I have learned quite a bit about staging and mastering since then, at the time I felt I had better overall results dealing with handpicked individual tools and have continued on that path. I should probably give Ozone another shot now that I have better grasp at the voodoo that is 'mastering' - I might see and hear things that I couldn't wrap my head around at the time.

Yes, you should give it a look. 5 is a big step forward. In the past I think the integration was the value. Now that value is augmented by the fact that many of the integrated components are best-in-class.

You can download the guides for free:



I'm just purchased Ozone (and I'm a complete noob at mastering) but IMO, even if you eventually go the route of "rolling your own" set of individual tools, it's probably a real useful teaching tool if you can spare the cash. One advantage to suites is the integrated metering, - there are even EQ guides for rolling off your highs, etc., along with suggested tracks to use as reference. Check out the mastering guide on the site - my guess is that will help you decide if it's right for you.

I don't think there's any doubt that it is a quality product regardless.

As mentioned above already, Ozone in the right hands can be very powerful, no doubt about it. In the wrong hands though, with a bunch of already premade presets applied randomly and the temptation to turn on all those modules that keep smiling at you begging to use them, it can be a real mess. The users behind it are the issue, not the tool.

Couldn't the same be said of any collection of 5-6 plugins on the 2buss?

dunno what DAW you might use but . . .

I've been using the native mastering plug that comes with LIVE & it tweaks out pretty good sound

There you go!

(but it takes time and effort. Which are both things not quite popular these days. 'I want it to sound good NOW, click couple presets, thank you' )

I love Ozone, Alloy even more. I find Alloy indispensible. I no longer often need to do any mastering now that Alloy fixes any issues on each individual track. Sometimes I'll put Ozone on, work with it, and after bypassing and comparing, go with no mastering because Alloy on my tracks is so good.

Alloy is also cheaper and 0 latency.

I don't use the Exciter, Transient Shaper, or De-Esser on Alloy much...just the EQ, Dynamics and Limiting. I think Ozone's Exciter is higher quality, and Alloy's Transient module tends to sound pretty bad at higher settings.