Izotope releases Neutron: "A smarter way to mix"

[koolkeys]

No need to get Neutron Advanced if you have Ozone 7 Advanced IMO.

... Or are you saying get the regular version of Neutron instead of Advanced if you already have Ozone advanced? Still wouldn't be the same thing, but I can see that argument a little more. If that is the case, disregard my first two paragraphs
Brent

Indeed what I meant, Brent

LOL, gotcha. In that case.....nothing to see here

[sounddesigner]

I can get 10 on one channel (so expecting ~40 when multitracking and using all 4 cores, albeit with nothing else running) with everything turned on (all modules, all bands, all dynamic EQs enabled, limiter, neutron mode, masking display). And of course you never actually use it that way, in realistic usage you can use many more than that.

I'm on a recently built 4.2ghz, 4 core desktop which is no slouch in terms of power. So, while I'll grant you it's not as easy on the CPU as some other channel strips, I don't think it can be called totally unreasonable on a modern machine.

Good points ! I agree Neutron can be used as a channel strip, at least for some of us. People tend to think that Izotope channel strips are suppose to be as CPU efficient as SSL Duende's channelstrip, Slate Digital's, Waves,Wave-Arts Trackplug, etc and that's not going to be the case and is not a fair comparison since izotope channel strips are more sophisticated when looking at features, functionality, number of effects-algorithms, etc .

Also it is natural for the latest plugins to use more cpu when they are more sophisticated (sophisticated meaning better algorithms and/or more functionality, innovative, etc) so to use the latest plugins on a old computer and expecting them to meet the same standards of the old plugins in terms of CPU-efficiency,etc is not really being fair. Sometimes you have to buy a new computer in order to use the new plugins comfortably and this is the case with Neutron. This doesn't mean there is something wrong with Neutron its just the continuation of the upgrade cycles that have naturally and always have been happening.

Contrast, your 40 instances of Neutron while activating all its modules is great for most people I believe, decent at least. People was saying for many years that Ozone could not be used as a Mixing channel strip but some of us had little to no problems using it that way. Neutron does things that are more demanding than what other more simple channelstrips do such as dynamic-eq, AI-presets, multiband, etc. Sometimes you have to judge the latest plugins on the latest hardware, that is what's fair. Neutron is a present-time design thus as a channel strip its more for present-day/current computer hardware wich is very normal. Izotope makes the best and most sophisticated Channel Strips there are out here and naturally there's a heavy price for the best often. If you want the ultimate channel strips then there is a price to pay for it. T-RackS offers more than other channel strips as well and it has a heavy price to.

EDITED

[rod_zero]

I was able to run around 20 instances of Neutron, used only 50% CPU. But the GUI became really sluguish.

[garryknight]

I'm using Neutron with Studio One (not particularly CPU-efficient compared to other DAWs) on my 4-core i5 desktop and my 2-core i7 Surface Pro 3, and I find that it works well enough for me for two reasons:

1) I'm using it to learn.
I can use the Track Assistant to note what the algorithm suggests as EQ tweaks, listen to why it's suggesting those tweaks, noting how that fits in (or not) with the compression and saturation settings, and turn them on and off to get a good idea how that changes the sound and whether it brings me more towards what I want to hear. And I might put a Nova GE EQ and a dynamic compressor on the same track and play with those first before adding the Neutron to see how Neutron compares to what I think sounds good. This doesn't take up a lot of processor unless I do this on every track and leave them all turned on.

2) Neutron can be better as a mix bus processor.
Although I'm making in-the-box electronica and EDM, i.e. almost all MIDI-driven VSTis and usually a max of 20-30 of them, Neutron isn't as big a CPU hit for me as it might be for other people. My 2 or 3 bass instruments go through a bus with a single instance of Neutron on it. Ditto for the 5 or 6 tracks of percussion. Also the pads. And the plucks have their own bus, and higher-pitched sounds and SFX are on their own bus. Unless I think a particular sound warrants it, they're all fed into one or other bus and grouped by type of sound and/or by frequency. This way I get a good sound while preserving CPU. And since I'm using Studio One, it's easy to convert any amount of tracks to audio if things start to get jittery. (And, in my case, since latency isn't really a problem with ITB electronica, they very rarely get jittery.)

So when people start to compare whether a plugin like Neutron is suitable, I'd be asking what kind of music they're making and how. I've seen a lot of potentially useful information gone astray because it's aimed at the wrong kind of person. If someone making ITB EDM asks for advice and they get a lot of feedback from someone who regularly mixes rock sessions (complete with a dozen drum mics) it often turns out to be less than useful. And even more so when the rock engineer asks the synth tweaker.

If I were to offer advice, it would be to try Neutron on individual tracks until you get to know what it's doing. Then decide whether it might work as well or better on a mix bus. And if you're using Neutron to learn to mix better and once you can hear what it's doing, try substituting less CPU-intensive plugins. And if you're not using Neutron to learn to mix better, why are you using it? You might find something else better for your needs.

[W23]

I agree with the above statement. I tried out Neutron on a channel with Rob Papen Punch (which I like but, needs a little extra help) in Ableton Live. I compared it to a couple of other plugs, and I was kind of surprised because I found Izotope's Trash2 could be made to sound just as good (maybe better?) on Punch with LOWER CPU usage. I also got better usage (and sound) with Boz Labs Manic Compressor, and a saturation Plug like Klanghelm SDRR, or SPL's Twin Tube on Punch. Can't beat that Mix Assistant for helpful guidance, though. My opinion on the sound is entirely subjective, though. I was just trying to get a good sound without using drum rack samples and keeping the CPU down. The chains I described above all floated around 7-9 percent, as opposed to Neutron which seemed to hit 9-11 percent. Of course, I had to see how Ableton's Saturator, and Glue Compressor worked on Punch...4-5 percent tops, and I have to admit it sounded pretty damn close. Saturator operates on a very fine margin of getting overwhelming really quick, and the Glue Compressor sounds great for what it does but, the Boz compressor offers quite a few more options. Still, that Mix Assistant is a pretty nice tool, and Neutron's sound is no slouch either. I have no regrets buying Neutron, as I got it for a reasonable price. It's just one more thing to compensate for my really shitty mix environment.

Note: I guess I should say what I did all of this with: 2015 MacBook Pro, 13", i5 processor,.8GB Ram, 128Gig SSD. Not the fastest but, not bad either. I spend a lot of time trying to find as many high quality, low CPU VST synths, and effects, as I can.

[wesleymayhem]

Performance needs to be improved. Alloy takes barely any resources... just an exciter eq and some compressors... Hopefully, they are planning an update with performance improvement soon...

[astramistil]

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[wesleymayhem]

Totally agree that performance is a real issue with the current version Neutron.

[Beachboy]

Does anybody use Neutron with Studio One 3.x? Which routing needs to be set up in S1 to use the external sidechaining in the EQ or compressor module?

[wesleymayhem]

And Neutron Track Assistant doesn't work on pads or anything resembling pads... Instantiates the weirdest debilitating EQ. So I hope the update addresses this!

[matteogk]

Hello, it was very interesting to read all your opinions and experiences here. I'm quite new to Neutron, and I like it a lot.
Also have other very good stuff for mix and master, yet it's a matter of choices, I concentrate more on making music and my own sound design, rather than mix/master professionally (I don't like to know "a little bit" of everything, because that may also mean really knowing anything well), and here Neutron plays the game soooo well.

I understand they made it for conventional mixes, kind of rock or techno stuff, and I work a lot with pads and soundscapes... so, I don't complain, the "track assistant" plays an important role anyway, I just use it several times on a track, choosing different points, then I can choose in the history tab the settings I prefer, and finally tweak that set, et voilà!, the game is done.

Lately I could obtain very easily several tracks that play quite well even on some crappy laptop speaker I never use: isn't it fantastic? God knows I never ever could achieve this goal before.
Am I too buggy and clampy? No, I'm not an expert in everything, and that's all, exactly like an excellent guitarist is not meant to work on the mastering finalization of his own record, but will reasonably ask a good mastering engineer.
Neutron, to me, is a great helper, good to analize and further tweak a track, or the master bus. I love the fact that it does not colours the sounds (with the right settings). Quite CPU efficient here (i7 quad core, win7, 32 ram).
Thanks for this interesting thread!!
My two cent.

[sounddesigner]

Ask and ye shall receive! New Neutron update 1.0.1 with CPU performance improvements released!



QUOTE: " Product News: Neutron 1.01 now available!

If you own Neutron or Neutron Advanced, the free Neutron 1.01 update includes:

•CPU performance improvements of up to 20% when using certain features
•Improved accessibility support for Mac users, plus other visual enhancements
•Important bug fixes, including improvements to FL Studio compatibility and fixes to features like Track Assistant and Presets for customers using non-Latin alphabets

Download Neutron 1.01 | Get more details in the Release Notes

Download Neutron Advanced 1.01 | Get more details in the Release Notes " END QUOTE

[BennyLucassi]

I have ozone advanced so here's my question

what's the difference between the EQ, compressor, etc..on ozone advanced vs neutron in terms of separate plugins?

also, if I were to use track assistant with neutron would I use it last in terms of processing, i.e after saturation, effects, etc..or is track assistant something you should use first?