iZotope Plasma

[Jac459]

iZotope has released a new plugin called Plasma.
It's a saturator plugin, that works quite differently from others. I think it's meant for producers and people who just needs to find the right sound without going much deeper with weird settings.
And so it's meant to be user friendly

That's the official page: https://www.izotope.com/en/products/plasma.html
The price it's €55

Here i made a video just in case you are curious to know more

https://youtu.be/Nrxoozqnv2Y

If you enjoy the video, you can find my affiliate link in the video description. Using it is a great way to support my work as an independent creator and show your appreciation

Few remarks on your video as you posted it here.
Good - the production quality is generally good and pleasant.
Can be improved - the structure of your video. You speak for 1.30minutes without showing the product, advertising your patron without even any content shown except saying what you would talk about. Just after your comparaison/trial is really interesting and well done. I do believe you should tease this part at the beginning of your video because if I didn't click on the link from kvr, I wouldn't have stayed long enough to see it.

On the plugin: I really liked the examples you showed. That's what I am doing manually with Saturn2, having an AI helping me on it is a plus but I am not sure to be willing to pay 55 bucks for just that....

Will see when it will be packaged with their suite.... I have the current one.

Thank you for your feedback!

Just to be sure i got it right. Are you suggesting to place a little part at the beginning from the moment i try the plugin just to tease that i'm showing the product?
If my understanding isn't right, please correct me, i'm very interested to get feedback in order to make better videos.
I also understand the reason of this feedback, i just usually don't love initial teasing of the video itself, expecially if it's short, 8 min ain't that long, and as viewer i always skip teasing intros on video shorter than 15mins, but i know people attention is very low, i just have thought someone not interested in the first part should have just skipped that one to go on the plugin, i'll check my analytics when available, cause your is a fair point i need to consider, and everything can always be improved!

If anyone else have a thought about this, please feel free to let me know


About other questions being asked

There is no oversampling, i didn't checked it on plugin doctor, something i usually do, but i think it would benefit from it, because don't remember on which sound i heard some aliasing, although turning down the white bar, aliasing disappeared, at least to my ears, but would have been a nice feature to have.

I never tried bloom, so i have no clue on what it does, this is a saturator with specific profiles though.

Hello,

Indeed you understood well but let me be a bit more precise.

After clicking on your video, the decision to look is on the first 30 seconds. The immediate impression is very good. Your lighting is good. The sound is going, the colours are good so the general impression is very positive.
On the improvement side, you are repeating basically what is in the title of your video, it is a bit too slow and then you talk about your patron when in fact we don't know yet your value added. So I think you need to enter in the main content much faster, showing that you will do some A/B testing and all.

Got it, thank you very much!

I will do some changes for the future videos.

Some have already been shot, so will come with the samish "issue" of this one, but for the rest, i will change it, hopefully finding the right way to do it

Great!

And happy to discover a new "quality content" channel !

[jens]

Guys, why wouldn't you use PM for private matters such as these?

[chagzuki]

Not sure if this is useful. After all, if it's shifting the spectral balance towards an ideal target by adding saturation, if one likes the result wouldn't it be quite likely be a better solution to EQ and then add saturation to the entire signal? Perhaps the shifting saturation adds movement...but if one dials it up that movement can sound very weird... not sure it's desirable at any level.

[Funk Dracula]

Not sure if this is useful. After all, if it's shifting the spectral balance towards an ideal target by adding saturation, if one likes the result wouldn't it be quite likely be a better solution to EQ and then add saturation to the entire signal? Perhaps the shifting saturation adds movement...but if one dials it up that movement can sound very weird... not sure it's desirable at any level.

I actually find this plug-in very useful. When used in small subtle doses, in targeted spectral ranges across different elements within a mix, the dynamic saturation is amazing for filling in gaps for apparent energy in a mix. It's like a dynamic single band bell "harmonic" EQ boost.

It sounds like shit across an entire mix or on a 2bus. It also sounds like shit cranked up anywhere near even halfway. But, I'm very impressed with the quick, easy, and impactful results when used subtly across a mix on individual elements. Like, very very impressed. I'm going to test drive this alot more for the next 10 days, but my first impressions are that I'm going to end up purchasing this and using it quite often. Still need to test mix translations and other kinks across different systems etc.

Could you approximate what this does roughly with other plug-ins combined etc? Probably? But this thing is dead easy to use, nearing a "one knob" plug-in, and it's not expensive. Cons are latency, no GUI resize, and like I mentioned it sounds pretty awful cranked anywhere near even halfway up on alot of sound sources. It definitely sounds like poop on a master fader, I mean, just listen to their own demo video examples for proof of that haha.

Cheers

[audiouser720]

They are inspired by martiu. The frekken’ buy button actually says ‘Buy now’ lol

[motomotomoto]

Not sure if this is useful. After all, if it's shifting the spectral balance towards an ideal target by adding saturation, if one likes the result wouldn't it be quite likely be a better solution to EQ and then add saturation to the entire signal? Perhaps the shifting saturation adds movement...but if one dials it up that movement can sound very weird... not sure it's desirable at any level.

I actually find this plug-in very useful. When used in small subtle doses, in targeted spectral ranges across different elements within a mix, the dynamic saturation is amazing for filling in gaps for apparent energy in a mix. It's like a dynamic single band bell "harmonic" EQ boost.

It sounds like shit across an entire mix or on a 2bus. It also sounds like shit cranked up anywhere near even halfway. But, I'm very impressed with the quick, easy, and impactful results when used subtly across a mix on individual elements. Like, very very impressed. I'm going to test drive this alot more for the next 10 days, but my first impressions are that I'm going to end up purchasing this and using it quite often. Still need to test mix translations and other kinks across different systems etc.

Could you approximate what this does roughly with other plug-ins combined etc? Probably? But this thing is dead easy to use, nearing a "one knob" plug-in, and it's not expensive. Cons are latency, no GUI resize, and like I mentioned it sounds pretty awful cranked anywhere near even halfway up on alot of sound sources. It definitely sounds like poop on a master fader, I mean, just listen to their own demo video examples for proof of that haha.

Cheers

Agree on usefulness

Disagree it can’t be good on the master. Particularly like the modes that saturate the most dynamic peaks and essence increase dynamic range via saturation. Not something I could do before which is always interesting.

[Jac459]

I installed based on your latest comments...

I don't dislike it, but I don't see really the gain compare to Saturn2 (but I may be missing something.
Sure it is as simple as it get because you just turn a knob.
But with Saturn2, you can visualise your curve very clearly and target the part you want, change the colour, the dynamic, and then go way way beyond with the envelop follower and all other modulators...


Ok there is one point. It is much cheaper...

[Frankie.T]

Saturn 2 is certainly on another level if you know how to use it.

I think this plugin is more for people who need something quickier and easier to use.

There's lots of people who prefer to keep throwing money on plugins looking for miracles instead to invest in their knowledge and to learn how to properly do things.

[motomotomoto]

Saturn 2 is certainly on another level if you know how to use it.

I think this plugin is more for people who need something quickier and easier to use.

There's lots of people who prefer to keep throwing money on plugins looking for miracles instead to invest in their knowledge and to learn how to properly do things.

As someone who has Saturn 2 how would one target sustains or transients with Saturn 2 adaptively?

[Jac459]

Saturn 2 is certainly on another level if you know how to use it.

I think this plugin is more for people who need something quickier and easier to use.

There's lots of people who prefer to keep throwing money on plugins looking for miracles instead to invest in their knowledge and to learn how to properly do things.

As someone who has Saturn 2 how would one target sustains or transients with Saturn 2 adaptively?

Modulators!

You have envelop followers so you can modulate in a very controlled manner... and also a dynamic knob ... that you can automate too. As a result the control you can get is pretty great.

Saturn2 has nothing special as a creative tool (I prefer Thermal for that) but in the mix bus or master bus, it is a hell of a beast.

[ROTMetro]

Saturn 2 is certainly on another level if you know how to use it.

I think this plugin is more for people who need something quickier and easier to use.

There's lots of people who prefer to keep throwing money on plugins looking for miracles instead to invest in their knowledge and to learn how to properly do things.

Alternatively there's a ton of creative types drawn to making music that don't find the intricacies of multiple followers driving multiple modulators driving multiple bands/styles of saturation fits with their creative process.

How many musicians of the past were experts on using modulators to add dynamic saturation? Are you denigrating them as well or just modern musicians who are overwhelmed by the huge amount of production techniques there are now?

The average modern music hobbyist has to learn more 'producer polish' to try can come close to 'the current sounds' than the professional musicians of the past knew so I think we can give them a pass when they have a limit of how much of their mental capacity/creative energy they have for these sorts of things. And lets be real, most musicians have handed off the production polish for their music to someone else since the start. But lets keep people down and gatekeep music making! Way to keep it real brother!

(nevermind this is $49 versus Saturn which is $129 but the poors obviously shouldn't be making music)

[Jac459]

Saturn 2 is certainly on another level if you know how to use it.

I think this plugin is more for people who need something quickier and easier to use.

There's lots of people who prefer to keep throwing money on plugins looking for miracles instead to invest in their knowledge and to learn how to properly do things.

Alternatively there's a ton of creative types drawn to making music that don't find the intricacies of multiple followers driving multiple modulators driving multiple bands/styles of saturation fits with their creative process.

How many musicians of the past were experts on using modulators to add dynamic saturation? Are you denigrating them as well or just modern musicians who are overwhelmed by the huge amount of production techniques there are now?

The average modern music hobbyist has to learn more 'producer polish' to try can come close to 'the current sounds' than the professional musicians of the past knew so I think we can give them a pass when they have a limit of how much of their mental capacity/creative energy they have for these sorts of things. And lets be real, most musicians have handed off the production polish for their music to someone else since the start. But lets keep people down and gatekeep music making! Way to keep it real brother!

(nevermind this is $49 versus Saturn which is $129 but the poors obviously shouldn't be making music)

You are making a very good point and I agree with you.

That's why a bit of respect for eachothers techniques and way of doing things goes a long way. That's a reminder of my post on Fatboy slim ancient ways of doing things.... Allowing him to do bangers after bangers.

That being said. It is a forum about making music and production techniques. It is very useful to share when a new tool arrive if it is replaceable or not with what you have.

You prefer to buy it, fine.
You prefer to emulate it with other tools, fine also.

(And remember that this tool will be bundled with izotope bundles anyway, so if you use ozone and co, you will have it anyway.).

[Frankie.T]

Saturn 2 is certainly on another level if you know how to use it.

I think this plugin is more for people who need something quickier and easier to use.

There's lots of people who prefer to keep throwing money on plugins looking for miracles instead to invest in their knowledge and to learn how to properly do things.

Alternatively there's a ton of creative types drawn to making music that don't find the intricacies of multiple followers driving multiple modulators driving multiple bands/styles of saturation fits with their creative process.

How many musicians of the past were experts on using modulators to add dynamic saturation? Are you denigrating them as well or just modern musicians who are overwhelmed by the huge amount of production techniques there are now?

The average modern music hobbyist has to learn more 'producer polish' to try can come close to 'the current sounds' than the professional musicians of the past knew so I think we can give them a pass when they have a limit of how much of their mental capacity/creative energy they have for these sorts of things. And lets be real, most musicians have handed off the production polish for their music to someone else since the start. But lets keep people down and gatekeep music making! Way to keep it real brother!

(nevermind this is $49 versus Saturn which is $129 but the poors obviously shouldn't be making music)

I didn't wrote what you said.

Btw, i edited my longer comment just to avoid useless discussions.

[elassi]

I didn't wrote what you put in my mouth.

Calm down. It seems to be a quote-failure.

[chagzuki]

This is a weird plugin. For instance, if I apply the full drum kit preset across a drum bus, I suppose it's trying to add harmonics to constantly adjust the momentary sounds to a static drum kit profile. So if the release is around 300 ms, it creates a swirly filter-sweep type of effect. Why would I want to snare drum or kick etc. to be spectrally shifted closer to a kit profile?... I don't think I would, but the sweepy effect does make the drum kit sound less mechanical, less synthetic. It would help enormously to have an output gain control, so that A/Bing the effect could be done without volume-induced bias. I find myself quite liking this 'enlivening' effect, though it's possible that it might easily get fatiguing if overdone.