Neutron Comparables

[nicksohn]

TDR Slick EQ has a deresonate function, match pink noise, and auto hp/lp which places nodes and gain adjustment.

Not the same as the Neutron EQ, sorry.

SlickEQ has been doing this stuff since a year:

- Match pink ("auto EQ")
- Set HP/LP according to signal bandwidth
- Find and reduce resonances
- Match with another reference curve or audio-file

All these independent of level and loudness, well tested and polished.

I'm interested to understand what exactly you are missing. I don't see much of a difference to be honest, but we can update fast in case we oversaw something. We'll extend the smart actions to Nova GE, too. Very very soon.

Can you give me a clue about smart action?

I'm very interested, but i can not find specific info or demo, video!

[koolkeys]

FabienTDR: As an owner of Neutron, but also a fan of your work, I just want to say that isn't technology great? The fact that we're arguing (well, discussing really, not arguing) over these highly advanced features that studio engineers would have killed to have 20 years ago, that's just amazing!

We planned adding crosslinking capabilities (plugin A vs B), but haven't found a reasonable mechanism yet. Inverse spectra don't sound like a sensible idea to me. These decisions greatly depend on the dynamic nature of the given channels. i.e., inverse linking only works for signals having very similar dynamics, similar harmonic balance and a similar stereo image.

Simple example, take a drum bus and the lead bus. Their spectral overlap is literally worthless if you ask me. They mix without a problem, and there is no better or worse balance between them. I'm doubtful about the real world effectiveness of the whole cross-linking aspect.

The crosslinking in Neutron is able to see ALL other instances of the plugin, and you can adjust them all from the same interface. You don't HAVE to use invest spectra, but there are cases where you may want to. Adjusting a kick drum and bass guitar, for instance. Plus, you can have it work in dynamic mode. Essentially, that means that you can make a boost to the frequency on your bass track, but ONLY have the boost happen every time the kick drum triggers that frequency. It has a built-in sidechain from all instances to all other instances so you don't have to have all your EQ adjustments static throughout the track. The adjustments can be made only when triggered.

But also keep in mind that the inverse function is optional. You don't need to make adjustments that way.

But generally, I think that we're still far away from automated mixing, this is a too creative field for robots. Restoration, basic "pinking" and matching is reasonable, but mixing is best handled by plugin hosts and not plugins if you ask me. Cross-linking plugins is a very spaghetti, misplaced concept in my opinion

iZotope doesn't market Neutron as a plugin that will do the mixing for you though. They have gone out of their way to mention that it is good for learning and for getting ideas for starting points. On its own, Neutron is a very good channel strip. But the intelligent features are actually quite useful. It is easy to dismiss it by saying that a plugin shouldn't do the mixing for you, or that any level of intelligence in a plugin can be misleading. But I say why not have those features? We've got enough EQs/compressors/etc. out there with every feature, every emulation, etc. I'm happy to see somebody trying something somewhat new. If I can EQ all my tracks from one interface while listening and watching the mask detection, why shouldn't I?

I'm happy to see you are so open to the improvements to your own spectacular plugins. A little competition never hurt anyone

Brent

[FabienTDR]

Can you give me a clue about smart action?
I'm very interested, but i can not find specific info or demo, video!

It allows "learning" a section of the incoming audio. This then enables various semi intelligent options. An important aspect of this approach is that these actions purely utilize the public parameters to achieve their goals, so that the operator can fine tune any time (this seems common with Neutron). Or from the different perspective, these are intelligent presets, sensible starting points.



We're a small team of devs, so we've chosen to go with an iterative development approach made of many little safe steps. These helpers are currently being spread out across all our commercial offers (they already are for the SlickEQ series, Nova very soon).

We have some interesting plans with this tech, what you see now is most probably just a beginning.

About a demo, you can either check Dan Worrall's SlickEq M video:

or this little demonstration of the "deresonate" option by Den*: https://vid.me/xDfv
More details can be found in our new tech blog: http://www.tokyodawn.net/tokyo-dawn-labs-tech-blog/


@koolkeys: Indeed! There's still so much potential for improvement and modernization. Really exciting

[Dewdman42]

Plus, you can have it work in dynamic mode. Essentially, that means that you can make a boost to the frequency on your bass track, but ONLY have the boost happen every time the kick drum triggers that frequency. It has a built-in sidechain from all instances to all other instances so you don't have to have all your EQ adjustments static throughout the track. The adjustments can be made only when triggered.

Boom. Now that is interesting to me. Thanks for pointing that out. Are there any other plugins out there that do this, as easily?

[MarlaPodolski]

i'm just not an eq kinda guy i guess. i like to think that my mixes don't really need eq to begin with.

I'm sorry, but that has got to be one of the scariest things I've ever seen posted in a forum that suggests to be dealing with pro audio work and professional music.

I want to venture a guess here, if I may: djmino, your stuff needs some EQ.

[bungle]

Not all music NEEDs EQing hahaha, the scary thing is the amount of people round here who have an EQ, sometimes even two or more on each track in a project.

[soulone82]

Not all music NEEDs EQing hahaha, the scary thing is the amount of people round here who have an EQ, sometimes even two or more on each track in a project.

WAHT?

WAT TEH HELL IZ WRONG WIT MA EQ SETTINKZ?

[jens]

Not all music NEEDs EQing hahaha, the scary thing is the amount of people round here who have an EQ, sometimes even two or more on each track in a project.

Of course not every track in a mix neccessarily needs EQ.
Especially if you chose and placed the mik carefully and sensibly (if it's an audio track containing a miked source), used appropriate pickup and tone and volume and amp settings (if it's a recording of an electro-acoustic instrument) and so forth - in short, if you basically take great care of your mix already during recording (as you ideally should) - but even then: the more tracks you add, the more likely it becomes that you need to EQ some of them.

Perhaps you might indeed end up not really needing any EQ at all on one or two songs - but to say EQ in general is not something your mixes need, really speaks volumes about your lack of experience and comprehension regarding the art and craft of music production...

[.jon]

Can you give me a clue about smart action?
I'm very interested, but i can not find specific info or demo, video!

It allows "learning" a section of the incoming audio. This then enables various semi intelligent options. An important aspect of this approach is that these actions purely utilize the public parameters to achieve their goals, so that the operator can fine tune any time (this seems common with Neutron). Or from the different perspective, these are intelligent presets, sensible starting points.



We're a small team of devs, so we've chosen to go with an iterative development approach made of many little safe steps. These helpers are currently being spread out across all our commercial offers (they already are for the SlickEQ series, Nova very soon).

We have some interesting plans with this tech, what you see now is most probably just a beginning.

About a demo, you can either check Dan Worrall's SlickEq M video:

or this little demonstration of the "deresonate" option by Den*: https://vid.me/xDfv
More details can be found in our new tech blog: http://www.tokyodawn.net/tokyo-dawn-labs-tech-blog/


@koolkeys: Indeed! There's still so much potential for improvement and modernization. Really exciting

While technology is and can be amazing, what I really like about SlickEQ GE is that it doesn't have unlimited infinitely configurable multichannel 4D vector bands, accurately modelled state of the art vintage console-style intersample latency behaviour, Dynamically Automated Theta-parameter Crossprocessing Volumization Hybrid Filter Engine, TRAAT(r) modular convolution or intralinked dual-DDRFS2(r) lateral crossover transient compensation mode.

If you know what I mean. Sometimes a person just needs an EQ that works.

[garryknight]

Of course not every track in a mix neccessarily needs EQ.

And not everyone is recording into a DAW. I make electronica/EDM in the box and, after a few years of doing so, am almost 100% confident that I could control the output of the various synths and sample replayers I use in such a way that I could do the whole thing without requiring a dedicated EQ plugin. But then one could argue that as soon as I've tweaked a single filter, I've EQ'd the synth.

And again, one could argue that if I use a spectrum analyzer and only choose synth presets that have minimum frequency overlap, again I won't need a dedicated EQ. And by doing so, I would effectively have EQ'd my mix.

But all this is sophistry. In real life, if you want your mix to sound the way you like it, you need to use an EQ plugin. And if you want other people to like it, you probably need a whole shedload of gear

[garryknight]

While technology is and can be amazing, what I really like about SlickEQ GE is that it doesn't have unlimited infinitely configurable multichannel 4D vector bands, accurately modelled state of the art vintage console-style intersample latency behaviour, Dynamically Automated Theta-parameter Crossprocessing Volumization Hybrid Filter Engine, TRAAT(r) modular convolution or intralinked dual-DDRFS2(r) lateral crossover transient compensation mode.

Oh, damn! Now I want all that!

[.jon]

Well I bet Slate or IK Multimedia are already on to that, it will come complete with a rendered UI resembling some old hardware and endorsed by the legendary mastering engineer George F. McBurrows.

[bungle]

Not all music NEEDs EQing hahaha, the scary thing is the amount of people round here who have an EQ, sometimes even two or more on each track in a project.

Of course not every track in a mix neccessarily needs EQ.
Especially if you chose and placed the mik carefully and sensibly (if it's an audio track containing a miked source), used appropriate pickup and tone and volume and amp settings (if it's a recording of an electro-acoustic instrument) and so forth - in short, if you basically take great care of your mix already during recording (as you ideally should) - but even then: the more tracks you add, the more likely it becomes that you need to EQ some of them.

Perhaps you might indeed end up not really needing any EQ at all on one or two songs - but to say EQ in general is not something your mixes need, really speaks volumes about your lack of experience and comprehension regarding the art and craft of music production...

No it speaks more about your inability to read, when did i say EQ in general is not needed, I said not ALL music needs EQ, This would suggest entirely that in general EQ is needed, but not always, so keep you arrogant insults to yourself !

[djmino02]

EQ is for dweebs