I've been using iZotope Ozone for years and it's an amazing tool for improving the sound of my tracks. It's easy to use and has a great selection of filters and processors that can really help to bring out the best in my music. The spectrum analysis and adjustable dynamics are especially useful for getting the perfect sound. I also love the stereo adjustment and mid/side and left/right navigation features, which make it easy to tweak the sound of my tracks. Overall, iZotope Ozone is a great tool for DJs and producers alike and I highly recommend it.
iZotope Ozone is an acclaimed audio mastering package with a chain of multiband dynamics, EQ and other processors with integrated spectrum analysis. It's one of the most complex and effective tools for working with sounds and music.
The interface looks pretty with its soothing dark palette, but can be hard to grasp if you're a beginner. It's a modular setup, with each module being freely movable. Default arrangement and the purpose of those modules may be confusing at first. However, if you get the hang of it, you have access to numerous features and functions like stereo adjustment, mid/side and left/right navigation, undoing history, clear graphical feedback of levels, frequency spectrum and processing. You can drastically change the quality of uploaded audio files, with even the tools like adjustable dynamics detection filter, dynamics parallel processing, matching EQ mode, analogue and digital EQ phase response (with fully adjustable phase for the latter), and Alt-Solo, an EQ frequency pinpointing system.
The program's performance is quite satisfactory. iZotope Ozone works rather fast for such an extensive toolset, the menus and windows do not freeze or slow you down, and it's an overall comfortable experience. There are numerous technical details I could describe, but this would take a more thorough article for consummate professionals. Here, I can only tell that it's big, it's reliable, and it does a great job.
v5.0 [Nov 11, 2011]
EQUALIZER
Analog-matched frequency response for all filter types
Vintage Low and High Shelf filters with variable "Cut" control
Extra-steep "brickwall" analog Low- and High-Pass filters
Flat Low- and High-Pass filters with variable slope
New Snapshots panel with easier EQ snapshot workflow
Improved, simplified Matching EQ feature
Mini Info Panel for easy access to active EQ band's settings
Ability to zoom by time and frequency for precise equalization
Separate EQ settings for left/right channels
Second Post EQ in signal chain for post-dynamics/exciter shaping
Zoomable spectrum in EQ
New Spectrum options including Left/Right and Mid/Side modes
Phase Response, Phase Delay and Group Delay plots
MAXIMIZER
IRC III Limiting mode: new psychoacoustic algorithm with transient preservation
Gain Reduction Trace view: shows gain reduction over time
Spectrum view
Stereo Link: allows variance between fully independent left/right limiting and linked limiting
DITHER
Additional Dither noise-shaping curves
Dither Shape view
EXCITER
Improved sound quality in all Exciter modes
Natural-sounding Peak Saturation: adds harmonics without drastic gain changes
Post-Saturation High Shelf filter: for additional harmonic shaping
Saturation Spectrum display: shows excitation by frequency
Refined Tube, Tape, Retro, and Warm algorithms
Oversampling mode prevents aliasing
STEREO IMAGING
New Vectorscope modes: Polar Level, Polar Sample
Anti-phase prevention
Stereo Width Spectrum view
Correlation Trace view shows mono-compatibility over time
Stereo Balance meter
Phase Rotation allows phase fine-tuning to optimize asymmetrical waveforms' loudness
DYNAMICS
Greatly-improved workflow includes always-visible Attack and Release controls
All Bands mode shows most crucial controls for every band in one view
Gain Reduction Trace shows dynamics characteristics superimposed on waveform
Interactive Threshold provides intuitive control over all dynamics stages
Improved Gain Reduction meter with input/output and overlaid histogram options
Hard/Soft Knee selection
New upward compression boosts levels as they fall below the threshold
Limiter Boost pushes up threshold-crossing levels when Limiter ratio is set to the left
REVERB
New Modeled Reverb algorithm: provides realistic early reflections with smooth decay
Improved Plate and Room modes and new Hall mode
PRESETS AND ROUTING
All Global Presets updated to take advantage of new DSP and features
Many new genre-specific presets added to Global Presets
Improved Amount controls make adjusting presets simple
Module Presets: each mastering module has dedicated preset saving and loading
Over 80 new Module Presets included
Select independent or shared crossovers for multiband modules
