Neutron 4: Beginner's Guide
Plug-in suites and bundles are certainly attractive for many reasons. You get good bang for your buck, a collection of plug-ins that are designed to work together, and a well-organized layout for those plug-ins. However, with so much power and depth available, there's usually a pretty steep learning curve involved. That's where this Neutron 4 video course comes in. Veteran Groove3 instructor Eli Krantzberg takes you through the key components of iZotope's Neutron 4 mixing suite, teaching you what you need to know to start using each of the 8 modules and demonstrating them so you can hear them in action. By the end of the course, you'll be well-versed in the suite and ready to start making it a part of your daily workflow. These videos are for new Neutron 4 users.
Videos
• Neutron 4 Overview (07:24) - Take a first look around the Neutron 4 mothership interface and get to know the Assistant View and Detailed View basics.
• Limiter (03:41) - Learn about the various Limiter styles and modes and how to read both the peak and RMS output levels.
• Assistant View (07:28) - Explore the Assistant View workflow in more detail and see how to bring in a custom target curve.
• Presets & Undo History (06:25) - Discover how to save, customize, and update global and module presets and how to utilize the Undo History sets to recall and audition up to four separate states of recent changes.
• Getting Started with the Equalizer Module (07:25) - See how to adjust the frequency scaling, how the spectrum displays work, how to create and remove bands, how to use the Learn function, and more.
• Working with the EQ Module (06:54) - Explore the use of band solo, different filter types, keyboard control, dynamic EQ, and internal and external per-band side-chain routing.
• Compressor Module Controls (06:04) - Learn about the Neutron 4 compressor detection modes, detection filter, multi-band crossover functions, and the main characteristics of the three compressor processors.
• Compressor in Action (07:41) - Hear various features of the Neutron 4 compressor put to work in different musical contexts.
• Gate Module (08:09) - Explore this dynamics processor that's used to reduce unwanted noise (like guitar amp hiss) or multi-track drum mic bleed, as well as creative rhythmic effects when triggered via its side-chain input.
• Sculptor (05:42) - Discover how this module uses spectral shaping to bring clarity and polish to your tracks, based on idealized spectral target curves of specific instruments.
• EQ Masking Meter (04:46) - Learn to use the equalizer module's masking meter as a visual identifier and corrective tool for areas where frequencies may be colliding between tracks competing in the same frequency ranges.
• Unmask Module (05:29) - Watch another way to create space between tracks, using a dynamic side-chain tool based around spectral attenuation. Combining the spectral shaping technology used in the masking meter, the multi-band dynamic response of the dynamic EQ, and the timing ballistics of the compressor, this tool not only identifies frequency-based conflicts, but resolves them as well.
• Transient Shaper Module (07:59) - Hear how this module is used to alter and shape your sound's attack and sustain characteristics and, by extension, its tone.
• Exciter Module (08:20) - Explore how this module can add subtle or dramatic harmonic distortion to enhance and accentuate elements in your audio.
• Visual Mixer (06:52) - Mix Assistant View - See how to set up a session for optimal Inter-Plugin-Communication (IPC) between various instances of iZotope plug-ins and the Mix Assistant in the Visual Mixer plug-in.
• Working with the Visual Mixer Plug-In (04:40) - Learn how to adjust the volume, panning, and width of the elements within your mix directly from the Visual Mixer Plug-in, and see how to easily save and compare up to three mix snapshots.