Expensive but good. I would not want AI to totally mix something for me, it would take all the fun out of it. At the same time, there are tasks I am not particularly good at and in the genre I work in, people are not really listening for sterling audio production. Still, there are some things that I have always had trouble doing.
I have three of Izotope's machine learning plugins. I am cheap so I have the baby little version of these, not the big honking expensive versions. The expensive versions have a lot more control in the hands of the mixer, the Elements versions have very little control. I have, all in the Elements inexpensive line, Neutron, Nectar, and Ozone.
Neutron is for mixing, you put an instance of Neutron on all the tracks turn the stuff on and Neutron analyzes what the track IS, fine tunes that track, all the while doing the same with the other tracks and the software talks back and forth between the instances and balancing everything out. I rarely use Neutron. My Son and I did an all Machine learning mix and it was kinda OK but not great. Rarely use it.
Nectar Elements is an "all in one" plugin for vocals. I don't know about you, but I have some difficulty getting good vocal sounds that sit correctly in the mix. Since I mostly end up mixing MY VOICE I suspect that it's the fact it's me, makes it hard to mix impartially. Nectar analyzes the vocal and assigns suitable dynamics and EQ and some sweetening stuff. I like this plugin very much. It's unlikely that I would end up using a purely Nectar vocal, but Nectar gets "in the ballpark" very quickly. It's often hard to even get started on vocals and hard to get in the ballpark so Nectar saves me loads of time getting me a good starting point. I do think that it's possible to just use the result from Nectar and it would probably be OK.
Lastly, which is last in the chain of plugins is Ozone elements. Again, I have the cheap version. It's a mastering tool. Mastering is the last thing done and it's to get the audio to correct levels as that applies to songs that are going to be released. Many of us have done "half ass mastering" using our native plugins and/or other plugins to beef up the song and hit the correct targets for loudness. This is harder than it seems. Last year I was doing a few songs for a band I was in and when it was time to release, I could not get a good mastered song, and I did not really understand the way the industry measures loudness for finished songs. I still don't understand the scale they work in and their required loudness. After messing around a while, I tried a couple of "online mastering" services and I did not at all like the outcome. I spent 35 bucks on Ozone elements and I put it on the master and let it perk and HOLY SMOKES the good sounding track, suddenly turned into a much punchier, more dynamic, and louder version of itself. Huge improvement and ready to release.
I still do a lot of mixing by hand and by ear, but Nectar, then Ozone gives me a decent result. Mostly don't use neutron, but if it was "you have to mix this song in one hour or we shoot you" I would do the whole thing with Neutron elements, Nectar elements, then Ozone. It might not be perfect, but they would not shoot me.
I have three of Izotope's machine learning plugins. I am cheap so I have the baby little version of these, not the big honking expensive versions. The expensive versions have a lot more control in the hands of the mixer, the Elements versions have very little control. I have, all in the Elements inexpensive line, Neutron, Nectar, and Ozone.
Neutron is for mixing, you put an instance of Neutron on all the tracks turn the stuff on and Neutron analyzes what the track IS, fine tunes that track, all the while doing the same with the other tracks and the software talks back and forth between the instances and balancing everything out. I rarely use Neutron. My Son and I did an all Machine learning mix and it was kinda OK but not great. Rarely use it.
Nectar Elements is an "all in one" plugin for vocals. I don't know about you, but I have some difficulty getting good vocal sounds that sit correctly in the mix. Since I mostly end up mixing MY VOICE I suspect that it's the fact it's me, makes it hard to mix impartially. Nectar analyzes the vocal and assigns suitable dynamics and EQ and some sweetening stuff. I like this plugin very much. It's unlikely that I would end up using a purely Nectar vocal, but Nectar gets "in the ballpark" very quickly. It's often hard to even get started on vocals and hard to get in the ballpark so Nectar saves me loads of time getting me a good starting point. I do think that it's possible to just use the result from Nectar and it would probably be OK.
Lastly, which is last in the chain of plugins is Ozone elements. Again, I have the cheap version. It's a mastering tool. Mastering is the last thing done and it's to get the audio to correct levels as that applies to songs that are going to be released. Many of us have done "half ass mastering" using our native plugins and/or other plugins to beef up the song and hit the correct targets for loudness. This is harder than it seems. Last year I was doing a few songs for a band I was in and when it was time to release, I could not get a good mastered song, and I did not really understand the way the industry measures loudness for finished songs. I still don't understand the scale they work in and their required loudness. After messing around a while, I tried a couple of "online mastering" services and I did not at all like the outcome. I spent 35 bucks on Ozone elements and I put it on the master and let it perk and HOLY SMOKES the good sounding track, suddenly turned into a much punchier, more dynamic, and louder version of itself. Huge improvement and ready to release.
I still do a lot of mixing by hand and by ear, but Nectar, then Ozone gives me a decent result. Mostly don't use neutron, but if it was "you have to mix this song in one hour or we shoot you" I would do the whole thing with Neutron elements, Nectar elements, then Ozone. It might not be perfect, but they would not shoot me.
