The latest version of iZotope’s popular Ozone mastering plug-in, launched today, will feature a sleek, redesigned interface and a host of enhancements designed to make the mastering process faster and easier. Ozone 6 will also be able to function as a stand-alone application for the first time, a welcome addition particularly for mastering a series of finished tracks together for an album or EP outside of the DAW environment.
While Ozone 5 was the "Complete Mastering System", iZotope are describing version 6 as the “Creative Mastering Platform”. Creative may not be the first adjective you would associate with mastering, but iZotope’s aim is to make mastering a stress-free process with the focus on achieving the sound you want. While detailed settings are of course available for advanced tweaking, iZotope say that Ozone 6’s array of presets will allow anyone to quickly achieve authentic results in any genre. The new GUI also provides a helping hand, with every module (Equalizer, Dynamics, Maximizer, Exciter and so on) providing real-time visual feedback.
As before, Ozone 6 will be available in standard and advanced versions, the latter boasting multiple additional features including the new Dynamic EQ module, which looks like an intriguing combination of multi-band EQ and compression. Ozone 6 will go on sale at the promotional price of £139 (normally £149), with Ozone 6 Advanced initially retailing for £415 (normally £599). Competitively priced upgrades from previous version will also be available, starting at £67.95. Introductory pricing is currently in effect until November 13 with Ozone 6 retailing for $199 (normally $249) and Ozone 6 Advanced costing $599 ($999 thereafter). Both are available from today, with competitively priced upgrades from previous versions also on offer.
