Whatever are the genres that you’re working in, there should always be an array of different effects plugins involved in the process.

What’s more, things can sometimes get quite messy with a very complex virtual signal chain of different effects. Even to the point where you might even forget why you even added some of those plugins.

So in some cases, it’s usually a good idea to go with the multi-effects plugins. This way, you’ll save both your time and patience with a product where all the components are designed to work well with one another.

Knowing how useful these kinds of plugins can be to some, we decided to look into EZMix 2, made and developed by Toontrack.

It’s been a while since it was originally released, with the latest upgrade 2.1.5 being launched back in May of 2019.

Since it’s present on the plugin market and has already built its reputation, we’re certain that many have been satisfied with it. This is why we decided to take a closer look at it and give our take on EZMix 2 and all of its features.

Features

What are all the goodies that we get with such a diverse plugin? Well, before we get into it, we need to point out that this is a multi-purpose multi-effects and mixing product.

It’s intended for pretty much any type of physical or virtual instrument, as well as any type of vocals.

In its array of effects, all designed to work hand-in-hand together, we have specialized presets for different types of instruments and vocals.

For instance, if you’re recording an electric guitar, EZMix 2 will provide you not only with some amp simulations, but also whole presets with numerous effects all set for the final product.

But aside from the basses and guitars, we also can find presets for keyboards, drums, and vocals, as well as different mastering settings, all with additional effects.

From this feature, it’s pretty clear that the guys over at Toontrack wanted a multi-purpose full package for everything.

With all this said, there’s a wide variety of different effects included. Anything from basic EQs, over compressors, modulation effects, up to full-blown guitar amp simulation.

Using the plugin’s graphic interface, you’re able to create, or edit, different signal chains on your own. When you arrange the virtual rack effects or pedals or amps, you can select each one and tweak its parameters. It’s all pretty visual-based.

Performance

One of the first things that we could notice about it is that the search engine was way more practical than the one in the first edition of EZMix.

For instance, in the EZMix 2, the user is able to search using different criteria or different instruments and more easily find what’s suitable for their needs.

But, of course, such a feature is a must in this day and age, especially if we’re talking about a multi-purpose plugin with a wide array of implementation.

In fact, it seems that the search option is the very center of this plugin.

Knowing that Toontrack sells additional presets of countless signal chains, it’s intended to operate through already available presets, with just a little bit of your own tweaking.

This might not fit with the idea some users might have for a multi-purpose mixing, effects, and mastering plugin.

On the other hand, this particular approach with pre-made presets is exactly what some musicians or producers are looking for.

The same things could be said about the overall design and arrangement of all the effects on it.

The user interface with all the controls offers easy operation for any purpose or effects presets. It’s a plugin with a very simplified approach that’s designed for those who love working with premade presets.

Going over to effects, they offer some pretty realistic and useful representation of even some classic analog units.

If you’re familiar with how basic effects controls work and have some experience behind you, there won’t be any issues. And even if you’re a beginner, the clear and very precise design makes it easier for any level.

Aside from being the standard VST plugin, it also comes in AU and RTAS forms for different platforms, which is most certainly a good addition for a variety of users.

Conclusion

To put it simply, EZMix 2 justifies its very creative name – it does make it easier to mix everything yourself. Well, it’s more than just mixing as it offers different effects and mastering features.

However, you just need to bear in mind that this is a multi-purpose unit and should be regarded as one. This means that you cannot expect it to perform some specific tasks as well as some other plugins with a more narrow array of use.

We’d single out the guitar amp simulation. While there are some very specific guitar cabinet and amp models, even replicas of famous amps, EZMix 2 does not perform as well compared to specialized plugins.

We’re not saying that it’s bad, but if you’re recording guitar-centric music, you’d rather want to consider going with something else. If, on the other hand, the guitar is just a random backing instrument, then the plugin would do the trick well enough.

So the plugin definitely has its purpose and clearly justifies the price tag. It’s available with different packs, and the price may vary anywhere between 130 and 180 USD.

What’s more, different additional EZMix packs with elaborate pre-made signal chains are available for an additional price.

We are looking at a professional and very versatile plugin, but you’ll need to try it out first to see whether it suits your needs.

Like we said – general use is great, but if you need something very specific, it might be a huge letdown for some users. Thankfully, you can try it out before buying it.

In our endless pursuit for better-sounding recordings, we’re lucky enough to have an abundance of great plugins for our DAWs of choice.

Whatever kind of music you’re into, there’s always a way to enhance the tone at least a little bit, no matter how polished it already is.

However, we should never stray too far away from the basics and neglect some of these fundamental principles and effects.

With this said, proper EQing is a must, no matter the genre, instruments, or the setting.

And there are two basic types of equalizers: graphic and parametric.

Although their function is essentially the same, they usually have a different application, but it often comes down to personal preferences of the one who’s in charge of the mixing process.

Graphic EQs are pretty simple to figure out, with each slider control presenting a specific frequency range.

With parametric EQs, it’s a bit more complex, but it allows more precise tone shaping methods.

It offers more detailed controls over all the parameters, and you can even completely filter out certain “troublesome” frequencies.

In this brief guide, we’ll be looking into the matter and sharing some of the best parametric EQ plugins that we can find. You can find a summarising table below, and the full list after.

Product Name	Main Features	Our Rating and Price
Editor’s Choice FabFilter Pro Q3.	– 24 frequency bands – Dynamic mode – High and low pass filters – Flat tilt filter shape – Per-band mid/side or left/right processing – Auto Gain – Intelligent solo mode – And much more	4.9/5 CHECK PRICE
Universal Audio Harrison 32C	– 4 frequency bands – High and Low pass filters – Knob based view	4.6/5 CHECK PRICE
Massenburg DesignWorks MDW Hi-Res Parametric EQ 5	– 5 frequency bands – High and Low pass filters – Q control and other EQ curve shaping features.	4.7/5 CHECK PRICE
Sound Radix SurferEQ 2	– 7 frequency bands – High and Low pass filters – Q control and other EQ curve shaping features.	4.5/5 CHECK PRICE
PSP Audioware ConsoleQ	– 4 frequency bands – One frequency and one gain knob per frequecy – Vintage, console-style flavor to the sound	4.8/5 CHECK PRICE

FabFilter Pro-Q

Released back in 2011, Pro-Q by FabFilter slowly found its way into the world of professional music-making.

Of course, it’s been improved many times since then, and the current version is up to date with all the current trends and needs.

The current version allows users to tweak up to 24 individual frequency bands.

What’s more, since the third version, there is also a dynamic mode which helps you save time by automatically filtering out the “bad” parts of the spectrum.

Whenever they reach a certain peak, Pro-Q automatically takes care of it. It’s as simple as that.

Of course, there are also high-pass filter and low-pass filter curves, which helps a lot with any types of vocals or instruments.

If you’ve got 30 minutes to spare, Manchester Music’s video on the Fab Filter Pro Q3 is a great little gem to get deeply acquainted with the possibilities of this plugin:

This is perhaps the most popular parametric EQ plugin, having received a bunch of awards and accolades from industry leading producers and engineers.

It gets a perfect score of 5 stars on pluginboutique:

Universal Audio Harrison 32C

Harrison 32C by Universal audio is a bit different from the rest of the plugins in this list.

First, its interface does not include the view of the curve.

Instead, it has somewhat of a “vintage” approach, giving the view of a supposed rack-mounted unit.

This is a console-styled plugin with only knobs and switches available on it.

The whole idea was to recreate the well-known Harrison 32C console, the one that ruled during the 1980s.

Expectedly, it gives that analog feel to the tone, making it a great choice for anyone who’s aiming at that type of sound.

There’s a total of four bands to control.

Each of these has a frequency level knob, as well as a gain knob.

You can also add a low-pass and a high-pass filter.

The approach feels a little “outdated” in some way, but it still provides great results for those who love vintage vibes in their sound.

Sonoris Mastering Equalizer SMEQ

The idea behind this particular plugin was to have a very precise and detailed EQ for any purpose.

There’s a total of seven bands to control on it, along with multiple different curve shapes.

Basically, you have full and comprehensive control over every possible parameter.

It can be set to do low and high-pass filtering, different bell curves, as well as shelves and additional fine-tuning.

What’s interesting is that you can set this equalizer to work between the linear phase and minimum phase response.

With the linear phase, you can keep all the frequencies in sync while also adding a small delay.

This way, you can do substantial boosts and cuts without messing up the relation of frequencies across the entire audible spectrum.

Massenburg DesignWorks MDW EQ5

MDW EQ5 by Massenburg DesignWorks became well-known for its completely clean and very flat response to the original signal.

This gives a solid base to shape the tone the way you want to with this EQ plugin.

As its name suggests, this plugin can control five frequency bands, with each having its own detailed controls.

Aside from different shapes like shelves and peaks, there’s also a useful Q control that gives more detailed EQ curve shaping.

Sound Radix SurferEQ 2

Sound Radix’s SurferEQ 2 takes the parametric EQing process to another level.

Now, what’s really special about it is that it not only takes care of the EQ curve but also handles the pitch of monophonic tracks.

Whether it’s an instrument track or a vocal track, it can help you sort out any “loose ends” and help you figure out the best equalizing practices with lower or higher notes.

It’s a fairly advanced feature that you don’t see in most of the EQ plugins today.

With its special Surf mode on, the plugin automatically tracks the audio recording’s pitch and adjusts the curve.

This feature also works with any standard MIDI controller, allowing some unusual tone-shaping processes.

Check out the video below for a quick glance at the plugin:

PSP Audioware ConsoleQ

And here’s another one for the lovers of vintage-oriented and console-style EQ plugins.

PSP Audioware’s ConsoleQ is not the regular kind of “clean” equalizer, but rather adds somewhat of a “flavor” to any track that you’re processing.

It is based on many different old consoles.

This plugin deals with four different frequency ranges, and it includes a separate high-pass filter.

Again, just like with other old school types of parametric EQ plugins, there’s one knob for the frequency and another one for the gain level for each frequency range.

It might take some time to get used to for those who are not familiar with parametric EQs, but it’s still a very effective one that adds a vintage dimension to the sound.

Brainworx bx_digital V3

Now, Brainworx made sure to make a very detailed and complex EQ with their bx_digital V3.

It takes only a glance to realize how advanced it actually is.

Not to get too technical, you can do both mono and stereo editing here.

In the stereo mode, you can do different settings for both the left and right channels.

Overall, there are five frequency ranges here.

And each of them can be shaped with special parameter controls.

As we said, it’s fairly advanced, this most suitable for professional work.

Final Thoughts

All of the above listed plugins are time tested favorites of our community, but regardless of which one you end up choosing, never forget to deep dive into it and learn all of the features and knobs.

Only this way will you give the plugin a fair chance.

If you’ve got any suggestion that we’ve missed, please leave it in the comment section below.

Processing your vocal recordings the proper way is a must these days.

With so many great effects units, DAWs, plugins, and all the other physical or non-physical enhancements, you don’t want to go out there with any vocal recording sounding dry or just bland.

Even the slightest changes and additions are no longer small nuances these days, and everything needs to be sorted out.

This is why a good vocal processing plugin, or a group of plugins, are always a welcome addition to anyone’s setup.

Out of many options out there, we figured we could take a close look at Nectar Elements by iZotope.

Of course, this is far from the first of their plugins designed to enhance vocals, and you can tell by how well its been received by users. At pluginboutique, it gets a near perfect score of 4.9/5:

There’s plenty of great vocal-oriented stuff in iZotope’s arsenal, so we’re pretty certain that the company is more than capable of delivering a good product here.

While the market offers an abundance of different vocal mixing plugins, we’d argue that you can’t go wrong with anything by iZotope.

But now that we’re at it, let’s dig into it and see all of the Nectar Elements features, functionalities, and its overall performance.

In the end, we’ll try to give our final verdict and see to help you figure out whether this one is the right choice for you.

iZotope’s Nectar Elements at a glance

Maker: iZotope Main Features: Vocal Assistant, Master Assistant, and Track Assistant, Three Vibes modes (Modern, Vintage, Dialogue), Scalling Controls, Pitch Correction, De-essing, Dynamics, Clarity, Tone, and Space. Supports: AU (32 & 64–bit), AAX (64–bit, real-time), AAX-AS (64–bit, Audiosuite), RTAS (32–bit, real-time), DPM-AS (32–bit, Audiosuite), VST2 (32 & 64–bit), VST3 (32 & 64–bit) Our Rating: 4.9/5 CHECK CURRENT PRICE

Background and features

First off, this is a relatively new plugin, released by iZotope in the first half of 2018.

There was a previous version on which this plugin is based on, but it’s a fairly more advanced product, most notably due to its Assistant feature.

As the company explains, Nectar Elements is a plugin aimed at one very specific issue, and that’s how vocals are sitting in the mix.

In addition to this, the plugin was also designed to deal with all of the time-consuming tasks and cutting the whole mixing time shorter.

This is done using iZotope’s assistive technology, a similar principle that the company implements in a few other fields. The whole feature makes lives easier for both professionals and amateurs.

There are a few different Assistants here, including Vocal Assistant, Master Assistant, and Track Assistant. These do everything from basic setups up to figuring out your signal chain.

But it’s important to note that Nectar Elements works with its six basic elements that are pitch correction, de-essing, dynamics, clarity, tone, and space.

The idea here is to do all the “cleanup” before adding time-oriented atmospheric effects like reverb or delay.

The pitch correction is early in the signal chain, so any other effects enhance the already corrected audio. It can be used for simple correction or to create those well-known modern synth-like vocals.

The Clarity feature does advanced EQ meddling and filtering. The whole idea is to get rid of very specific undesirable frequencies in order to create a more pleasant-sounding tone.

This is one of the features that can cut down the mixing time as the “hunting” for undesirable frequencies can be a really tedious process.

Another tool that’s part of the Vocal Assistant is the De-esser. The one in Nectar Elements sorts out popping sounds in the 5 to 8 kHz territory.

This is another feature that makes it easier and quicker for mixers to get things done.

The Dynamics section deals with levels and compression. Through the Assistant, the dynamics are applied to any of the desired vocal tracks.

Then we also have the Tone and Space controls that serve for some basic polishing right after recording.

With the tone control, there are three settings you can choose from – Vintage, Modern, or Dialogue. This third one is pretty useful for any type of spoken part, as its name suggests.

The moment you open up the plugin, the first question you get is “What are you going for?” There are different Vibe and Intensity choices.

When you set the desired styles, the smart Assistant does its magic.

When you hit “Go,” it goes through seven of its steps, including vocal signal strength, pitch, overall EQ, detection of sibilants, and other processes.

It’s only when it’s finished that you get the main GUI with its six sliders. Further tweaking is done by adjusting these simple sliders.

Performance

While iZotope’s Assistant is definitely a useful addition, you can’t expect to do all the work instead of you.

Whoever does the mixing is supposed to do all the tweaking and fine-tuning by themselves.

However, Nectar Elements and all of its assisting features drastically shorten the whole mixing process.

What’s important to note is that the GUI is pretty intuitive.

The main GUI has six master sliders for the components that we explained above.

At the very top, we can also find the spectrum analyzer that gives frequency metering.

The simplicity is what iZotope was aiming at here, providing a very stripped-down interface.

For some producers and mixers, Nectar Elements might be a little too simplified as it lacks many different controls.

You often need more than just one slider to sort things out. While the general tone you get is solid, this is not a simple “one-button magic” kind of plugin that can do wonders on its own. You’ll need to get other plugins going to sort things out.

More EQs, compression, and all of the other effects. Nonetheless, Nectar Elements provides a solid basis for this.

Conclusion

What’s really fun is that the plugin is aimed at both pros and home-recording enthusiasts. First, it cuts down the mixing time for professionals. Secondly, it gives beginners and amateurs, in general, a “corrected” version of any vocal track, allowing rookie and intermediate users to have a better-sounding vocal track.

With all this said, we’d rather recommend such a plugin for amateurs. Professionals would be better off with Nectar 3 which encompasses everything. Don’t get us wrong – this is a great plugin worth every penny. But an advanced user can find these and many other features within Nectar 3.

Isn’t it convenient that, in this day and age, we have such an abundance of awesome effects, plugins, and virtual instruments to take advantage of?

Something that was literally unimaginable just a decade or two ago is now something we use every day.

With this in mind, there are plenty of very potent and exciting plugins that we can use in our DAWs.

One of those is most certainly Vocalizer Pro, designed and developed by SONiVOX.

Although its name might suggest that it’s a vocal processing plugin, Vocalizer Pro is more than just that.

This powerful piece of software allows you to process any instrument, virtual instrument (played on a MIDI controller), or vocal track in your project.

And all of these processed tracks get that voice-like vibe to it, kind of like the wah-wah effect, but with more parameters. So let’s dig into this intricate plugin and see what it’s capable of.

What does the Vocalizer Pro do?

Sonivox Vocalizer Pro at a glance
Maker: Sonivox Main Features: 4 Spectral Synthesis Modules, 8 snapshot pads + 8 chord pads, MIDI integration, pitch, format processing, frequency spread, vocoding, re-synthesis and signal processing. Supports: 64 & 32 bit, AU, VST, RTAS and AAX. Our Rating: 4.8/5 CHECK CURRENT PRICE

Well, to put it simply – it does everything!

Okay, that is obviously an overstatement, as there are no omnipotent plugins. But still, all jokes aside, Vocalizer Pro is a very powerful tool that you can apply to any recorded track, virtual instrument, full mix, or a whole song.

What’s more, you can also use it standalone through any type of MIDI controllers and in combination with a microphone.

For instance, you can play a keyboard, make this wonderful preset on it, and change the tone color while singing or speaking into a microphone.

Kind of similar to the standard talk box for guitars, only a bit more complex.

So you take this track, sing or speak into your mic, and the plugin does its magic.

You can add harmonies, you can de-harmonize it, you can control the pitch, or whatever.

Basically, it’s a MIDI and microphone-controlled processing plugin capable of re-synthesizing the audio that’s coming into it.

Individual tracks of instruments and vocals or even full mixes can be processed through it. It can be used in the studio, but it’s pretty exciting and comes really in handy for live settings.

Important features

Looking at the plugin’s layout, you have four almost identical Spectral Synthesis Modules.

You can move them around, turn them on and off, switch them, and edit their individual parameters as you wish. On each of them, you can find controls for pitch, envelope filters, as well as resonance and saturation controls.

On the bottom part of the window, right below all these four modules, we can find 16 pads organised in two rows by eight pads.

The upper row features the so-called “Snapshot Pads” that recall the presets of all the set effects parameters.

The bottom row of eight pads, on the other hand, is called “Chord Pads” and recalls chords and keyboard notes.

Right below the pads, we have the keyboard, that works in sync with your MIDI keyboard controller. This is where all the action is taking place. You’ll be using the keyboard to adjust the pitch and other characteristics of the preset. In this section, we can also find a few other standard controls.

We have glide control that lets you adjust the glide between two notes, pitch, modulation, and learn. The “learn” control lets you pick your MIDI controller’s physical controls and assign them Vocalizer Pro functions.

There’s also an additional section for formant processing, adjusting the overall pitch and other sonic properties, including the frequency spread.

Performance

At first glance, Vocalizer Pro might look a bit complicated.

To be fair, it is kind of tricky to get used to, which is what many users have been complaining about. The thing about it is that it might be a bit confusing.

And not just for the beginners, even for some intermediate and advanced users.

Aside from the not so intuitive design, controls, as well as the overall layout, it’s actually not that easy to create tones that you want to. What’s more, some have also complained about a fairly impractical installation and setup process.

On the other hand, it’s also not impossible to create these desired presets. You need to bear in mind that this is a fully professional tool that lets you create some of the most unique tones.

But don’t get fooled, it’s not like everything you make with it will be too chaotic for normal use. In fact, if you’re experienced enough, you’ll be able to create great effects with high practical value.

The whole plugin is very responsive to MIDI controllers, all of the parameter settings, and – most importantly – the microphone.

With some patience and experience, you’ll be able to dial in even some great choir-like presets that will, in combination with your microphone, give some very convincing tones. At the same time, you’re also able to create some very synth-like sounds.

But what’s really exciting here is that you can change the presets in real-time. This is especially useful if you have a more complex midi controller with assigned pads that let you shift through “Snapshot Pads” as well as “Chord Pard” in Vocalizer Pro’s interface.

This is extremely useful for live performers. If you want, you can put entire mixes or entire songs through the plugin and completely shift them and reharmonize them.

Conclusion

We’ve seen many people complain about Vocalizer Pro and its overall functions and layout.

While we most certainly understand them, you can’t really expect such a plugin to be simple.

If it was, then it would not actually be that good.

The discontent among some of the users was probably due to the company’s own failure to promote it among the desired targeting audience.

Other than that, Vocalizer Pro is a very high-end product that’s certainly more than worth the money. You just need to know how to use it, that’s all.