Getting Started - Neutron 3 Help Documentation

Welcome to Neutron 3! If you have never used an iZotope product or want to know more about Neutron, then this is the right chapter for you. The topics include: The first time you open a Neutron 3 plug-in, the Authorization window will appear.

Overview

Welcome to Neutron 3! If you have never used an iZotope product or want to know more about Neutron, then this is the right chapter for you. The topics include:

Authorizing Neutron

The first time you open a Neutron 3 plug-in, the Authorization window will appear.

The Authorization window allows you to:

  • TRIAL: Start or continue a Trial period evaluation prior to purchasing.
  • DEMO: Continue evaluating the product with Demo limitations (after the 10 day Trial period ends).
  • AUTHORIZE: Authorize the product with a serial number.

Trial Mode

Trial mode allows you to evaluate Neutron 3 over a 10 day trial period. The trial period begins when you first open Neutron 3 plug-ins in a DAW/NLE. The Authorization window will display the number of days remaining in your trial period. Click the Continue button to exit the Authorization window.

Demo Mode

After your 10 day trial period expires, you have the option to operate Neutron 3 in Demo mode. To continue evaluating Neutron 3 in demo mode, click the Demo button.

Demo Mode Limitations

  • Neutron 3 plug-ins will periodically output silence when operating in demo mode.
  • Mix Assistant’s Balance feature will only be available during the Trial period of Neutron 3 and will be disabled once in Demo mode.

Authorization Methods

To disable Trial or Demo mode, you must authorize the product with a valid serial number. We offer three authorization methods for Neutron 3:

  • Online Authorization: Authorize Neutron 3 on a computer online.
  • Offline Authorization: Authorize Neutron 3 on a computer offline.
  • iLok Authorization: Authorize Neutron 3 using iLok.
  • INFO: More Authorization Help

    The Neutron 3 plug-in interface is divided into four main areas as seen in the image below and described in the table below.

    LabelControlDescription
    Global HeaderThe global header area provides access to: the IPC plug-in name editor, Track and Mix Assistant features, the Preset Manager, Undo History, Zero Latency, Options, and Help.
    Signal ChainThe Signal Chain allows you to add or remove modules and adjust the processing order of modules included in the chain. The Signal Chain area is exclusive to the Neutron 3 mothership plug-in, Neutron 3 component plug-ins do not include the Signal Chain because they only include one processing module. See the Signal Chain section for more information.
    I/O PanelThe I/O (Input/Output) panel area includes: global (I/O) gain controls, I/O metering, channel operations controls, and global bypass. See the I/O Panel section for more information.
    Module InterfaceThe module panel area includes all controls and meters associated with a specific processing module.

    Learn more about the I/O panel and Global header

    Learn more about the controls in the Global Header and I/O Panel in the General Controls chapter.

    Signal Flow

    The following diagram represents the overall signal flow of the Neutron 3 plug-ins.

  • Input Gain
  • Signal Chain (Mothership plug-in only)
  • Output Gain
  • Limiter (Mothership plug-in only)
  • Working with the Signal Chain

    You can add, remove, and reorder modules in the Signal Chain area of the Neutron 3 mothership plug-in. By default, the Neutron 3 Signal Chain includes the Equalizer module.

    Learn more about the Signal Chain

    For more information about working with the Signal Chain, visit the General Controls chapter.

    Working with Neutron Plug-ins

    Throughout this manual, the terms “Mothership” and “Component” are used to describe plug-ins included with Neutron 3 Standard or Advanced.

    Mothership plug-in

    • Refers to the main Neutron 3 plug-in.
    • Offers multiple processing modules in a single plug-in instance.

    Component plug-in

    • Refers to the plug-in equivalent of any individual module included in the Neutron Mothership plug-in. i.e. Compressor, Equalizer, etc…
    • Offers focused control over an individual processing module.
    • When working with a single processing module, component plug-ins can be used as resource-friendly alternatives to the mothership plug-in.

    Mothership & component plug-in feature differences

    Some features included in the Neutron 3 mothership plug-in are not available in the Neutron 3 component plug-ins. Differences include:

    • The Limiter is only available in the Neutron mothership plug-in.
    • The global Zero Latency mode option is not available in the Sculptor component plug-in.
    • The Assistant features are not available in the Neutron component plug-ins.

    Component Plug-in and Module Comparison

    The following table outlines if a given Neutron component plug-in is also included as a module within the Neutron mothership plug-in.

    Workflow suggestions

    There are a number of different ways to approach working with Neutron plug-ins. We’ve included some workflow suggestions you can use if you aren’t sure where to start. These workflows are merely suggestions and any workflow is valid if it works for you.

    Using Presets

    Neutron 3 plug-ins include a built in preset manager with a wide variety of factory presets to get you started. Open the Preset Manager by clicking the Presets button in the global header area of any Neutron 3 plug-in (except for Visual Mixer). Load a preset by selecting it in the preset manager window or quickly try out different global presets by clicking the left and right arrow buttons directly to the right of the Presets button in the global header area.

    Learn more about the Preset Manager

    Learn more about working with the Neutron Preset Manager in the Presets chapter.

    Module Presets in the Neutron Mothership Plug-in

    The Neutron mothership plug-in includes a global preset manager and a module preset manager. You can load presets that apply to a single module by clicking the Preset button in the module’s Signal Chain selector.

    Using the Assistant Features

    The Neutron 3 mothership plug-in and Neutron 3 Visual Mixer plug-in offer intelligent assistive features aimed at helping you find a starting point for your track or entire mix based on an analysis of your audio.

    Track Assistant

    Use Track Assistant to build a starting point for an individual track. You can access the Track Assistant feature by inserting the Neutron 3 mothership plug-in on a track and clicking the Assistant button to the left of the Presets button in the global header area.

    Learn more about Track Assistant

    See the Track Assistant section of the Assistants chapter for more information about working with Track Assistant.

    Mix Assistant

    Use Mix Assistant to balance levels and create a starting point for your mixing session. You can access the Mix Assistant feature from the Neutron 3 mothership plug-in and the Neutron 3 Visual Mixer plug-in. Insert the mothership plug-in on a track with audio on it or insert the Neutron 3 Visual Mixer plug-in on any track in your session and click the Assistant button to open the Assistant setup.

    Learn more about Mix Assistant

    See the Mix Assistant section of the Assistants chapter for more information about setting up Mix Assistant.

    Working with IPC

    Wouldn’t it be cool if all of the iZotope products that you owned talked to each other? Well, it’s a dream come true! With iZotope’s Inter Plug-in Communication (IPC) technology, different iZotope plug-in instances on separate tracks can send data back and forth to each other.

    Neutron 3 includes the following IPC functionality:

    • The Masking Meter feature, included in the Equalizer module and component plug-in, uses IPC technology to highlight masking occurring between tracks with IPC compatible plug-ins. See the Masking Meter chapter for more information.
    • The Mix Assistant feature, included in the Neutron 3 mothership and Visual Mixer plug-ins, uses IPC technology to provide a starting point for your mix by grouping and adjusting levels of IPC compatible plug-ins in your session. See the Mix Assistant chapter for more information.
    • Visual Mixer uses IPC technology to adjust level, pan, and width controls of compatible IPC plug-ins across your session. For more information, see the Visual Mixer chapter.

    Optimizing Performance

    We put a great deal of effort into improving the performance of Neutron plug-ins for the Neutron 3 release. Some notable areas of improvement include:

    • Improved memory usage: We improved memory performance of Neutron 3 plug-ins, allowing you to use more plug-ins before you have to worry about running low on RAM
    • Start-up time optimizations: We took a look at what we were doing when a plug-in was instantiated and made some improvements to make our plug-ins load faster. As a result, you may see small pauses when first adding modules or using certain features in a given instance.
    • DSP Optimizations: We have improved the overhead of processing each buffer. This means lower buffer sizes should be faster to process. Larger buffer sizes do not benefit as much from this.

    There are many factors that contribute to performance. It can be very hard to nail down exactly what is causing performance issues. Some factors include:

    • Computer specifications (CPU, RAM, etc…)
    • DAW and session configuration (number of tracks or plug-ins, buffer size, sample rate, etc…)
    • Individual plug-in settings

    If you do start to reach the limits of your particular machine, here are some things you can do to improve performance:

    • Remove any modules that are not in use from the signal chain.
    • Neutron Advanced users: If you are only using one module in the mothership plug-in, consider using a component plug-in instead.
    • If possible, adjust the buffer size setting in your DAW.

    Neutron 3.9.0

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