Ozone has been one successful application that has been used by various musicians and producers for mixing and mastering their own works through their DAWs. It is of note, however, that this application from iZotope has its emphasis on mastering, and even though it can be used to do some mixing (with some excellent results), there are less cumbersome tools to do that can do the job for that mixing part. Now, iZotope decided to bring that Ozone-like quality with the flexibility of a plugin that is designed to facilitate the mixing process in the form of iZotope Alloy.

How different is Alloy from Ozone? If you are an Ozone user, why would you consider Alloy in the first place if you already are using Ozone even in the mixing stage? For one thing, Ozone is primarily designed for polishing your tracks during the mastering process; the rather significant CPU usage makes it slow to use in the mixing stage and the latency doesn't allow for realtime monitoring. The easier way to do things in the mixing stage can be provided for Alloy, a complementary mixing effects application. Given that Alloy features zero latency which allows for realtime sound shaping in the mixing stage. It is capable of handling multiple tracks efficiently as you only need to load one plugin for all the essential EQ, dynamics, and sound-shaping effects for all your tracks and busses. Alloy features six effects that you can use simultaneously in just one instance of the plugin: Equalizer, Exciter, Transient Shaper, a Dynamics module (for compressor effects and others), De-esser, and Limiter. MacroPresets, which combine the most useful parameters and meters for a preset into one useful view, save you time that you will have to spend tweaking each and every single effect in the application. MacroPresets also provide you with a useful starting point to getting your mixes right.

FEATURES:

• Six precision tools for mixing in one integrated system : Equalizer, Dynamics, Exciter, De-Esser, Transient Shaper and Limiter
• Load one plug-in for all of the essential EQ, dynamics and sound-shaping effects you need on your tracks and busses. Save custom presets and effect chains to suit any need
• Phase Tools panel includes phase invert controls, and a zero-latency phase rotation control to improve waveform symmetry
• Easy to navigate, forward-thinking UI with precise controls and extensive visual feedback for setting modules
• All modules feature useful meters that give you essential feedback for setting controls.
• Zero-latency mode prevents sync problems in hosts like Pro Tools LE
• Completely user-customizable signal routing with two dynamics stages, sidechain mapping and more
• Dynamics, Exciter and Transient Shaper have both single and multi-band operation, giving you more simplicity or more control depending on the task at hand
• Includes a huge range of presets that range from simple and useful EQ and Dynamics configurations to complex chains that use all six modules
• MacroPresets combine key controls from any combination of Alloy's six modules into a custom UI that shows just what you need to see
• Sidechaining support for VST, AU, RTAS, MAS and DirectX hosts lets you control the Dynamics section from other tracks in your mix. Affect the whole signal or zero in on just the frequency range you want with advanced multiband sidechaining
• Crosschaining allows you to trigger the dynamics section with another frequency band of the same input source for never-heard-before compression and gating effects
• Powerful workflow tools make your life simpler -- the History list lets you go back in time, and the integrated preset editor lets you browse, manage and customize presets easily
• Simple authorization lets you choose between simple challenge-response (up to 3 machines for personal use) or iLok

IZotope Alloy's EQ Module

Time-saving efficiency, zero latency, and the renowed iZotope quality are certainly big highlights that await the iZotope Alloy user. Given that you can reduce a significant amount of hours you spend on the studio just for mixing, that saved time can be used for more things such as getting yourself new ideas for new works or just getting that much needed break to refresh your mind and strength. You can purchase iZotope Alloy from the iZotope website fro 249.00 USD.