At the AES Convention in New York City, iZotope debuted Alloy, a new audio plug-in that combines six essential sound shaping tools into one integrated interface.
Alloy brings the company’s expertise into the realm of mixing with completely new audio effects and workflow features designed for track and bus use. It is designed for any audio mixing application from professional recording and post-production studios to the home studio, and its uniquely configurable interface helps pros work faster while giving less experienced users simple starting points for mixing.
“iZotope Alloy brings the sound quality and unique features you expect from iZotope to your tracks and buses,” explains Nick Dika, product manager for Alloy. “It would have been easy to make ‘just another channel strip,’ but instead we’ve designed Alloy to be a new class of plug-in, that includes forward thinking new features and brings essential tools for mixing together in a unique new way.”
Alloy includes six modules: Equalizer, Exciter, Transient, Dynamics, De-Esser, Exciter, and Limiter. Over 150 “MacroPresets” combine Alloy’s modules into custom configurations for specific mixing situations, and each preset has a custom Macro layout showing the user simple, useful controls for the task at hand.
Advanced users can build their own layouts and move modules around in the signal chain to customize the plug-in.
Sonically, Alloy combines the precision of digital processing with the subtlety and character of analog hardware.
The Exciter’s Harmonic Scaling technology lets users blend between different types of harmonic saturation, from Tube to Tape to Transistor, to add just the right amount of warmth and character to their tracks.
The Compressor’s program-dependant “Vintage” mode can smooth out vocals with the forgiving characteristics of a classic optical compressor, or slam drums when more aggressive settings are dialed in.
The Dynamics module also features two stages that can be used to create parallel compression effects, and advanced sidechaining that includes multiband and cross-band triggering, for unique ducking and gating effects.
An exceptional sounding Transient Shaper can add punch to drums in single band mode, or zero in on transients in more complex material in multiband mode.
Alloy is compatible with VST, AU, RTAS/AudioSuite, MAS and DirectX hosts.
Alloy is designed to complement Ozone, especially for users who like to use the popular mastering plug-in on tracks and buses.
It introduces an efficient, zero-latency alternative that streamlines the mixing process and provides many unique new features designed specifically for mixing not found in Ozone, including De-Essing, Vintage compression, Sidechaining, a new Harmonic Scaling Exciter, Transient Shaper, custom MacroPreset layouts and more. iZotope is also offering crossgrade pricing from Ozone to Alloy.
Alloy is available at authorized retailers for $249 U.S. MSRP.