Ableton Forum

thinking of getting one of these two. I'm leaning towards the izotope bundle (a bit more bang for the buck, albeit at an extra $100) but I'm very tempted to get Zebra 2.

Opinions?

Well Zebra is a synth whilst the iZotope are effects and post production, so it really depends on what you want to do with it. As far as the Zebra goes, the general consensus here is that it is generally one of the better synths out there and can produce a broad range of results. The iZotope are excellent plugins for post-prodution or sound manipulation, though I find them extremely exspensive CPU wise.

thanks

that's the thing. I'm torn between buying a new synth or a dedicated FX bundle.


I think the bundle would be the most practical thing, but that Zebra 2 just looks (and sounds) OH SO SEXY

seriously. I am torn

Any other nice FX recommended? Especially interested in some mastering plugs

FWIW, Trent Reznor used Trash all over NIN's newest album. I don't know how you feel about their music, but considering the guy could literally use anything he wants (he's got a Buchla for crying out loud), that is a pretty ringing endorsement.

Zebra2

It seems like an odd "either or" to me....but zebra2 is getting some of the best reviews I've ever seen.

I'm currently broke, so I've not auditioned it......but it is sure makin' the magazine guys happy

shit I forgot....

As far as the izotope stuff is concerned, when you say dedicated fx bundle.....what exactly are you trying to accomplish?

yeah i know it seems an odd comparison

extreme case of apples to oranges



The thing is, I have Reason, Live, and Logic. which means a whole ton of plugins and synths already at my disposal. I'm just wondering if it would be wiser to spend my $$ on yet another synth or on yet another couple of dedicated plugins (dedicated = they were designed for a specific purpose, as opposed to more generic plugins which come included within the sequencers).

Maybe the wisest choice would be not to spend my money at all

I can vouch for Ozone, for sure.

Have the demo version of Trash and love it, but haven't used it enough to justify $$$. Same with Spectron--cool, but never found the need. Ozone, on the other hand, is a hell of a bargain.

Ozone has a bit of a learning curve if you're not familiar with multiband compression and exciters (I wasn't), but Izotope has an excellent manual. If nothing else, the presets should instantly make a track sound 110% more polished. The EQ matching function is awesomely simple, too.

True, it can soak up CPU, but used wisely (use in a channel rack and freeze, or bounce down full mix or stems and then process) I'd say it's worth it. Never slowed down for me yet.

You could buy Ozone by itself, and then buy Zebra--if you shop around. Download the demo versions from Izotope at least, and play around.

Get both, you need mastering tools and a flexible SW synth. --Kent

That's a toughy. I've got both and really love 'em. I'd say maybe it depends on what type of music you make, and what instruments you like to use. If you love programing synths, then I'd say get zebra2. It's a nice addition to Logic's bundle, and really rounds out the collection. However, if you're big into recording instruments and vocals etc, and just use synths for some stuff, the izotope bundle fills a nice place in the logic effects collection. It's an awesome companion to Logic.

Zebra2 is one of, if not my favorite synth, but at the same time the ES2, sculpture, and the rest of the Logic bunch is already a wicked synth collection that maybe the izotope bundle might be a more noticeable contribution to your setup. Again, it's down to what style of recording you're into, and how much of a synth programmer you are, since you have a pretty nice synth collection there as it is.

good luck chosing,

rjw

Of the two, get Zebra. Urs is really responsive to emails and you basically won;t have to bug him, his stuff just isn't that buggy, being on his beta team is mainly making presets and telling him how cool a new filter is etc. Izotope makes some great stuff, but they've left a few bugs in Phatmatik UB for quite a while now, and really aren't that responsive to emails.
what I'm saying is, if it's that close, go with the guy who deserves a few bucks from you.


Also, besides Absynth Zebra is a staple in most of my songs, he just got something right. Jesus! if you're not sold yet realize he just added a physically modeled moog filter, and is planning on emulating other great filters etc.

Ok, so the thing is if you want some really "oooooooooooo" plugs then it has to be specific I think......and probably best to go "ultra"

Yep, ozone is great.....but if you work in logic......so are the eq's and comps that you already have. Frankly, cpu/ram wise....the ones in logic will do ya at less expense.....if ya know what I mean

Lives are ok, so if the purpose is to get something to upgrade from that....the izotope stuff will be pretty good.....but you will primarily be paying for mastering/ozone.

Of course reason, you get what you get......no au's/vst's that I know of.....

Ok, to go deeper if you want some serious plugs, waves, urs (not urs dude from zebra) and even metric halo....and others.....do native "shit kicker" plugs. You have to have an ilok, but some of these plugs are so good, you cannot imagine them without hearing them.

I won't elaborate unless it's of interest but what I can say is something like the urs channel strip can get into that class, that way you get your feet wet without going too deep. If per-channel instant-life is what you are seeking.....I'd keep those in mind.