by Steve Cunningham
The popularity of all-in-one plug-ins continues to increase, as more manufacturers repackage and re-skin what they previously sold as individual plug-ins into a single product. Many simply toss some marketing-speak on the “new” creation to give it a unique profile, and then sell the daylights out of it for very specific applications. Unfortunately many of these have little to recommend them, save the fact that the resulting combo product actually costs less than if one bought the individual plug-ins that comprise it. Of course, one can always collect the requisite individual plug-ins for a particular job, but while this strategy allows maximum flexibility, it can also lead to a power-hungry track that saps CPU cycles with too-many plugs on inserts.
However, some of the manufacturers do get it right by combining complimentary, customized components into a single combo plug that makes proper sense for its proposed application. One of the best of these is iZotope’s Nectar Vocal Processor plug-in (see the February 2011 issue of RAP). Recently the company released version 2 of this vocal workhorse, and in the process made some worthwhile changes to what fits where. Moreover, Nectar 2 is more appropriate for voice actors now than was the previous version, for reasons that will shortly become obvious. Let’s take a look.
A NEW VERSION PLUS ONE
Nectar 2 is a multi-function vocal processor, and comes in a cross-platform plug-in that works in RTAS, AudioSuite, VST2, VST3, Audio Unit and AAX formats, including the 64-bit AAX protocol used by Pro Tools 11. Nectar 2 can be authorized online, or to the iLok2 USB dongle (of course, the kids like to call these thingies “keys”). Nectar 2 is sold directly by iZotope from the company’s website, so Nectar 2 is one of those products that will appeal to the “immediate gratification” crowd. One can hit the Buy button and have the product installed in a matter of minutes.
With version 2, iZotope has bifurcated Nectar to create an additional, upscale option. Nectar 2 Standard, like the original plug-in, contains 11 separate processing sections, but the processor palette has been changed slightly, and now consists of Harmony, Plate Reverb, FX, Pitch, Delay, De-Esser, Saturation, Compressors, Gate, EQ and Limiter. In the new Production Suite version, these functions are joined by two separate plug-ins which, while adding $70 to the retail price, are well worth the extra dinero over the Standard version. One of these separates is based on what I thought was a highlight of the previous version; namely, the section of the original plug-in that dealt with controlling the level of breaths. The second new separate plug-in, while not as useful in VO work, still has value and specializes in offline pitch editing and correction.
NEW APPEARANCES
Disregarding the Breath and the offline Pitch editing separates, Nectar still presents itself as a single plug-in window, this time with a slightly larger, redesigned graphic interface that bears an obvious resemblance to iZotope’s Ozone 5 and Alloy 2 all-in-one processing plug-ins. Though it looks darker, with the rather garish orange color found in the previous version having been replaced with a crisp bronze-colored layout, Nectar 2 remains easy to navigate, since most of the text is white on a very dark grey background. However, iZotope have succumbed to the temptation to make just a couple of things in the meter section black on a dark grey background, rendering them almost invisible under anything other than ideal viewing conditions. I cannot tell you why the graphics folks responsible for software user interface colors are currently infatuated with dark markings on dark gray and black backgrounds, making those markings nearly impossible to read, but I can tell you that my eyes don’t like it one bit.
Aside from locating the spectrum analyzer/EQ display at the top of the window rather than the bottom, Nectar 2 actually works much the same way as before. A browser is used to select presets from drop-down menus classified by musical genre, and there are over 150 new presets in version 2. As with the previous version, a large number of “macro” presets can be recalled by the user and then adjusted in an Overview mode using a manageable number of controls, making it well suited both to professionals who need results in a hurry as well as those less-experienced users who are less confident regarding their processing skills.
While the revamped layout is simpler and clearer, not much has changed within the UI of the Nectar plug-in itself. All the modules are located on the left side of the interface and the top-to-bottom orientation denotes the signal flow of the audio. All modules can be placed anywhere in the signal flow, with the exception of the Pitch module, which must always be first. Every module has an enable/bypass button.
Every module has a window at the top of the interface that offers a visual representation of the audio, as well as the action of the process(es). For example, in the Gate module shown, the waveform and the gain reduction trace allow you to quickly see where the gate opens and closes. Other modules will offer similar visual feedback. At the right of the interface, you’ll find the input and output faders, along with very tall VU meters.
MODES FOR SIMPLIFYING THE COMPLEX
Within each module, each preset calls up the required combination of the individual processing sections and their settings. For example, the simplified controls in Overview mode (the Overview button is in the lower left corner) let you switch individual processing modules on and off and adjust key elements of the sound. So, when in Overview mode, a single slider might actually adjust several parameters behind the scenes, and the controls are often given more general and less technical names for the uninitiated. So instead of being presented with a shelving high EQ, for example, one might tweak a control called “Sparkle”. Audio engineers will likely find these labels cringe-worthy, but voice actors and other relative noobs will probably understand them straightaway. And good for them. In any event, nearly all of the controls are larger and offer a finer degree of control than was the case in Nectar version 1.
Clicking on the Overview button itself toggles the controls to Advanced mode and removes the training wheels from the user interface. Advanced mode provides access to the individual controls of each section in about the same depth as you’d expect in a conventional plug-in. The various processing modules can also be reordered by dragging and dropping to create a custom signal flow in Advanced mode, while in Basic mode all you can do is switch individual modules on or off and adjust the basic front-panel controls. The lower DSP, lower-latency Tracking mode has been retained as an alternative to the Mixing mode, with the latter using look-ahead where necessary to fine tune the processing (at the expense of slightly higher latency). Metering is included for the inputs and outputs along with level controls as before, but if you already own iZotope’s Insight metering plug-in, it can also be displayed from within Nectar 2.
THE MODULES
Several of the modules remain fairly unchanged from the original Nectar, such as the compressors, gate, de-esser, and saturation, although many now feature much clearer dynamic feedback, with an extremely useful gain trace graph at the top of nearly every window. Although the delay also looks similar, there are now separate wet dry sliders, and the quality has been greatly improved, allowing you to do smooth real-time time changes without affecting the pitch, or massive analogue-style pitch sweeps. The enhanced EQ has been lifted from Alloy 2 and features a spectrogram and multiple curve options. Reverb was never a strong point on the original Nectar, so for Nectar 2, iZotope concentrated on modeling an EMT140 plate reverb, which gives a rich and dense sound. This fared well when compared to the UAD equivalent, but we found the decay times a little limiting as they only go down to 1.0s, and up to 5.0s, although this is due to the accurate modeling of the original unit.
The headline addition in version 2 for music production is an automatic harmony generation module. Of course we’re not doing music production; I cannot recall a time when I used harmony generation on a VO track, although I did use and Eventide box back in the day for thickening Big Voiceover tracks. But it’s nice to know that up to four harmony voices can be created, and the gain, pan, delay and other parameters of the individual harmony parts can be adjusted using an X/Y control pad. Parts can also be set to unison and detuned or delayed slightly to give a layered vocal effect, which is by far the best use of Harmony for Production Work.
New to Nectar 2 is the FX module, which includes an overdrive distortion with decimate option, Modulate section with phase, flange and chorus, and an intriguing Repeat section with echo and shred modes for stuttering effects. All can be sync’d to tempo, allowing you to add subtle movement or craft more wild sounds. Another key selling point is the Harmony module, which is actually an upgraded version of Nectar 1’s Doubler. You can specify a key, or play the track and engage the useful key detection function, then add up to four harmony parts that can have their own volume, pan, pitch, and delay settings. Again, I doubt you’ll get full use of this part of Nectar except perhaps for the odd car spot.
BREATH CONTROL
This is, of course, my personal favorite plug-in from the entire Suite. The Breath control module has also been turned into a separate plug-in, apparently because it requires look-ahead to work and so incurs additional latency, which made the original Nectar plug-in difficult when used during tracking VOs. But it works much as it did in the earlier version of Nectar and is useful for taming excessive breaths without losing them altogether, something that is tedious to do manually. Once the threshold is set, the process is reasonably forgiving of normal changes in vocal level. The gain-reduction line superimposed on the waveform display shows where the process is being applied. You can also audition only the detected breath sounds to make sure you’re not eating into anything you shouldn’t.
Understand that it can still be a bit fiddley to set up properly at first, as was the previous version, but overall the Breath Control standalone plug-in is substantially better than in version 1. A further bonus is that since it is a standalone plug-in, you can instantiate it on the very first insert, before all other processing, which allows you to feed it clean and unprocessed audio. This will definitely give you better results than feeding compressed VO, for example.
WRAP IT UP, I’LL EAT IT HERE
I enjoyed using the original Nectar on voice tracks, although there were not a lot of functions in it that I couldn’t duplicate using the plug-ins that I already have. But I liked it quite well for someone starting out who didn’t have many plugs to start with.
Nectar 2 is another animal altogether, despite its obvious lineage. The standalone Breath Control plug-in is brilliant, and has already taken what I think is a permanent place on the first insert of the Aux track feeding my VOXRec track. I’m also fond of the other processors in Nectar, although there will always be several that one will pay for and seldom use. But I feel strongly enough about the Breath Control, plus the revamped Compressor and EQs that I can recommend that you give it a go, despite being a bit spendy. You can find a ten-day, fully-functional demo version on iZotope’s website. Steve sez check it out.
iZotope’s Nectar 2 Production Suite carries a suggested list price of $299 USD, while the Standard Edition comes in at $229 USD. Upgrades from Nectar version 1 are available, and their pricing depends upon which version the user currently owns.
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