It seems to me the only way to know for certain is to test Alloy 2 on our own projects after we've done the best we can to mix and master them.

Hi, I'm at work so can't comment much. Here's a quick comment on the installation that I went through. This is one of the ways.

Download the trial version. Click on the downloaded file to run the installation. Follow through the installation steps. The program will let you know when the installation is completed. Open Mixcraft project. Open Preference and click on Plugin and rescan plugin (maybe this step is not needed since Mixcraft may have automatically scanned for it aleady). Then you're done.

You can use the plugin as any effect on Mixcraft on each track and also the entire project. Click on FX as you would for any plugin effect as before on Mixcraft and select the Alloy 2. Then click on Edit and a new window open where you can add and edit within that plugin as you would on any plugin effect on Mixcraft. From here on, your creation begin in mastering.

I believe that this plugin work on any 'major' brand DAW. Your DAW software should be able to detect the new plugin automatically or you may have to scan for it. I'm not sure about this though. It depends on your software.

Vu

P.s. I don't think you 'need' to get Ozone since Mixcraft is very good already. The bottom line is software and also hardware are not replacement for quality. They are for enchancement to the quality. Recording techniques along with softwares and hardwares are the keys to the overall quality. Just an opinion.

Hey, thanks for the instructional info

My friend just sent me an unmastered plus mastered version of his track from the other side of the country (Australia), which is about to be released through the 'Nitro-Records" label in America. He wanted to see what i could do with it before sending his own self-mastered version of it; he used all analog hardware to pump it through the roof and make it very loud and crisp sounding; well i'm pleased to announce that he done a good job on it himself, but with Alloy 2 i came up with an even better result and with the same loudness, + 10.5 db over 0.0db Digital Full-Scale. That has proved to me what i was asserting all along;

Guys, did you read the end of my first post in this thread?? I already stated that Alloy 1 was using the exact same algorithms as Ozone 5, i have both of them here and a while back i was able to get them sounding identical using the same modules included in both; furthermore the only difference between Ozone 5 and Alloy 2 is that Ozone 5 has a reverb to slap of the entire stereo output plus a second EQ, both superfluous and quite useless, why does anyone need a second EQ or a reverb slapped over the entire mix, i've never heard of such a methodology; but Alloy has a de-esser and a Transient designer plus all the other same modules as Ozone 5. Alloy 2 was released only three days ago and has brand new algorithms for all its modules, the EQ the Saturation emulation, the compression, everything, so use your brain and stop making me repeat myself; Alloy 2 is a better sounding product than Ozone 5, i have already done the side-by-side tests and confirmed it. Alloy 2 has multi-band compression the same as Ozone; it doesn't matter what Izotope markets these products as or names them, they both can be used for the same damn thing, capiche? But Alloy has the advantage of also being a dedicated channel strip, so you will get much better value and use out of it.

Sitala, after you have imported Alloy, just click on 'Mix' on the pane at the top-left of the Mixcraft interface, then click on 'Edit Master effects' in the menu-list, then simply select Alloy in the effects-window just like you would when choosing effects for a single channel when mixing.
Why do i need to put up proof or a demo of results just because i have endorsed Alloy? Why the hell don't you idiots just download the demo and check it out for yourselves, sheesh. If you're that unsure about it or need to be convinced them obviously youer not very concerned about mastering so just forget it. I posted this thread for people with more than half a brain so get a life and stop crapping on.

Hi,

Please keep the conversation civil. There's no need to insult other users of this board.

Greg

just remember: you can have the best studio and all the plug ins in the world, but, if you don't know what you're doing it'll sound like crap. i'm been in the music business for over 30 years and played professionally for 22 years and i still have a hard time mastering my own stuff. it's you're ears and lots of experience that helps create a good mix. (of course, it needs to be recorded well to begin with.)

I was just thinking the same thing. You can give the best and most perfect guitar to a person who barely knows how to play and the person, who doesn't even know how to properly tune, will sound like crap.

You can give a cheap guitar, with good action and a precisely intonated neck, to a master and he can sound fantastic.

A novice recording engineer and a master using the very same equipment will not get the same results.

From my personal experiences, no one will stick up for me if I get insulting, so I'll be the one to stick up for Zardak.

Zardak should not be treated like an Alloy 2 salesman who is going to get a commission for every Alloy 2 program he sells. No offense, Zardak, but you could make any kind of before and after comparison you can think of. It's up to THE REST OF US to make the effort and take the Izotope 10 day challenge and see for ourselves just what Alloy 2 can do for us. Why should we try to make Zardak do all our work for us? Now, if you want to pay him to do your work for you, that's another matter entirely.

Not that I'm trying to defend Zardak insulting people. I've learned the hard way that when you insult people in a message board forum no good comes of it. You may get your rocks off for the moment, but no good comes of it.

In this I speak from much personal experience

According to my research,

iZotope Introduces Mastering Essentials
Debuts in Acoustica Mixcraft Pro Studio 6

"NAMM—Anaheim, CA (January 20, 2012) - iZotope, Inc., a leading innovator in digital audio signal processing, has announced Mastering Essentials, a new tool designed specifically for Acoustic Mixcraft Pro Studio 6. By licensing elements from Ozone, iZotope's flagship mastering suite, Acoustica is delivering a basic mastering solution approachable for musicians of any level.

"Mastering Essentials is the perfect intro to mastering," explains Alex Westner, iZotope's Director of Business Development. "With over 80 presets to choose from, users can get going quickly with great results. We take it a step further, though, by letting musicians experiment with customizing their sound. The three additional EQ, Reverb, and Tube Amplifier modules allow users to grow and expand their capabilities as they become more comfortable with mastering their own music."

iZotope Mastering Essentials will make its debut as part of Acoustica's Mixcraft Pro Studio 6, the latest edition of their popular Windows-based DAW. "Everyone trusts the iZotope name when it comes to mastering," says Dan Goldstein, Chief Technology Officer of Acoustica. "Mastering Essentials enhances our Pro Studio bundle with a top-notch tool for polishing any project."

http://www.izotope.com/press/1.20.2012_ ... ntials.asp

__________________________________________________________

Sound Forge obviously offers older mastering effects by Izotope

"Includes Powerful iZotope Technology

The Sound Forge™ Pro 10 Mastering Effects Bundle 2 is a suite of six plug-ins powered by iZotope DSP technology. The effects include 64-bit precision and high quality algorithms for exceptional sound, as well as immersive interfaces with metering and graphical feedback to make mastering as quick and easy as possible. Sound Forge Pro 10 also includes the iZotope 64-bit SRC™, utilizing a hybrid algorithm providing the highest quality and most customizable resampling available. iZotope's MBIT+™ dithering algorithm features psychoacoustic noise shaping, based on research with actual musical material, for the best possible results."

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/soundforge/izotope

I sure would like some experienced people here to tell me which one would work better. The newer program contained in Mixcraft or this older one contained in Sound Forge Pro 10

I don't expect any responses from the Mixcraft people on this matter for obvious reasons

We know what Dan is going to say, right?

I hardly think the Mixcraft geniuses would put a crap Izotope mastering program into their love inspired prize Mixcraft Pro Studio 6. Better to not include anything from Izotope than to include something substandard. Personally, I don't think Izotope would bother making anything substandard. They have a reputation to uphold!

So, it comes down to a matter of newer technology or older technology. Still, an older Ferrari is better than a newer Mazda, right?

Thanks for your help

Unfortunately I don't know anything about the iZotope technology included in Sound Forge. You'd have to ask Sony or iZotope. All I can really say is that we were able to work with iZotope to exclusively carry this new plug-in, and while Zardak may not care for it, we've gotten excellent results with it here, and we are extremely happy to be able to partner with iZotope. They're a great bunch of people to work with and we love being able to include technology (such as iZotope's, or AAS Lounge Lizard) that ordinarily would cost more than the price of Mixcraft. Everybody wins.

As I always say, trust your ears and use whatever technology works for you.

Dan

I used the information shared here to try and get the Izotope mastering tools, from Sound Forge Pro 10, to show up as a VST for use in the Mixcraft 6 program and I don't think it worked. Well, I did everything I was told and still cannot see the "Izotope bundle" in the effects menu.

Should I go into Sound Forge program files and copy a VST folder and paste that into the VST program files folder in Mixcraft?

I decided to copy the SoundForgeMasteringBundle file into the "3rd Party" folder in the VST folder in Mixcraft. Did I do a 'bad thing'?

I still don't see it in the effects menu

There's a very good chance that the iZotope plugin included with Sound Forge is designed to only work with Sound Forge. I don't know this for sure, but that would be my guess.

Dan

I apologise Greg: it was 3.30am in the morning and i hadn't slept for 24 hours plus I had drained my brain glycogen from a 10 hour mixing and mastering session so i was tired and grumpy. Everyone, I apologise for my insulting comments.
And Dan, yes, your reply a couple of posts back, i totally agree, and if i didn't have Alloy 2 i would certainly be using Izotope essentials and trying to milk it for all it's worth. Guys, i'm not saying you can't master your stuff without third party add ons, Mixcraft has a whole myriad of useful tools to master with, and to that end Mixcraft is a winner; anyone who is financially strapped for cash could easily pull of a modern miracle with only the plugins included in Mixcraft, and i'm not sucking up to anyone, it's a fact. My opening post and the context of everything i am sayings is exclusive of Mixcraft and i am not really trying to make connotations or infer anything specific to diss Mixcraft, no way!
My conversation is specific to things not included in Mixcraft, and that is what i was discussing here, i'm not interested about involving Mixcrafts included plugins in this conversation, i'm simply on another topic that's all. I guess what i am trying to say is that it is a hell of a lot faster to get a truly professional result with Alloy 2, the sheer quality of it and with all the module tabs being in the same window interface just makes it a breeze to get things happening quickly, that's really what i'm trying to say; but also to be honest we are allowed to have our own preferences and i have found Alloy to be an extremely capable swiss army-knife which produces very high quality results in a short period of time, so because i can afford it that's the way i prefer to work. The only other thing which i have found sometimes i need to augment alloy 2 with is the free Antress 'Modern-Exciter' for when i need a master with a bit of extra treble bite and definition, otherwise i have found that Alloy 2 gives me a world-class result all on it's own. Cheers.