PC iZotope Nectar 3 Plus v3.6.2a

iZotope Nectar 3 is the latest version of the popular vocal processing plugin.The update features the Vocal Assistant with Unmask functionality, Celemony Melodyne essential, two new dynamic EQs, redesigned modules, RX Breath Control, and much more.

“We’re excited about this feature because it’s the first time one of our audio technology assistants has considered audio on another track in order to make better decisions about how to fit vocals in the mix,” says Russell McClellan, Principal Software Engineer.

“The tracks in your mix affect one another in complex ways, so it makes sense for an assistant to be able to see things from a broader viewpoint than that of just one track.”

Nectar 3 features

- Vocal Assistant: One-click custom preset creation created with machine learning technology to help your vocal fit in the mix in seconds.
- Unmask puts your vocal at the forefront of your mix by carving away other competing mix elements directly from Vocal Assistant’s menu screen.
- Dynamic EQ with new Follow EQ Mode to track down pesky resonances and remove them in real time, saving valuable time and energy.
- Auto Level Mode adjusts the level of your vocal before it even starts processing, eliminating the need for corrective dynamics or riding the fader.
- Inter-plugin Communication: Nectar 3 can communicate with other instances of iZotope plug-ins in your session to address mix issues, tonal balance, masking and more.
- Component RX 7 Breath Control plug-in for reducing unwanted breaths without sacrificing audio quality with the power of iZotope RX 7.
- Melodyne 4 essential for GRAMMY-award winning time and pitch correction.
- iZotope Relay: your hub for intelligently connecting your entire mix to your iZotope plug-in collection.
- Hundreds of professionally-designed presets for music and dialogue applications.
- Twelve redesigned and updated modules for completely vocal-focused production and mixing including: Corrective and Creative Dynamic EQs, Compression, Harmony, Pitch, De-Esser, Saturation, Reverb, Gate, and Dimension.
- Delay: Two brand new modes and new independent controls for stereo support.
- De-esser: New interactive threshold design experience that can be auto-set with Vocal Assistant.
- Saturation: Two new Saturation modes, Decimate and Distort.
- Harmony: Increased number of voices you can add from 4 to 8, improvements to MIDI mode experience for easier playability.
- EQ: Ability to add two EQ instances of up to 24 bands with Dynamic processing for frequency and pitch.
- Compressor: Ability to add two Compressors. New interactive threshold design with interactive visualization.
- Reverb: Additional third EQ node for additional shaping flexibility; immersive visual display.
- Dimension: New Chorus and Phaser modes with interactive UI.

iZotope Nectar 3 Review

In Use

Overall, I’m quite happy with the improvements to Nectar. iZotope pinpointed the majority of Nectar 2’s weak points and improved upon them. While Nectar 2 was a decent all-in-one solution for beginners, I didn’t feel like it could compete with my third party plug-ins. Nectar 3 has now become a viable option for professionals, in addition to hobbyists, thanks to its various improvements and particularly useful vocal assistant and masking features.

The vocal assistant works quite well as a starting point, but a couple tweaks are still required to get things to sound just right. When you engage the vocal assistant, it asks you to pick a vibe (vintage, modern, or dialogue), and then an intensity (light, moderate, or aggressive). You then play back your audio and Nectar creates a custom vocal processing chain for you. From there, you can go into each module and make sure that they’re appropriately affecting your sound.

I think Nectar 3’s new workflow is significantly more streamlined than the previous version, and may even allow me to work faster than if I were to reach for my regular go-to vocal processing devices. There aren’t too many glaring issues I ran into when using Nectar 3, and ease-of-use is precisely what I’m looking for in a plug-in. I think modern plug-ins should be user-friendly and capable of producing great results; Nectar 3 has accomplished both of these things.

To Be Critical

The one module in Nectar 3 that I wasn’t that impressed with was the reverb module. It offers five controls that include pre-delay, decay, width, saturation, and a filter section. Although these are all quite typical reverb controls, I wasn’t able to achieve much when it came to sound variation. I think part of this has to do with the fact that you can’t reduce the decay time to below 1 second or above 5 seconds. And since it’s a plate reverb, it will work on some vocals, but not all of them.

Because Nectar 3 is marketed as a universal vocal processing solution, I was somewhat disappointed that the reverb module fell short, but I think that the wealth of other features make up for this. In my opinion, the other modules all sound quite clean in general, with the two exceptions being the compressor and saturator that have various processing modes meant to infuse different types of character into your vocals.

Summing it Up

Nectar 3 is a viable all-in-one vocal processing solution for both hobbyists and professionals. For the hobbyist, the vocal assistant and masking features make Nectar 3 an invaluable resource. For the professional, Nectar 3’s modular-focused, streamlined workflow can help improve turnaround times.

Nectar 3 usually costs $249, but you can buy it now at an introductory price of $199. If you own other iZotope products, you may be eligible for discounted upgrade pricing. You can log in to your iZotope account and check the “Upgrades” panel for your personal upgrade offers.