Sculptor is the be-all end-all of audio goodness. Neutron 3 packages the latest advances in audio and passes them on to you-so you can focus on your craft. With 8 modular mixing tools in one mothership plug-in, it’s the easiest, most intelligent way to bring unrivaled quality and speed to your mix. Bend and shape your audio to any instrument profile with the brand new Sculptor, create custom presets through machine learning with Track Assistant, communicate across plug-ins in your session with the smartest EQs on the planet, and automatically find and fix masking issues with the most intelligent Masking Meter for mix that sounds better than ever, faster than ever. Digital Adapters & Miscellaneous Cablesįor a limited time get iZotope Neutron 3 Standard bundled with iZotope Ozone 9 Standard for 40% off! Neutron 3 Standardįrom the makers of popular audio plug-ins like RX and Ozone, iZotope Neutron 3 is designed to bring your mix workflows into the 21st century.So while I highly recommend it, you should be aware that 'birthday present'-wise, it is not going to be the same kind of fun 'toy' that a whole bundle of Izotope stuff will be. Some things may only need a tiny bit of 'soothing' and some things may sound better with none at all.

Soothe is very useful, but its best use IMO is when it is applied in a subtle way. Since getting it, I have had a chance to check out Nectar and Neutron etc, and while they are very innovative and futuristic, to me they seem like 'shortcuts' to things I can do with my ears. I was totally unaware of the tonal balance things. Last year, I got the Music Production bundle, because I was after RX and Ozone 9, and throwing in R4 and Nimbus sealed the deal for me. If so, you may want to really want to really get the fundamentals down.

The fact that your birthday gift to yourself is a plugin, (and not a guitar) indicates you may fall into this category. Other people are as much (or more!) interested in the recording side of things, learning how to engineer and mix. Engineering is merely a means to an end, and anything that can speed up that process is a plus for them. These people mainly just want to get their music Out There. Some self-recording musicians are mainly musicians and are recording themselves primarily out of financial considerations.

I agree with Mark Alpine, the 'Tonal Balance' stuff will risk taking you away from really getting a handle on the Basics of mixing.

Ozone plugin bundle