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iZotope vs FabFilter | A Direct Comparison

Introduction

When it comes to audio software, iZotope and FabFilter are two of the most popular names in the industry. Both companies offer a wide range of products designed for various applications, such as mixing, mastering, and audio restoration. But which one is better? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at iZotope vs FabFilter and compare some of their most popular products.

iZotope Products

iZotope is a software company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The company specializes in developing cutting-edge software tools for music production, post-production, and audio restoration. iZotope has a wide range of products, but some of their most popular ones include:

Ozone

Ozone is a mastering suite that includes a variety of tools for EQ, compression, limiting, and stereo imaging. It’s designed to give you a polished, professional sound for your mixes.

Neutron

Neutron is a mixing suite that offers a variety of mixing tools, such as EQ, compression, and transient shaping. It also has an AI-powered Mix Assistant feature that can help you achieve a balanced mix quickly.

RX

RX is an audio restoration suite that offers a variety of tools for cleaning up audio files. It’s used by professionals in the film and TV industry to remove unwanted noise, clicks, and pops from recordings.

Nectar

Nectar is a vocal processing suite that offers a variety of tools for polishing and enhancing vocal recordings. It includes tools for pitch correction, compression, and de-essing, among others.

There are several other products that iZotope offers. Check out this link to learn more about their other plugins and bundles.

Overall, iZotope’s plugins are known for their advanced features and cutting-edge technology. They’re often used by professionals in the music and audio industry, but some can be a bit overwhelming for beginners. However, I think they’re incredibly useful once you get the hang of them.

FabFilter Products

FabFilter is a software company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The company specializes in developing high-quality audio plugins that are designed to be intuitive and easy to use. Some of their most popular products include:

Pro-Q 3

Pro-Q 3 is a versatile EQ plugin that offers a variety of features, such as dynamic EQ, mid/side processing, and linear phase processing. It’s designed to be very easy to use, with an intuitive interface and helpful visualizations.

Pro-L 2

Pro-L 2 is a mastering limiter that offers a variety of limiting modes and features, such as true peak limiting and adjustable lookahead. It’s also an easy to use, very transparent plugin that has minimal distortion or coloration.

Pro-C 2

Pro-C 2 is a versatile compressor plugin that offers a variety of features, such as multi-band processing and sidechain input.

Saturn 2

Saturn 2 is a multiband distortion and saturation plugin that offers a variety of saturation modes and features, such as multiband processing and sidechain input. It adds warmth and character to your mixes.

FabFilter also has a reverb plugin, multiband compressor/expander, and a few additional plugins that I didn’t list here.

Overall, FabFilter’s products are known for their high-quality sound, intuitive interface, and ease of use. They’re often used by both professionals and beginners in the music and audio industry.

Practically speaking, there are some benefits to using the FabFilter plugins. Their GUIs is more intuitive than much of the iZotope plugins. Due to that, you may be able to learn how to do things quicker with the FabFilter plugins. However, you’ll likely need to purchase more than one plugin to fully utilize what FabFilter has to offer. In comparison, iZotope’s Ozone plugin can is an All-In-One tool.

Which One Is Better: iZotope vs FabFilter?

As this point, you may still be wondering which one to pick. I recommend going with iZotope if you’re a beginner. The Ozone – Elements plugin gets you all of the basics that you need to get start with producing music. However, if you can afford to get the Advanced version, you may benefit from the Master Assistant module that is included in that plugin.

Both iZotope & FabFilter run deals throughout the year and have loyalty discounts once you own at least one of their respective plugins. Some discounts are small but others can save you over $100.

Either decision can work well if you know what you’re doing. The key plugins to have are reverb, compression, EQ, & a limiter. Each of those can be found with iZotope and with FabFilter. Ultimately, if you know what you’re doing, you can make either company’s plugins sound professional. It takes experience and a great ear to know what’ll work well and which plugins should not be used.

Conclusion

Do you also use brass or woodwinds instruments in your mixes? Read our article about the 10 Best Brass VSTs and 10 of the top Woodwind VSTs.

Breve Music Studios publishes music to Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and more. Follow our pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.

Listen to our ensembles: Breve Orchestra, Breve Music Ensemble, Breve Low Brass Ensemble, Breve Woodwind Ensemble, and Jermaine Harris on Spotify.