Table of Contents Introduction What’s New in Nectar 2? Authorization Quickstart Global Menu Preset Manager Overview Panel Input and Output Gain Input and Output Meters 4 6 7 12 16 18 19 26 28 Equalizer Module Compressors Module De-Esser Module Gate Module Saturation Module Pitch Correction Module Harmony Module Reverb Module FX Module Delay Module Limiter Module Pitch Editor Plug-in Breath Control Plug-in Preset System 30 36 45 50 57 61 67 74 79 86 90 93 107 111 Spectrum History Menu CPU Optimization Bu
Available Shortcut Keys (PC/MAC) Options Menu General Options Spectrum Options Input/Output Options EQ/Harmony Options Pitch Editor General Options Pitch Editor Pitch Options Breath Control General Options iZotope Customer Support 134 136 137 139 140 141 142 144 145 147
Introduction Nectar was created out of a desire to provide engineers, musicians, and voice-over artists with a vocal mixing tool that could provide a great sound with just a few clicks of the mouse.
What’s New in Nectar 2? n n n n n n n n n n n Harmony module that allows you to easily add harmonized accompaniments to your vocal tracks or add your own custom backing vocals with your MIDI controller Reverb module accurately modeled after the renowned EMT 140 stereo plate reverb unit FX module containing 7 new DSP effects including: Distortion, Decimate (Downsampler), Phaser, Flanger, Chorus, Echo, and Shred Component plug-ins Pitch Editor and Breath Control* Refreshed manual pitch editing inclu
Authorization Each purchased copy of Nectar contains a unique serial. After downloading Nectar directly from iZotope or another re-seller the serial number will be emailed along with the link to download the product. The serial number should resemble: SN-NECTAR2-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX Launching the Authorization Wizard The first time you open Nectar 2, the Authorization Wizard will appear. You can choose to either authorize Nectar or use it in Trial mode for evaluation purposes.
Make note of the e-mail address you use to authorize your license. Your license and iZotope account will be linked directly to this e-mail address. Note: Clicking the 'Advanced' button reveals a set of options that allow you to store your Nectar authorization on a portable hard drive or flash drive. Click here for more information on these options. 4. When you have confirmed that your serial number and e-mail information is accurate, click once more on 'Authorize'. 5.
7. Read the License Agreement and click "Agree" if you find it agreeable. 8. Now enter your full Challenge Code copied in step 3. 9. After submitting your Challenge Code, you will receive a unique Response Code. The response code will look like this: IZ-NECTAR2-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX Write this response code or save a text file with the response code onto a flash drive. 10. Type or paste the Response Code into the text field of Step 3 in the Offline Authorization window. 11. Click ‘Next’ to authorize Nectar . 12.
5. When you have confirmed that all your information is accurate, click once more on 'Authorize'. 6. Lastly, click on 'Submit' in order to send your authorization message to the iZotope servers 7. You will now be instructed to log in to your iLok account and transfer your Nectar license to your iLok. 8. When you have completed this step and have your iLok connected to the computer on which you want to use Nectar , click 'Next'. 9.
Quickstart Nectar’s Presets are designed to give you a quick starting point for your own projects. Every vocalist is different so no one preset will always work well for your audio. However we have attempted to provide a wide range of Presets that will help you find a good starting point for your own material.
Step 2: Setting Your Input Level Setting your input level is important when selecting a preset as it will sound drastically different if your input level is too loud or quiet. In order to ensure that you have a good neutral levels as a starting point, we recommend setting Nectar’s input level so that the input meter is peaking within the recommended range bracket. Learn more about the Input and Output Gain of Nectar here.
Step 3: Adjust Presets to Taste When you’ve found a Preset that has what your track needs, further adjust the controls to your liking to define your own unique sound. The Overview Panel view gives you instant access to the most relevant controls of Nectar’s modules. Quickly adjust the settings of a given module to tailor the sound or quickly enable or disable modules.
Step 4: Dig Deeper Once you’ve found an appropriate Preset and adjusted some module settings to your taste from the Overview Panel, have a look at the individual modules in the Advanced View. In each module’s Advanced view you have access to deeper settings for a more customized sound as well as metering which can assist you when making adjustments.
Global Menu Overview/Advanced View Clicking the Overview/Advanced button toggles between Nectar 2’s Overview Panel and Advanced View which allows you to dig deeper into each module. Tracking/Mixing Mode Tracking Mode forces Nectar 2 to process with low latency, which assists in using Nectar 2 while tracking (recording) vocals. Tracking Mode performs less transparent dynamics processing and is lower quality. Mixing Mode performs high quality processing, but incurs more latency.
Reset Clicking the Reset button clears the current working settings and loads the currently selected module’s or Overview panel to it’s default state. A single-click often resets the most commonly adjusted settings, while a double-click will restore all settings to their factory default. Help You may click the Help button at any time to launch this Help Documentation.
Preset Manager Nectar's Genres and Presets are designed to allow you to take full advantage of the underlying signal processing in the most concise and creative way possible. Click on the Preset Manager at the bottom of Nectar's interface in order to select your desired Genre and Preset from the preset menu that appears. When a Genre and Preset is chosen, Nectar will automatically load settings in Nectar’s modules to allow you to recreate that style on your vocal track.
Overview Panel Nectar 2’s Overview Panel gives you instant access to the most relevant settings of many of Nectar’s modules. Use the Overview Panel for a quick glance at a preset’s settings or for quick tweaking of modules to adjust them to suit your vocals. Choosing a Preset Start by selecting a Genre and Preset by clicking the large display at the bottom of Nectar’s interface. From here, you can adjust your settings to taste.
Module Controls Nectar’s Overview Panel View presents you with the most relevant controls for each of Nectar’s modules. You can engage or bypass processing in the different modules by using the power buttons in the upper left corner of each block in the Overview Panel. Equalizer Within the EQ section of the Overview Panel you have the ability to interact with all enabled nodes from the EQ module. Adjust any of Nectar's EQ nodes in order to shape your vocals to fit your mix.
Threshold Controls Controls for both the compressor’s thresholds are displayed alongside an input and gain reduction meter. The threshold control sets the level at which the compressor will begin to affect the incoming signal. Parallel Mode These modes determine whether Nectar uses just one compressor and the dry signal routed in parallel or two independent compressors routed in parallel.
De-Esser Nectar’s De-Esser is a powerful tool for controlling sibilance on vocal takes. By applying the same amount of Ess reduction regardless of the incoming audio level, Nectar’s De-Esser allows you to transparently reduce sibilance, no matter how dynamic your vocal take is. Learn more about the settings described below in the De-Esser Module section here.
Harmony Nectar 2’s Harmony module allows you to quickly add harmonized vocal accompaniments to your vocal tracks without multiple performers or tracking passes. In addition, the Harmony module functions as a Doubler allowing you to add up to four voices to recordings. Learn more about the settings described below and the Harmony module here. Gain Slider The Gain slider determines the levels of the added voices produced by the Harmony module in relation to the original lead voice.
The Decay control corresponds to the physical damper present in the EMT 140. While not an explicit control of reverb time as often seen in digital reverbs the control will affect the overall decay of the reverb. Wet The Wet control affects how much wet (reverberated) signal will be blended with the dry (not reverberated) signal. A setting of 0% will add no reverb while a setting of 100% will add reverb to all of the incoming audio.
Dry The Dry control affects how much dry (unaffected) signal will be blended with the wet (affected) signal. Wet The Wet control affects how much wet (affected) signal will be blended with the dry (not affected) signal.
Input and Output Gain The panel on the right side of the interface is the main input/output section for Nectar. This is used for setting and monitoring gain levels going in and out of the Nectar plug-in. Setting Input and Output Gain You can adjust the input or output gain by sliding the silver faders with your mouse, either by clicking and dragging or using the wheel of a wheel mouse.
Double-click to Reset Faders Double-clicking on either input fader will reset the Input faders to 0 dB. Doubleclicking on either output fader will reset the Output faders to 0 dB.
Input and Output Meters Nectar ’s level meters display the input and output level for the left and right channels as your audio enters and exits Nectar. You can set options for the Input/Output meters by opening the ‘I/O’ tab of the Options menu. Peak The Peak meter is a fast meter that measures the instantaneous maximum sample value of your signal. If you are tracking the peaks for possible clipping, the Peak meter is an appropriate choice.
RMS RMS (Root Mean Square) is a software-based implementation of an analog style level meter. The RMS meter displays the average level calculated over a short window of time. The result is a meter that is appropriate if you are interested in tracking the overall loudness. RMS + Peak This is a combined RMS and Peak meter. This meter displays a lower bar representing the average level (RMS) and a higher bar representing peak level.
Equalizer Module Nectar’s versatile EQ allows you to add warmth and character with analog matched filters. Nectar 2 adds a range of new filter shapes, including Baxandall Treble and Bass, which allow you make more complex boosts and cuts with less EQ nodes. Frequency and Gain The grey circles mark each of the eight EQ nodes. You can adjust an EQ band by clicking on a node and dragging the crosshairs to change the frequency and gain of the band.
Q/Bandwidth If you move the mouse over the "handles" on the side of the band, you can adjust the Q or bandwidth of the EQ by dragging with the mouse and widening the band. If you have a wheel mouse, you can use the mouse wheel to widen/narrow a selected band. Selecting Filter Shapes Nectar provides the ability to set the type or shape of any of the eight EQ nodes.
Vintage Bell This is an asymmetrical bell filter that is more narrow when cutting frequencies than when boosting frequencies. Baxandall Bass/Treble These filters are based on a vintage equalizer designed by Peter Baxandall that originally had just two knobs: "treble" and "bass". The Baxandall EQ curves are known for their gentle slopes which are sonically pleasing. Unlike the original Baxandall EQ design which had no frequency control, Nectar's Baxandall Filters allow you to freely adjust frequency.
Visuals As you adjust a band you will see two EQ curves. The bright orange curve is the composite of all EQ bands while the darker orange curve shows the EQ curve of the selected band. Spectrum Overlay A spectrum by default is overlaid on the EQ module for visual feedback of the incoming audio. You can set options such as average or real time spectrum, show peak spectrum, etc. These are available in the Spectrum Options screen. On the right you'll see the gain scale for the EQ.
The Alt-Solo Feature If you hold down the Alt key and click on the spectrum, you have an "audio magnifying glass" that lets you hear only the frequencies that are under the mouse cursor, without affecting your actual EQ settings. This is useful for pinpointing the location of a frequency in the mix without changing your actual EQ bands. You can set the default bandwidth of this filter in the Options screen under "AltSolo Filter Q" or simply use your mouse's scroll wheel.
2. If you hold down the Shift key and drag an EQ node, the EQ band will be "locked" in the direction that you're dragging. So if you just want to change the gain without affecting the frequency (or vice-versa) just hold the Shift Key while you drag. 3. If you hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Command key (Mac), you can click and select multiple bands. Once selected, you can adjust them as a group by clicking and dragging on any band you selected in the group. 4.
Compressors Module The Compressors module allows you to shape the dynamics of your vocal tracks by reducing the dynamic range of a recording, making it more consistent in volume, and increasing its average level. When the audio input level is greater than its threshold setting, gain will be reduced by an amount controlled by the ratio parameter. Using Parallel Compression Nectar splits the audio input to the compressors module into two paths.
between the dry and compressed sound using the Mix control described below. When only using one compressor, one signal will be sent dry through the compressor module. In this case the mix control affects the amount of dry (uncompressed) and wet (compressed) signal. Controls Threshold (dB) The Threshold control sets the level at which the dynamics processing takes place. Lower threshold settings will perform more compression.
compression and faster reaction to incoming peaks in your audio, while longer attack times can result in much more subtle processing. Release (ms) The release time is the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for the compressor to stop processing once the signal has fallen back below the threshold. Shorter release times can give an unnatural pumping sound on certain audio material, while longer release times have a more gradual feel.
Attack: 0.10 – 300ms Release: 1 – 1200ms Vintage This mode emulates the program-dependant compression and non-linear release characteristics of classic analog compressors. Available Parameter ranges Ratio: 1:1 – 50:1 Attack: 0.10 – 300ms Release: 1 – 1200ms Optical In this mode, the compressor will emulate the smooth compression of hardware optical compressors.
Solid-State Based on early VCA transistor based hardware compressors, the Solid-State mode can give a clear but aggressive compression sound distinguished by the very fast attack and nonlinear release times characteristic of the original hardware units. With its own unique harmonic coloration, Solid-State can be a great mode for accentuating vocal transients.
The second compressor features a post filter with low and high shelf EQ nodes. After the audio has been compressed by the second compressor, the audio will run through the filter allowing you to further shape the sound. Boosting the high end of the second compressor audio, for example, will give a very pleasing bright sound when mixed in with the first compressor’s audio, providing a more colorful alternative to a simple high end boost in the EQ module.
The Threshold Control is a meter that allows you to adjust the thresholds of the Compressors with a slider on the left side. Additionally, the Threshold control allows you to monitor how the incoming signal is being affected in real time. Two meters display the levels of the incoming signal and as gain reduction begins to take place, a gain reduction meter appears in red between the two level bars. The Threshold meter also displays the amount of gain reduction in real-time with a dB readout at the bottom.
controls and can be used to adjust the curve in a visual way, rather than setting them with the standard controls. In dual-compressor mode you will see representations of both compressors’ settings, with the one you’re currently in highlighted. Gain Reduction Trace The Gain Reduction Trace display is a scrolling meter that displays the incoming signal’s waveform with a superimposed curve illustrating the amount of gain reduction taking place in real-time.
De-Esser Module Nectar’s De-Esser is a powerful tool for controlling sibilance on vocal takes as well as other high frequency problems. Traditionally, De-Essing dynamically reduces loud sibilant noises by means of a threshold and ratio. Nectar’s hardware-modeled De-Esser is level-independent allowing you to consistently and transparently reduce sibilance on inconsistent audio like vocals. How Nectar’s De-Esser Works Nectar's De-Esser performs its processing independent of the incoming audio level.
Controls Ess Sets the threshold and controls the amount of gain reduction that is applied to the incoming vocal take when a sibilance is detected. If the detected sibilance is over the threshold, the amount of gain reduction is relative to how high the signal goes above the threshold. This gain reduction is applied quickly and transparently to the entire incoming vocal take, instead of simply reducing the gain of a particular set of frequencies.
The frequency control is used to set how the De-Esser is going to detect incoming sibilant material. This control serves as a cutoff point in which everything above the specified frequency will be used to detect sibilance, in proportion to the level of the full-bandwidth audio take. In general, this control can be left at its default value of 2500 Hz and should not need to be adjusted much in order to achieve excellent results on a wide variety of material.
allows you to monitor how the detected sibilance is being affected, by displaying gain reduction as it is taking place. Two meters display the levels of the detected sibilance and the gain reduction. As gain reduction begins to take place, a gain reduction meter appears in red between the two level bars. The Threshold meter also displays the amount of gain reduction in real-time with a dB readout at the bottom.
Node The meter features a node for the De-Esser’s threshold. The node is linked to the Threshold control and can be used to adjust the curve in a visual way, rather than setting it with the standard controls. Tracking vs. Mixing Mode In Mixing Mode, Nectar’s De-Esser module will make use of lookahead in order to provide the most transparent results. However, this mode requires a small amount of latency (delay).
Gate Module The Gate can be thought of as performing the opposite task as the compressor. It takes audio below the threshold and reduces it. Depending on the Ratio setting, this module can function as a noise gate (silencing quiet sections) or an upward expander (boosting quiet sections). Controls Threshold (dB) Sets the decibel level where the gate/expander processing begins.
Sets the decibel level where the gate processing ends allowing you to preserve some noise floor. Ratio Sets the ratio for the dynamics process. Higher ratios will result in more extreme gating. Tip: The Gate can have a ratio greater or less than 1.0. When the ratio is greater than 1, it is operating as a gate and any signals below the threshold will be decreased in volume. With ratios less than 1 the Gate can act as an "upward compressor" by boosting the low level signals.
Attack (ms) The attack time is the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for Nectar to bring its gain reduction back to zero once the signal has fallen below the threshold. Tip: Shorter attack times can tend to unnaturally pump on certain audio material, where longer release times have a more subtle gradual feel to them.
Detection Modes Peak When this option is enabled Nectar looks at the incoming peak signal level to trigger the gating dynamics process. This allows for more surgical and exact processing and can be effective when trying to remove room tone or noise from a signal. RMS When this option is enabled, instead of processing your audio based on the incoming peak level of the signal, Nectar looks at the RMS average signal level.
Auto Gain When selected, Auto Gain calculates RMS levels of both the input and output signal and applies the appropriate amount of gain to the output signal to compensate for the difference. This allows you to not worry about manually applying make-up gain as you set the module's controls.
Each module of Nectar features a display of the frequency spectrum at the top for reference while making changes to your audio within the module. Threshold Meter The Threshold Meter is a meter that allows you to adjust the thresholds of the Gate and Gate Floor with sliders on the left and right side. Additionally, the Threshold meter allows you to monitor how the incoming signal is being affected by displaying gain reduction as it is taking place and level meters.
Dynamic Curve Meter The Dynamic Curve Meter shows the input signal (x axis) plotted against the output (processed) signal (y axis). Nodes The Dynamic Curve Meter features individual nodes for the Gate and Gate Floor. These nodes are linked to the Threshold and Ratio controls and can be used to adjust the curve in a visual way, rather than setting them with the standard controls. Tracking vs.
Saturation Module Nectar’s Saturation module can infuse your vocals with the subtle effects of tube, tape and other analog hardware by emphasizing even and odd harmonics in varying amounts. Controls Amount Controls the drive of the selected harmonic-generating saturation mode. Mix Allows you to control the mix of the saturated (wet) signal with the original (dry) signal.
Modes Tape Tape mode emphasizes odd harmonics but with a shorter harmonic slope than a transistor, and emulates the sound of analog tape when pushed to saturation. Tube Tube mode emulates the sound of tube saturation with a mix of even and odd harmonics. It is characterized by its clear "tonal" excitation. Warm The Warm mode generates only even harmonics with a steep slope and, as such, may be used as a subtle warming effect.
High-shelf Filter When saturating your vocals, often times the added harmonic content can make the sibilant frequencies in a vocal take harsh or biting. Click and drag on the high-shelf filter node in order to reduce the gain of these high frequencies. The high-shelf filter will only reduce the high frequencies present in the saturated (wet) signal. Different saturation algorithms such as the Tube and Warm modes, rely on a strong dry signal in order to perform their saturation.
The Saturation module’s Mini-spectrum display additionally features highlights to pinpoint where harmonics are being added to your signal. Brighter white highlights indicate more prominent added harmonics at that frequency.
Pitch Correction Module Controls Vocal Range An important control to set to correctly, the specified Vocal Range will control how Nectar detects and analyzes any incoming vocal data. Start with the Middle setting for most audio applications, and if you notice any undesirable behavior or artifacts in the detected pitches, experiment with the Low and High options to achieve the best results.
Speed to 0ms in order to achieve robotic, immediate pitch snapping, or use values from 30-60ms in order to obtain more natural and transparent results. Transposition (semitones) This controls allows you to transpose anywhere between an Octave Up or Down. Formant Controls Preserve Enabled by default, this option preserves the original formants of your vocals, allowing pitch to be corrected while retaining the original character of the performer’s timbre.
Use this control to specify the amount of Formant transposition you wish to apply to your incoming vocal tracks. In general, this can be left at 0, however use this control to manually adjust your vocal formants. Scale Nectar's Pitch Correction algorithm will preserve the formants of your incoming vocal takes exactly as they were recorded. These formants are what give the voice its timbre and are very important in keeping your vocals sounding as natural as possible when pitch shifting.
Type Chromatic A scale in which every note of every octave will be available as a pitch your vocals could be corrected to. If you are not sure of the scale that your vocal takes are in, be sure to set your scale type to Chromatic in order to get the best results. Note: When in chromatic mode, as every pitched note is available for pitch correction, the defined root note has no effect.
Calibration Pitch (Hz) By default, all pitches will be based upon a standard A = 440Hz tuning reference. If your audio is not based on this standard reference pitch, or has been moved slightly due to analog tape recording, you can adjust Nectar's Reference Pitch here. Key Detection Start/Stop Detection This button toggles Nectar’s Key Detection on and off. Click once to start detection and again when you feel you have accurate results.
Tracking vs. Mixing Mode In Mixing Mode, Nectar’s Pitch Correction module will make use of lookahead in order to provide the best results. However, this process requires a small amount of latency (delay). In Tracking Mode, Pitch Correction will use very little latency to assist in tracking, but will be lower quality.
Harmony Module Nectar 2’s new Harmony module allows you to instantly add harmonized vocal accompaniments to your tracks without time-consuming tracking, multiple takes, and performers. Key Detection technology intelligently suggests the key of your song to allow for real-time harmonized voice generation. Note: The Harmony module has replaced Nectar’s Doubler Module. The Harmony module will act as a doubler when all added voices are shifted either up or down an octave.
The Harmony module offers up to four vocal accompaniments, known as voices. Each voice may be in unison or shifted up/down intervals as large as an octave. To enable a voice, click its corresponding voice number to the left. Once enabled, you may select the direction and amount the voice is shifted relative to the lead voice or if it is in unison. Solo Voices Clicking Solo Voices mutes the lead vocal so the module only outputs added voices.
Variation Pitch Pitch Variation allows you to give each added voice its own subtle differences in pitch. This creates a humanizing effect to the added voices and reduces phase cancellation. Time Time Variation allows you to create varying time offsets in each added voice. This simulates multiple performances and reduces phase cancellation. Pitch Correction Determines the amount of pitch correction performed on the added vocal accompaniments.
The X/Y Pad features both Pan/Gain and Pitch/Delay modes. By default, the X/Y Pad displays Pan/Gain controls. Pan & Gain When in Pan/Gain mode, the Harmony module’s X/Y Pad allows you to quickly adjust the level and stereo placement of each added voice. Each added voice is represented on the X/Y Pad as a node labeled with its corresponding voice number.
Note: When in chromatic mode, as every pitched note is available for added voices, the defined root note has no effect. Major / Minor / Custom Here you can select to snap your outgoing harmonized voices to either a Major, Minor or Custom scale of your choosing based upon your specified Root Note. When defining a Custom scale, click one upon the notes of the keyboard you wish to enable as options for pitch correction. When the individual notes are enabled, they will turn gold or dark gold for black keys.
Key Detection Start/Stop Detection This button toggles Nectar’s Key Detection on and off. Click once to start detection and again when you feel you have accurate results. Generally, running detection for one verse and chorus of your song is sufficient. Suggested Keys Once Key Detection has started, this selection window will be populated with a prioritized list of suggested keys for your song.
Tracking vs. Mixing Mode In Mixing Mode, Nectar’s Harmony module will make use of lookahead in order to provide the best results. However, this process requires a small amount of latency (delay). In Tracking Mode, the Harmony module will use very little latency to assist in tracking, but will be lower quality.
Reverb Module Nectar 2’s completely revamped Reverb Module models the classic EMT 140ST Stereo Plate Reverb giving your vocals timeless space and character. Lacking early reflections of rooms and halls, Plate Reverb can add a dimension to your vocal tracks without making them muddy. EMT 140 History Invented in 1957 by Elektro-Mess-Technik the 140 plate reverb unit was composed of a thin metal plate suspended within a 8x4’ sound-resistant wooden enclosure (weighing 600 pounds).
reverb that occurs in physical spaces, its warm and dense sound made it the preference of engineers at both Abbey Road studios and RCA Studio B in Nashville and was featured on records from Pink Floyd and the Beatles. Today the EMT 140 remains a mainstay of recording and is still very much in demand. Modeling the EMT 140 In order to authentically recreate the sound of the EMT 140, iZotope first located an original unit that was still in good working order (sadly many have fallen into disrepair).
This determines the amount of time the processed (wet) signal is delayed from being output. This can help to keep the wet vocals from sounding on top of the dry vocals increasing clarity in the overall vocal track with a greater sense of space. While the EMT 140 didn’t offer any pre-delay, it is present in Nectar 2 to give you added control of the plate reverb. Decay The Decay control corresponds to the physical damper present in the EMT 140 that pressed against the plate in order to affect the decay time.
Housed in the mini-spectrum window at the top of the module, these filters control the amount of low and high frequency material that is sent through the reverb. The High Cutoff control will filter out the high frequencies of the wet signal resulting in an overall darker reverb sound while the Low Cutoff control which filters out the lower frequencies of the wet signal resulting in a brighter reverb sound. Dry The dry control affects how much dry (unprocessed signal) is output from the reverb module.
for reference while making changes to your audio within the module. The Reverb module’s Mini-spectrum display also includes the high and low cutoff filters mentioned above. Reverb Decay Plot The Reverb Decay Plot displays a graph that illustrates the decay characteristics of the reverb signal over time given the settings you have selected. This display can help you visualize how different settings affect the overall character of the reverb signal.
FX Module Nectar 2’s FX module simulates a vocal pedalboard offering 7 new creative effects that give you a wealth of unique ways to process your vocals to achieve out of this world sounds. Distortion Effects Overdrive The Overdrive effect adds a gritty and aggressive distortion to your vocals. Unlike Nectar’s Saturation module, which subtly adds harmonics to your voice, the Overdrive effect has the ability to severely mangle your vocal tracks.
Decimate The Decimate effect is a downsampler that reduces the resolution rate of the incoming audio, creating a uniquely digital sounding distortion of the audio signal that adds artifacts. Used in combination with the Overdrive effect, you can quickly distort your voice beyond recognition. To use Decimate, you must first enable the effect then increase the amount control.
Phaser The Phaser is a phase-shifting effect that adds an additional signal through a non-linear all pass filter creating a more subtle comb-filtering effect. Feedback The Feedback control determines the amount of the phased signal that is fed back into the Phaser. Depth The depth slider controls the frequency range of the filters of the phaser sweep. At lower settings, the phaser will affect low-end frequencies, and at higher settings, the phaser will sweep into higher frequencies.
Feedback The Feedback control determines the amount of the chorused signal that is fed back into the Chorus. Depth The depth slider controls the range of the pitch modulation performed on your audio. Repeat Effects Echo The Echo is a unique delay-like effect which repeats and fades out segments of your vocal tracks. It provides a more pronounced and impacting delay effect that adds a presence to your vocal tracks.
Shred The Shred effect is a unique stuttering delay-like effect that repeats samples of your audio, offering control of both sample size and the amount of repetition. It provides an upfront and aggressive repeating delay effect, allowing you to create complex rhythms. Shreds The Shreds control determines the number of times the repeated audio sample will play back within the specified capture window. Repeats The Repeats control affects the size of the sampled audio window that will be repeated.
Global Controls Series/Parallel Modes In Series Mode, the effects contained in the module will affect the audio signal one after the other from Distort to Module to Repeat. In Parallel Mode, the effects will affect the incoming audio independently of each other. To visualize this, imagine that in Series Mode, the Distort effect output feeds the input of the Modulate effects, whose output feeds the input of the Repeat effects, whose output feeds the input of the Global Wet control.
When Host Sync is enabled the Tempo control becomes the Speed control. This control allows you to choose the note length used to sync the Modulate and Repeat effects, relative to your host’s tempo setting. Dry/Wet Controls The Dry/Wet Controls affect the amount of Dry (unaffected) and Wet (affected) signal output by the module. Visuals Mini-spectrum Display Each module of Nectar features a display of the frequency spectrum at the top for reference while making changes to your audio within the module.
Delay Module Nectar's Delay module can help to create transparent or colorful delayed copies of your original vocal track. A helpful alternative to reverb, the Delay module can give your vocals a sense of space without losing any vocal clarity or adding unwanted clutter to your overall mix.
Tape A unique and colorful sound, the Tape delay mode will filter and distort each progressive repeat in the way a signal would be degraded over time on magnetic tape. This can help to add extra color to your delayed vocals while preserving the clarity of the repeats. Analog Based off of circuit distortion, the Analog delay mode can give a large amount of grit and distortion to your signal. This grit can help to give your processed audio the extra edge that it needs.
The feedback percentage will control how much the signal is repeated before it is faded out. For longer delays, increase this control whereas shorter feedback times result in very short one repeat slap back echoes. Note: When increasing this control to 100%, special delay effects can be created which while interesting, can also grow to be very loud. Be mindful of the levels of your audio when adjusting this control into higher percentages.
Visuals Mini-spectrum Display Each module of Nectar features a display of the frequency spectrum at the top for reference while making changes to your audio within the module. The Delay module’s Mini-spectrum display also includes the high and low cutoff filters mentioned above. Delay Decay Plot The Delay Decay Plot displays a graph that illustrates the decay characteristics of the delayed signals over time given the settings you have selected.
Limiter Module Nectar’s Limiter serves two purposes: it allows you to aggressively limit high level signals to prevent clipping, and it allows you to create an overall louder or fuller sound by limiting the dynamic range and boosting the perceived overall level of your vocals. Controls Threshold (dB) Determines the level at which the limiter will begin limiting. Turning down the threshold limits more of the signal and in turn will create an overall louder output.
Margin (dB) Determines how much to attenuate the output signal after limiting. Visuals Threshold Control The Threshold Control is a meter that allows you to adjust the Threshold and Margin of the Limiter in visual relation to the levels of the incoming signal. The Threshold Control displays gain reduction as it is taking place with level meters.
The Gain Reduction Trace is a scrolling meter that displays the incoming signal’s waveform with a superimposed tracing that illustrates the amount of gain reduction taking place in real-time. Mini-spectrum Display Each module of Nectar features a display of the frequency spectrum at the top for reference while making changes to your audio within the module. Tracking vs. Mixing Mode In Mixing Mode, Nectar’s Limiter module will make use of lookahead in order to provide the more transparent results.
Pitch Editor Plug-in Nectar 2 offers a new resizable component plug-in dedicated to offline pitch correction simplifying the manual pitch correction process from within your DAW. Note: The component Pitch Editor plug-in is only available in Nectar 2: Vocal Production Suite.
To begin performing offline pitch correction you must first click the Capture button then playback audio from your DAW. The Capture button puts the Pitch Editor plug-in into record mode and will begin capturing any audio played back through the plug-in. If you are using ReWire, you may click the Play button after the Capture button to initiate capture. Learn more about setting up ReWire in your host here. Note: The detected note regions will not be displayed until after you stop capture.
Timeline The Timeline of captured audio is represented at the top of the Note Workspace. You may click anywhere on the timeline to move the playhead to that location when using ReWire. Tip: When hovering over the Piano Roll or Timeline you may use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out on the note or time scale in the workspace. You may also click and drag the piano roll to scroll vertically.
Note Zoom Buttons Below the Note Scroll Bar, explicit zoom in and out buttons are available for vertical zooming on the Piano Roll. Timeline Scroll Bar The scroll bar on the bottom of the Note Workspace allows you to scroll horizontally and zoom in and out within the Timeline of the Note Workspace. Tip: When hovering over the scroll bar you may use your mouse wheel to scroll left and right on the Timeline in the workspace.
Tip: When hovering over the Waveform Display you may use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out on the timescale in the workspace. Transport Controls Transport Controls are available when using ReWire to control playback from within the Pitch Editor plug-in. Capture Button To begin capturing note data, you must first click the Capture Button and then either click the Play Button when using ReWire, or click play in your DAW. Play Button The Play Button begins playback at the current playhead location.
The Skip Forward Button instantly moves the playhead to the end of the captured portion of audio. It may be used to quickly navigate to the end of captured audio in order to capture subsequent audio after the captured portion. Loop Selection/Transport Button The Loop Selection/Transport Button loops playback of selected notes within the note workspace. Note Editing Tools Cursor The Cursor is the default tool selection in the Pitch Editor plug-in.
ging them (but after selecting them), which allows you to freely adjust a note’s pitch. Double-click to Fix You may simply double-click any Note Region to lock it to the nearest note lane. Double-click the same Note Region again to return it to its original pitch. Split Tool The Split Tool allows you to divide a single detected note into two individual Note Regions that you may then edit independently.
Zoom Controls Zoom to Selection The Zoom to Selection control allows you to easily zoom to a specific location in the Piano Roll/Timeline. Simply click the Zoom to Selection icon, then click and drag across a specific location in the Note Workspace to zoom to fit that selection. Zoom to Show All Captured Notes The Zoom to Show All Captured Notes control allows you to instantly zoom in or out to show all the detected Note Regions within the audio you have captured.
After selecting one or more Note Regions within the Note Workspace, you may click the Trash icon to remove that note from the Note Workspace and it will no longer be pitch corrected. Tip: You may right-click within the workspace to reveal an option to delete all Note Regions on the workspace. Note Controls Click on any detected Note Region with the cursor tool in order to select that particular note for editing. Shift-click multiple Note Regions in order to select many at a time.
Formant Controls Formant Preservation Enabled by default, this option preserves the original formants of your captured vocals, allowing pitch to be corrected while retaining the original character of the performer’s timbre. When this option is enabled, you also have the ability to fine-tune formants using the Formant Shift and Global Formant Scaling controls for each Note Region. Formant Shift (semitones) This control allows you to adjust the vocal formants of your captured vocal audio.
Vibrato This control allows you to enhance and reduce available vibrato in captured notes by accentuating or smoothing out the variations of the pitch contour for a given Note Region. Notice the changes in pitch contours when adjusting Vibrato. Correction Speed (ms) This controls how quickly the selected regions will be snapped to their specified pitches. This control can be used to adjust Nectar's note transitions and can control how transparent or processed the pitch correction will sound.
Snap To Scale After setting the Root and Scale settings described below, clicking Snap To Scale forces all note regions into note lanes available in the specified Key/Scale. Root Here you can define the root note or key that your vocal takes are in. It is important to set an accurate Root Note as this can help the pitch correction algorithm determine the best possible pitches for your vocals to correct to.
defining a Custom scale, click upon the notes of the popup keyboard that you wish to enable as options for pitch correction. When the individual notes are enabled, they will turn gold or dark gold for black keys. White and black notes will be disabled and not used in pitch correction. Input/Output Meters and Toolbar In the bottom right of the Pitch Editor plug-in’s interface are I/O meters and a toolbar with global menu buttons.
Options Button Clicking the Options button loads the Options Menu from which you can authorize your copy of Nectar, access additional resources for working with Nectar, adjust visual settings, and more. Learn more about Nectar’s Options here. Help Button You may click the Help button at any time to launch this Help Documentation.
Breath Control Plug-in The Breath Control plug-in will automatically detect breaths in your vocal takes and suppress them. This can be an essential tool when editing a vocal track by streamlining a task that can be time-consuming when performed manually. Note: The component Breath Control plug-in is only available in Nectar 2: Vocal Production Suite.
How Breath Control Works The Breath Control plug-in automatically analyzes the incoming vocal take and distinguishes breaths from sung vocals based on their harmonic structure. If any piece of the incoming audio matches a harmonic profile similar to a breath, the module will suppress that portion of the audio until sung vocals are detected.
Target When in Target mode, the reduction amount of the 'Target' slider represents the desired level that you wish all detected breaths to be reduced to. This can result in much more natural sounding breath reduction as the detected breaths in your audio are only reduced when necessary. Loud and abrasive breaths will be reduced heavily while quiet, natural sounding breaths will be left at the same volume. Note: By default, the Breath Control plug-in will be in Target mode.
Visuals Gain Reduction Trace The Gain Reduction Trace is a scrolling meter that displays the incoming signal’s waveform with a superimposed tracing that illustrates the amount of gain reduction taking place in real-time. Latency In order for the Breath Control plug-in to have time to perform its analysis, it must incur a good deal of latency. The result of this latency is that the incoming audio is delayed in time with respect to the other tracks in your session.
Preset System Nectar has over 100 Presets designed by professional engineers, composers, musicians and sound designers. These presets are designed to help with common mixing techniques and tools for applications like Drums, Guitar, Bass, Vocal, Utility, Special Effects and Orchestral recordings. To access the Preset Manager, click the Global button under Presets in the lower right corner of Nectar's faceplate or press Ctrl+P.
Selecting Presets To access the Preset Manager, click the Global button under Presets in the lower right corner of the Nectar faceplate or press Ctrl+P. Loading Presets in Nectar You can select and audition any preset by simply clicking on the name in the list. This will activate selected Nectar modules and you will hear the effect of the preset when you playback your audio. You can easily compare several different presets just by picking a different name on the list.
Last Modified A preset is considered "modified" when you either create one or you make changes to one and update it with the Update button.Preset System Adding and Removing Presets Add: Clicking this button adds the current Nectar settings as a new preset. You can type a name and optionally add comments for the preset. Note that a few keys such as * or / cannot be used as preset names. If you try to type these characters in the name they will be ignored.
Close: Closes the preset manager loading the last preset you selected from the preset list. Renaming Presets: You can double click on the name of a preset to enter the "edit" mode and then type a new name for that preset. Changing Where Presets Are Stored Change Folder You don't need to store all of your presets in the default folder(s). You can create custom folders of presets for different projects, archive presets, etc.
Backing up these presets is as simple as copying files. Just browse to the location of your presets, select the directory or individual '.XML' files you would like to backup, and copy them onto your backup drive or location. To restore any presets that have already been backed up, simply copy the desired presets back into your Nectar Preset directory, and on the next instantiation, Nectar will recognize their presence and display them in the internal Preset window.
Spectrum The spectrum provides a real time display of the frequencies of the mix. Nectar can show both peak hold and real-time spectra, so users can see both a peak and running spectrum simultaneously in the display. By default, only a real-time averaging spectrum will be shown in the Equalizer. Options You can set options for the spectrum by accessing the Visuals Option tab or right-clicking (under OS X you can also Ctrl-click) the spectrum and selecting "Spectrum Options" from the context menu.
History Menu The History menu is a powerful feature for comparing settings in Nectar. To access the History list, click on the History button in the menu bar. As you tweak controls, each movement is captured and displayed in the History list. To go back and listen to a previous setting, simply click on the list at the point you want to audition. The changes that you've undone will show up in a lighter color. Clear You can also press the Clear button to clear the History list at any time.
History When you exit Nectar , the History list and any settings assigned to the A, B, C or D buttons will be saved so that the next time you start Nectar, the list will be remembered so you can pick up where you left off.
CPU Optimization Unlike many single task plug-ins, Nectar harnesses the power of 10 DSP processors in one plug-in. Nectar performs a significant number of calculations when running. The combination of 64-bit processing, multiple DSP processors and real time meters dictates that it requires more CPU processing than some plug-ins. Optimizing your CPU If you're not using modules for processing, you should be sure to bypass them to conserve CPU power.
Buffer Size Viewer The Buffer Size Viewer dialog lets you inspect the buffer sizes which your host application is using. If you are using Nectar at low buffer sizes, you may experience unusually high CPU usage. Some host applications make it very easy to see what your buffer sizes are, but it can be more difficult to determine in others. For that reason, Nectar provides this dialog to let you find out exactly what buffer sizes are being sent to the plug-in.
Automation Automation allows you to specify changes to sliders over the duration of a mix. You can automate any Nectar parameter using host applications which support effects automation. Using Automation in Nectar The implementation and specifics of automation are dependent on the host application, so please refer to the documentation of the host app for setting up an automated mix.
Setting up MIDI Control Nectar’s Harmony Module allows you to trigger accompanying voices in real time with a MIDI controller. In order to use the feature you must first route a MIDI signal from your controller to Nectar 2 in your DAW. The instructions to set this up vary, depending on your DAW, but the principle is the same; route a MIDI track’s output to the input of the Nectar 2 plug-in. Below is a list of popular hosts with steps to setup MIDI Control: Pro Tools 1. Create a new Audio Track. 2.
4. Add a new MIDI Track. 5. In the MIDI Track's I/O settings, change the Output to "iZotope Nectar 2 - Midi in". 6. In the MIDI Track's I/O settings, change the Input to your desired MIDI Input Device. 7. Record arm the MIDI track, if it is not already. 8. Playback audio, and use your MIDI Input Device to play and record harmonies. Logic 1. Create a new Software Instrument track. 2. Choose Nectar 2 by clicking and holding on the Input for this new Software Instrument track.
2. From the VST Plug-Ins category, choose Nectar 2 as an insert on the Audio Track 3. In the Advanced View of Nectar, engage the Harmony module and engage the MIDI Control button. 4. Create a new MIDI Track. 5. Show the MIDI Tracks I/O settings by clicking the I-O button in Live. 6. Set the "MIDI From" setting of that track to your desired MIDI Input Device. 7. Set the "MIDI To" setting of that track to the original Audio Track with Nectar on it. 8.
3. Under the "VST Configuration" controls, press the "Plug-in Properties" button. 4. Make sure the "Configure as Synth" checkbox is selected. Add Nectar to a Track or Bus 5. Right click on the Effects Bin for the track or bus you want to add harmonies to. 6. Go to the Soft Synths category and select Nectar 2. If Nectar 2 is not present, restart Sonar. 7. In the Advanced View of Nectar, engage the Harmony module and engage the MIDI Control button. 8. Create a new MIDI track in your SONAR project. 9.
8. Playback audio, and use your MIDI Input Device to play and record harmonies. Studio One 1. Add a new Audio Track. 2. Find and choose "iZotope Nectar 2" VST as an insert effect on the track. 3. In the Advanced View of Nectar, engage the Harmony module and engage the MIDI Control button. 4. Add a new Instrument Track. 5. In the Instrument Track's I/O settings, change the Output from "None" to "Nectar 2". 6. In the Instrument Track's I/O settings, change the Input to your desired MIDI Input Device. 7.
6. In the MIDI Track's I/O section, assign the Output to the appropriate "Nectar 2" insert. 7. Record arm the MIDI track. 8. Playback audio, and use your MIDI Input Device to play and record harmonies. FL Studio 1. Go to The Mixer View. 2. Add Nectar 2 (VST) to the Effects section of the track. 3. In the Advanced View of Nectar, engage the Harmony module and engage the MIDI Control button. 4. Open the plug-in Settings Menu (the gear icon in the upper left hand corner of the Nectar 2 plug-in window). 5.
Setting up ReWire Control Nectar’s Pitch Editor can be connected to the transport control of your DAW through ReWire technology. This allows you to use the transport controls within the Pitch Editor plugin to control playback and playhead position. In order to use this feature, you must first instantiate the “iZotope Nectar 2 Pitch Editor” ReWire Device on an empty track in your session. Once you instantiate the ReWire Device, you can feel free to hide the active track.
Reaper On an audio track, open the FX window and add “ReWire: iZotope Nectar 2 Pitch Editor” as an insert. Studio One In the Browser, open the Instruments folder and add “iZotope Nectar 2 Pitch Editor” to a new track by dragging the device to the arrange window. Sonar In the Browser, click the ReWire button, then drag “iZotope Nectar 2 Pitch Editor” into the arrange window. Note: To use the Pitch Editor in Sonar X2 you must have ReWire set up.
Delay Compensation Some plug-in configurations, especially those using pitch correction, require high latencies from your host application. During playback, this can result in a delay or offset to a single track's output, and can sometimes put a track out of sync with the rest of a mix. During mix-downs and edits, this can cause a gap or silence to appear and displace the beginning of the output. There are a couple of ways to fix this problem: 1.
Keyboard and Mouse Support Turn Keyboard Support On or Off You can turn Keyboard Shortcuts On or Off from the General Options menu. Keyboard support must be set to Full for all Keyboard shortcuts to be available. Available options include Full (full keyboard support), Minimal (only TAB, arrow keys, and ENTER), or None (Keyboard shortcuts turned off). Alt/Opt+click If you Alt/Opt+click on the ON of a module on the faceplate, that module is made active (on) and all other modules are bypassed.
Meters You can reset the peaks or averaging of the spectrum by clicking on the spectrum. You can reset a level meter's clipping indicator by clicking on the clipping indicator (the red "over" light at the top).
Available Shortcut Keys (PC/MAC) Main Displays options dialogs: 1: General Options 2: Spectrum Options Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + 1 through 4 3: I/O Meter Options 4: EQ Options Note: Under Mac OS X, 'Cmd+Shift+3' and 'Cmd+Shift+4' are taken by the operating system and cannot be used to open Nectar's Meter and EQ Options windows. Ctrl/Cmd + P Toggles Preset Manager Ctrl/Cmd + B Toggles bypass for all Nectar processing.
Up/Down arrow keys Adjust the gain of a selected band or bands. Use with Shift key for larger increments. Alt/Opt + up/down arrow keys Changes the filter type (bell, lowpass, highpass, etc.) for the selected band. Alt/Opt + left/right arrow keys Select the next or previous EQ band. Ctrl/Cmd + left/right arrow keys Adjust the Q of a selected band or bands. Use with Shift key for larger increments. Misc Ctrl/Cmd + Z Undo the last change made to a control.
Options Menu
General Options Graphics Enable Meters Allows you to quickly turn on/off all meters Show Tooltips When enabled this allows informational notes to appear when the cursor/pointer is hovering on top of the features' controls Frame Rate Limiter Allows you to set the speed (frames per second) used to display and update meters. You can increase the frame rate for smoother animation.
View Buffers This launches the View Buffers dialog, which lets you inspect the buffer sizes which your host application is using. See Buffer Sizes documentation for more info. Host Sync This launches the Host Sync Viewer window which displays information about your current session/host application including Tempo, Transport State, Time signature, etc. Low Latency RTAS/AAX Processing This option only appears in the RTAS/AAS versions of Nectar and by default will be disabled.
Spectrum Options Spectrum Fill Spectrum Allows you to display the real-time spectrum as a solid graph as opposed to a line graph. This option can be used to differentiate the real-time spectrum from the peak hold spectrum.
Input/Output Options Input/Output Show Peak Hold Turns on or off the peak hold display for the level meters Type Allows you to set the type of metering used for Nectar 's I/O meters. Options include RMS, Peak and RMS+Peak. Scale For RMS, Peak, and RMS+Peak you can choose between dB (linear) and dB (non-linear). Peak Hold Time (ms) If peak hold is on, this allows you to cycle through different peak hold times. The choices are 5 ms, 250 ms, 500 ms, 1000 ms, 5000 ms, and infinite.
EQ/Harmony Options Equalizer Soft Saturation Show Hz/dB Readout Turns on an algorithm which will gradually rolloff the level through EQ bands if they start to saturate. Nectar can accurately process signals with extended dynamic ranges and you can leave this off in most cases. The exception would be if you had reordered the modules so that the Equalizer was the absolute last process in the chain, in which case this option can soften any clipping that occurs in the EQ before being sent to the output.
Pitch Editor General Options Graphics Enable Meters Allows you to quickly turn on/off all meters Show Tooltips When enabled this allows informational notes to appear when the cursor/pointer is hovering on top of the features' controls Frame Rate Limiter Allows you to set the speed (frames per second) used to display and update meters. You can increase the frame rate for smoother animation.
See Buffer Sizes documentation for more info. Host Sync This launches the Host Sync Viewer window which displays information about your current session/host application including Tempo, Transport State, Time signature, etc. Enable ReWire Host Position This option can improve the Pitch Editor's ability to accurately set playhead position in some hosts. This is recommended for Pro Tools 10 and Sonar.
Pitch Editor Pitch Options Pitch Defines the directory in which all audio, layout and note data captured in Nectar's Pitch Editor will be stored. Use the dropdown arrow to change this to a new directory, reset to the default folder, or explore currently existing data. Captured Data Folder If you would like to change the Captured Data Folder after capturing audio, you must copy the folder where this data is stored to the new location you have specified.
Breath Control General Options Graphics Enable Meters Allows you to quickly turn on/off all meters Show Tooltips When enabled this allows informational notes to appear when the cursor/pointer is hovering on top of the features' controls Frame Rate Limiter Allows you to set the speed (frames per second) used to display and update meters. You can increase the frame rate for smoother animation.
See Buffer Sizes documentation for more info. Host Sync Low Latency RTAS/AAX Processing This launches the Host Sync Viewer window which displays information about your current session/host application including Tempo, Transport State, Time signature, etc. This option only appears in the RTAS/AAS versions of Nectar and by default will be disabled. When selected this option will help reduce latency in Pro Tools, but will cause higher CPU usage.
iZotope Customer Support How to purchase the full version of Nectar If you are using the demo version of Nectar and would like the full version, you can purchase Nectar direct from the iZotope online store: http://www.izotope.com/nectar Once your purchase is complete you will be sent an e-mail confirmation and a full version serial number that can be used to fully authorize your current installation of Nectar .
- the iZotope team Portions of this software are copyright © 2006 The FreeType Project (www.freetype.org). All rights reserved.
