Zynaptiq

The latest entrant into Hannover-based
developers Zynaptiq’s range of innovative,
ambitious plugins, Intensity is a sort of cross
between a dynamics processor and a dynamic
EQ that promises, quite simply, to improve the
sound of anything you send its way.
Zynaptiq describe Intensity as like an
artiicially intelligent “ininite-band compressor
that threshold-less-ly operates relative to the
input signal”, before going on to say that it’s
“absolutely not a compressor”. Apparently, the
engine is based on the techniques used in facial
recognition algorithms, although at no point is it
made clear what that equates to in practical
terms. Ultimately, this is one of those out-there
efects that kind of deies description and just
has to be used and heard to be appreciated.
Zynaptiq suggest that it’s a plugin you’ll want to
use on everything you do, from individual
instrument channels to buses and full mixes, as
it simply makes stuf sound better. Well, they
would, wouldn’t they?
Power balls
The plugin (VST/AU/AAX) is largely operated
using one main control: the Intensity ‘ball’ (don’t
worry, it’s just a slider, really). This deploys the
aforementioned algorithm to ‘intelligently’
increase the levels of those parts of the signal
that it deems to be “details” and deining
characteristics. Think the body of a kick drum,
the sheen of cymbals, the sparkle of a vocal, the
meat of a bass guitar, etc. The process can be
applied evenly across the whole signal, or – as is
more likely in almost all scenarios – ‘sculpted’
using the Bias control, which you can read about
in Totally biased below. As raising the Intensity
invariably boosts the overall level, a Level
Compensation function is on hand for
automatically matching the output gain to the
input level.
The remaining two controls, Dry-Wet Mix and
Output, are rather more conventional. Output
adjusts the inal, dry/wet-mixed output level by
up to 12dB up or down, and can optionally pass
the signal through a soft-knee limiter that
doesn’t have to be pushed far at all before heavy
saturation starts to kick in. The Mix control
proves to be almost as important as Intensity
and Bias, as this is the kind of processor you’ll
often want to run in parallel rather than 100%
full-on. Like other Zynaptiq plugins, it’s
incredibly easy to go too far with Intensity, and
lowering the Mix blend can go a long way
towards bringing it back into line.
Intense fl avours
Intensity is yet another remarkable addition to
Zynaptiq‘s roster of futuristic devices – a unique
and high-tech production and engineering tool
that gets as close to feeling like ‘magic’ as
software ever does. As mentioned, it really does
need to be handled with care, and it can do
slightly odd things with reverb tails at times; but
get it right through considered tweaking of the
Bias and Mix parameters and the results can be
absolutely stunning, improving whatever’s sent
through it in terms of clarity, separation, ‘air’,
presence and vibe, whether that’s the elemental
components of a drum track, the nuances of
guitar line or vocal, or the sonic aggregate of the
master bus. Sliding up and down the functional
scale between efortless ‘quick ixer’ and serious
inalising tool, this is a plugin that every
producer needs to try.
Web www.timespace.com
Z y n a p t i q
Intensity €379
A ‘magic wand’ plugin for mixing and mastering with a core algorithm
built on – wait for it – facial recognition technology. Yes, really…
Verdict
For Just… works!
Easy to use once understood
Customisable Bias curves
Sounds great on pretty much anything
Against Can do slightly odd things
with reverb tails at times
A genuinely groundbreaking plugin,
Intensity costs a pretty penny but does
truly amazing things to full mixes and
individual tracks
9 / 1 0
Alternatively
iZotope Neutron 2 Advanced
252 » 9/10 » £389
A phenomenally good channel
strip and surprisingly efective
“smart engineering assistant”
Soundtheory Gullfoss
257 » 9/10 » £139
This similarly forward-thinking
auto-EQ plugin models “human
auditory perception”
The bipolar Bias control applies an EQ-style
cut/boost curve to the Intensity parameter,
for emphasising or de-emphasising
particular frequencies, by a maximum of
12dB. 11 preset curves are included, and
adjustments to Bias are visualised within the
curve display – until you let go of the control,
whereupon the graphic disappears. We’re not
sure why it can’t just be left in place.
If none of the preset Bias curves are doing
it for your source material, you can switch to
Custom mode and draw your own. This gives
you nine vertical sliders with which to shape
the ‘breakpoints’ in the curve at ixed
frequencies from 50Hz to 17kHz. Any of the
preset curves can be lown in as starting
points, and a series of buttons below the
display enable instant doubling and halving
of the slider values, inversion of the entire
curve, and resetting of all sliders to zero.
Bias makes it easy to focus Intensity on
particular areas of the frequency spectrum.
Totally biased
Autumn 2018 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 99
zynaptiq intensity / reviews <
CMU261.rev_intensity.indd 99 20/08/2018 16:09