

This is not inherently bad, but sometimes it can be a problem. When two or more instruments/tracks are combined, certain frequencies-corresponding to certain harmonics and overtones-in one track may cover up, or mask, those frequencies in another track, changing the perceived tonal balance. The Tonal Balance Control utility plug-in-included with Neutron 3-compares the overall tonal balance of a mix with reference mixes, as an aid in final mixing or mastering.

The new Mix Assistant (Neutron 3 Advanced only) analyzes track levels and sets up an initial mix to be used as a starting point for mixing.The Track Enhance feature (nee Track Assistant) analyzes a track and automatically creates a chain of processors to set up initial processing as a starting point for further mixing.The new Sculpture module-expanding on the more basic Neutrino feature in Neutron 2-provides automatic tonal and dynamic processing, guided by the user toward preferred tonality/dynamics.The Masking Meter is a smart display in the EQ module to facilitate dealing with masking issues between tracks in a mix.There are five intelligent mixing features in Neutron 3: In this article I’ll take a brief look at those features, to see what the intelligent mixing algorithms in Neutron 3 bring to the party.
