[Add More Brilliance to Your Vocal Sound] In-Depth Review of the iZotope Nectar4

iZotope recently released Nectar 4, a state-of-the-art vocal plug-in. The Nectar Series has been taking studios around the world by storm since its introduction in 2010 as a world-class plug-in that perfects professional vocal mixes. In this article, I will try the latest version of Nectar, Nectar 4, thoroughly review it and focus mainly on its new features! Incidentally, I had some experience with the previous version, Nectar 3, but even 3 had many incredible features. Now that it has evolved even further since then... I can’t stop my excitement!

Let’s get right to it, but let’s start with the new features of Nectar 4!

— Referencing the official website

Audiolens referencing

Reference any voice

[Included in all editions]
Audiolens is compatible with Nectar 4, allowing you to tone-match any vocal sound. Separate the vocal from your reference track and gain valuable information to create a starting point for your mix.

Voices Module

In sweet harmony

[Included in all editions]
Instant, easy vocal layers: the Voices module gives you the ability to create complicated layers for your vocal production without needing to learn voice-leading and harmonic motion. Find a preset similar to your desired sound, then tweak it to your liking.

Auto-Level Module

Instantly consistent vocals

[Included in the Advanced Edition]
ALM (Auto Level module) is an intelligent and transparent alternative to compressors. Placed at the start of your signal chain, it acts like a recording engineer, effortlessly managing vocal levels. ALM provides consistent volume levels without introducing unwanted artifacts like traditional compressors, giving you a clean and natural sound.

13 Component Plugins

Build your own chain

[Included in the Advanced Edition]
Nectar Advanced comes with a powerful suite of brand-new plugins. Integrate the power of Nectar into your DAW template and build your own custom chains for every vocal in your production.

Backer Module

Who’s backing you today?

[Included in all editions]
With the Backer module, you can now create background singers that sit behind your main vocal. Pick from eight different styles or import your own acapella to further customize your sound. Finish up a demo with different flavors of vocalists, creatively destroy ad-lib tracks, or create something new altogether. *Only trained on with English speaking languages

Vocal Assistant

Help is here

[Included in all editions]
Vocal Assistant now provides a broad interface for making simple and helpful decisions for your vocal production without getting lost in the details of vocal mixing.

There are this many!?...(gulp)

If you don’t try it, you’ll never know what it’s going to be like. I actually tried it and found it to be really versatile and so freakin’ amazing... If I were to go into details, it would be too much to write about, so this time I am going to introduce a few of the most effective and easy-to-understand features!

01 Vocal Assistant Function that looks simple and is easy to use!

This is probably the most used and easiest function when using Nectar 4. It’s just so simple to operate. First, insert the plug-in into the vocal, press the Assist button at top of the screen on Nectar 4, and play the track. The AI will then automatically read and process the vocals appropriately. All you have to do is play with the individual parameters as you like. Each parameter is fairly straightforward. The bottom left is for spatial processing (reverb, delay) and other adjustments. SHAPE (upper left) is for adjusting the amount of EQ automatically set by AI. INTENSITY (upper right) is the amount of compressor applied. VOICES (lower right) allows you to change the type and the amount of harmony applied. The upper middle section allows you to adjust the key and vocal texture to be darker or lighter when generating the harmony. Generally speaking, you can upgrade your vocals by one step just by playing with these functions.

As a test, I also made adjustments to the vocal date in Vocal Assistant, and the result was as follows.

■ Before

■ After

You can hear the improved vocal space and articulations that can be heard by anyone. I didn’t spend much time on this and only made just a few adjustments... By the way, Nectar 4 is compatible with Audiolens, so you can pre-load your favorite vocal song and the AI will process your work to be closer to the mix for this vocal song. AI is so amazing that it scares me.

02 Auto-Level Module Function for Uncomplicated Vocal Level Control!

To put it simply, this is a function that removes breath noises and other unnecessary parts while maintaining a constant vocal volume level. This function is unexpectedly excellent for what it is. With the Auto-Level Module, you don’t have to rely on compressors or anything like that, but you can adjust the volume to your liking. Of course, you don’t have to do it manually, but if you press ‘Learn,’ the AI will automatically recognize this part and adjust the level appropriately, so there is nothing difficult about it at all. I think this is a very useful feature for everyone from beginners to experienced composers who want to mix vocals. Nectar 4 is just amazing.

03 Backer Module Function for Versatile Harmonics and Backup Singer!

The distinctive-looking Backer Module can be used to add a variety of vocal mixes by selecting from 8 different styles, not to mention adding a harmony or a backup singer. Listening is believing. Check this one out below!

The Backer Module can make the song sound like it’s actually sung. It may depend on the style of music or the composer’s preferences, but it can be interesting to use Backer Module on the melody or other harmonic parts of a song, or to use it as a gimmick when creating vocal effects. Personally, I think it would be fun to play with it when creating vocal effects.

Lastly, here is the actual vocal and the adjustments that I made.↓

So, what do you think? Nectar 4 is packed with a wide variety of features, but when I tried it, I found it to be a simple and enjoyable plug-in for mixing vocals without having any difficult functions. However, this product is not only fun, but the quality of each function is also excellent, so honestly speaking, you will never have trouble with vocal mixing if you have Nectar 4. With its state-of-the-art AI technology, I highly recommend the Nectar 4 vocal mix plug-in!