Harmonic exciters can give a sparkle or shine to the upper frequencies of a mix. They can also be used in mid and even low frequencies to add a boost or presence. Add warmth, sparkle and shine with four separate bands of excitation. Like other multiband modules in Ozone, the multiband harmonic excitation is based on the four bands set in the multiband section.
Key Features
Choose from tube or tape-modeled saturation and more, with adjustable mix controls for each band
Unique multiband time offset controls for tightening and adding attack to bass and kick
Mid/side processing lets you add color to different parts of the soundstage separately
Note: Each band has its own sliders to control the amount of harmonic excitation and the mix of the excited signal with the original signal.
Retro: This mode is originally from Ozone 2 and is based on a slowly decaying row of odd harmonics which is characteristic for transistors.
Tape: Tape modeling can be recognized as a brighter sound due to the odd harmonics found in tape saturation models.
Tube: Tube modeling is characterized by its clear "tonal" excitation with an emphasis on dynamic or transient attacks.
Warm: This is a new option in Ozone 4 and is similar to Tube. The warm exciter mode is unique because it generates only even harmonics that decay quickly.
Amount: Controls the amount of the harmonic excitation for the selected band.
Mix: Allows you to control the mix of the excited signal with the original mix.
Delay: This is not a tube or tape excitation effect as much as it is a phase delay. Setting the delay for a band offsets this band relative to the other frequencies. To learn how and why this works as an exciter, refer to our online mastering guide.
In general, try offsetting the delay for a low band (<150 Hz or so) by about 1 msec. The low band will get tighter, but probably lower in perceived volume. Because it is tighter in time, though, you can usually compress or increase the gain of that band in the multiband dynamics module to get "punch" without a ringing or "flabby" sound.
Like controls on other screens, you can use arrow keys to adjust a selected slider, or the wheel of a wheel mouse, or double-click on the numeric label and directly enter a value with the keyboard. You can reset a slider by double clicking on it.
Stereo/Mid-side: This button
allows you to switch between "stereo" processing or the new
"mid-side" processing. When "stereo" is selected,
the Ozone module will perform basic stereo signal processing (Ozone 3).
When "mid-side" is selected, all mid-side features become available.
Updated Colors
To make it easier to distinguish between Mid and Side modes, the affected sliders will update with new colors. Mid mode is presented as orange, and Side mode is presented as dark blue.
Example using Mid-Side Processing in Ozone's Harmonic Exciter
Mid-Side processing allows you to separate a specific frequency range into its Mid and Side components and apply processing separately to the Mid (center) channel, or the Sides of your mix.
For example, using the Side channel in the Harmonic Exciter module (blue), try selecting the upper frequency bands for your mix. By increasing the amount sliders for the upper frequencies you will be applying the exciter to the extreme edges of your mix only and leaving the Mid (center) channel as-is.
To learn more about Ozone Mid-Side Processing controls, click here...