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.
Ozone provides a multiband harmonic exciter modeled after tube saturation phenomenon which is caused by a tube saturating and creating harmonics. There are many ways to do harmonic excitation, but we feel that the tube saturation model provides the most natural sounding excitation.
Like other multiband modules in Ozone, the multiband
harmonic excitation is based on the four bands set in the multiband section.
Learn more about setting multiband cutoffs here...
Note that each band has its own sliders to control the amount of harmonic excitation and the mix of the excited signal with the original signal.
Controls:
Retro/Tape/Tube: Allows you to select between retro (Ozone 2) tube or tape modeled saturation. Tube modeling is characterized by its clear "tonal" excitation with an emphasis on dynamic or transient attacks. Tape modeling can be recognized as a brighter sound due to the odd harmonics found in tape saturation models.
Amount: Controls the amount of the harmonic excitation.
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, though, 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.
Note: This help file is a quick reference for basic Ozone functions and controls. We have a separate "how to" guide that provides tips and techniques for mastering with Ozone. You can download this guide from http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/guides.html