Attack-and-release time controls help keep the processing free of artifacts. Ionizer works so transparently in most cases that you'll rarely need to tweak these. A toggled automatic tracking control varies Ionizer's thresholds according to the changing amplitude of background noise for noise-reduction tasks. An Undo button provides one level of undo/redo. There's even a Keying function that maps the spectral envelope characteristics from one channel to another, for creating Vocoder and other effects.

There are no decibel readouts for gain reduction, but a real-time color bar—whimsically called the Mood Bar—dynamically alters its color and hue to indicate the relative amount of processing across the frequency spectrum. The only real sin of omission is the lack of an output (makeup) gain control. This makes A/B comparisons difficult for splitband compression and other tasks. An output level control would also preclude the occasional hassle of moving a heavily edited Ionizer to downstream inserts in order to insert digital attenuation pre-effect to prevent overload.

In use
One of Ionizer's standout functions is its static equalization. Arboretum purports that its EQ is 100 percent phase linear and entirely free of phase interference. I can tell you the EQ sounds outstanding and is easily worth the price of admission alone. Sweet, smooth and responsive, the sound is equal to that of solid-state analog boxes costing $2,500 or more.

Like Ionizer's other functions, the EQ is incredibly flexible to use. Having 512 bands is only part of the story. It's far more flexible than a parametric equalizer because you can have different slopes on either side of each center frequency. This makes it possible, for example, to get a lot of cut at a center frequency while treating frequencies to only one side with kid gloves. If you can draw the curve, Ionizer will do it.

Arboretum provides noise reduction via downward expansion. Both manual and automatic modes are provided. Manual mode is used when noise is isolated from the desired material and can be analyzed alone. Ionizer's noise reduction is not totally transparent, but time and again, I found the slight sacrifice in air and sheen preferable to the obnoxious hiss originally present in exposed sources that begged for treatment. Every situation and engineer is different, so I can't say what level of attenuation you'll be able to attain before objecting to the loss of “top.” In some cases, you'll be able to get away with 20 dB or more of gain reduction on individual tracks.

Unfortunately, the automatic noise-reduction mode is not anywhere near as transparent. Ionizer uses this mode to analyze noise that is mixed in with the desired program material. But even light processing noticeably robs treated material of high-frequency stereo ambience, localization cues, transient content and air. In my opinion, the process is not usable for critical work.

Ionizer provides outstanding splitband, downward compression and limiting. Having so many independent bands to work with makes it easy to rein in and fatten up broadband material without audible pumping and breathing. This is smooth, high-quality stuff.

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Reprinted with permission from Mix Magazine's May 2000 issue.
Copyright © 2000 by Intertec Publishing.