I’ve always been a bit of a sound nerd, I’ll admit it. Ever since I started producing electronic music, more than fifteen years ago now, mastering has been both a fascination and a curse for me. On one side, the magic of giving a track its final shape, on the other, that frustrating feeling of never quite reaching that “radio-ready” level I heard in the records of my idols. Over the years I’ve tried everything: analog compressors, hybrid chains, plugins of all kinds. But there’s one piece of software that has marked my path more than others: iZotope Ozone.

I still remember my first times with Ozone 5: a bit clunky in the interface, a thousand parameters, and me getting lost for hours trying to figure out if I was making the mix better or just ruining it. Then the later versions—Ozone 8, 9, 10—until Ozone 11, which has been my companion on recent synthwave and ambient projects. Each time there was that upgrade that made me think: “Ok, maybe now it’ll finally be easier.”

When I saw the announcement of iZotope Ozone 12 Advanced, I couldn’t resist. “New Mastering Assistant AI, Bass Control, Stem EQ, Unlimiter”… the names alone had me dreaming. So I jumped on the upgrade right away, and here I am telling you my experience, step by step, totally honestly.

Installation and First Launch of Ozone 12

The installation was smooth. I downloaded Ozone 12 Advanced from iZotope’s website (side note: their installer is finally more stable than a few years ago, when it sometimes froze halfway). Once I activated the license, I was greeted by a screen that already smelled like something new: a modern interface, flatter but also elegant, with soft colors that don’t tire your eyes.

Honestly? I was already excited. It’s like when you buy a new hardware synth and spend half an hour just staring at it.

I immediately loaded one of my recent synthwave tracks, with a fat bassline and nostalgic pads. I wanted to see if Ozone 12 could really give me the jump I was hoping for.

Exploring the New Mastering Assistant AI

A friendly hand (but not too pushy)

The first thing I tested was, of course, the new Mastering Assistant AI. In Ozone 11 I used it as a starting point, but it often felt a bit too “generic,” with EQ curves that didn’t always convince me.

Here, the difference was obvious:

  • The track analysis is faster.
  • The result is much more musical and less “cold.”
  • You can decide which modules to include and which to skip.

I tried disabling the Imager because I wanted to keep my original stereo sound, and the Mastering Assistant respected the choice without “forcing my hand.” Finally!

I remember my first “wow moment” with it: it immediately understood my track was ambient/synthwave, not EDM for the dancefloor, so the loudness target was much more balanced.

Stem EQ: the game changer

This, honestly, was my real epiphany. Stem EQ lets you isolate and treat instrument groups without having the individual stems at hand. It’s basically magic.

Imagine the screenshot of the interface: waveform in the middle, and me selecting the “Bass” section to work only on the bassline without touching pads or drums.

In my track, the bassline was a bit too heavy under 60 Hz. With Stem EQ I made a soft cut and suddenly the mix breathed. Before, I would have had to reopen the project, export stems, re-import… here it was immediate.

Practical tip:

  • Don’t just use Stem EQ for fixing problems—use it for experimentation. I boosted the highs on my synth arpeggios and the result was incredibly detailed.

Bass Control: the beating heart

Bass Control was the second module I explored, and well, honestly it surprised me. The promise is to handle the low end more surgically but also more musically.

I activated it and instantly saw the visualization split into sub, bass, and upper-bass. I tightened the sub under 40 Hz a bit and gave more room to the upper-bass. Result: the bass was deep but not overwhelming, and the kicks sat perfectly in their space.

Little trick that worked for me:

  • Combine Bass Control with the Imager, but only on the lows. That way, you get centered subs and wider upper-bass.

Unlimiter and IRC 5 Maximizer: loudness without anxiety

Confession: I’ve always been a bit obsessed with loudness. Every time I mastered a track, the temptation was to push the limiter too far. With Ozone 12, I finally found balance.

The new Unlimiter is brilliant: it can bring back dynamics even when you’ve already squashed everything. I tried it on a climax section of my ambient track, and instead of sounding flat, it regained breath.

And then there’s the new IRC 5 Maximizer mode. It’s more transparent, especially on delicate transients (like hi-hats or subtle claps). I pushed the track to -9 LUFS without hearing that digital strain I always hated.

Usability and Interface: small details, big difference

I don’t know about you, but I spend hours in front of my DAW. Every little interface improvement matters. In Ozone 12 they really thought about daily users:

  • Modules are clearer to enable/disable.
  • The layout is easier to read.
  • Metering is sharper and scalable.

Random digression: while testing Ozone 12, I had my cat on my lap constantly pressing laptop keys. And yet, I could still navigate without losing my mind—a sign the interface is truly intuitive.

Challenges and small frustrations

It wasn’t all roses. A couple of things made me scratch my head:

  • The learning curve with the new AI: sometimes I wondered whether to trust its choices or follow them blindly. Spoiler: never follow blindly.
  • Some modules (like Stem EQ) do eat CPU, so on my travel laptop I had some glitches.

But overall, nothing that made me miss Ozone 11. Quite the opposite.

Practical Application: one of my synthwave tracks

Here’s a recap of how I used Ozone 12 on a synthwave track I’m preparing for my next EP:

  1. Mastering Assistant AI → set the “streaming” target and disabled the Imager.
  2. Stem EQ → reduced overly heavy sub-bass.
  3. Bass Control → centered the lows and gave air to the upper-bass.
  4. Unlimiter → applied during the final climax to restore dynamics.
  5. IRC 5 Maximizer → brought the level up to -9 LUFS without distortion.

The result? A master that sounds more open, dynamic, and professional compared to what I’d done with Ozone 11.

Pros and Cons of Ozone 12 Advanced

Pros

  • Modern, intuitive interface.
  • Mastering Assistant AI is more musical and customizable.
  • Stem EQ is revolutionary.
  • Bass Control is both effective and creative.
  • Unlimiter and IRC 5: transparent loudness.

Cons

  • Takes time to build trust with the AI.
  • Some CPU-heavy modules.

Conclusion: is the upgrade worth it?

If you’re asking me whether upgrading from Ozone 11 to iZotope Ozone 12 Advanced is worth it, my answer is yes, absolutely. It’s not just a “cosmetic” update, but a real quality leap.

For me, producing synthwave, ambient, and electronic music, tools like Stem EQ and Bass Control have already become indispensable. And the new AI saves me time without stealing creative control.

So my advice is: try it yourself. Download the demo or grab it from izotope.com. I’m sure you’ll have your own “wow moments” like I did.

And if you mess something up at first, don’t worry. That’s part of the game. I also totally screwed up with Bass Control the first time… but that’s how you learn.