Izotope Nectar 4 Advanced

What iZotope Nectar 4 Is For

iZotope Nectar 4 is designed to produce, clean, and mix vocals (singing, rap, voice-over, podcast, dubbing) within a single plugin. It centralizes the essential processing of a modern vocal chain: pitch correction, level management, dynamic control, resonance removal, breath reduction, harmonic coloring, and creation of supporting vocals. The result: a faster, more consistent workflow that's easy to recall from project to project, whether you work in a home studio or professional production.

Main Features

A modular channel strip, quick to master

With its 13 modules, Nectar 4 allows you to build a chain tailored to each source: intimate voice, aggressive voice, spoken word, or stacked choirs. Each module can be used within the channel strip, and all processing is also available as individual component plugins (convenient for inserting only what you need, wherever you want in your session).

ALM: stable level without "pumping"

The Auto Level Module (ALM) is designed to achieve consistent volume levels while maintaining a clear and natural sound. Where some compressors can cause pumping or side effects on transients and breaths, the ALM aims for a more transparent behavior, ideal for stabilizing a take before applying EQ, saturation, or effects.

The ALM Tame Noise function goes further by distinguishing singing vocal content from non-singing content: the algorithm strives to level only tonal elements, preserving musicality while avoiding unnecessary boosting of noise, rubbing sounds, or certain recording residues.

Vocal Assistant and working with references

The Vocal Assistant generates a custom preset for your voice based on analysis and a reference. The goal is to reach a color consistent with your artistic direction faster: modern upfront vocals, a softer and rounder sound, or a more pronounced presence. Combined with iZotope Audiolens, vocals from music tracks can serve as reference targets to guide settings and speed up decisions.

Breath Control and musical cleaning

The Breath Control module allows you to reduce breaths without degrading audio quality or producing an overly noticeable "cut" effect. It's a valuable tool to maintain a natural performance while preventing very close-mic takes from becoming intrusive after compression or saturation.

Dynamic EQ and real-time resonance suppression

The built-in dynamic EQ treats problematic areas more surgically than a static EQ. The Follow EQ mode can detect resonances and attenuate them in real time, helping to tame nasality, harshness, or buildup in the low mids while preserving the voice's liveliness. Ideal for uneven takes, very close-mic passages, or vocals recorded in imperfect rooms.

Voices and Backer: harmonies, doubles, and backing singers

To thicken a chorus, create call-and-response parts, or produce a complex vocal background, Nectar 4 includes a Voices module designed to stack layers and build artificial harmonies with various profiles. You can start from presets or control harmonies via MIDI for more precise writing and natural integration into the arrangement.

The Backer module leans towards "backing singers": it creates supporting vocals from eight styles or user-generated styles based on reference targets. It's a quick solution to widen a chorus, fill a bridge, or give a more pop and produced aesthetic without multiplying takes.

Pre-leveling and communication between instances

The Auto-Level mode can adjust the incoming level before processing for more stable behavior of subsequent modules. Nectar 4 also offers cross-communication with other iZotope plugin instances to solve mixing problems such as tonal balance or masking effects, facilitating decision-making in dense mixes.

Technical specifications

Type

Full software

Downloadable

Yes

Number of modules	13 (including notably Pitch, Backer, Voices, Auto-leveler, Dynamic EQ, Breath Control, Saturation, etc.)	Dynamic EQ	Follow EQ mode to detect and remove resonances in real time
ALM (Auto Level Module)	consistent levels, clear and natural sound, reduction of typical compressor artifacts	Auto-Level mode	adjusts the incoming audio level before processing
ALM Tame Noise	differentiates sung vocal content and non-sung content, levels only tonal elements	Cross-communication between iZotope plugin instances	helps correct tonal balance and masking issues
Vocal Assistant	creation of a custom preset based on artificial intelligence and a reference	License validity	unlimited
Reference compatibility	usable in combination with iZotope Audiolens to take vocals from tracks as targets	Copy protection	online activation or iLok 2/3
Voices	vocal layers, harmonies, varied profiles, user control and MIDI control	Simultaneous activation	2
Backer	creation of backing singers via 8 styles or user-generated styles from targets	Windows	from 10 (64-bit)
Breath Control	breath reduction without compromising audio quality	Mac OS (64-bit)	from 12.6.8