# Zynaptiq intensity



## fiestared (Jun 21, 2018)

What do you think ???  


https://www.zynaptiq.com/intensity/


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## Francis Bourre (Jun 21, 2018)

Want to try it, there was an amazing feedback on the latest sonicstate:


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## fiestared (Jun 21, 2018)

Francis Bourre said:


> Want to try it, there was an amazing feedback on the latest sonicstate:



1:14:12 !!! could you tell us where/when to look for... Thanks


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## Welldone (Jun 21, 2018)

fiestared said:


> 1:14:12 !!! could you tell us where/when to look for... Thanks



Starts at 57:26


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## WindcryMusic (Jun 21, 2018)

I have some doubts about this. The examples in their marketing video sound a bit like it may not be much more than the combination of a volume maximizer (like the one in Ozone) and a BBE sonic maximizer. I’d be more open to the idea of this being interesting if any of the examples shown were volume-matched to show what they are doing beyond just boosting the volume, to prove they are actually making sonic improvements. Also, the last couple of examples had a definite edge of distortion that reminds me vividly of the effect I used to get from my old BBE sonic maximizer (which I used to use a lot a couple of decades back, until I became aware of how much it was smearing over the audio details with high frequency distortion and got rid of it).


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## gsilbers (Jun 21, 2018)

WindcryMusic said:


> I have some doubts about this. The examples in their marketing video sound a bit like it may not be much more than the combination of a volume maximizer (like the one in Ozone) and a BBE sonic maximizer. I’d be more open to the idea of this being interesting if any of the examples shown were volume-matched to show what they are doing beyond just boosting the volume, to prove they are actually making sonic improvements. Also, the last couple of examples had a definite edge of distortion that reminds me vividly of the effect I used to get from my old BBE sonic maximizer (which I used to use a lot a couple of decades back, until I became aware of how much it was smearing over the audio details with high frequency distortion and got rid of it).



kinda little on the info on the algorithm - besides thats is propietary - so its hard to know exaclty whats going on. 
we are guesing the exiter, harmonic saturation, compression and eq. maybe its a better exiter algo? im trying it and its ok. im happy its a different thing than the now oversaturated market of making everyting "british 73" or "SSL buss compressor". but at the same time as you said, its just a few things together that we can find elsewhere. 
it could be cool for certain sounds where if its only exiter then it would sound harsh and brittle but adding that bias with low end counters that issue. but would be for those sounds where youd want that of course. 
im using on epic drum hits and its indeed making it sound huge. on a two mix it i had ot use it a lot more subtle.


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## WindcryMusic (Jun 21, 2018)

gsilbers said:


> kinda little on the info on the algorithm - besides thats is propietary - so its hard to know exaclty whats going on.
> we are guesing the exiter, harmonic saturation, compression and eq. maybe its a better exiter algo? im trying it and its ok. im happy its a different thing than the now oversaturated market of making everyting "british 73" or "SSL buss compressor". but at the same time as you said, its just a few things together that we can find elsewhere.
> it could be cool for certain sounds where if its only exiter then it would sound harsh and brittle but adding that bias with low end counters that issue. but would be for those sounds where youd want that of course.
> im using on epic drum hits and its indeed making it sound huge. on a two mix it i had ot use it a lot more subtle.



Interesting. Nice to hear your perspective from actually trying it out.

Just to be clear, so that no one jumps down my throat for saying something I didn’t, I suggested it “may be” a combination of a few existing processes, not that I am confident that it is. In fact I hope it is something really new and/or better that I’ll decide I need to buy ... but all I have to go by for now is the demo videos, and I’m merely saying that’s what the demos sounded like to me.


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## rrichard63 (Jun 21, 2018)

WindcryMusic said:


> ... I’d be more open to the idea of this being interesting if any of the examples shown were volume-matched to show what they are doing beyond just boosting the volume ...


This! I wish there were a way to require plugin developers to level-match all of their published comparisons.


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## Saxer (Jun 21, 2018)

I would think that sounds like a kind of hanky panky advertizing slogan... if it weren't Zynaptiq! They really do wizard stuff.


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## emasters (Jun 21, 2018)

Here's a brief video with Intensity, that near the end (4:54 into the video) does a brief in-mix level match between the plugin enabled and disabled. Would be great to hear more examples where the plugin is at the same level active and bypassed.


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## fiestared (Jun 21, 2018)

It reminds me the "Aphex Aural Exciter" in the mid-1970s, It was presented like a kind of "miracle" and everybody should use it for making a "hit". It was exclusively on the rental basis of $30 per minute of finished recorded time. Aphex was the buzz : what ??? you didn't use Aphex for your mix how silly of you... I remember that time  So, is INTENSITY the new "Aphex" ???

Aphex Aural Exciter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exciter_(effect)


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## Geoff Grace (Jun 22, 2018)

It reminds me of Soundtheory Gullfoss. Both plugins are intriguing.

We're living in a brave new world of AI.



The deal on Intensity is pretty intense (sorry), if you can come up with the money this month. It's $149 during June, and $379 thereafter.

Best,

Geoff


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## nordicguy (Jun 22, 2018)

Geoff Grace said:


> It's $149 during June, and $379 thereafter.


It sounds like to rush buying without having too much time thinking.


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## WindcryMusic (Jun 22, 2018)

nordicguy said:


> It sounds like to rush buying without having too much time thinking.



I had the same thought about it. That's over a 60% discount. I certainly like discounts, but this one is so generous as to arouse a bit of suspicion. And all of the examples I've heard of this processing thus far have seemed, to my ears, to add a noticeable amount of "dirt" into the signal, which reminds me vividly of the old BBE sonic maximizer effect.

Despite the great intro deal, I'm strongly inclined to adopt a wait-and-see attitude on this one.


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## fiestared (Jun 22, 2018)

Did you try the "3 weeks trial" ? Idid and "really"don't know what to think, yes it's clearer, yes it's louder, yes, yes, but...not sure, I've got the feeling to be in an A or B or "placebo" situation !


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## Fleer (Jun 22, 2018)

Got to say I absolutely love it. But then I’m an absolute fan of all things Zynaptiq. 
Adaptiverb, Wormhole, Unveil, Unfilter, Unmix, Unchirp, Pitchmap and Morph: they do sheer magic. Zynaptiq is the future of musical creation incarnate. Even that free Subspace is just wonderful. 
This new Intensity plugin is a marvel on master and sub mixes. It’s nothing like Gullfoss, Aural Exciter or Character. 
I understood what it’s doing once I read about the facial recognition reference. This is no compressor or EQ at work. This is AI identifiying the way a musical piece is composed and consequently intensifying its core identity. 
Simply wonderful indeed.


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## Fleer (Jun 22, 2018)

nordicguy said:


> It sounds like to rush buying without having too much time thinking.


If you snooze, you lose.
I remember their divine Adaptiverb having a similar introductory price but then remaining at list price for over a year. I’m totally in!


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## charlieclouser (Jun 22, 2018)

Intensity definitely ain't just a maximizer like what you'd find in Ozone. Depending on the settings it seems like it's putting some blur / smearing / saturation on things. Seems more useful on individual elements / stems than across a whole complex mix that has a wide variety of elements, many of which are already getting juiced by other processing. Might work better on a whole mix of ambient floaty sounds that sound too plain-jane-drone-like without it. So far it's an interesting addition to the toolbox, and the limited set of controls means you probably won't spend all day fiddling with it before deciding yay or nay.


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## Fleer (Jun 22, 2018)

charlieclouser said:


> Intensity definitely ain't just a maximizer like what you'd find in Ozone. Depending on the settings it seems like it's putting some blur / smearing / saturation on things. Seems more useful on individual elements / stems than across a whole complex mix that has a wide variety of elements, many of which are already getting juiced by other processing. Might work better on a whole mix of ambient floaty sounds that sound too plain-jane-drone-like without it. So far it's an interesting addition to the toolbox, and the limited set of controls means you probably won't spend all day fiddling with it before deciding yay or nay.


Good point on the individual stems, which I will definitely try. Would love that. On the other hand, it works perfectly on the master or sub mix, provided these have not yet been overproduced. You need to use Intensity in small quantities, though, as it’s very powerful.


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## nordicguy (Jun 22, 2018)

Fleer said:


> I’m totally in!


Seems to be always the case.
Do you work for them?


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## Fleer (Jun 22, 2018)

nordicguy said:


> Seems to be always the case.
> Do you work for them?


Sadly no. But whatever Zynaptiq or FabFilter develop gets my (musical) juices flowing. Although I have my favorites: Adaptiverb, and now Intensity. Would love to meet those guys, though. I read that they traditionally do Malt tasting during Musikmesse. Which would be a Nordic thing, I’m sure. I once taught at a Nordic university. Students were all drunk before the start of the semester


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## fiestared (Jun 23, 2018)

Apparently more details here from the dev, our "friend Fleer" is the Thread Starter (sorry Fleer I don't know a french dev doing wine tasting) 
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-product-alert/1220270-zynaptiq-intensity.html#post13377816


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## Fleer (Jun 23, 2018)

Thanks, fiestared. There’s a thread at kvr as well, with some more information (http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=506693) and there’s a Nordic participant there too (nordickvr). Could be one and the same. Anyway, I’m not too much versed in technology, being more of a philosopher myself, but I do love what I’m hearing. As I wrote, I’d like to meet Zynaptiq’s developer Denis Gökdag during the next Musikmesse and taste his malt whisky to congratulate him in person. A bottle of Ruinart would do as well.


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## Geoff Grace (Jun 24, 2018)

Here's another link that may be of use:

New Zynaptiq INTENSITY Mixing & Mastering Plug-in - Expert Review - Should You Buy This? Today We Test It For You

My own view is that—like any plugin—it's easy to overuse the effect that Intensity creates. Sometimes, I preferred the bypassed examples; and at other times, I enjoyed the affected examples more. The biggest danger seems to be overhyping the high-end frequencies. Nonetheless, Intensity is quick to audition and implement; and the sound it imparts improves enough material that it seems a very good buy at the current sale price. As always, YMMV.

Best,

Geoff


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## charlieclouser (Jun 25, 2018)

I'm actually getting some use out of Intensity right out of the box. I'm working on a VERY heavy track and I've got a zillion layers of ultra-heavy chug guitars with some 16th note synth pulses and acid 303's on top. Intensity is working well on a couple of individual tracks to make them "pop" more (not "more pop"). Since all of the chug guitars are recorded wet and not re-amped, I can't go back and adjust amp settings - but I can throw Intensity on a couple of the layers to make them "spike" more. So far it's working well on a couple of guitar layers and on one or two of the synths, especially the 303's which, even when distorted, are a pretty small sound when compared to the stacks of mega-guitars. 

Putting it on a whole stem was too much on this mix though. I need the sine-wave-ish component of the bottom of the gtr+bass stem and the drum stem to stay clean and clear and Intensity was screwing with that when it was set to spike the guitars, but on individual elements it's all good.


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## will_m (Jun 25, 2018)

I'm trying out the demo at present, really liking the effect so far. Definitely seems capable of adding a lot of level without distortion, more so than any other limiter I have.

I'm find the presets a bit strong but dialled back I'm getting more excitement and detail in the top end and a thickening in the lows. The excitement in the top end can be overdone pretty easily. Using the custom bias curves seems to help a lot here.


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## Fleer (Jun 27, 2018)

On a different note, have to say I also quite appreciate the GUI of this plugin. It’s in the same vein as Zynaptiq’s other recent plugins: Adaptiverb, Wormhole, and now Integrity. Though it’s an evolutionary step up from their earlier ones, this GUI provides the ideal visual aid for Zynaptiq’s otherworldly tools.


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## fiestared (Jun 27, 2018)

I would be a good thing if the "dev" could give two more weeks for the intro price, I'm still not sure if I will buy it... ZYNAPTIQ ???


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## stixman (Jun 27, 2018)

Tried the demo...a few minutes later bought!....used in moderation fantastic results! Don’t dally


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## Geoff Grace (Jun 30, 2018)

Just a heads up: the intro sale ends today.

Best,

Geoff


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## kriskrause (Jun 30, 2018)

I received an e-mail from Zynaptiq that intro price has been extended until July 31.


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## Fleer (Jun 30, 2018)

Meanwhile, more interesting news on Intensity from Zynaptiq themselves (over at KVR and Gearslutz):

“OK guys, some news!

1) we've received so many requests that we decided to extend the intro promo to the end of July. Email us if you need a trial extension for evaluating.

2) we're deploying an update (v1.1.0) very soon – this weekend, if nothing unforeseen happens. This update has:


Fixed a buffering issue in some hosts and formats; could cause a glitch at the beginning of a region after a period of silence.
Added more and reworked some existing factory presets; in general, factory preset bank should now be more "subtle".
Added a button that copies the selected preset bias curve to the custom mode sliders and switches BIAS MODE to custom.

There'll be another update addressing precision control over INTENSITY, switchable SATURATE knee, and an improved loudness compensation option. The latter will be a monitoring/comparison option as it is not possible to measure loudness without a latency, and predicting isn't sufficiently precise with such non-linear/signal dependent stuff as this baby (so we need to measure). That said, you will probably be able to just leave that option on if you don't mind a short "settle down" level transition when changing parameters or swapping out the signal.”


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## pmcrockett (Jun 30, 2018)

Nice. I'm interested enough in this to have downloaded the trial, but wasn't able to get enough of a feel for how to actually use it properly to have felt confident buying it by the original sale deadline of today. An extra month to figure things out is much appreciated.


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## jcrosby (Jun 30, 2018)

pmcrockett said:


> Nice. I'm interested enough in this to have downloaded the trial, but wasn't able to get enough of a feel for how to actually use it properly to have felt confident buying it by the original sale deadline of today. An extra month to figure things out is much appreciated.



I'm finding adjusting wet dry to taste is the way to go... A little goes a very long way.


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## Will Blackburn (Jul 1, 2018)

So is this like his other plugs where you need a CPU farm the size of Mars to run one instance?


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## Fleer (Jul 2, 2018)

Nope. I remember Adaptiverb being heavy at launch but then Zynaptiq added a lightweight version. 
Intensity doesn’t need heavy lifting.


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## fiestared (Jul 2, 2018)

Will Blackburn said:


> So is this like his other plugs where you need a CPU farm the size of Mars to run one instance?


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## Fleer (Jul 2, 2018)

And here’s a good Intensity tutorial:


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## wbacer (Jul 2, 2018)

Just received an email from Zynaptiq that the 1.1.0 update is now available.


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## Time+Space (Jul 11, 2018)

New video - our Top 5 Reasons for adding Intensity to your set-up...


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## biggiantcircles (Jul 14, 2018)

I love Zynaptiq's stuff. And I realize they just extended the sale another month. That said, man, I have mixed feelings about these intro sales lately. There's more and more soundware out there and while I appreciate an intro sale, this particular one is rubbing me kind of funny. $150 seems like a pretty appropriate price point for this product, but after that a 250% price increase to $380? 

I'm sure I'm not the only person that starts to over-extend my studio budget every so often. And assuming I can't reasonably find it in the numbers to justify spending $150 at this time, I can promise that I'm not going to touch it at $380 at any point in the future. 

Maybe this warrants a separate discussion thread, but this is certainly the biggest discount on intro pricing I think I've ever seen, so I figured I'd chime in here while it's the topic at hand. 

I'm not saying intro pricing shouldn't exist, but it's definitely a double-edged sword sometimes.


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## richardt4520 (Jul 14, 2018)

I agree on the price point. I've listened extensively to the demos and even though i might pay around $100 for it, i'm not convinced enough that i can't get just as good, if different, resullts with one of my eqs and compressors. There's just not enough that it offers value-wise that convinces me to pay even the sale price on it, much less the full price. And i love zynaptic's stuff so i'm certainly no hater.


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## SirkusPi (Jul 14, 2018)

I’ve been very hesitant too due to the price, but for me, I’ve found great success using it directly on my vocal track during this demo period. For whatever reason, my particular vocal quality doesn’t play nice with many plugins (the recent Nectar Elements being a recent example), so when I find something that works well, I have to seriously consider it.

I’m not sure if this is the “inended” use (although plainly the only real rule is to do whatever works), but I’m almost certainly going to buy it for this reason. I have also used it more conventionally for mastering, although personally I probably wouldn’t go for it just for that.


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## biggiantcircles (Jul 14, 2018)

Has anyone done any side-by-side comparison between Intensity and other similar plugins? I'm thinking an AB comparison between it and say, IK T-Racks or some of the izotope mastering plugins might be informative.


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## Geoff Grace (Jul 14, 2018)

biggiantcircles said:


> Has anyone done any side-by-side comparison between Intensity and other similar plugins? I'm thinking an AB comparison between it and say, IK T-Racks or some of the izotope mastering plugins might be informative.


I think the difficulty in that would be to find a similar plugin. Certainly you can achieve somewhat similar results by using combinations of other plugins; but as Intensity applies facial recognition and artificial intelligence to sound, there's no other similar plugin that I know of that uses its specific methodology.

Best,

Geoff


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## biggiantcircles (Jul 14, 2018)

Geoff Grace said:


> I think the difficulty in that would be to find a similar plugin. Certainly you can achieve somewhat similar results by using combinations of other plugins; but as Intensity applies facial recognition and artificial intelligence to sound, there's no other similar plugin that I know of that uses its specific methodology.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff



I keep hearing about the facial recognition, though I'm not really certain what that actually means since there hasn't been much in-depth explanation other than "it uses it somehow". Which is cool, but I do think you absolutely can compare other plugins that achieve the same effect using whatever presets they use. 

I can brighten/maximize/excite/compress/beef up any of my channels using single presets from T-Racks/etc, so if the effect ends up being the same, speaking only for myself, I'm not particularly concerned whether it got there through compression/EQ or facial recognition.

If I'm going to spend money on a plugin, I just want to know that it's not basically just another way of doing exactly the same thing that my other plugins can already do, even if they got their a different way, if that helps my line of reasoning. 

At any rate, I just snagged the demo, so I guess I can do my own comparisons. Maybe I'll throw up a video if I find the time before the month is over.


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## jcrosby (Jul 15, 2018)

biggiantcircles said:


> I keep hearing about the facial recognition, though I'm not really certain what that actually means since there hasn't been much in-depth explanation other than "it uses it somehow". Which is cool, but I do think you absolutely can compare other plugins that achieve the same effect using whatever presets they use.
> 
> I can brighten/maximize/excite/compress/beef up any of my channels using single presets from T-Racks/etc, so if the effect ends up being the same, speaking only for myself, I'm not particularly concerned whether it got there through compression/EQ or facial recognition.
> 
> ...



Do a null test with it and see what you think... Very interesting, (and strange), results. 
I think I get the _facial recognition_ aspect; that said the test I did wasn't as black and white as I was hoping... Left me with a few questions of my own... As far as I can tell it is indeed bringing something new and unique to the table... Curious if others hear what I do before I spill my can of beans


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## MisteR (Jul 28, 2018)

I promised myself no more fx plugs. But the more I demo the thing the more I’m inclined to buy it.


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## Tacet (Jul 30, 2018)

Would you rather spend $ 150 on Intensity or the iZotope Elements Suite?

Right now, they are both on sale with Plugin Boutique.


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## Fleer (Jul 30, 2018)

Definitely the Zynaptiq route, without a doubt. And get Neutron 3 or Ozone 9 when they undoubtedly arrive this fall.


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## Fleer (Aug 25, 2018)

Sound on Sound had a highly positive review out on Zynaptiq Intensity, concluding:
“PROS
• Adds space and detail to a mix in a quite dramatic way but without the end result sounding processed.
• Bias control can be used to fine-tune
a mix’s tonal balance without relying on conventional EQ.
• Very easy to use.
CONS
• Could become addictive!
SUMMARY
Intensity is the closest thing yet to a ‘make it sound better’ box, and you can learn to use it in 10 minutes. It isn’t cheap, but then neither is what it does.”


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## martinjuenke (Sep 7, 2018)

Zynaptiq isn‘t cheap but innovative and top quality. It took some time for me to get used to their product logic but now I won‘t miss them anymore...


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## wst3 (Sep 8, 2018)

With my demo about to expire I gave Intensity one more spin. I think I am starting to get the hang of it. I still don't see it as a mastering tool, but then I don't see myself as a mastering engineer, nor is my room a mastering room.

But it does some very cool things to a mix, and with the success I've had with many of their other plugins I am probably going to get it.

More later...


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## Fleer (Sep 8, 2018)

Same here, just wonderful in the mix.


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## Akarin (Sep 8, 2018)

I'm very interested to know how/where do you use it. On the master bus? With which preset as a start?


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## Fleer (Sep 8, 2018)

Found some great info here: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/product-alerts-older-than-2-months/1220270-zynaptiq-intensity-8.html


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## motomotomoto (Oct 16, 2019)

On sale again for 150


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## MisteR (Oct 29, 2019)

Yes, I'm once again considering this. I remember some interesting results on individual sounds and effects, but my demo expired long ago. Any one having success with this?


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## Fleer (Oct 29, 2019)

I love it but would like to warn against pushing it too far. Small changes are best. It’s a unique plugin if you go gently.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Oct 29, 2019)

I've been demoing it for a while now, but right now I'd say I'm probably leaning towards "pass". It's most definitely not worth the standard price and even with the discount, I don't really see myself using it a lot. The effect can sometimes be nice, but in the end I feel it's not something you couldn't do with compression and "character" EQ (and more deliberately at that), or something that produces results that are different or more desireable.


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## motomotomoto (Oct 29, 2019)

MisteR said:


> Yes, I'm once again considering this. I remember some interesting results on individual sounds and effects, but my demo expired long ago. Any one having success with this?



I’ve been testing it this month and will purchase before the end of the month. IMO it’s a unique and interesting processor. In certain ways it reminds me of Gullfoss, which I love. It achieves clarity like Gullfoss, but with a different approach and a bit of an edge. Others have suggested it’s replaceable by a compressor but I do not feel the end result sounds compressed. If anything it sounds saturated to me, although with clarity instead of the weight of most saturators. Not for every situation but I have experienced good results using it on the two bus lightly on some mixes, although I expect it may shine more on individual busses / instruments.


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## pmcrockett (Oct 29, 2019)

Fleer said:


> I love it but would like to warn against pushing it too far. Small changes are best. It’s a unique plugin if you go gently.


Agreed. 20%-30% wet at 20%-30% intensity is the range I tend to end up in.


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