Choose Vocal Assistant, then select
Unmask from the following dialogue.
You can initiate this process separately
from the Assist feature, or simultaneously
along with it.1
From the Unmask menu, select the
track you suspect is causing masking
issues. You can only choose one at a time –
if there are more, repeat the Unmasking
process for each one. Here, we’re choosing
the rhythm guitar track. It’s in the menu as
it has an instance of Relay on it.2
After prompting you to play the audio,
Nectar 3 listens to – and analyses – the
track you specified. It then informs you
that it has come up with a suggested
setting to help solve the masking issue.3
The offending track – in this case, Rhy
Gt r, which is hosting the Relay plugin –
now gives a message telling you it’s
unmasking the source track (LD Vox, in
this case). That means it’s applying an EQ
curve to the Rhy Gtr track. Click the text
box to turn the correction on and off.4
Vocal Assistant
The Vocal Assistant feature uses
AI to analyse a vocal track and
create what it considers to be an
optimal setting for it. Even if
you’re comfortable using the
various effects in the plugin, and
like the settings you’ve created
for a given voice, you might still
be curious as to what Nectar 3
could come up with.
Choose the Assist option and
the Vocal Assistant asks what
kind of vibe you want to apply,
then waits for you to play the
vocal track for analysis. After
about ten seconds, it gives its
suggested settings. If you don’t
like the results, change the initial
settings and try again, or just
tweak the individual processors.
The Unmasking option (which
you can use simultaneously with
the Assistant) requires that you
run another instance of Nectar 3,
the included Relay plugin or
Neutron 2 Advanced on the track
or tracks that you think are
masking your vocal. Like the
Assist feature, this analyses the
vocal, after which the track that’s
masking it is selected from a
menu. Next, it applies an EQ
curve to the other track to make
the vocal pop through the mix.
Step by step
- Unmasking a track
After selecting Assist, you’re given
various Vibes (Vintage, Modern,
Dialogue) and Intensity (Light,
Moderate, Aggressive) options, which
direct the Vocal Assistant in how it
constructs its setting.1
Play the audio and the Assistant will
analyse it and show you the various
steps it’s taking in the process. When
finished, you’ll have the option to Accept
it or not. The track should still be playing,
and you’ll hear the effect of the setting. If
the track has ended already, just play it
again before deciding.2
After accepting the setting, you’ll be
returned to the main Nectar screen,
where you’ll see the processors that the
Vocal Assistant has picked for your track.
Edit them as required to finesse the effect.3
Step by step
- Creating a setting with Vocal Assistant
58 / ComputermusiC / July 2019
make music now / nectar 3 power guide