Elements Suite 12

Automation is not the way

I'd like to cancel this purchase and consider a higher tier later. The automation just doesn't do it for me. Most often the result is worse compared to using nothing at all. Of course, my genre may be the reason: I work with classical and jazz music, and not EDM, which seems to be what these plugins are aimed for. Manual settings are the way for me, and with that said, I think Ozone 9 Advanced is amazing.

Never Forget What They Took Away From You

I had been using Ozone 9 Elements for a very long time. It had served me very well and while it didn't have everything I might have wanted, it had everything I needed. I could use it's automatic processing to get things started and then tweak what I needed. I bought a new Apple Studio and decided I should probably upgrade to Ozone 12. I figured that Ozone 9 Elements was plenty so Ozone 12 Elements should be even better. Boy was I wrong. No ability to adjust anything manually and it's automatic functions are overly loud, distorted, and just plain bad. To say I'm upset about the stripping of any realy manual controls is an understatement. I imagine I will break down and buy the Standard or Advanced package but let me be clear that I am not happy about it at all. For now, I'm still using 9. 12 sits there as nothing more than a paper weight made up of ones and zeros. If you're going to buy Ozone 12, don't mess with the Elements version. It's junk and it's not worth your time.

Ruined by AI

A very good price for what appears to be a comprehensive set of tools, though sadly they have been slimmed down to one-button AI wizards, which seem to recommend a most extreme setting. RX12 Elements in particular is now nothing more than VST3/AAX plugins that require a compatible DAW. RX8 Elements functioned as a standalone application, but this current version disappoints by becoming mere plugins.