Techivation has released the follow-up to its dynamic resonance suppression plugin, M-Clarity.
M-Clarity 2 is out now and available at a special introductory price of $45 for new users and $35 for existing Techivation users (usually $129) until the offer ends on November 8, 2024.
Existing M-Clarity and AI-Clarity owners can upgrade to M-Clarity 2 for $25.
What is M-Clarity 2?
In a nutshell, M-Clarity 2 is a plugin that aims to help you achieve a clean mix without sacrificing the core character of your sound.
It does so by identifying and suppressing problematic resonances in the low and mid ranges (20Hz – 6 kHz).
The cherry on top is that it eliminates many tedious processes that often come with removing unwanted harshness, boxiness, and muddiness.
The plugin utilizes Techivation’s advanced spectral processing algorithm and clever features like an adaptive frequency range selector to produce a cleaner, more precise sound with minimal fuss.
Why should you use it?
One of the biggest problems in removing unwanted elements from a track or mix is unintentionally altering the timbre of the sound or character of the mix.
When I say unintentionally, I’m referring to scenarios like being a bit clumsy or heavyhanded and negatively impacting the very thing you’re trying to preserve. Imagine trying to play Flight of the Bumblebee wearing boxing gloves.
Alternatively, there are occasions when it seems no amount of finesse will render a recording perfect, and we have to reach a compromise between removing the problems and maintaining a true sound.
Using a dynamic resonance suppressor, like M-Clarity 2, dramatically reduces the risk of us becoming overzealous by dynamically targeting problems, leaving the surrounding areas intact.
I know some of our readers are absolute wizards in mixing and mastering tricks and can achieve perfect clarity and sublime tonal balance with surgical precision.
Even those who aren’t prone to the sledgehammer-like approach can continually improve in one area: time management.
Professional producers and engineers often reference the value of saving time that would otherwise be spent notching out frequencies by hand when asked why they rely on plugins like M-Clarity 2.
What’s new?
The most apparent new addition is probably the AI-powered Mix Assist feature, but before discussing new features, I want to mention a few improvements since the original release.
M-Clarity 2 boasts a more advanced spectral-shaping engine for a cleaner sound with no distortion.
While I can’t claim extensive experience with the original plugin, I didn’t encounter any artefacts or nastiness with M-Clarity 2, even when trying to encourage it.
We also get a completely rewritten dynamics section with more responsive Attack (0-100 ms) and Release (0-500 ms) controls.
Although the suppression effect impact shouldn’t be audibly harsh or abrupt, the dynamics controls, particularly the Attack time, make it easier to shape the sound without losing the impact or overall feel.
M-Clarity 2 introduces a new Adaptive Processing Range. The plugin continuously analyses the audio and dynamically adjusts the processing range.
Again, this feature can be another time saver because we won’t have to tweak settings over and over manually. It’s also something of a safety net because it ensures the plugin is targeting the areas where it’s needed most and not missing anything that we might.
The plugin has two modes that determine how gentle the plugin is when spectrally shaping audio: Soft and Hard Modes. M-Clarity 2 features a vastly improved Soft Mode that applies spectral smoothing and shallow filter slopes to take a more gentle approach without reducing the strength of the effect.
We also get more visual feedback to see the exact spectral adjustments M-Clarity 2 makes.
In use
M-Clarity 2 sports the standard Techivation GUI design. I know some people like to see more individuality from one plugin to the next, but it’s part of a trend that works, so it’s all good.
The resizable interface is concise and easy to get a grip on.
The main control (Suppression) is large and takes centre stage; it controls the amount of reduction applied to the targeted resonances.
Techivation suggests a range of uses for M-Clarity 2, including:
- Cleaning up vocal tracks
- Balancing frequencies for mastering
- Cleaning up instrument tracks (piano, synths, strings, etc.)
- Cleaning up drums – removing muddiness or harshness
- Rounding transient sounds
Whatever task I tackled, I found myself anywhere between 45-65% on the Suppression control and didn’t stray far from that range. The Intensity and Focus controls are where I spent more time tweaking, and that’s when I got some really nice results.
Intensity controls the scale of the spectral peaks targeted by the plugin. At lower settings, M-Clarity 2 targets narrower peaks; at higher settings, the plugin makes broader adjustments.
Focus controls how selective the suppression effect is; higher settings make the plugin suppress only the strongest resonances, while lower settings apply broader suppression.
Armed with a less-than-pristine mix (to be polite) featuring drums, vocal chants, synth bass, pads, and lead, I wanted to see how M-Clarity 2 handles a mix that requires saving rather than slight amendments.
I was pleasantly surprised; the drums had a little more pop, I could hear the bass that was all but lost, and the vocal chants added texture to the pads that were masking them previously.
The synth lead was always clear, but I was able to give each element of the mix space to perform its function properly. It didn’t turn my terrible audio into something perfect; it’s not a magic fix, but it made a significant difference quickly.
The source material will typically be better, so I can see how M-Clarity 2 can provide a quick path to pro results.
Although the plugin makes life easier, there’s always the opportunity to go too far. With high Intensity and lower Focus settings, you can drain the energy out of the audio, leaving it thin and lifeless.
M-Clarity 2 allows you to switch processing between LR (Left-Right) and MS (Mid-Side) Modes to control the balance of the effect, which is very useful.
You can add makeup gain to the processed signal or use the Auto-Gain function.
Along with the standard Input/Output meters, the Filter button lets you see and hear how the adaptive filter adjusts the audio.
The Diff button provides audible feedback by letting us hear the difference between the processed and unprocessed signals.
It’s straightforward to get fast results and easy to keep tabs on everything the effect is doing.
AI Mix Assist
I still have very mixed thoughts regarding the use of artificial intelligence in music, but the role of AI in a practical, rather than creative, position is easier to define.
The plugin’s Mix Assist feature captures 3.5 seconds of audio for analysis before setting each parameter accordingly.
Results will vary depending on the audio analyzed, so try to use the busiest part of your track. In all cases, the results were very good.
It wasn’t an instant fix, and I still found myself making small adjustments. I’d liken it to using an excellent preset as a starting point, and you shouldn’t have much work to do.
Initially, after feeding the Mix Assist feature 3.5 seconds of my singing, I doubted the accuracy of the feature because it didn’t automatically mute the track; clearly, some more learning is required (I’m joking, of course).
Verdict
Techivation previously released T-Clarity in 2022, M-Clarity in 2023, then AI-Clarity and M-Clarity 2 in 2024. I can understand the apparent upset of some users who think the developer has released too many plugins that do the same thing (almost).
Unless I’m mistaken, T-Clarity is discontinued, but I’m not entirely sure if AI-Clarity will follow the same path, given the presence of Mix Assist in M-Clarity 2.
For the record, I haven’t used AI-Clarity, and I don’t know if it goes deeper than the Mix Assist function (maybe it does). If not, I’d be slightly annoyed if I had recently purchased AI-Clarity for $129 shortly before M-Clarity 2 was announced.
Having said that, $25 is a pretty reasonable upgrade price, and for first-timers, $45/35 is a steal if you get in before the intro sale ends. Even at full price, it’s significantly cheaper than something like Soothe2, which makes it worth trying (demo available).
I like it; it delivers excellent results quickly with minimal effort, which isn’t uncommon from a Techivation plugin.
Check out the deal: M-Clarity 2 (Introductory price – $45 for new users / $35 for existing Techivation users until November 8)
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