iZotope Ozone 12 Editions Compared: Elements, Standard or Advanced?

iZotope’s “Ozone 12” is software that finishes (masters) a song by adjusting its loudness and tonal balance. It has an assistant in which AI listens to the song and suggests settings, and the available features differ among its three editions, Elements, Standard and Advanced. In this article we compare the 3 editions on the same criteria as the 4 mastering programs on this site. The basis is official manufacturer information.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, SoundBounty may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and sale information are as of the date we checked them and can change.

In short: which one to choose by purpose

• Ozone 12 Elements (rank C): people who want to leave it to the AI to set the loudness and tonal balance, with no mastering knowledge.
• Ozone 12 Standard (rank S): people who want to fine-tune the limiter and EQ themselves, starting from the AI’s suggestions.
• Ozone 12 Advanced (rank S): people who want to use each mastering step as a separate plug-in too and build things up in detail.

The highest score among the 3 editions is Ozone 12 Advanced (rank S, average 5.0). But you do not need to buy a higher edition for features you will not use. Choose the one that fits your purpose.

Main features of iZotope Ozone 12

Master Assistant, where AI makes suggestions

Mastering software finishes a completed song by adjusting its loudness and tonal balance so it is ready for streaming or CD. Ozone 12’s Master Assistant listens to the song and suggests settings for the EQ, limiter and more. From Standard up, you can also use a function that brings the sound closer to a reference song.

Balancing the vocal

Assistive Vocal Balance adjusts the level of the vocal inside a finished mix and is in every edition. There is also a function that lets you change the volume of drums, bass and vocals even from an exported mix (the range available differs by edition). You can bring the vocal slightly forward without redoing the mix.

Processing and checking differ by edition

Elements is a version where you adjust the assistant’s result with a few knobs; Standard lets you operate 14 processing modules directly, and Advanced 20. Standard and Advanced have dither and a Delta button that lets you hear only the part changed by the processing. Advanced also has Codec Preview, which lets you audition the sound as compressed for streaming.

Where it is useful

• Finishing a completed cover song quickly with Master Assistant
• Bringing the tonal balance close to a reference song (Standard and above)
• Adjusting the vocal level without redoing the mix

Differences between editions (comparison table)

Edition	Rank	AI finishing	Fine adjustment	Pre-release checks
Ozone 12 Elements	C (2.2)	Assistant	Knobs only	Few check features
Ozone 12 Standard	S (4.2)	Also compares references	14 modules	Dither + before/after
Ozone 12 Advanced	S (5.0)	Also compares references	20 modules + separate plug-ins	Up to codec preview

Rating of each edition

Ozone 12 Elements (rank C)

The smallest edition of Ozone 12, in which the AI’s Master Assistant analyzes the song and makes the mastering settings. There is no screen for individual modules; you adjust the assistant’s result with a few knobs.

• AI finishing: 4 points — Master Assistant and vocal-balance adjustment are included. Comparison with a reference song is Standard and above.
• Fine adjustment: 2 points — There is no screen for operating processing modules directly; you adjust the assistant’s result with a few knobs.
• Pre-release checks: 1 point — Dither, listening to the difference and listening for streaming are features of Standard and above.

Ozone 12 Elements screens and images

Ozone 12 Standard (rank S)

An edition where, besides Master Assistant, you can directly operate 14 modules such as Maximizer, Equalizer, Dynamics, Imager and the vintage types. Comparison with a reference song (Track Referencing) and dither are also available.

Image: from the iZotope official press kit

• AI finishing: 5 points — Master Assistant, vocal-balance adjustment and comparison with a reference song are included.
• Fine adjustment: 4 points — You can operate 14 processing modules directly.
• Pre-release checks: 4 points — It has dither and a Delta button that lets you hear only the part changed by the processing.

Ozone 12 Advanced (rank S)

The top edition, with all 20 modules of Ozone 12, the function of using each module as a separate plug-in, Stem Focus, Codec Preview and more.

Image: from the iZotope official press kit

• AI finishing: 5 points — The same AI features as Standard, plus Stem Focus, which processes only a specific part.
• Fine adjustment: 5 points — You can use all 20 processing modules, and also use them as separate plug-ins.
• Pre-release checks: 5 points — In addition to dither and Delta, there is Codec Preview, which lets you check the sound as compressed for streaming.

Ozone 12 Advanced screens and images

Image: from the iZotope official press kit

Image: from the iZotope official press kit

The chart above shows the scores of Ozone 12 Advanced.

How we score (Mastering software)

Criterion	Basis	5 pt	4 pt	3 pt	2 pt	1 pt
AI finishing	Whether it can make a well-balanced sound without expert knowledge	Automatic finishing, plus comparison with a reference song and vocal-balance adjustment	Automatic finishing, plus either comparison with a reference song or vocal-balance adjustment	Automatic finishing only	—	—
Fine adjustment	Whether you can work on the AI's result yourself	15 or more processing modules can all be operated directly, and can also be used as separate plug-ins	10 or more processing modules can be operated directly	Some processing can be operated directly	You can only adjust the assistant's result with a few knobs	—
Pre-release checks	Checking features before streaming or exporting	Listening to the sound compressed for streaming, dither and before/after comparison of the processing are all included	Dither and before/after comparison	Either one	—	Not mentioned on the official page

Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: finishing cover songs and your own songs for streaming. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Fine adjustment" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent. At the moment we compare only the three editions of iZotope Ozone 12 and one product from IK Multimedia. The "OBS (streaming)" column in the table shows whether the official page lists the VST2 format that the streaming software OBS Studio can use (○). OBS does not support the VST3 format. It is not part of the score.

Trade-magazine reviews (for reference, not part of the score)

We summarized the main points from reviews in overseas music-production magazines.

Sound On Sound (review of Ozone 12 Advanced), December 2025

A review that touches on the three editions.

• It rates Advanced as the most powerful and advanced of the mastering environments available in software today
• It calls Elements an ideal entry point for starting to master by yourself
• It praises the new Bass Control module in particular, and points out that you need to study to master Standard and Advanced

Source: review in Sound On Sound (Ozone 12 Advanced) (English)

iZotope Ozone 12 system requirements and getting started

Supported OS	Windows / Mac
Plug-in formats	AU, AAX, VST3 (64-bit; VST2 has ended)
OBS (streaming)	Not usable as is (VST3 only). It can be loaded with a bridge plug-in

Checked on the manufacturer’s official page on September 27, 2026. How to use them in the OBS streaming software is explained in How to use VST3 plug-ins in OBS.

Compared with other mastering software

Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

Related reading

• Mastering software compared
• How we rate specifications