Tonal Balance Control 3 Educational Version by iZotope mastering plugin interface

Tonal Balance Control 3 Educational Version: Mix Reference Plugin by iZotope

Rated 5.0/5 on Plugin Boutique (6 ratings)

Tonal Balance Control 3 Educational Version is an iZotope mastering plugin that compares the tonal balance of your audio to genre-based reference targets, with a built-in EQ for making adjustments.

VST3VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

Tonal Balance Control 3 Educational Version is the student and teacher edition of iZotope's tonal balance meter. It shows how the frequency balance of your track compares to reference curves, and includes a library of genre targets built from analyzing hundreds of professional tracks. Version 3 adds a Leveled View, three new meters, a standalone desktop app and a built-in Hybrid EQ for making changes directly on the spectrum.

Best for

Mastering reference checks
Matching a genre reference
Album track comparison
Low-end balance checks
Vocal level balancing
Stereo width analysis

Developer: iZotope
Category: Mastering
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Dozens of genre targets built from analyzing hundreds of pro tracks
Standalone desktop app that captures targets from any audio source on your computer
DAW target capture for saving track profiles after mastering
Leveled View showing where audio strays from the target's tonal balance
Target Blender with percentage weighting for custom reference profiles
Built-in Hybrid EQ with static and dynamic nodes on the spectrum
Quick import of favorite targets from Tonal Balance Control 2
Ozone and Neutron EQ integration within the plugin

03In depth

Comparing your mix to reference targets

The core of the plugin is the tonal balance meter, which plots your audio against a target curve. The new Leveled View shows exactly where and how far your audio strays from that target, so you can see which frequency regions need attention.

The Target Library contains dozens of genre and subgenre targets, which you can search, filter and favorite. You can also capture a target from any track on your computer, including audio from Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube, or capture live audio inside your DAW. The Target Blender combines any two targets using percentage weighting to create a custom reference.

Meters, EQ and mastering workflow

Three additional meters cover Vocal Balance, Dynamics and Stereo Width, and a Low-End Crest Factor Meter shows the dynamics of your bass frequencies. The Fine View and 4-band Broad View are available alongside the Leveled View.

The built-in Hybrid EQ lets you make adjustments with static and dynamic nodes directly on the spectrum. For deeper editing, you can connect to Ozone and Neutron EQs from within the plugin, or load your targets into Ozone.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	iZotope
Type	Plugin
Category	Mastering
Formats	VST3, VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What formats and operating systems does it support?

Tonal Balance Control 3 Educational Version is available in AAX, AU and VST3 formats, and runs on Windows and macOS. All plugins are 64-bit only, and the VST2 format is no longer supported.

What do I need to use Tonal Balance Control 3 Educational Version?

It needs a compatible host. Supported hosts listed include Logic Pro 11 and 12, Pro Tools 2025, Ableton Live 12, Studio One 7, Fender Studio Pro 8, FL Studio 25, Cubase 15, Nuendo 14, REAPER 7, Audition CC 2025 and Premiere CC 2025.