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# iZotope Velvet Review: Buy It for Mixing, Not Tracking
- URL: https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-velvet-review/
- Published: 2026-11-02T07:41:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-02T14:01:26.000Z
- Description: iZotope Velvet de-esses, smooths harsh tone and removes mouth clicks in one $49 insert. Buy it for mixing vocals, podcasts and voice-over if RX Standard or Nectar 4 Standard doesn't already cover you; skip it for tracking, and check your account first on iZotope Pro or a large bundle.
- Author: Erick Finn
- Tags: iZotope, Audio Tools

**Buy iZotope Velvet if you mix vocals, podcasts or voice-over and don't already own RX Standard, RX Advanced or Nectar 4 Standard or Advanced: it de-esses, smooths harsh tone and removes mouth clicks in one insert, and it costs $49 ([iZotope US store](https://www.izotope.com/products/velvet?ref=soundforgepro.com), October 23, 2026). Skip it as a tracking insert, because its Tonal and De-click stages add latency you'd hear while monitoring. If you pay for iZotope Pro or own Music Production Suite 9 or the Everything Bundle, it's already in your account. Published verdicts are few: The Podcast Host scored it 4.6/5, Sound On Sound called it very effective without a score, and buyer ratings split between 3.6 on izotope.com and 4.6 on Plugin Boutique.**

My rule is simple. I'd pay for Velvet when esses and mouth noise come back in every mix or edit and nothing in your iZotope account already handles them. The split design is the reason: detected sibilance goes to its own dynamic EQ, while the rest of the voice gets separate tonal shaping, so one control doesn't have to do both jobs. I wouldn't buy it to rescue muffled or damaged dialogue, which is RX work, and I wouldn't put it on a vocal you're recording through headphones.

- **Buy Velvet** if you own Nectar 4 Elements, RX 12 Elements or no iZotope tools, and want a de-esser with click cleanup in one plug-in.
- **You already own it** with an iZotope Pro subscription, Music Production Suite 9 or the Everything Bundle.
- **Check the plan list first** on iZotope Plus, because iZotope's own pages disagree about whether Plus includes it.
- **Usually skip it** with RX 12 Standard or Advanced, which already have De-ess and Mouth De-click.
- **Keep it off tracking chains**, where Sound On Sound's Cubase system registered around 100 ms of latency.

This page covers Velvet alone. For where it sits next to RX, Nectar, Ozone and the other Catalyst plug-ins, start at the [iZotope plug-in hub](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope/).

## What iZotope Velvet does

Velvet is a three-stage voice processor in a single insert. The [Velvet manual](https://docs.izotope.com/velvet/en/index-en.html?ref=soundforgepro.com) lays out the signal flow: the input splits into two parallel paths, one for detected sibilance and one for the tonal content, the paths are recombined, and an optional mouth de-click stage runs last. On screen those stages are three panels, Sibilance, Tonal and De-click, under a header strip.

![Diagram of Velvet's signal flow: the input passes a Threshold split into a Sibilance channel with dynamic EQ and a Tonal channel with Lift and Tame, the two recombine, then pass through an optional De-click stage to the output](https://soundforgepro.com/content/images/2026/10/velvet-signal-flow.webp)

Sibilance and tone are processed in parallel and recombined before De-click, so the click stage always sees the finished voice.

The split is controlled by one setting. The Sibilance Threshold decides how much sibilant content is routed into the Sibilance Channel, and everything else goes to the Tonal Channel. Esses can be cut hard on their own path while the body of the voice is shaped separately, which is the practical difference from a single-band de-esser.

iZotope sells Velvet in its Catalyst Series alongside FXEQ, [Plasma](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-plasma-review/), Aurora and Cascadia. Version 1.0.0, released on May 6, 2025, is still the only entry in [Velvet's release notes](https://www.izotope.com/pages/release-notes/velvet?ref=soundforgepro.com), so every review and buyer rating on this page refers to the same build.

## Velvet's controls, panel by panel

Each panel has one main decision, and the control set is small. The table follows the manual's pages on the [Sibilance Channel controls](https://docs.izotope.com/velvet/en/sibilance-channel-controls.html?ref=soundforgepro.com), the [Tonal Channel controls](https://docs.izotope.com/velvet/en/tonal-channel-controls.html?ref=soundforgepro.com), the [Mouth De-click controls](https://docs.izotope.com/velvet/en/mouth-de-click-controls.html?ref=soundforgepro.com) and the [header](https://docs.izotope.com/velvet/en/header.html?ref=soundforgepro.com).

| Panel     | Main controls                                 | What they decide                                                                    |
| --------- | --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sibilance | Learn, Amount, Threshold, six-band dynamic EQ | Which content counts as an ess, and how hard each band cuts or boosts it            |
| Tonal     | Lift, Tame, Target, Lows/Mids/Highs           | How far the rest of the voice is pulled toward a target profile, and in which range |
| De-click  | Amount, Freq Skew, Listen, Click Counter      | How sensitive click detection is, and whether it aims at higher or lower clicks     |
| Header    | Delta, Bypass, presets, Mix, Options          | What you hear while checking, and the wet/dry balance for the whole plug-in         |

![Zone map of Velvet's layout: a header strip with Delta, Bypass, Presets and Mix, a Sibilance zone with Learn, Amount, Threshold and Dynamic EQ, a Tonal zone with Lift, Tame, Target and Lows Mids Highs, and a De-click zone with Amount, Freq Skew, Listen and Click Counter](https://soundforgepro.com/content/images/2026/10/velvet-control-map.webp)

Sibilance sits above Tonal, De-click takes the right side, and the header controls apply to all three.

**Sibilance.** Learn runs a short analysis pass and suggests starting values for EQ Gain, EQ Frequency and Threshold. The manual says it places two nodes as a starting point, and you can add bands up to six. Each band is a Bell, High Shelf or Low Shelf with Frequency, Gain and Q, set to cut dynamically (Down), boost dynamically (Up) or stay Static, with its own Threshold. Amount scales every active node together from 0% to 200%, so a node at -4 dB becomes -8 dB at 200%. Bands have Power, Solo and Remove controls, and the whole channel has Solo and Power.

**Tonal.** Lift adds presence by boosting frequencies that fall outside the selected target's profile, and Tame cuts resonances and harshness that deviate from it. There are eight targets: Vocals, Vocals Low, Vocals High, Dialogue, Dialogue Low, Dialogue High, Instrument and Cymbals. The Lows, Mids and Highs sliders set how much processing reaches roughly 0–250 Hz, 200 Hz–5.5 kHz and 1.5–20 kHz; the manual's ranges overlap as published. Difference Metering shows the corrections the adaptive Stabilizer processing applies, and those corrections change over time. Sound On Sound likens this panel to the Clarity and Sculptor modules in Ozone and Neutron, and The Podcast Host compares it to Sculptor.

**De-click.** Amount sets detection sensitivity. Freq Skew at zero or above suits mouth clicks; negative values aim at lower clicks, such as those on vinyl. Listen plays only the detected clicks, and the Click Counter shows +999 once it passes 1,000.

**Header.** Delta plays only the audio Velvet is changing across all active modules. Mix sets wet/dry for the whole plug-in, which makes parallel processing possible without a send. The preset menu holds 50 factory presets, user presets save to Documents/iZotope/Velvet/Presets on both macOS and Windows, and the Options window holds Remove Authorization under License.

## Setting up Velvet on vocals and dialogue

The manual's workflow runs in signal order: learn the sibilance and set the Sibilance controls, shape the Tonal Channel, then clean up the clicks that remain. On a voice track that comes down to five moves.

1. Load a preset close to your source as the starting point.
2. Play a passage with plenty of esses and press Learn. Expect two nodes and a suggested Threshold, not a finished setting.
3. Solo the Sibilance channel, move Threshold until it passes the esses and little else, then set Amount. Add a node if a lisp or a whistle sits outside the first two.
4. Pick a Tonal target, Dialogue for speech or Vocals for singing, with the Low or High variant that matches the voice, and set Lift and Tame while watching Difference Metering.
5. Switch on De-click, raise Amount with Listen on until the clicks come through and consonants don't, and leave Freq Skew at zero or above for mouth clicks.

Before committing, press Delta to hear everything Velvet changes across the active modules, and pull Mix back toward dry if the voice starts to sound processed.

For podcasts and voice-over, the Dialogue targets and De-click do most of the work. [The Podcast Host's Velvet walkthrough](https://www.thepodcasthost.com/recording-skills/how-to-fix-sibilance-with-velvet/?ref=soundforgepro.com) adds a useful trick: a second Velvet instance with the other modules bypassed, so one De-click catches high-frequency clicks and the other low ones. The guide to [Sound Forge Pro for podcasters](https://soundforgepro.com/sound-forge-pro-for-podcasters/) shows where that chain fits in a spoken-word edit. For singing, the roundup of the [best iZotope plug-ins for vocals](https://soundforgepro.com/best-izotope-plugins-for-vocals/) places a de-esser among the Nectar, Neutron and RX tools around it.

## What reviewers and buyers report about Velvet

Velvet has drawn two editorial reviews, one scored and one not. MusicTech, MusicRadar, Production Expert and Attack haven't reviewed it, so this composite rests on those two reviews and on buyer ratings from two stores, counted separately because the stores disagree.

[Sound On Sound's Velvet review](https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/izotope-velvet?ref=soundforgepro.com) by John Walden, published online on July 24, 2025, gives no score. Walden found it very effective on a range of spoken and sung vocals and good at taming splashy cymbals, including a stereo drum loop that took more tweaking. His summary: "A very effective sibilance, tonal balancing and de-clicking plug-in at a very cost-effective price." He grants that three separate plug-ins could probably get similar results, then asks why you'd bring three into a project where one will do.

[The Podcast Host's review](https://www.thepodcasthost.com/recording-skills/how-to-fix-sibilance-with-velvet/?ref=soundforgepro.com) by Sarah Buchynski, dated June 10, 2025, scored Velvet 4.6/5: 5 for interface, 4.5 for user-friendliness, 4 for performance and 5 for price against performance. On a clicky voice recording she had to adjust it manually, and her bottom line is measured: it "works better than a stock plugin but not as well as a premium plugin." She reports no glitches or CPU issues over a week in a mid-sized Pro Tools session.

Buyer ratings split by store. On [iZotope's own store page](https://www.izotope.com/products/velvet?ref=soundforgepro.com), Velvet averages 3.6 from 19 verified-buyer reviews: ten 5-star, two 4-star, one 3-star, one 2-star and five 1-star, posted between April 24 and September 15, 2026\. On [Plugin Boutique's Velvet page](https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/59-De-Esser/14847-Velvet?ref=soundforgepro.com), it averages 4.6 from 45 ratings, but only 11 of those carry written text, six at five stars and five at four. Across the 30 written reviews on both stores, the median is 5 stars and the range runs from 1 to 5.

| Source                      | Type                           | Result      | What it reports                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------ | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Sound On Sound, July 2025   | Editorial review               | No score    | Very effective on spoken and sung vocals, good on splashy cymbals, around 100 ms latency in Cubase                       |
| The Podcast Host, June 2025 | Editorial review               | 4.6/5       | Better than stock, below premium; manual work on clicky audio; no CPU issues in a week of Pro Tools use                  |
| izotope.com                 | Verified-buyer reviews (19)    | 3.6 average | Ten 5-star and five 1-star; the low scores center on RX 11 use, licensing and Mac compatibility                          |
| Plugin Boutique             | Buyer ratings (45, 11 written) | 4.6 average | Written reviews all four or five stars; praise for spoken-word and click cleanup, one latency and one hardware complaint |

Most of the gap between the stores sits in izotope.com's low scores. Of its six 1- and 2-star reviews, two concern using Velvet inside RX 11 Advanced, one a serial number that never arrived and one Mac compatibility. The other two are about results: one buyer says a DAW's own de-esser and EQ do as well, and one expected the features of RX 7\. On Plugin Boutique, two of the 11 written reviews praise spoken-word or mouth-click cleanup, one flags latency when tracking, one says it's "not made for weaker hardware," and one calls the effect very subtle.

For a buying decision, the composite says three things. Sound On Sound and The Podcast Host each describe the presets or Learn as a starting point you finish by ear. The latency observation turns into the same advice from Sound On Sound and one Plugin Boutique buyer: mix with it, don't track through it. And some buyers hear little change, from one Plugin Boutique reviewer who calls the effect very subtle to one izotope.com buyer who heard no difference even at maximum settings.

## Velvet's limits before you buy

Latency is the limit that decides most purchases. iZotope says the Tonal and De-click stages add latency, and each one's Power button switches off its processing "and any latency incurred," but the company publishes no figure. The only number on record is Sound On Sound's: around 100 ms on its Cubase system, with the buffer size not stated, and the review judged Velvet fine for mixing but best not used while tracking.

- **Muffled or damaged audio.** One izotope.com buyer found Velvet didn't always recognize the sibilance on muffled audio and wanted a control for how much signal each channel gets. For repair beyond esses and clicks, RX is the right tool.
- **Heavy clicking.** The Podcast Host needed manual adjustment on a clicky recording, and Velvet's De-click has four controls. For dense clicks across a whole file, the guide to [removing mouth clicks from audio](https://soundforgepro.com/remove-mouth-clicks-from-audio/) covers the offline routes.
- **Not an RX module.** Two izotope.com buyers reported problems running Velvet inside RX 11 Advanced, and RX isn't on iZotope's tested-host list for Velvet.
- **No VST2.** Velvet comes as AAX, AU and VST3, 64-bit only.
- **CPU reports go both ways.** The Podcast Host saw no CPU issues in a week of Pro Tools use, while one Plugin Boutique buyer says it's not made for weaker hardware. Load your heaviest session during the trial.

## If you already own RX, Nectar or Sound Forge

Velvet's three jobs exist elsewhere in iZotope's lineup, so the right answer depends on what's already installed.

| What you own                                               | What it already covers                                    | My call on Velvet                                                |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RX 12 Standard or Advanced                                 | De-ess and Mouth De-click, as editor modules and plug-ins | Usually skip; Velvet adds the Tonal path in one real-time insert |
| Nectar 4 Standard or Advanced                              | A De-esser module                                         | Optional; buy for the split design, tonal targets and De-click   |
| Nectar 4 Elements or RX 12 Elements                        | No De-ess and no Mouth De-click                           | Buy                                                              |
| iZotope Pro, Music Production Suite 9 or Everything Bundle | Velvet itself                                             | Already yours                                                    |
| Sound Forge Pro, no iZotope tools                          | The editor's own sibilance processing                     | Buy if you want a real-time insert with click cleanup            |

In RX 12, [De-ess is a Standard and Advanced feature](https://docs.izotope.com/rx12/en/de-ess.html?ref=soundforgepro.com), available as a module and as a plug-in, and Mouth De-click is in the same two editions; Elements has neither. The [RX De-ess guide](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-rx-de-ess/) covers the offline route for esses, and the [RX Mouth De-click guide](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-rx-mouth-de-click/) covers the full click module that Velvet's De-click panel compresses into four controls.

Nectar 4 Standard and Advanced already carry a De-esser module, and Elements doesn't. The [Nectar 4 Elements vs Standard vs Advanced comparison](https://soundforgepro.com/nectar-4-elements-vs-standard-vs-advanced/) shows what else changes between tiers.

Sound Forge users without iZotope tools can de-ess inside the editor first. The walkthrough on how to [reduce sibilance in Sound Forge](https://soundforgepro.com/reduce-sibilance-sound-forge/) shows that route, and it's worth trying on one file before paying for a plug-in.

## Velvet price, sales and bundles

Velvet sells for $49 at full price, and the education version is $24.50 for buyers who meet iZotope's eligibility rules. Plugin Boutique lists the same full price. It has sold for $29 before, in iZotope's [November 2025 Cyber Sale](https://rekkerd.org/izotope-cyber-sale-on-intelligent-mixing-mastering-plugins/?ref=soundforgepro.com) and December 2025 Holiday Sale and in a [Plugin Boutique sale that ended March 1, 2026](https://rekkerd.org/catalyst-series-effect-plugins-by-izotope-sale/?ref=soundforgepro.com). The [iZotope Black Friday guide](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-black-friday/) tracks what past sales covered.

Two bundles include Velvet: [Music Production Suite 9](https://www.izotope.com/products/music-production-suite?ref=soundforgepro.com) at $799 and the [Everything Bundle](https://www.izotope.com/products/everything-bundle?ref=soundforgepro.com) at $2,999, both in the same US store check. It isn't in Mix & Master Bundle Standard or Advanced, Elements Suite 12, RX Post Production Suite 9 or any Nectar 4 edition. The [iZotope bundle comparison](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-bundles-compared/) works out when a bundle beats single plug-ins.

Subscriptions need a closer look. iZotope Pro, at $25 a month or $250 a year, includes Velvet on the [iZotope subscriptions page](https://www.izotope.com/pages/subscriptions?ref=soundforgepro.com), which lists it under Pro only. iZotope Plus costs $15 a month or $150 a year, and Velvet appears under Plus in just one [support article on Plus and Pro contents](https://support.izotope.com/hc/en-us/articles/47669533156237-Which-products-are-included-with-iZotope-Plus-Pro?ref=soundforgepro.com). Check the plan list on iZotope's site before subscribing to Plus for Velvet.

The two trials work differently. Velvet's own trial, started from the [Velvet download page](https://www.izotope.com/pages/product-downloads/velvet?ref=soundforgepro.com), runs 10 days with export disabled; after that, Demo mode inserts silence at regular intervals. The Plus and Pro subscriptions have a separate 7-day free trial. If Velvet won't authorize after purchase, the [Product Portal authorization fixes](https://soundforgepro.com/izotope-product-portal-authorization-install-fixes/) walk through the common errors.

![Decision flow for buying Velvet: already on iZotope Pro or a large bundle leads to already yours; owning RX Standard or Advanced leads to usually skip; owning Nectar Standard or Advanced leads to optional; otherwise run the trial, then buy](https://soundforgepro.com/content/images/2026/10/velvet-buy-path.webp)

Three ownership questions settle most Velvet decisions before price comes into it.

## System requirements and Sound Forge

Velvet ships as AAX, AU and VST3, 64-bit only, with no VST2 version, and it [runs natively on Apple silicon](https://support.izotope.com/hc/en-us/articles/47669667496333-Compatibility-of-iZotope-Products-on-macOS?ref=soundforgepro.com). For operating systems, the product page lists macOS Sonoma 14.7.x, Sequoia 15.7.x and Tahoe 26.1.x, and Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 23H2\. Its tested hosts are Logic Pro 10.8–11, Pro Tools 2024, Ableton Live 12, Cubase 13, Nuendo 13, Studio One 6, REAPER 7, FL Studio 21, Reason 12.5, Maschine 2, Cakewalk by BandLab, Audition CC 2024 and Premiere Pro CC 2024.

Sound Forge isn't on that tested-host list. On Windows 11, Velvet loads as a VST3 in Sound Forge's Plug-In Chain, the same route as any other VST3 effect: [Sound Forge's system requirements](https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/sound-forge/system-requirements/?ref=soundforgepro.com) call for Windows 11, and [both Sound Forge editions](https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/sound-forge/pricing/?ref=soundforgepro.com) handle VST2, VST3 and ARA plug-ins. Confirm it on your own system during the 10-day trial before you buy.

After installing, open Options > Preferences > VST Effects and click Refresh, as the [Sound Forge VST Effects preferences help](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/soundforge/2026/en/content/vst%5Feffects%5Fpreferences.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com) describes, then add Velvet to the data window's [Plug-In Chain](https://cdn.borisfx.com/borisfx/Documentation/soundforge/2026/en/content/applying%5Fprocesses%5Fand%5Feffects.htm?ref=soundforgepro.com), where it runs in real time. The [guide to the Plug-In Chainer](https://soundforgepro.com/how-to-use-plug-in-chainer-sound-forge-pro/) shows how to build and save the chain, and if Velvet doesn't show up, the [fixes for VST plugins not showing in Sound Forge](https://soundforgepro.com/sound-forge-pro-vst-plugins-not-showing/) run the checks in order.

## Should you buy iZotope Velvet?

My verdict: buy Velvet at $49 if you mix vocals, podcasts or voice-over and own neither RX 12 Standard nor a Nectar 4 tier above Elements. It puts de-essing, tonal smoothing and click cleanup in one insert with Delta and a Mix fader, and the split between sibilance and tone is the reason to choose it over a basic de-esser. If you edit podcasts in Sound Forge and own no RX Standard, I would buy it once the trial confirms it loads in your Plug-In Chain.

Skip it for tracking, skip it for muffled or damaged dialogue that needs RX, and look in your account first if you pay for iZotope Pro or own Music Production Suite 9 or the Everything Bundle. On Plus, check the plan list. Run the trial on your hardest file, the one with the sharpest esses and the most clicks, and press Delta before you decide.

## iZotope Velvet FAQ

### Is iZotope Velvet included in iZotope Plus?

iZotope Pro includes Velvet. For Plus, the subscriptions page lists Velvet under Pro only while one support article ticks both plans, so check the plan list before you subscribe to Plus for it.

### Can you use Velvet while recording?

Not comfortably. Sound On Sound's Cubase system registered around 100 ms of latency, and the review advised using Velvet for mixing rather than tracking. The manual says switching off the Tonal and De-click Power buttons also removes the latency those stages add.

### Is Velvet the same as RX De-ess?

No. RX De-ess is a module and plug-in in RX 12 Standard and Advanced. Velvet is a separate Catalyst Series plug-in that pairs a dynamic-EQ de-esser with a Tonal path and De-click in one real-time insert.