Noise reduction, what are you using?

[polybonk]

What is the best noise reduction unit/program out there?

[huggie]

I use RX by iZotope. Very easy to use and great results.

iZotope RX - Complete Audio Restoration: Declipping, Declicker, Hum Removal, Denoiser, Spectral Repair, Restore, Remaster, Download

Hugo

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by polybonk

What is the best noise reduction unit/program out there?

For the BEST you have to think CEDAR CEDAR Audio Ltd: Audio Restoration Systems

We use IZOTOPE's RX and really like it a lot.

We also have the Sony/Sound Forge Noise Reduction Package which is very nice also.

A lot depends on how much you want to spend and how good your noise reduction has to be.

Best of Luck in finding what you like and can afford,

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

For the BEST you have to think CEDAR CEDAR Audio Ltd: Audio Restoration Systems

You beat me to it

[thenewyear]

Cedar's plug-in bundle is still Windows only unfortunately.

What is the difference between RX and RX advanced?? Has anyone found the basic RX package insufficient for their needs?

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by thenewyear

Cedar's plug-in bundle is still Windows only unfortunately.

True, the Cedar Tools AudioSuite collection is still Windows only. The DNS2000 & DNS3000 run both on Mac and PC however, and while being a hardware processor, they show up as plugin in ProTools.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by thenewyear

Cedar's plug-in bundle is still Windows only unfortunately.

What is the difference between RX and RX advanced?? Has anyone found the basic RX package insufficient for their needs?

From their website...

RX Advanced is an extended version of RX designed for professionals who want greater control over signal processing and delivery options.

More info here iZotope RX - Complete Audio Restoration: Declipping, Declicker, Hum Removal, Denoiser, Spectral Repair, Restore, Remaster, Download

We did BETA testing on this product and we have the advanced setup but for basic noise reduction I don't think you would need the advanced. There is a lot more you can tweak in the advanced but for the average user RX would do just fine.

Cedar also has hardware which works without a computer and if you have one of the new Intel Macs you can run the Cedar plug-ins using one of the programs that will let you run Windows on a Mac.

[Adam Dempsey]

Cedar would be my personal choice, having used both it and Sonic's No Noise, though both are great.
Then again, a recent project (vocal & solo electric guitar) was mixed from an 8 track Otari MX50-50, 15ips, no NR. Heaps of hiss but we left it all in, untouched - it just worked for the vibe of the thing. So, all things in context.

[MattGray]

I have Sonic NoNoise & find the manual de-clicker tool to be an invaluable tool, the de-noiser is fairly good although it can begin to lose high frequency definition very quickly so it can only achieve good results with lower gain reduction settings.

Having recently tried iZotope's RX (standard) noise reduction I find it amazingly transparent, it can remove buzz & hiss in large amounts with very little HF loss. I don't know how they did it but it sounds excellent. I haven't got the hang of their spectral editor though, every time I hit repair on a portion of the spectrum I hear a hole or skipping noise when listening back to the repaired section. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Matt

[Trakworx]

I demo'd the new DUY Silence and bought it. 'Sounds more natural than Sonic, DINR, and Waves to my ears. Very tweakable in advanced mode. I'm sure Cedar is best if you can afford the hardware.

DUYstore.com

[jayfrigo]

Sonic's NoNoise and Cedar are the ones to beat, with Cedar having developed the toolset more over the years, but Sonic's still working great. RX by iZotope is definitely an amazing set of tools for very reasonable money. Algorithmix also has some top notch tools. Those are pretty much the ones I'd be comfortable using in any critical situation. The ones I actually have in my studio include Sonic NoNoise (in SSHD), NoNoise II (in sB), iZotope RX Advanced, and Algorithmix reNovator.

[inlinenl]

today I just got the first payment in on a 300 tracks restoration project, on the first tracks I used Izotope RX.

Denoiser C is a bit cpu intensive :-) and takes some time .. but all in all it's a great tool, spectral repair is great, all fast and handy.

I think in a few months I will be pretty handy with it ... hearing clicks all the time ... strange how your ear/brains get trained/triggered/sensitive on small details .. love that.

after all it's the effort you put into learning the software and work you're way through a pile off tracks

[Jerry Tubb]

We've got Sonic NoNoise for PT HD & NoNoise II for soundBlade, both are excellent.

iZotope RX looks pretty interesting for the bread.

JT

[Slogun]

+1 on Izotope RX. Occasionally the Denoiser from TC Powercore but only as a quick-denoiser.

[Hane]

What do you use for removing clicks, crackles and for reducing vinyl distortion?

[Slogun]

Originally Posted by Hane

What do you use for removing clicks, crackles and for reducing vinyl distortion?

RX has those tools as well

[Hane]

Originally Posted by Slogun

RX has those tools as well

It does, but in my experience with it, i've got better results using Audition 3's own de-clicker. RX noise reduction is the best i've used so far.

[finetuner]

Originally Posted by Jerry Tubb

We've got Sonic NoNoise for PT HD & NoNoise II for soundBlade, both are excellent.

iZotope RX looks pretty interesting for the bread.

JT

Hi Jerry,
Can you tell me if there's a sound quality difference between the Classic denoiser and the one in NoNoise II (for SoundBlade) ?

I only have the manual declicker in NN II.
So for noise removal i'm confined to my Classic Sonic set, which is good but getting a bit outdated in handling.

Tried RX also but found it terribly slow. Must be my setup (MacMini Intel 1.66G and PPC G4, 1.8G accelerated)

Peter van't Riet
FineTune Mastering

[Alexey Lukin]

Originally Posted by MattGray

I haven't got the hang of their spectral editor though, every time I hit repair on a portion of the spectrum I hear a hole or skipping noise when listening back to the repaired section. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

1. Try using "Attenuate" mode of Spectral Repair. It has the "Strength" control, which can be set to lower values for less attenuation.

2. Make sure you are making a time-frequency selection, not just a time selection. Also check that your FFT size is set to a reasonable value (e.g. 512).

[Slogun]

Originally Posted by Hane

It does, but in my experience with it, i've got better results using Audition 3's own de-clicker. RX noise reduction is the best i've used so far.

I have no experience of Audition since I'm on Mac. So far I've only used RX's Declicker with 'Dusty record' setting (and the Denoise function) for my restauration projects. Those two in combo have treated me well so far

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by finetuner

Hi Jerry,
Can you tell me if there's a sound quality difference between the Classic denoiser and the one in NoNoise II (for SoundBlade) ?

I only have the manual declicker in NN II.
So for noise removal i'm confined to my Classic Sonic set, which is good but getting a bit outdated in handling.

I can't tell you from first hand comparison, but they tell me NNII sounds a little better in sB , perhaps more extensive processing. Sounds like a good question for the Sonic mail list.

Maybe Jay Frigoletto or another veteran Sonic user can chime in on that one..

JT

[ironbut]

I've logged in hundreds of hours with Rx,.. all on one cut!
Just kidding, but I work with lots of recordings from live settings and use it primarily to remove crowd noise with Spectral repair. A couple of things I've picked up along the way.
If you're using the 'replace' module and you get a fluttering sound, try reducing the freq count. Also, don't go for the max on any of the settings. Start with the minimum or close to it. I know it seems counter intuitive, but these higher settings take a long time to process so preview takes too long and they're seldom the right settings.
Sometimes it's best to dissect problems that are either extended in time or frequency. Removing a noise in bits and pieces with a setting that you're confident with is a lot quicker than trying to find that perfect setting to do the whole thing at once. Once you get some practice with a couple of settings, for the types of noise you're dealing with, you can really fly.
If you're using Pattern, you've probably got a big noise. It may obscure the entire spectrum at that point. Before you use the Pattern repair, examine the area before and after the 'big problem'. If there's noises there, remove them and then go back and use Pattern. That way, you won't interpolate the noise from the surrounding area into your replacement pattern.
Finally, learn to use all the controls. The preview/play button, the history pane, using your scroll wheel for magnify and changing the appearance of the spectral display are your best bet to keep from getting frustrated.

[drakewire]

Algorithmix and Waves ZNoise nothing else needed

[dcollins]

I think the world needs more hiss.


DC

[soundroid]

dolby S rocks!

[jayfrigo]

Originally Posted by Jerry Tubb

I can't tell you from first hand comparison, but they tell me NNII sounds a little better in sB , perhaps more extensive processing. Sounds like a good question for the Sonic mail list.

Maybe Jay Frigoletto or another veteran Sonic user can chime in on that one..

JT

They've made some "under the hood" improvements. Processing power has come a long way since the original, and they've taken advantage that and some architecture improvements as well. The basic algorithms have stayed the same. You'd have to ask them for the nitty gritty details.

[diggo]

Algorithmix - NoiseFree, ScratchFree, reNOVAtor, Red, Blue, Orange EQ. Wonderful tools.

Sean

[Thor]

Sonic NoNoise & Izotope Rx here. If I had more need for this kind of tool I'd pick up Algorithmix ReNOVAtor as well.

Cedar is very nice too.

I haven't done more than twiddle the knobs at AES, but Daniel has a DNR-1 unit that looks interesting. Anyone tried it?

Cheers,
Thor

[finetuner]

Does anyone here have some experience with Cube-Tec Spectral dehiss ?

VPI ProTools™ - SpectralDeHiss - Cube-Tec International

[bob katz]

[QUOTE=Eric James;4359051]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

For the BEST you have to think CEDAR CEDAR Audio Ltd: Audio Restoration Systems

Agreed. DeNoise is very very good, but ours is tied to its SADiE implementation so we use the excellent t.c. Backdrop for our pyramix generated projects.

All the best,

Eric

Philosophers Barn Mastering
@ URM Audio Ltd

Hi, Eric, let's inform everyone that "no Noise" is a trademark of Sonic Solutions, so there's no SADiE implementation. SADiE has been tied, as you know, with Cedar for many years, and they call it "denoise".

I still have the Cedar implementation that's in my SADiE, but I haven't used it in a long time. Cedar keeps on getting better in their standalone products, but I personally have found the Algorithmix plugins to be superb and a bit more transparent than the (albeit excellent) implementation of Cedar I have in my Sadie. I have not yet auditioned the Izotope but they certainly have a good reputation. There is no single product for every use. When it comes to decrackle, declick, descratch, denoise, debuzz, dehum, etc. some brands do better at some things than others and you have to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each brand at the particular job. I also have the TC backdrop, but I haven't used it in a while as I think the Algorithmix does better and also I can run the Algorithmix in non-real time, which is a big time-saver after you've got the settings done. Another reason is that Backdrop has not yet been updated to do 96 kHz.