Did some audio recording and ended up having a noisy recording? You might still be able to save the audio with these restoration techniques, so don’t throw that audio away yet.
Redunoise is one of the best noise reducing plug-in module that makes them shock deceives at its disposal, especially in the domain of innovative EQing. Despite the fact that it is free, it certainly gives competition to even probably the best-paid noise reducing modules. Sound Recovery by Bitsonic. I'm looking for an easy to use and effective free noise reduction plugin that goes beyond simple gating. I want to remove noise from solo strings and harp samples in my piece. Some of my go to plugins are free ones, so maybe there is also such a great one for noise reduction. May 28, 2020 Bertom has released Denoiser, a freeware noise reduction effect in VST3 and AU plugin formats for digital audio workstations on PC and Mac. Denoiser is a noise reduction plugin for removing noise from audio recordings, including music, post-production, spoken word, and dialogue.
Perhaps you had a video recorded and the audio is so noisy that you are looking for how to remove noise from the video.
In this post, I’ll show you a few methods to reduce noise from your audio or video
Before I start with the article, I just want to introduce you to a software called Drum Xtract. It’s a software that helps remove musical elements from an audio recording (usually drums). And can be used to tighten up sound elements within a mix as well. You can read about it here: How to remove drums from a song.
We will go through these few topics:
- How to reduce noise with Audacity for free.
- Remove noise from video recordings.
- Using a denoiser VST with Adobe Audition and other softwares.
- Advanced noise reduction techniques with iZotope RX.
- Best practices when it comes to recording audio outdoors.
First of all, you must understand that it’s impossible to remove 100% of the noise from a recorded audio. It’s not possible. Even if it is, your recorded audio will most likely be unusable, due to the diminished quality.
Many people are also looking for quick ways to remove vocals from audio. While that’s not entirely impossible to do, it usually renders not so good results.
I suggest people who want to remove vocals from music to buy a karaoke version music instead.
Alright, now that you’re ready, let’s go!
Using Audacity To Do Noise Reduction for FREE
Audacity – A freeware audio editor that every producer should have installedAudacity is a popular freeware audio software that runs on the PC or Mac. It’s free.
It’s an amazing piece of software that does nearly everything a good audio editor like Adobe Audition can do. It does noise reduction really well too.
If you’re looking for a quick solution to reduce some noise from one or two audio files, Audacity would be good for you.
Step 1 – Drag Audio Into Audacity
Get your audio into Audacity. This is easily done by simply drag and drop your audio file into Audacity.
Audacity accepts audio file formats such as wav, mp3 and more. For editing, you’ll want to edit in wav. I’ve used an interview audio recording to illustrate the steps to come.
Step 2 – Learn The Unwanted Noise
Select the background noiseFind a section of the audio that only has the background audio.
Generally, the longer you can find the better. What we are doing is to select a section of background noise which we want reducing from the entire audio recording.
For my case, I found a fair 1-second background audio in the beginning portion of the audio recording before the interview speech came in.
Choose noise removalAfter selecting, hover over to ‘Effects > Noise Removal’.
Get noise profileClick on ‘Get Noise Profile’.
Doing this actually allows the Noise Removal effect to learn the noise selection you highlighted. This prepares the noise removal software to remove audio.
Step 3 – Reducing Noise
Listened to enough annoying noise yet? Time to remove it.
This time, highlight the whole audio file or select the parts of the audio you want the background audio reduced.
Using the parameters here can really change output soundUtilizing the parameters correctly in ‘Step 2’ of the Noise Removal effect can give you the difference in the effectiveness of sound output you get. It’s important to understand them
- Noise Reduction (db): This is how much reduction you do based on the noise profile you captured earlier. I usually go between 10 – 25 to preserve the audio’s naturalness.
- Sensitivity (dB): How sensitive in dB the reduction is done. The higher this is, the more noise it reduces but the more ‘artifacts’ you’ll get in your audio.
- Frequency Smoothing (Hz): This option here is helpful for smoothing out artifacts you hear in the audio. Using the frequency, smoothen out the noise reduction. For instance, if you’re removing lots of low-frequency rumbles, you want to smoothen at the lower frequencies.
- Attack/Decay Time (secs): Controls how fast the audio reduction kicks in and how soon it leaves the audio signal. I normally like a shorter attack time here.
Once you have the parameters set, ‘preview’ the audio file to hear how it’ll sound with the settings you made.
If it doesn’t sound like something you were aiming for, experiment changing the settings a little and then preview again. Once you get a denoising result that you want, click on OK to commit to the changes.
Prefer to watch a video? See how I do it in the video below:
I use Adobe Audition all the time for noise reduction. Most audio editors have audio reduction effects built in.
Most popular DAWs however, do not have it.
I was mixing audio for a documentary in Logic Studio on a Mac, when i realized I needed a denoising plugin to run inside Logic.
So I started testing noise reduction plugins that are available in the market. Having tried lots of them, I finally settled for iZotope RX. iZotope features a very nice denoising effect that works as a standalone and also as a VST/AU plugin.
Here’s a video of me denoising a noisy interview video using iZotope Denoiser as a plugin in Adobe Audition:
I get this question all the time.
The thing is it’s not that your video is noisy. It’s the audio that was recorded together with your video which is noisy.
This usually happens when you do a video recording on your camcorder or DSLR without a dedicated shotgun microphone like the Rode NTG2 or a suitable lavalier microphone.
There’s no way around it than to invest in a set of dedicated microphones and portable audio record to get good audio when recording videos.
DSLR takes good videos, but the in-built microphone is a nightmare for interviewsAnyhow, if you already got your recordings, don’t discard it yet. There is still hope of saving them… for now.
I’ll explain how I normally do the job of removing noise from audio.
Step 1 – Find A Way To Unlink Audio From Video
You need to find a way to unlink the noisy audio from your video. This is because you have to edit the audio, not actually the video itself.
I use Adobe Premiere Pro to do this. Adobe Premiere allows me to unlink audio, edit the audio in Adobe Audition and then have it saved automatically after I make changes in Adobe Audition.
I edit my audio with adobe audition through premiere proStep 2 – Do the Denoising within Adobe Audition
Once you click, ‘edit with Adobe Audition’, Audition will load with your audio file in it. Within Audition, I use can use it’s built-in noise reduction effect to remove the noise from the audio clip.
However, I prefer using iZotope RX Denoiser as it gives me better control over the noise that I want to reduce.
I’m using iZotope Denoiser as a VST in Adobe AuditionIf you don’t have a 3rd party VST plugin like iZotope RX Denoiser, just use the built-in denoiser in Audition.
Once you’re done with the edit, just save and close the program.
Step 3 – Exporting Your Video
Back in Premiere Pro, the audio will be updated with the edits you have made. At this point, you’ll have to export your video, so just re-export your video with the now denoised audio clip.
In my opinion, the best noise reduction software in terms of price and ease of use would be iZotope RX.
iZotope RX, since the early days, comes with a multitude of other effects which you’ll find very useful for audio restoring projects. No matter if you’re into broadcasting, audio restoration works or simply a recording engineer looking to clean up your vocalist’s audio files, I guarantee that iZotope will be able to handle all of that.
Best Free Noise Reduction Vst
I’ll briefly talk about the additional software functions that come with iZotope RX.
Note that while the version used in the screenshots below may be an earlier version, the concepts of using it still remains the same.
The difference? Every new version usually has its algorithm optimized to be more efficient in CPU processing and to produce cleaner and higher sound quality.
iZotope RX Denoiser
RX DenoiserRX Denoiser works like most noise reduction effects. The advantage that RX Denoiser has over standard audio reduction effects is that it has different algorithms in which you can use to get better results for denoising. It also allows better control over the ‘artifacts’ which are normally left in your audio tracks after you process denoising effects.
In RX 4 you notice a fairly easier interface to use and also an addition of a ‘dialogue’ tab, which gives you more control over denoising audio for dialogues.
RX Spectral Analyser
RX4 Spectral AnalyserSpectral Analyser is another effect which can be really useful if you do audio work for broadcast TV.
With Spectral Analyser, you don’t edit on waveforms but on spectral frequencies. This allows you to zoom in into noise audio frequencies and remove sounds, for instance, a single chair squeak during an interview recording. Drops and cuts in audio can also be fixed. The effect accomplishes this by collecting audio sounds around the problem area.
Try it and you’ll notice it’s a little like ‘photo-shopping‘.
RX DeClipper
Does what its name implies. Removes clipping that happens in a recording.
This effect has saved me many times when I recorded an actor who suddenly screamed in her role, causing my the audio recordings to clip.
RX DeClicker, RX DeHum
Declicker is great when using it to restore things like old tapes and I found DeHum especially useful when trying to repair a concert sound recording which had lots of hum, due to the audio hardware setup.
Having done many recording outdoors at noisy locations and getting into trouble, here is a list of best practices to put in mind when recording outdoors or in situations when noise is inevitable.
- Always record up to a minute of the location. – When I was part of an audio crew, recording a film. We always recorded 1 minute worth of the room noise before we started rolling for real. This gives us a 1-minute noise profile which we can use for denoising audio during post-production.
- Use Shotgun Or Lavalier Microphones – Different microphones work in different scenarios. Shotgun microphones generally give a more natural sound compared to lavalier microphones, but depending on the situation, sometimes it’s wiser to use a lavalier to record audio.
- Invest in Good Isolated Headphones– One of the most important things when recording audio outdoors is to have well-isolated headphones which you can monitor audio from.
- Take several takes – Do as many takes as possible and keep every take whether good or bad. That way you’ll have unlimited tracks which you can cross edit, eventually constructing a clean audio clip.
Did I miss any best practices when recording outdoors and when dealing with noisy audio files? Let me know in the comment box below:
Sound recovery plugins are tools you theoretically will never need. In the end, we all record audio at the right level, and in almost perfectly isolated rooms. But in the real world there are various types of signals (dictaphone, cassette, vinyl …) that cannot be cleaned with a regular gate, equalizer or compressor. Even small background noises, when maximized, will be noticeable and annoying. In this list, we highlight 7 powerful programs for cleaning and restoring audio. Some of them are autonomous, while some exist in VST formats.
iZotope RX 6
It is a reliable and frequent choice among professionals around the world. RX builds on years of extensive research in advanced digital processing and machine learning. The sixth version has on board the maximum technology with many presets and algorithms for each type of signal.
The RX6 is moving towards a cleanup that once seemed impossible. Today it is one of the most advanced tools, and there is an opinion that if it does not cope with recovery, then other plugins are even more so.
Last April, iZotope released Standard and Advanced versions, and also added a new RXElements product, which replaced the Plugin Pack and includes the RX6 Standalone Editor application, as well as plugins that were in the RX package. iZotope was able to stir technology, and now you can eliminate microphone noise, wind, dialogs, and much more.
Prices: $ 129 – $ 1,199. You can learn more on the site iZotope.
Todd-AO Absentia
Todd-AO released Absentia DX with an algorithm that is designed to analyze dialogue entries, and then eliminate buzz, clicks and third-party artifacts, while maintaining the integrity of the human voice. Absentia DX is a completely different approach to cleaning audio.
The first difference is that it is a standalone application, not a plug-in for a DAW program. You can simply drag and drop files / folders, and the program will process the audio in accordance with the selected settings. Another key feature is that the application does not change metadata, which is great news for Pro Tools users. It is a smart batch processing tool with easy and complex presets.
The price is amazing and is only 49 $. More details on the site Todd-AO.
Accusonus ERA Range
Accusonus has 3 audio recovery tools in its range.
- ERA-D is aimed at post-production professionals and dialogue editors who need a quick fix. It is based on two tasks: suppressing noise and eliminating the room (reverb).
- ERA-N Denoise – thanks to it, the user can reduce or completely remove unwanted background sounds from fans, air conditioners, or other similar signal types.
- ERA-R Dereverberation – Accosonus claim to be the only plug-in on the market that can remove excessive room with a single button.
Thus, in your hands there will be three necessary plug-ins for basic problem tasks. Works on Mac and Windows. The prices for each module are different, you can find out in more detail on the Accusonus ERA website.
Acon Digital – Restoration Suite
It consists of four sound recovery tools: DeNoise, DeHum, DeClick and DeClip. Version 1.7 added support for multi-channel formats such as 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, as well as support for the VST3 plug-in standard.
- DeNoise is a plugin designed to reduce stationary noise. Great efforts were aimed at maintaining the original signal and its maximum readability.
- DeHum eliminates hum and noise, which is poorly noticeable in the recording (located at medium and low frequencies).
- DeClick is designed to remove impulsive unwanted sounds, such as: clicks, pops, explosions and bumps.
- DeClip restores sound recordings distorted by analog or digital compression.
The Restoration Suite is available for both Windows and OS X (Macintosh) for $ 99.90. More details on the site Acon Digital.
Klevgr. Busfri
Brusfri is a relatively new noise reduction plugin designed with a simple and straightforward interface. It is very suitable for cleaning and does not interfere with the phase of the sound during suppression. The method of studying unwanted audio is similar to the product from iZotope and involves studying it (by holding down the LEARN button for a few seconds), and then eliminating the noise. Its tasks are absolutely standard and similar to its predecessors.
The product is available with all operating systems and is priced at $ 59.
Best Free Noise Removal Vst
Sonnox Restore
Sonnox Restore is a set of three plugins designed to restore sound from a well-known company. These are advanced algorithms and new functions that allow you to quickly and extremely efficiently remove stamping, clicks, cracks, scratches, hum and background noise from almost any recording without damaging the important “desired” audio content.
DeClicker has a dialogue mode and an “exception field” to save the desired audio; DeBuzzer has 3 frequency ranges and real-time tracking for problematic frequency frequencies, while DeNoiser with independent De-hisser offers powerful broadband noise reduction.
At the moment, tools are only available for Mac OS at a price of $ 465 for the entire package.
Cedar Studio 7
Cedar Studio 7 is offered as a set of plug-ins AAX and VST for Mac and PC, as well as its standalone version of “Retouch 7”. All of them are aimed at eliminating problems and significantly improving the quality of the source. Each Studio7 process has been dedicated and refined with the award-winning flagship CEDAR Cambridge and delivers results without fuss and user intervention.
The package includes such modules as: Auto Dehiss (noise removal), Debuzz (clearing the entire spectrum from the hum), Declick (impulsive detection of artifacts and their invisible correction), Declip (reduces clipping), Decrackle (takes out a damaged signal) and DNS One ( modern standard created on the basis of the progenitors DNS1000, DNS1500, DNS2000 and DNS3000).
Other equally important plugins and modules are available in the package. These are very expensive products, each of which costs $ 2900 (DNS One – $ 3800). The price of the whole set: $ 11,000.
If difficulties arise, contact our studio, we will do our best so that you get a readable and acceptable sound. Of course, it is worth considering that an extremely spoiled record will not sound like a studio one, but we are able to remove artifacts and clear noises on a professional level!