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Izotope RX Restoration Guide V 1
Izotope RX Restoration Guide V 1
2008 iZotope, Inc. All rights reserved. iZotope and iZotope RX are either registered trademarks or trademarks of iZotope, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other product or company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................4 IntendedAudienceforThisGuide .................................................................................. 4 WHAT IS AUDIO RESTORATION?......................................................................5 WhataretheGoalsofGoodAudioRestoration? ........................................................... 5 WHAT IS IZOTOPE RX? ......................................................................................7 GETTING SET UP TO RESTORE AUDIO ...........................................................8 Equipment....................................................................................................................... 8 Transferringmediatothecomputer ............................................................................ 10 Recordingfromanalogformats .................................................................................... 10 SUGGESTIONS FOR THE RESTORATION PROCESS....................................13 HOW TO IDENTIFY AUDIO PROBLEMS...........................................................14 UsingtheSpectrogramandWaveformDisplay............................................................ 14 HowtoSpotAudioProblems........................................................................................ 17 ChangingSpectrogramSettings.................................................................................... 21 BROADBAND NOISE REDUCTION...................................................................24 WhatisBroadbandNoise? ........................................................................................... 24 BasicTechniquesforusingRXsDenoiser..................................................................... 24 HUM AND TONAL NOISE ..................................................................................31 FindingandRemovingHum.......................................................................................... 31 UsingDenoiserforTonalNoiseRemoval ..................................................................... 35 REMOVING CLIPPING.......................................................................................36 HowdoesRXsDeclipperwork? ................................................................................... 36 RepairingClipping ......................................................................................................... 36 REMOVING CLICKS AND POPS .......................................................................39 UsingRXsDeclicker ...................................................................................................... 39 REMOVING INTERMITTENT NOISES AND GAPS ...........................................43 UsingRXSpectralRepair............................................................................................... 45 GENERAL RX TOOLS........................................................................................47 ComparingSettings....................................................................................................... 47 BatchProcessing ........................................................................................................... 48 EQandGain .................................................................................................................. 49 WorkingwithPresets.................................................................................................... 50 KeyboardShortcutsandassigningyourown................................................................ 51
Restoring Audio with iZotope RX Page 2 of 74 2008 iZotope, Inc.
EXPORTING AND DELIVERING AUDIO ........................................................52 iZotopeMBIT+DitheringPanel(RXAdvancedonly).................................................. 54 iZotope64BitSRCPanel(RXAdvancedOnly)........................................................... 56 SUMMARY .........................................................................................................58 APPENDIX: REPAIRING THE INCLUDED AUDIO FILES .............................60 Example1:RemovingBroadbandNoisefromaConcertRecording ............................ 61 Example2:UsingDenoiserandEQonaShellacRecordingofSpokenWord .............. 63 Example3:RestoringanHistoricalSpeech:MakingVoiceMoreIntelligible .............. 64 Example4:CleaningupaPhoneInterviewwithSpectralRepair................................. 65 Example5:RemovingClicksandPopsfromaConcertonRecord ............................... 67 Example6:RemovingClippingfromaPhoneInterview .............................................. 69 Example7:RemovingGuitarStringSqueakswithSpectralRepair .............................. 71 Example8:FillingaGapinAudiowithSpectralRepair ................................................ 73
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INTRODUCTION
Today,audioandvideorecordingscanbemadebynearlyanyone.Fromthesimplecamcorder tosophisticatedstudiosandsoundstages,agrowingnumberofrecordingsareproduceddaily. Andasourworldbecomesincreasinglyandaudiblycongested,sotherateofruinedrecordings isrising!Humanerror,unexpectedelectricalormechanicalinterferenceandunwelcome intrusionsfromaircraft,cellphones,pets,peopleandMotherNatureregularlyimpacteventhe mostseasonedprofessional.Whetheryoureaprofessionalorjustgettingstarted,youhave probablyrunintodifficultaudiosituationslikethisandwishedyoucouldcorrectwhatseemed likeanimpossibledilemma. Thepurposeofthisguideistohelpyoudeveloppracticalandeffectivewaystoremovenoise andfixaudioproblemsusingiZotopeRX.Wehopethisguidewillhelpyouunderstandthe basics(andbeyond)ofaudiorestorationandhelpyoutoapplythemtoyourownprojects.
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Whenyouhearthewordrestoration,youmightbeinclinedtothinkofdustyvaultsfilledwith agingmastertapesandrecords.Ofcourse,audiorestorationincludestakingoldrecordingsand revivingthem,butitishardlylimitedtoantiquity.EverytimeyouswitchonaUSBrecorder, camcorder,digitalcamera,voicerecorder,orcellphoneyoumayencounteravarietyof unexpectedandunwelcomeaudioguests. Forexample,werecentlyreadareviewofaconcertpianistwhosedebutatCarnegieHallwas marredbytheringingofacellphone.Thereviewerassumedthat,thisandotherintrusionswill nodoubtbemagicallyerasedwhenthisconcertisissuedonCD.Whilethereisnomagic buttonforremovingcellphonenoise(yet),thelatestgenerationofaudiorestorationtoolslike RXcanbejustasusefulforcleaningup21stcenturyproblemsastheyareforrestoringthe earliestphonographrecordings.
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objective.Whateveryourtastesandevenastimeschange,thebasicintentionofrestoration shouldremainthesame:renderthebestpossiblesoundwiththeleastobviousinterference.
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MonitoringAudio Dontbeacheapskatewhenitcomestospeakers!Reliableaudiomonitoring,asyoumight imagine,isessentialtosuccessfulrestoration.Wesuggestafullrangespeakersystemthatsuits yourneeds,aswellasyourworkingspace.Itsagoodideatofrequentlycheckyourworkon othersystemsaswell.Aswithmastering,themostimportantadvicewecangivewithmonitors istolearntheuniquecharacteristicsofyourpairandhowtheysoundinyourroom.Thebest waytolearnyourmonitorsistolistentolotsofrecordingsyouknowwelltocalibrateyour ears. RoomAcoustics Youcanhavethebestreferencemonitorsmoneycanbuy,butifyoureworkinginatinysquare roomwithnoacoustictreatmentyouwillprobablynotheartheflatrepresentationof frequenciesthatcriticalaudiorestorationworkrequires.Evensmalldetailslikewhereyour speakersareplacedcanchangeyourspeakersfrequencyresponsedrastically.Werecommend researchingroomacousticsonline.Evenifyoureonabudget,youcancomeupwithasolution thatwilldramaticallyimprovethesoundofyourroom. Headphones Occasionally,youmaywanttolistentolowleveldetailsthatmaynotbeobviouson loudspeakers.Obviously,weneedtobecarefulofsoundpressurelevelsonheadphonesandits wisetousethemsparingly.
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Mostaudioamplifiersdesignedtoworkwithturntableshavephonopreampsbuiltin. SodoprofessionalDJmixers(manyofthesealsoprovideexcellentbalancedoutputs suitableforconnectingtoyouraudiointerface).Asmentionedearlier,someaudio interfacesevenhavebuiltinphonopreamps. SometurntablesnowincludedirectUSBoutputs,gettingaroundthepreampproblem. However,keepinmindthatmanyoftheseareveryinexpensivelymade,andthatyou willgetwhatyoupayforwhenitcomestoaudioquality.Makesureyoucheckthespecs beforebuying.Agoodturntable/audiointerfacecombinationmaygiveyoubetter quality. Makesureyourturntableisgrounded!Mixersandamplifierswithphonoinputswill usuallyhaveathumbscrewthatallowsyoutoconnectthegroundwirefromyour turntable.Useit!Ifyoudontyouwillprobablybeaddingelectricalhumtoyour transferredfile. Cleanyourrecords!Removingdustwithavinylbrushand/orusingavinylcleaning productcanmakeahugedifferenceinthequalityofyourvinyltransfer.Whyspend hoursremovingdustpopsinthecomputer?Youcangetridofmostofthem beforehandbysimplycleaningyourrecord. Useagoodstylus.Ifyourrecordplayerhashadthesameneedlefor30years,chances areitstimeforareplacement!Usingwornoutneedlescanbothaffectaudioquality andactuallydamageyourrecords.Someturntablesarenowhardtofindreplacement needlesfor.HoweverthereareplentyofcompaniesincludingShure,Stantonand Ortofonthatmakeawiderangeofreplacementstyli.Checktheinternetoralocalhifi shop. Whenyouhaveachoice,chooseastylusthatismadeforarchiving.Manyavailable solutionsaretailoredtoscratchDJsandsacrificesoundqualityfortrackingandother characteristics.
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Whilewecouldwriteanentirebookontheserarerformats,thatisoutofthescopeofthis guide.Ifthisisanareayoureinterestedin,youllfindnumerouswebsitesofferinguseful informationandgoodtipson78RPMhistory,availabilityandplaybackequipment.Herearetwo websiteswithverygoodinformation: The78rpmRecordHomePagehttp://78rpmrecord.com TimGracyksPhonographsandOldRecordshttp://www.gracyk.com Magnetictape Thereareendlessrecordingsouttheremadeoncassetterecordersandreeltoreelmachines. WhetheryouretryingtorestoretheWatergateTapes,workingonreeltoreelmasters,orjust cleaningupthoseoldfourtrackcassetterecordingsofyourhighschoolgarageband,therearea fewthingstokeepinmindwhentransferring: Thequalityofyourplaybackequipmentwillmakeadifference.Ifyouconnectyourold ghettoblastersRCAoutputstoyourcomputer,youllnotonlyintroducemorenoise intothetransfer,youmighthaveotherunwantedproblemslikespeedfluctuations. Slightchangesinatapesspeed(calledwowandflutter)cancauseproblemswhen youretryingtoremovenoise,becausethenoisecanmodulatealongwiththetape playbackspeed.Thiscanmaketonalandbroadbandnoisedifficulttoremovebecauseit willchangeovertime.Workwithawellbuiltandwellcalibratedtapemachineif possible. Tapeheadscanpickupdebrisandbecomemagnetizedovertime,leadingtopoor playbackquality.Cleaningyourdeckstapehead,capstanandrollerscanhelpensure youregettingthebestqualityrecordings.Youcanfinddeckcleaning/demagnetizingkits onlineandinspecialtystores. Oldmylar/polyestertapecansticktoitselfovertime,causingtapestoselfdestruct uponplayback.Ifyourepullinganoldreeltoreeltapeoutofadustyarchive,youmay wanttoconsultwithanexpertbeforetryingtoplayit.Sometapescanbebakedinan electricoventoremovemoistureandrevitalizethetapesadhesive,butwedont recommendyoutrythisathome.
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Onethingyoullnoticewhenlookingatthewaveformdisplayisthatitisgoodatshowing amplitude(loudness)ofaudio,butnotveryeffectiveatshowingwhatishappeningatdifferent
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Nowwhatwereseeingistheamplitudeofthespokenwordsovertime.Ifweswitchtothe spectrogramview,wellseemanythingswecantseeinthewaveformview:
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TheabovescreenshotshowsRXsSpectrogramDisplayinahighertimeresolutionmode thatmakesseeingtonalnoiseeasier.Readontolearnhowtoadjustspectrogramsettings.
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vinyl:
Sometimesheavilylimitedaudiowillalsoappearsquaredoffwhenzoomedoutzoom inbytimetoseeifindividualwaveformtopsareclipped.
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noises:drinkingglassesclinkingtogether,andanelectronicbeepfromacarignition.
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Spectrogram Settings
iZotopeRXoffersadvancedspectrogramoptionsundertheView|SpectrogramSettingsmenu. HereisanindepthdescriptionoftheSpectrogramSettingscontrols: SpectrogramTypeRXofferssomedifferentmethodsfordisplayingtimeandfrequency informationinthespectrogram.RXhasadvancedspectrogrammodesthatallowyoutosee sharpertime(horizontal)andfrequency(vertical)resolutionatthesametime.Thereisalwaysa tradeoffofdisplayqualityversusprocessingtime,sokeepinmindthatsomemodeswilltake longertodrawonthescreenthanothers.
STFT(shorttimeFouriertransform)Thisreferstothemethodthat'susedtotransform theaudiodataintothespectrogramdisplay.Thistypeofspectrogramisthemost commononeandcanbefoundinothereditors.Ithasafixeduniformtimefrequency resolution.ThisisthesimplestmodeinRX. AutoAdjustableSTFTThismodeautomaticallyadjustsFFTsize(i.e.timeand frequencyresolutionofaspectrogram)accordingtothezoomlevel.Forexample,ifyou zoominhorizontally(time)you'llseethatpercussivesoundsandtransientswillbemore clearlydefined.Whenyouzoominvertically(frequency),you'llseeindividualmusical notesandfrequencyeventswillappearmoreclearlydefined.ThisisRXsdefaultmode. MultiresolutionThismodecalculatesthespectrogramwithbetterfrequency resolutionatlowfrequenciesandbettertimeresolutionathighfrequencies.This mimicspsychoacousticpropertiesofourperception,allowingthespectrogramdisplay toshowyouthemostimportantinformationclearly. AdaptivelySparseThismodeautomaticallyvariestimeandfrequencyresolutionofa spectrogramtoachievethebestspectrogramsharpnessineveryareaofa timefrequencyplane.Thisoftenletsyouseethemostdetailsforathoroughanalysis, butit'stheslowestmodetocalculate.
FFTsizeFFTisafastFouriertransform,aprocedureforcalculationofasignalfrequency spectrum.ThehighertheFFTsize,thegreaterthefrequencyresolutioni.e.notesandtonal eventswillbeclearer.However,choosingalargernumberherewillmaketimeeventsless sharplydefinedbecauseofthewaythistypeofprocessingisdone.Choosing"AutoAdjustable" or"Multiresolution"modesallowyoutogetagoodcombinationoffrequencyandtime resolutionwithouthavingtochangethissettingasyouwork. EnablereassignmentThiscontrolenablesaspecialtechniqueforspectrogramcalculationthat allowsveryprecisepitchtrackingforanyharmoniccomponentsofthesignal.Whenused togetherwithFrequencyoverlap/Timeoverlapcontrols,thisoptioncanprovidevirtually unlimitedtimeandfrequencyresolutionsimultaneouslyforsignalsconsistingoftones. WindowTheWindowcontrolletsyouchoosedifferentweightingwindowsthatareusedfor
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Frequencyoverlap(a.k.a.zeropaddingfactor)controlstheamountofoversamplingonthe frequencyscaleofspectrogram.WhenusedtogetherwiththeReassignmentoption,itwill increasetheresolutionofthespectrogramvertically(byfrequency). TimeoverlapThiscontrolsthetimeoversamplingofthespectrogram.Inmostcases,overlap of4xor8xisagoodsettingtostartwith.Howeverusinghigheroverlaptogetherwiththe Reassignmentoptionwillincreasethetimeresolutionofaspectrogram,makingtransientevents appearmoreclearly. ColorMapRX'sspectrogramdisplayallowsyoutochoosebetweenseveraldifferentcolor schemes.Thereisnorightorwrongcolorsettingtousewerecommendyoutrythemall. Sometimescertaincolormodeswillmakedifferenttypesofnoisestandoutmoreclearly. Experiment! Highqualityrenderingturningthiscontroloffmakesspectrogramrenderingslightlyfaster,but you'lllosesomedetailandclarityinthespectrogramimage. ReduceQualityAboveRX'sspectrogramusesveryaccuraterenderinglettingyouseeaudio problems,suchasclicks,evenatzoomedoutstate.Howeverdoingsuchrenderingforlongfiles canbesomewhatslow.So,whenthelengthofthevisiblespectrogramisabovethespecified numberofseconds,thespectrogramcalculationischangedtoafastandlessaccuratepreview mode.Whentheuserzoomsin,thespectrogramcalculationbecomesaccurateagain.
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SelectingjustnoiseandhittingTrainwillcaptureanoiseprofile Selectthelongestsectionofnoiseyoucanfind,thenhittheTrainbutton.Thiswill"teach" Denoiserthenoiseprofileofyourfile.Insomecasesyoumaynothaveasectionofjustnoise,or youmaywantRXtofindaquietsectionforyou.Ifthisisthecase,opentheoptionsmenunext totheTrainbutton(+)andchooseAutoTrain. Denoising Afterthenoiseprofileiscaptured,adjusttheNoiseReductionsliderandhitPreviewtolistento theresult.MovingtheNoiseReductionsliderupanddownwillcontrolhowaggressivelyRXis reducingthenoise.Whenyourehappywithyoursettings,youcanhitApplytoprocessthe entirefile.Ifyouwishtojustprocessacertainselection(bytimeorbyfrequencyorboth),select anareausingRXsselectiontoolsthenhitApply.
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Bymakingaselectioninyourproject,youcanpreviewjustthatselection.Whilein
previewmode,youcanalsohaveRXloopthroughaselectionofaudiobyturningontheloop featureonRX'stransport. MakesurethattheA(realtime)algorithmisselectedifyouwanttopreviewtheresultin realtimetheothermodesmayyieldhigherqualitybuttheytakemuchlongertoprocess. StartingwiththeAalgorithmisagoodwaytoquicklygetasenseofhowthenoisereduction willsound.InmanycasesyouwontneedtouseRXsmorepowerfulBandCalgorithmsto getagreatsoundingresult. OutputnoiseonlyThisusefulcheckboxoutputsthedifferencebetweentheoriginaland processedsignals(suppressednoise).ThisisatremendouslyusefulfeatureinDenoiserbecause itallowsyoutohearinstantlyhoweffectivelynoisesarebeingremovedandhowmuch,ifany, programcontentisbeingimpactedbyyoursettings. HowmuchnoiseshouldIremove? Sometimeshavingalittlebitofbroadbandnoiseisagoodthing.Itcanhelpgelrecordings togetherandmakethemsoundmorenaturalsomeaudioengineersactuallyaddbroadband noisesubtlytotheirmixestosimulatetheforgivingcharacteristicsoftapesnoisefloor.And sometimes,forinterviews,moviesandothersituations,leavingabitofnoiseaddsimportant atmospheretotherecording. Whenattemptingtoremovebackgroundorbroadbandnoisefromarecording,itspreferableto identifyandisolateannoyingandobtrusiveelementshighhisslevels,discnoise, airconditioning,etc.Whenyouvesuccessfullyremovedthatwhichisannoying,listentowhats left.Hopefully,youllstillhearsomekindofroomtoneornaturalambience.Ifnot,youmay haveremovedtoomuch. Togetausable,naturalsoundingresult,youwontnormallyhavetoapplymorethan 15dbofNoiseReductiontogetahugedifference.Weencourageyoutotryawiderangeof settingsbyusingtheComparebutton(moreonthisfeaturelater).Keepinmindthatturning NoiseReductionallthewayupisntusuallythebestsoundingoption! SmoothingandMusicalNoiseReduction Especiallywhendoingverydrasticnoisereduction,youmaybegintohearartifactsleftover fromthenoisereductionprocess.Theseareoftenchirpy,waterynoiseswhichintechnicalterms arereferredtoasmusicalnoise. TheSmoothing(Basictab)andMusicalNoiseReduction(Advancedtab)controlssupress artifactsthatresultfromremovingbroadbandnoise.IncreasetheSmoothing(Basicview)or MusicalNoiseReduction(Advancedview)parametertoreducetheseartifacts.RXsmusical
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noisereductionincorporatescoolnewtechnologybasedondigitalimagingtogiveyouvery naturalsoundingresultswithlessartifacts. ChoosinganAlgorithm RX'sDenoiseroffersthreealgorithmsthatrangeinprocessingtime.Itisagoodideatostart withAlgorithmA,asitworksveryquickly.Thisalgorithmisoptimizedforrealtimeplayback,so itsbesttousethissettingwhenyoureusingDenoiserasaplugin.Ifyou'renothappywiththe resultsinthismode,tryBandthenC,whichwilltakelongertoprocessbuttheyusemore complextechniquesthatmayresultinanevenbetterfix. AlgorithmBusesadifferentMusicalNoiseReductiontechniqueforsmoothingoutartifacts whichcangiveyoumorenaturalsoundingrepairs.AlgorithmCusesmultiresolutionprocessing topreservetransientsbetterthanothernoisereductiontools.Whiletheysoundexcellent, AlgorithmsBandCarefairlyslow,andmaynotbeabletopreviewinrealtime.Thisisagood placetousetheCompareSettingswindowtosavetimewhencomparingtheseoptions(seethe GeneralRXToolschapterformoredetails).
TheMagentacurveshowsthespectrumoftheinputaudiosignal
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Musicalnoisesuppression Thiscontroladjuststhereductionofartifactsknownas"musicalnoise".Thiscontrolisthe advancedequivalentoftheSmoothingcontrolfoundintheBasicpanel. ResidualWhitening Thisfeaturemodifiestheamountofnoisereductionappliedatdifferentfrequenciestoshape thespectrumofthenoisethatsleftover. Whenresidualwhiteningiszero,noisesuppressionisthesameatallfrequencies,andthe suppressednoisehasasimilarspectralshapetotheoriginalnoise.Whenresidualwhiteningisat itshighestsetting,thedesiredshapeofsuppressednoisefloorismadeclosertowhitenoise, whichisusuallymoreneutralsounding.ThiscontrolincombinationwiththeMusicalNoise Suppressioncontrolcanmakeahugedifferenceincontrollingresidualartifacts. MoreAdvancedModeControls(RXAdvancedOnly): MNSalgorithmMusicalnoiseartifactsuppressionalgorithm TheSimplealgorithmperformsindependentnoisegatingineveryfrequencychannelofFFT. ReleasetimeofsubbandgatesiscontrolledbytheReleasecontrol.Thisisafastalgorithm withsmalllatency(delay)thatissuitableforrealtimeoperation. TheAdvancedandExtremealgorithmsperformjointtimefrequencyanalysisoftheaudio signalwhichresultsinbetterqualityandless"musicalnoise"artifacts.Thesealgorithms havehigherlatencyandcomputationalcomplexity.
WheneverFFTsizeischanged,it'srecommendedyouretrainDenoiserbecausetheold noiseprofilewastakenatadifferentFFTsizeandthereforebecomesinaccurate.
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Release Selectsthereleasetimeofthesubbandnoisegatesinmilliseconds.Longerreleasetimes reducemusicalnoisemoreeffectively,butcanproduceechoesofnoiseafterloudsignals. Psychoacousticsuppression Enablesapsychoacousticmodelthatdynamicallycontrolssuppressionamount.ThisallowsRX tousesoftersuppressionwherenoiseissubjectivelyinaudibletothehumanear.Thepositionof theslidercontrolstheinfluenceofpsychoacousticmodelonsuppressionlevels. Harmonicenhancement Thiscontrolallowsforsoftersuppressionofharmonicsofthesignalthatcouldbeburiedin noise.Itcanmaketheresultingsignalbrighterandmorenaturalsounding,buthighvaluesof harmonicenhancementcanresultinhighfrequencynoisebeingmodulatedbythesignalsouse itsparingly.
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Zoominginontheverticalaxisshowsthatthishumtoneisat110Hz
AdjustingFilterDepth YoucanadjusthowaggressivelyHumRemovalattackstheprimaryfrequencybypullingdown thefirstfrequencynode.Thedeeperthecut,themorehumwillberemoved,butyoumayalso adverselyaffectwantedaudiointhatfrequencyrange.TryselectingtheLinearPhaseFilters checkboxwhenyouremakingverydeepfiltercutsinfullfrequencyrangecontent,theywill helppreservesurroundingaudioduetotheirexceptionalsteepness.ThismodeismoreCPU intensiveandwillintroducesomelatency,sokeepthisinmind(especiallywhenusingtheHum Removalplugin).
UsingtheNumberofHarmonicscontrol,youcanselectupto7harmonicsabovetheprimary humfrequency.Again,thespectrogramdisplayinmanycasesmakesiteasytoidentifythe numberofhumharmonicsinyourproject. Afterselectingnumberofharmonics,RXengagesnewfiltersatsetharmonicpointsabovethe primaryfrequency.UsetheHarmonicSlopecontroltohowaggressivelythehigherharmonics arebeingcut.TheFilterQcontroladjuststhewidthofthehumfilters. UsingtheResidualOutputcontrol ByselectingtheResidualOutputcheckbox,RXwillboostthesignalatthepointswhereyouare attemptingtoremovehum.Thisisusefulforfinetuningyoursettings.Playthroughasectionof yourfilewherethehumismixedwithothermaterial,andselectResidualoutputmodeandthen hitPreview.NowyoucanadjustparametersliketheFilterQ(width)controlandtheHarmonic Slopecontroltomaximizehumremovalwhileminimizingtheaffectontheprogrammaterial.If youhearwantedprogrammaterialleakingthroughinthismode,youmaywanttotrynarrower filtersorLinearPhasemode.
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LowandHighPassFilters RXsHumRemovalmoduleincludeslowandhighpassfiltersthatallowyoutogentlyorsteeply rolloffthehighestorlowestfrequenciesinyourproject.Thisisnotaspreciseatoolasthesteep notchfiltersdescribedearlier.Howeverifyouhaveasimplelowhumandrumblebelowavoice forexample,youmaywishtosimplyenableahighpassfilterthatcutsallfrequenciesbelow65 Hz. FilterDCOffset ThisremovestheDC(directcurrent)offsetthatiscausedbytheimbalancethatsometimes occursinA/Dconverters.DCoffsetisexhibitedbythewaveformappearingaboveorbelowthe zeroline,andisundesirablebecausemaximumaudiolevelscannotbeeffectivelyachieved.DC offsetmayalsocauseaudibleartifactsdependinghowthesignalisbeingprocessed.
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REMOVING CLIPPING
Liveconcertsandonlocationinterviewsfrequentlybecomethevictimsofsignaloverloador clipping.Thisisoftentheresultoftoolittletimeavailableforsetuporsoundcheck.Inmusic recording,overlyenthusiasticsingersanddrummersarefrequentlytheworstoffenders! iZotopeRXfeaturesaDeclippertoolwhichcansaverecordingsfromsometypesofbothanalog anddigitalclippingoroverloaddistortion.
Repairing Clipping
ChoosingaDeclippingMode Inmostcases,itisbesttostartwiththeDeclippermodule'sSinglebandmode.Fortrickier clipping,youmayneedtouseMultibandmode(orMultiresolutionmodeinRXAdvanced). Welldiscussthislaterinthechapter. UsingtheHistogramtosettheClippingThreshold ThemostimportantpartofsettingDeclipperisfiguringoutatwhatlevelintherecordingthe clippingishappeningsoyoucansettheClippingThresholdcontrol.Dependingonhowthe recordingwasmade,whethertheclippingisanalogordigitalinnature,andotherfactors, clippingcanappearatdifferentdBlevels. ThehistogrammeterintheDeclippermoduleallowsyoutoanalyzeclippinginyourfile.Selecta sectionthatisclipped,andhittheComputebutton(ifyoureusingthepluginversionof Declipper,themeterwillautomaticallyupdateduringplayback).Agraphwillappearshowing theaveragelevelsoftheaudioovertheselectedtime.Thisiscalledahistogram.
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if the clipping point is below8 dB FS, the histogram will be empty. Your file may
need to be normalized. You can also raise the overall gain of the file using RX's Gain module.
MakeupGain Thiscontrolaccommodatestheincreasedpeaklevelscausedbythedeclippingprocess.When RXrebuildstheclippedpeaks,theywilloftengohigherthanzero.Iftherebuiltpeaksgoabove zerodBinRX,yourrecordingwillclipagainwhenyouexportit.Themakeupgaincontrollets yousettheresultinggainofthedeclippingprocesssothatthewaveformisbroughtdownbelow zero. WhenusingDeclipper,startbysettingmakeupgainataround6.0dB.Ifyou'reremoving clippingduringashortselectionofafile,youmaywanttosetthiscontrolhighertopreventa noticeablevolumedropintheprogrammaterialduringthedeclippedsection. Choosingaqualitymode TherearethreequalitymodesinRX'sDeclipper:Low,Medium,andHigh.Lowqualitymode processesveryquickly;Highqualitymodeprocessesslowlybutinsomecasescanachievebetter results.Inmanycasesyouwillfindthat"Low"qualitymodegivesyougreatresults.Tosavetime, alwaysstartbypreviewingtheLowqualitymodesfirst.
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WhentouseMultibandandMultiresolutionmodes Usually,Singlebandmodeisagoodstartforanyaudiofile,butifthequalityofsingleband declippingisinsufficient,youmaywanttotryothermodes,suchasMultibandor Multiresolutiondeclipping. BothMultibandandMultiResolutionmodeshavesimilarparameterstoSingleBandmode. HowevertheyalsoallowyoutoselectthenumberoffrequencybandsRXusestoperform interpolation.Ahighernumberofbandsdoesnotnecessarilymeanhigherquality,youmayneed tosearchforagoodsoundwiththisparameterasitisextremelysituationdependent.For example,multiresolutionmodecanbeusedincertainscenarioslikehighfemalevocalswith reverberationthathaveonlyamoderateamountofclipping.Werecommendyoutrymultiple modesandpreviewtheresultsintheCompareSettingswindow.
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Using RX Declicker
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Automatic Mode
Whenusingtheautomaticfeature,itsbesttopreviewtheoffendingclicksinthewaveform viewinordersettheproperwidthviatheMaximumclickwidthcontrol.Thewaveformviewis moreaccuratethanthespectrogramfordeterminingclickwidth. BeforeapplyingDeclicker,clickonpreviewtoheartheresultofyoursettingsandwhileaudiois inplayback,finetunethesensitivityandclickwidthsliderstoremovethemostclicksandpops. Theidealsettingshouldremovethemostclickswithoutdamagingtransientsintheprogram material.Forexample,drumhitsmaybemistakenforclicksathighWidthandSensitivity settings. OutputClicksOnly TickingthischeckboxwillletyouhearjusttheclicksandpopsthatRXisremoving.Thisis extremelyusefulforcheckingtomakesureyoureonlyremovingwhatyouwantto.Hitpreview withthisboxcheckedandifyouvesettheWidthandSensitivitycontrolscorrectlyyouwillhear justyourclicksandpopswithoutthecontentyouwanttokeep.
Quality The Low and Medium quality modes offer fairly good sound quality with low latency and CPU usage. These modes are ideal for using in time critical applications or when youre using the plugin version of Declicker in realtime in your audio host. The high quality settings will allow youtoremovemoretickswithlessresidualdamagetotheaudio.
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Manual Mode
Automatic mode is great for a quick fix, but many situations require a custom setting in order to totally clean the odd click or pop from your file. Find a prominent click or pop in the file yourecleaningandafterselectingitwiththemouse,zoominontheselectionandexamineitin thespectrogram. Once zoomed in, youll want to carefully reselect the noise you need to eliminate including only the noise spike thats visible. While the spectrogram will help with finding clicks, the waveform displaywill help you accurately select click boundaries. When you hit Apply, theclick will be removedusinginterpolationfromthesurroundingaudiodata.
The Declicker can only process selections with 4000 samples or less in Manual mode. Should your selection be wider than 4000 samples, you may need to remove the problem withSpectralRepair(whichwelldiscussinthenextchapter).
Iftheresultisnotsatisfactory,tryadjustingInterpolationOrderorotherparameters.If theclick or popis verylong, Declicker may cause a minor drop in level. You may want to try the RX SpectralRepairtoolinstead.
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TimeSelectionthistoolallowsyoutoselectasegmentofyourprojectalongthetimeline. TimeFrequency Selection allows you to make rectangular selections in the Spectrogram
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Displaytoisolatesoundsbytimeandfrequency. FrequencySelectionletsyouselectbyjustfrequency(verticallyintheSpectrogram). The ZoomSelection tool, when enabled,zooms into time and frequency selections as you make them. MostoftenwhenremovingintermittentnoiseyouwillbeusingtheTimeSelectiontooltoselect ashortsliceofaudioalongthetimeline,orusingtheTimeFrequencyselectiontooltodrawa boxaroundanoffendingsoundburiedinyouraudiofile.Heresanexampleofwhatmakinga TimeFrequencyselectionwilllooklikeinRXsSpectrogramDisplay:
Inthis casewevedrawna narrowrectangularselectionaroundaveryclearlydefinedsound:an electronic beep. This is a good example of a sound that occupies only a certain frequency range thatmustbesurgicallyremovedtoavoiddamagingthesurroundingfrequencies. InsomecasesyouwillwanttoselectallfrequenciesoverarangeoftimeandapplySpectral Repair.Usuallythisworksbestforshortsectionsofaudiothatarecompletelycorruptedor unusable,gapsanddropouts,andwhereanoiseextendsfromthetoptothebottomofthe frequencyspectrum. Previewingtheselectedsound Onceyouvedrawnaselectionaroundaspecifictimeandfrequencyrange,clickthePreview Selectionbuttoninthetransport.ThisspecialPlaybuttonwillplaybackonlytheselection, allowingyoutohearwhatisintheboxyouveselected.Thisisgreatformakingsureyouve
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accuratelyselectedonlywhatyouwanttofix.
Decidedyouwanttochangeyourselectionslightly?Youcansimplygrabtheedgesofa
selectionboxtoresizeit. ChoosingaSpectralRepairMode Now that youve carefully selected the noise you want to repair, open the Spectral Repair tool. The first thing youll need to do is choose from one of Spectral Repairs four processing modes. Eachofthesemodesusesadifferenttechniqueformakingarepair.Youmaywanttotryeachof these in turn on the same noise to see which works the best. Here are some general guidelines onhowtouseeach: Attenuate Thismodeisgreatforblendingnoisesintothebackgroundofarecordingandmakingthem inaudible.Forexample,aneventlikethebeepshownabove,acellphonering,acarhornora squeakydooraregoodcandidatesforthismode.Attenuatelooksattheaudioaroundthe selectedeventandusesthatinformationtoblendtheoffendingsoundintotherecordings background.Thismodeissuitableforrecordingswithbackgroundnoiseorwherenoiseisthe essentialpartofmusic(drums,percussion)andshouldbeaccuratelypreserved.It'salsogood whenunwantedeventsarenotobscuringthedesiredsignalcompletely. TheStrengthcontroladjustshowaggressivelySpectralRepairattenuatesthesound youveselected.Ifyousetstrengthtoalowsetting,someofthenoisemaystillbe audible.Ifyousetittoohigh,youmayhearaholeintheaudioatthepointofthe repair.Findingagoodbalancebetweenthetwoisthekeytogettinggreatresultswith thistool. DirectiondetermineswhichdirectiontheSpectralRepairalgorithmwilllookwhenitis figuringouthowtorepairthesound.InVerticalorHorizontalmodesitwilllookatthe materialaboveandbelow,ortotheleftandright,oftheselection.In2Dmode,itlooks aroundtheeventinalldirections.Tryingeachofthesemodescangiveyoudramatically differentresults.Trythemalltoseewhichoneworksbestonyourrepair.We recommendusingVerticalmodeforlongnarrowrepairs,andhorizontalmodeforshort timeselectionsthatcoverawidefrequencyrange.
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youvemade,seamlesslyblendingtherepairintothesurroundingaudio.Patternmodeis particularlyusefulforgapsandbadlydamagedorcorruptedsectionsofaudio.TryusingPattern modeondropoutsinrhythmicpartslikedrumtracksitcanworkwonders. Partials+Noise ThismodecanbethoughtofasanadvancedversionofReplacemode.Itisalsoagoodchoice forsustainedmusicalmaterialandtones.Whenusedcarefullyitrestoresharmonicsoftheaudio moreaccurately.Itcaneventrackchangesinpitchbetweenthebeginningandendofagap. Partials+Noisemodelinksdetectedharmonicsbysynthesizingthemthroughtheselection,and interpolatestherestofthesignalusingtheReplacemethod. HarmonicSensitivityadjuststheamountofdetectedandlinkedharmonicsinPartials+ Noisemode.Lowervalueswilldetectfewerharmonics,whilehighervalueswilldetect moreharmonicsandcanintroducesomeunnaturalpitchmodulationsinthe interpolatedresult.
CommonControls Spectral Repairs modes share several common controls that affect the way the selection is repaired. SurroundingRegionLengthletsyouchoosehowfarbeforeandaftertheselection SpectralRepairwilllookwhenfiguringouthowtomaketherepair.Tryingdifferent settingswillhelpyoufindthebestrepairforyourparticularproblem. Before/AfterWeightingdetermineswhetherSpectralRepairusesmoreinformation frombeforeoraftertheselectiontomaketherepair.Forexample,youmayneedto repairasustainedsectionofaudiorightbeforeanothereventonthetimeline.Toavoid smearingofthatothereventintoyourrepair,settheWeightingcontrolallthewayto thelefttoonlyuseaudiobeforetheselectiontomaketherepair. NumberofbandsselectsthenumberoffrequencybandsthatRXusestomakethe repair.Ahighernumberofbandscanprovidebetterfrequencyresolution,butwillalso useawidersurroundingarea. Multiresolution(RXAdvancedonly)thismodeallowsforbetterfrequencyresolutionat lowfrequenciesandbettertimeresolutionathighfrequenciessimultaneously.
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GENERAL RX TOOLS
Comparing Settings
Theabilitytoeasily,repeatedlyandaccuratelycomparesettings,visuallyandaurally,withinthe fiveRXmodulesisavaluabletoolaswellasatruetimesaverinwhateverprojectyouundertake. YoullfindtheCompareSettingsfeaturetobeanextremelyusefulreferencewhencontrastinga widerangeofchoiceswiththeoriginal.Takingnotesonyoursettingsandsavingyourown presetscanbeanexcellentpathtowardefficientandeffectiveaudiorestorationprocedure. SendingsettingstotheCompareSettingsWindow Findasettinginthemoduleyoufeelworksforaspecificsituationandthenclickonthe Comparebutton.RXautomaticallyopenstheCompareSettingswindowwhileprocessingthe resultofyoursettingsinthebackground.Viewandchangeyoursettingsandclickagainon Compare.RXwilladdanewitemtothelisteachtimeyouclickonCompare.Byclickingon OriginalwithyournewSettings,youllhaveaninstantcomparisonwitheverySettinglistedin thewindow. Repeatthisstepwithothercontrolsettingsorprocessingmodesinthemodule.Thesewillbe listedwithdefaultnames,butyoucanusetheRenamebuttontochooseyourownnamesfor theitemsinyourComparelist.NoticethattheSpectrogramdisplay,aswellasthesound, changeseachtimeyouselectaSettingintheCompareSettingswindow.
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Batch Processing
RX offers numerous time savers and Batch Processing is one of the best. Simply defined, Batch Processingpermitstheautomationofprocessingongroupsoffiles.
UseofBatchProcessingallowsautomationofalonglistoffilestoberunandprocessed
inthebackgroundwhileyoudootherthings:getasnack,walkthedog,takeanap. ApplyBatchProcessingtofiles BeginbyselectingFile|BatchProcessing.Clickthe"AddFiles"buttontoaddoneormorefilefor batchprocessing,thenchoosetheprocessingmoduleyouwishtouse.Toviewthesettingsfora particular batch processing job, click the View Settings button. After making changes, to grab a snapshot of the module's current settings to use for batch processing, click the Update Settings button.
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EQ
RXincludesa4bandparametricequalizermodulewithadjustablenotchfiltersand lowpass/highpassfilters.Thiscanbeahandytoolforcuttingorboostingcertainfrequencies, orforquicklyremovingunwantedloworhighfrequencysoundslikerumbleorhiss.
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Presetsmenusavegroupsofkeyassignmentswiththistool(seeparagraphonPresets) Showcommandscontainingletsyousearchbykeywordforacommandyouwanttoassigntoa keystroke Shortcutsforselectedcommandshowsifthereareanykeystrokesassignedtothecommand selectedintheabovemenu Removeremovesthecurrentlyassignedkeystrokefromacommand PressShortcutKeytoassignanewkeystroketoacommand,selectthecommandfromthe menu,thenclickinthisfieldandpressakeyorcombinationofkeys Assignassignstheenteredkeystroketothecurrentcommand Shortcutkeycurrentlyusedbylistscommandstowhichthecurrentkeystrokeisassigned Resetreturnssettingstodefaults
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CheckthePreservenonaudiodataboxwhenyouexportyourfileifyouneedtopreserve
additionaldatainyouraudio,suchascuemarkersorACIDizedWAVinformation. DitherModes:
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NewbitdepthThissetsthetargetresolution(bitdepth)oftheaudiofile. NoiseshapingByshapingthedithernoise,itispossibletoprovidemoreeffectiveand transparentditheringbyshiftingthedithernoisespectrumintotheleastaudiblefrequency bands.Youcancontroltheaggressivenessofthisshaping,rangingfromNone(noshaping) throughUltra(roughly14dBofaudiblenoisesuppression) DitherAmountTheditheringamountcanbevariedfromNone(noiseshapingonly)toHigh.No ditheringorLowditheramountcanleavesomenonlinearquantizationdistortionordither noisemodulation,whilehighersettingscompletelyeliminatethenonlineardistortionatthe expenseofaslightlyincreasednoisefloor.Ingeneral,theNormalditheramountisagood choice. AutoblankingThisoptioninstructsRXtocompletelymuteditheroutput(i.e.dithernoise) whentheinputsignaliscompletelysilent(0bitsofaudio). LimitingofnoisepeaksDithernoiseisrandominnatureandexhibitsverylowamplitude. However,afternoiseshaping,especiallyinaggressiveditheringmodes,thehighfrequency dithernoiseissignificantlyamplified,andtheoveralldithersignalcanshowspuriouspeaksup to60dBfs,(anabbreviationfordecibelamplitudelevelsindigitalsystemswhichhavea maximumavailablelevel).Ifsuchhighpeaksareundesirable,youcanenablethisoptionto effectivelysuppressthespuriouspeaksinthenoiseshapeddither.
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NewSamplingRateThissettingchoosesthesamplingrateyouwanttoconvertto.Choosea sampleratefromthedropdownlist,orclickonthefieldtotypeinanothersamplerate FiltersteepnessControlsthesteepnessoffiltercutoff.Steeperfiltersperformbetterin frequencydomain,i.e.passmoreinusefulrangeandsuppressaliasingbetter,butworseintime domain,i.e.havestrongerringing.Ringingofdigitalfiltersissmearingoftransientenergyin processedsignalsneartheNyquistfrequency.It'sdisputablewhetherthisaffectssoundquality atall,butsomesuggestthatexcessiveringingnegativelyaffectsstereoimagingandbass perception.That'swhyitmaybeimportantforsomeuserstodecidehowprecisetheyreally needtobeinfrequencydomainandhowmuchringingtheycantolerateinthetimedomain. CutoffshiftCutoffscalingshiftsthefiltercutofffrequencyupordowntofinetunethe frequencyresponseoftheresampler.Shiftingcutoffdownsuppressesmoreusefulpassband signals,butalsorejectsmorealiasingcomponentsinthestopband.It'spossibletoshiftthe cutofftocompletelysuppressanyaliasinginthestopband(byabout180dBormore).It's
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SUMMARY
ThankyouforreadingRestoringAudiowithiZotopeRX.Wehopethatthisguidehasgivenyou thebackgroundyouneedtosuccessfullyrestoreaudiowithavarietyofproblems.Nowthat youvereadtheguide,besuretodownloadouraudioexamplesandmoveontotheAppendix, whereyoullfinddescriptionsofhowtorepairrealworldaudioproblemsusingwhatyouvejust learnedfromtheGuide.
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Nat Johnson
WhilestillamusicstudentinBoston,NatJohnsonbeganacareerinradiobroadcastingand soundrecordingwhenhejoinedtheConcertNetworkasanannouncerandmusicprogrammer. Duringthisperiod,hewasofferedtheopportunitytorecordaseasonofliveperformancesfor SarahCaldwellsOperaCompanyofBoston.Soonthereafter,NatjoinedthestaffatWGBHTV andRadioandwasassignedtheunique,tripleroleofannouncer,producerandaudioengineer andwherehebecameengagedwiththerecordingandmixingofmultitrackrecordings, includingbroadcastsbytheBostonSymphonyandPopsOrchestras. WhileinEnglandproducinganalbumforWGBHattheBBCStudiosinLondon,Natreceivedan invitationfromRayDolbytotourDolbyLaboratoriesatClaphamandlater,asaproducerfor RCARecords,continuedhisassociationswithDolbyinNewYorkdevelopingProLogicsurround remasteringprojectsforCD.In1999,whilesupervisingclassicalandfilmmusicreissuesat BMG/RCA,JohnsoninitiatedauniqueaudiophileseriesofhighendCDsemployingWeiss24/96 A/DconvertersandSonicSolutionsHighDensityeditingsystem.In2000,Natwasnominated foraGrammyasProducerofthe94CDRubinsteinCollectionforBMG/RCA. In2004,Natfoundedhisowncompany,RockportRestorationStudiosinRockport, Massachusetts,specializingintherestorationandpreservationofearlysoundrecordings.At present,heisheadingaprojecttorestoreallknownextantrecordingscontainingthespeeches andWhiteHouseconversationsofPresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt.
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Example1:RemovingBroadbandNoisefromaConcertRecording
DETAILS: PlayerorganrecordinginBoston:VierneOrganSymphonyNo.1Allegro(STEREO).Originallyrecordedon Ampex440B,analoguetape,nonoisereductionusedatsession. COMMENTS: Theprincipalproblemwasasteady,lowlevelbackgroundnoiseresemblingtapehiss.Thechallengewasto reducethenoisewithoutsacrificingupperregisterharmonicsduringquietpassagesinthemusic.Thus,the settingsinDenoiser(particularlythreshold)Iusedwereconservative.Nat TIP:Zoomingintoselectedquietpassageswiththespectrogram,examiningthewaveformandcheckingyour programaurallywhilecomparingagainsttheoriginalcanbeacheckthatyourprogrammaterialisntbeing compromisedduringprocessing.Foraneasycomparison,IdrecommendopeningtwoinstancesofRX simultaneouslyonewiththeoriginalaudioandonewithyourprocessedversion.TIP:Leavingalittlenoise behindispreferabletohearingnobackgroundsoundatall! GOALS: TrainRXsDenoiserusingasampleofjustnoise.ThenuseDenoisertoreducebackgroundhissand lowlevelhum. Trynottodamagethemusicalqualityoftheperformancesometimesleavingsomenoisebehindis betterthantakingthelifeoutoftherecording!YoumaywanttobeconservativewiththeNoise suppressioncontrols,andturntheSmoothingorMusicalNoiseReductioncontrolsuptoprevent artifacts.
TrainDenoiserwiththejustnoisesignalpresentbeforetheorganstartsplaying
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BeforeandAfternoisereduction
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COMMENTS: Thisveryearlydisc,manufacturedwithprimitiveshellacpressingmaterial,wasintolerablynoisyanduntilRX Denoiserbecameavailable,therewasnoknownwaytoreducethisdegreeofoverwhelmingbackground interferencewithoutlosingsomeofthevoiceaswell.Iusedathresholdofonly4.6onDenoiserwhichwas sufficienttodrivedownthebackgroundgrungeandliftupthevoice.PreviewandOutputNoiseOnlyweremost usefultoolsduringmyexperimentationwithdifferentsettings.NatJohnson BackgroundinformationontherecordingplustheentireRXrestorationcanbefoundonlineat http://www.gracyk.com/johnson.shtml. GOALS: UseDenoisertogetridoftheheavybackgroundnoise.Trytoimprovetheintelligibilityofthevoice withoutobscuringthepoemwithnoisereductionartifacts. UsingRXsEQwillgetridofthehighfrequencydistortionwithoutdamagingthevoiceinthe recording.Usingalowpassfilterthatcutseverythingaboveabout4,000Hzwilldonicely.
The Spectrogram Display before and after Denoiser and EQ are applied
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Example3:RestoringanHistoricalSpeech:MakingVoiceMoreIntelligible
DETAILS: ThisfilecontainsthevoiceoffamedphilanthropistAndrewCarnegie,recordedIn1914(Internetsource) (MONO) COMMENTS: Someofthewordsinthisspeech,recordedbyCarnegiein1914,aresomewhatdifficulttodecipherowingtoa pronouncedScottishburr,madeevenmoremuffledbysomeonesrudimentaryattemptatnoisereduction.In addition,therewassteadystatebackgroundnoise.IbeganwithRXEQtoraisethevoiceoutofthemudusinga slightboostroughlybetween1Kand9KandthenranDenoiser.IlefttheEQcompensationinfollowing Denoisingasthisleftthespeechabitclearer.NatJohnson GOALS: Usegentlelinearphaseequalizationtoliftthevoiceoutofthebackgroundnoise. UseRXDenoisertoreducesteadystatebackgroundnoise
Using a tag-team approach of EQ and Denoiser can make buried dialog much more intelligible
Example4:CleaningupaPhoneInterviewwithSpectralRepair
DETAILS:
InterviewwithFrancisFordCoppola,recordeddirectlytoDATfromphonepatch(MONO) COMMENTS: Theseproblemswerecausedmainlybymechanicalcontactwiththetelephonehandset.Priortothe developmentofRXSpectralRepair,therewasnotrulysuccessfulmethodofremovinglongnoises(longerthan 10msorso)fromontopofprogramsignalwithoutcorruptingdesiredcontent.TheRXSpectralRepairmodules, alongwiththeRXspectrogramandzoomcontrols,allowedextremelypreciseisolationofeachproblem.By accurateremoval(orreduction)ofthedisturbancefollowedbyinterpolation,spectralrepairwasabletofix nearlyeverydisturbanceinthisinterview. Forinstance,at11.62secondsintothesuppliedCoppolaexamplewherehespeaksthewordsmotionpicture business,thereisaloudclick.Becausetheclickisover4000samples,Declickerwontworkineither automaticormanualmode.Instead,thenoisewassuccessfullyremovedbyusingSpectralRepairusing Replace.NatJohnson SUMMARY: UsingRXSpectralRepairsReplaceandAttenuatemodes,removephonehandsetnoisefromthe interview. UsingReplacemode,getridofhandsetnoises. Useattenuatetoremovelowfrequencythumpsleftbehind.
Each of the phone handset noises is comprised of a vertical spike and a horizontal thump
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Removing the vertical spikes with Replace mode still leaves a thump
A quick pass with Attenuate mode gets rid of the low frequency sound
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Example5:RemovingClicksandPopsfromaConcertonRecord
DETAILS: KingsCollegeChoir,Cambridge,England.Source:331/3RPMLP(1965recording,STEREO) COMMENTS: IfoundthislongsoughtafterdiscinasecondhandrecordshopandwantedtotransferittoCD.Fortunately, theonlyproblemsweencounteredweremostlylightvinylclicksandheavyroomambiencefrominsidethe massivechapelatCambridgeUniversity.DeclickerwasemployedusingtheautomaticfunctionusingHigh QualityDeclickerandoneortwospotsinthemanualmode.Generally,IrecommendusingHighQuality Declickerwheneverpossible.TherumblingroomtonewasreducedbyDenoiser,againusingathresholdof 0.0.NatJohnson GOALS: UseRXDeclickerinautomaticandmanualmodestoremoveclicksandpops UseRXDenoisertoremovebackgroundnoise.Trytoretainthemusicalcharacterofthe performancewhileremovingasmuchoftheoffendingnoiseaspossible
TherecordingbeforerunningAutomaticDeclicker
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Clicks(verticallines)arenowcompletelyrepaired
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Example6:RemovingClippingfromaPhoneInterview
DETAILS: ThisphoneinterviewforaniZotopePodcastwithproducerMorganPagewasrecordedwithphoneline breakoutboxandUSBaudiointerface. COMMENTS: Thisisaclassicexampleofinputgainbeingsettoohighresultinginnastyclipping.Inthisexamplethedistorted sectionscanbeclearlyheard,butlookingatthemwiththeSpectrogramDisplayandWaveformoverlayshows themevenmoreclearly. BeginbyselectingasectionofclippedaudiothenhittingComputebelowDeclippersHistogramDisplay.This helpsyouseewheretheclippingisoccurring.SettheThresholdcontrolsothattheredlineisbelowtheclipping intheHistogram(clippingwillappearasahorizontalline,usuallywithnoinformationaboveitinthedisplay). Hitapplytoseetheresult. GOALS: UseRXDeclickerinautomaticandmanualmodestoremoveclicksandpops UseRXDenoisertoremovebackgroundnoise.Trytoretainthecharacterofthevoicewhile removingasmuchoftheoffendingnoiseaspossible.
AnalyzeaclippedareawiththeComputebuttonandHistogramwindow
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AfterrunningDeclipper,Waveformsshowamorenaturalshapeandharmonicdistortiondisappears
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Example7:RemovingGuitarStringSqueakswithSpectralRepair
DETAILS: ThisrecordingbyguitaristJamieRobertsoncontainsafewloudsqueakstheresultofslidingoneshandup anddownthefretboardquickly. COMMENTS: Insituationslikethis,itsalwaysajudgementcall.Shouldyouremoveallminorblemishesifyourtoolsallow youto?Orshouldyouleavethingslikethesesqueaksinthefinalproducttokeeptherecordingscharacter intact?Sometimesremovingonlythemostoffendingeventsisthebesttactic,butwellletyoudecidehowfar togo! IdentifythesqueaksusingtheSpectrogramDisplay.UsingReplaceModeinSpectralRepair,selectthesqueaks carefullyandapplytheprocess.HINT:Becausethesesqueaksoftenoccurrightbeforeanewchordornoteis played,youmaywanttosettheBefore/Afterweightingcontrolallthewaytotheleft.Thiswillensurethatthe repairismadeusingsustainedmaterialfromtheearlierchordonly. GOALS: UseRXSpectralRepairsReplacemodetoreplacesqueakswithnaturalguitarsustain. UseBefore/AfterWeightingtousesustainedmaterialfromthepreviouschordsonlywhen makingarepair. Aimforarealisticresultthatwillnotsoundunnaturaltothelistener.
Stringsqueakselected
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Stringsqueakinterpolatedusingmaterialfrombeforetheevent
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Example8:FillingaGapinAudiowithSpectralRepair
DETAILS: Thisisasweepingsquarewavewitha.2secondsectionofmissingaudio. COMMENTS: RXsSpectralRepairhasamodecalledPartials+Noisewhichissuitedtofixingsectionsofmissingaudiolike thisonethathavechangesinpitch.ThisextremeexampledemonstrateshowRXcanresynthesizemissing sectionsofaudio,includingharmonicsaboveanote. GOALS: UseRXSpectralRepairsPartials+Noisemodetofillthegap Trytocreatethemostnaturalsoundingrepairpossiblewhenthesettingsarecorrect,thereplaced audioshouldbeaudiblyperfect Experimentwiththeareayouselectthiscanmakeabigdifferenceintheresultsoftheprocessing
SelectthegapanduseSpectralRepairsPartials+Noisemode
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Whensettingsareappliedcorrectly,SpectralRepairwillfillthegapconvincingly
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