It’s always best to mitigate noise in your audio recordings before it can be picked up by a microphone. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen and it’s necessary to soften up that signal noise in post production. Most modern DAW’s (digital audio workstations, AKA audio production programs) use plugins to help with this process. And some DAW’s make finding those plugins a bit of a challenge. That’s why I’ve decided to post a quick tutorial on how to do noise reduction with the ReaFir plugin for Reaper.
Most unwanted noise in audio recordings tends to be constant throughout the length of the piece. Usually, these artifacts come from something in the environment such as a cooling fan or an electrical issue between the microphone and the sound input. When you have this type of continuous noise in a recording, noise-reduction plugins can come in handy as you’ll usually only need to set them once, and then they’ll apply the noise reduction to the entire track or noisy section.
To get started with noise reduction in Reaper, click the FX button on a track that’s got some unwanted noise. This will bring up the Add FX box, which shows all of the plugins and effects available to your Reaper installation. In the Filter list box at the bottom, type in “Reafir.”
Next, double-click the listing for the VST: ReaFir Dynamics Processor plugin. This will add the ReaFir plugin to your track and automatically open the plugin’s settings box.
From here, you’ll want to change the Mode drop down menu to Subtract and tick the checkbox next to that menu labeled “Automatically build noise profile (enable during noise).” These settings tell ReaFir that you want to remove certain frequencies from your recording and that you’d like the plugin to identify those frequencies automatically.
Now, align Reaper’s playhead so it’s at the beginning of a section of noisy audio but make sure that section doesn’t contain any speech or other wanted sounds. Otherwise, the plugin will think that the sounds you actually want to preserve are part of the problem and it’ll do it’s best to remove those, too! I also like to solo the troublesome track at this point, just so it’s easier to monitor when setting up the plugin.
Once the playhead is in place, click the play button (or press the space bar) and let the playhead go over at least twenty to thirty seconds of the recorded signal noise. Be sure to stop playback before you reach any of the desired sounds that are the intended focus of the recording. (If you were unable to stop playback in time, click the Reset button and start the process again.) Now, ReaFir has built a noise profile and automatically created a filter based on that profile.
Audio Noise Remover
Untick the checkbox next to the Mode menu but leave all of the other settings alone. Now, when you listen back to that track, you should no longer hear the unwanted noise.
There's a noise reduction plugin that comes as part of Pyro (Cakewalk's CD-burning application). It uses the common learn / apply technique (you let it 'listen' to what you consider to be noise, and then it uses that profile to cancel out similar sounds in the whole recording).
Voxengo Redunoise is a high-resolution noise reduction plug-in that provides a wide range of controls for reducing and eliminating noise. A comprehensive noise reduction system that goes beyond the capabilities of your average noise-ridding plug-in, it is a versatile solution that should find many uses in your productions.
To get started with noise reduction in Reaper, click the FX button on a track that’s got some unwanted noise. This will bring up the Add FX box, which shows all of the plugins and effects available to your Reaper installation. In the Filter list box at the bottom, type in “Reafir.”.
Bertom Denoiser is a free noise reduction plugin designed for music and post production / dialogue. A simple user interface which doesn't rely on 'learning' a static noise profile.; Fully automatable.; Low CPU usage so it can be used on many tracks.; Works in the time domain with zero latency.; Doesn't simply react to the raw input signal but tracks how the noise is evolving in each. ERA Noise Remover runs as a VST, Audio Unit or AAX plugin within a piece of host software: a DAW or an NLE such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Audition, Audacity, Apple Logic, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live and many others. How to Use the ERA Noise Remover plugin.
Restoration Suite 2 — a Giant Leap in Audio Quality
Restoration Suite 2 is a suite of four cutting edge plug-in for audio restoration and noise reduction:
DeNoise 2 is a plug-in designed to reduce noise such as hiss, wind noise, buzz and camera noise. The noise can be reduced automatically in the adaptive mode or after measuring the characteristics of the noise in the noise profile mode. New in version 2 are dynamic noise profiles that capture the dynamic properties of the noise so that noise that fluctuates over time, such as wind noise, can be effectively reduced. The new algorithm has also been greatly improved and is now even less prone to typical de-noising artifacts.
DeHum 2 targets hum and buzz typically introduced by poorly grounded electrical equipment, but also other tonal noise sources like electrical motor noise. The hum detection algorithm has been improved in version 2 and there’s now a new Scan button that automatically fine tunes the fundamental hum frequency.
DeClick 2 is designed to remove impulsive noise such as clicks, crackle and thumps. These distortions are frequently encountered on LP and 78 RPM records, but also occur in digital recordings due to drop-outs or distorted data packets. DeClick 2’s thump reduction works also effectively on vocal recordings with unwanted plosives. The algorithm has been improved in version 2 and is now less prone to reducing attacks and transients in the wanted signal.
DeClip 2 restores audio recordings distorted by analog or digital clipping with an improved algorithm.
New in Version 2
All four plug-ins have received major improvements both in the processing algorithms and the user interface compared to version 1. DeNoise 2 introduces the novel dynamic noise profiles that help reducing noise that varies randomly over time, such as wind noise or rustle from lavalier microphones. Where the earlier versions merely captured a static noise print with time-constant noise levels, the dynamic noise profiles capture statistics from the noise to be reduced. The noise suppression algorithm then estimates the most suitable noise threshold curve for the noisy input signal using the measured statistics.
DeNoise 2, DeClick 2 and DeHum 2 now support Mid/Side (M/S) processing, which can reduce unwanted fluctuations in the stereo image. The core algorithm in DeClick 2 received major improvements and now better preserves transients and can be pushed to higher click and crackle sensitivities without introducing artifacts.
DeHum 2 has a new automatic fine-tune button that triggers automatic estimation of the hum noise frequency. The hum tracking and suppression have also been improved. DeClip 2 was improved in terms of audio quality and now offers even more impressive reconstruction of clipped signal peaks. All the plug-ins in the suite now support surround and immersive audio formats up to 7.1.6 channels.
Acon Digital Restoration Suite 2 is available as VST, VST3 or AAX for both Windows and Mac or as AU plug-ins for Mac. There are 32 and 64 bit versions for Windows and the Mac version is 64 bit.
Downloads
Restoration Suite 2.0.9 Win32 Multilingual Demo & full version
Restoration Suite 2.0.9 Win64 Multilingual Demo & full version
Restoration Suite 2.0.9 OS X Multilingual Demo & full version
Purchase Links
Full Version
$99.90 USD
Upgrades
$49.90 USD From Restoration Suite1.x
The upgrade from Restoration Suite 1.x is free of charge if you purchased after August 1st, 2019. Please send us a support message if you haven’t already received your license key per mail.
Testimonials
By “FAR”, the best NR that I’ve ever heard! David Miles Huber, 4X Grammy-nominated artist
Press Reviews
An excellent sounding, well designed suite of plug-ins that’s great for quick and easy restoration work. The Restoration Suite offers an effective and affordable alternative to its more expensive counterparts. Verdict 9/10. MusicTech November 2014
Remarkably impressive […], absolutely spectacular. Show & Tell Review at Pro Tools Expert
Acon Digital DeNoise 2 removes stationary noise such as hiss, camera noise and wind noise.
Acon Digital DeHum 2 removes hum and buzz-like stationary noise. It features a novel algorithm that is significantly better at preserving the source material than classical notch filters.
Acon Digital DeClip 2 repairs clipped audio material.
Acon Digital DeClick 2 effectively removes impulsive noise such as clicks, crackle, thumps and plosives.
Platforms and Plug-in Formats
Available as VST, VST3 or AAX plug-ins on PC (Windows)
Available as VST, VST3, AAX or AU plug-ins on Apple Macintosh (OS X)
The Windows is available as native 32 bit or 64 bit versions and the Mac version is 64 bit
Supports sampling rates up to 192 kHz
Supports surround and immersive multi-channel audio up to 7.1.6 channels
Acon Digital DeNoise 2
Advanced algorithms reduce stationary noise efficiently with minimal impact on the wanted material
Reduces noise in adaptive mode or based on noise analysis.
Novel dynamic noise profiles makes it possible to remove noise that changed rapidly over time
Transient detection ensures that transients remain untouched throughout the noise reduction process
Target broadband and tonal noise or optionally broadband only
Graphical representation of input frequency spectrum and the noise profile
Frequency emphasis filter
High and low shelving filters with variable slopes (-3 to -96 dB / octave)
High and low peak filters with adjustable bandwidth (0.1 to 3.0 octaves)
Graphical representation of frequency response
Editing of filter settings through handles in the frequency response curve
Solo Noise mode allows you to listen to the removed signal
Acon Digital DeHum 2
Remove hum and buzz with minimal loss of the wanted signal
Novel sinusoidal re-synthesis algorithm (preserves wanted signal to a much larger extent) or conventional notch filter mode
Adaptive mode allows removal of hum signals with a fluctuating fundamental frequency
New automatic fine-tune button looks automatically scans the fundamental frequency
Removes up to 96 harmonics
Optional M/S processing
Option to target only odd harmonics
High resolution spectrum analysis of the input signal
Visual indication of the estimated fundamental frequency as well as the harmonics
Solo Hum mode allows you to listen to the removed signal
Acon Digital DeClick 2
Audacity Noise Removal Settings
Seperate detection and restoration of clicks, crackle, thumps and plosives
Very accurate detection of click start time and duration ensures minimal impact on the wanted material
Improved algorithm allows higher sensitivities without artifacts
CPU efficient algorithm
Optional M/S processing
Visual curve meters show the clicks and crackle removal rates
Residual signal mode allows you to listen to the removed signal
Acon Digital DeClip 2
Reconstructs peaks distorted by analog or digital clipping
Improved algorithm over version 1.x
Separately adjustable upper and lower threshold values
Optional upper and lower threshold lock simplifies the workflow in the case of symmetrical clipping
Graphical representation of the input and output level histograms makes it easy to set the threshold values and monitor the restoration process visually
Threshold values can be adjusted directly from the level histograms by dragging upper and lower threshold handles
PC Version (Windows)
Windows 7 / 8.x / 10
A host application that is compatible with VST, VST3 (32 bit or 64 bit) or AAX (Pro Tools 11 or higher)
Intel Core i3 or AMD multi-core processor (Intel Core i5 or faster recommended)
1366 x 768 display resolution (1920 x 1080 or higher recommended)
1 GB RAM (4 GB or more recommended)
1 GB free HD space
Noise Removal Vst Plugins Free Download
Macintosh Version (OS X)
OS X 10.8 or later
A host application that is compatible with AU, VST, VST3 or AAX (Pro Tools 11 or higher)