I used to believe that it was IMPOSSIBLE to remove noise from audio recordings.
That’s understandable, considering how many TERRIBLE noise suppressor plugins out there. However, I discovered 3 of the best noise suppressor plugins and am now a BELIEVER.
Everything I used prior has ALWAYS deteriorated the quality of my track…
The first noise suppression plugin that changed my mind was NoiseAssist. It ran off of the internal DSP from a Sound Devices MixPre6-II I was renting for a gig.
The second noise suppressor that impressed me was from the ERA 5 Bundle by accusonus.
BUT… It’s the C-Vox Noise & Ambience reduction from C-Suite that revolutionized noise suppression. I can’t wait to tell you more about this one!
Keep reading to find out which of these plugins YOU’LL be using…
- Noise Gate vs Noise Suppressor
- 1. C-Suite C-Vox Noise & Ambience Reduction
- 2. Sound Devices – NoiseAssist
- 3. Accusonus ERA 5 Bundle – Noise Remover
- Summary: 3 of the Best Noise Suppressor Plugins
Noise Gate vs Noise Suppressor
One of the biggest misconceptions with noise reduction comes from noise gates.
That’s why I personally started developing doubts in regards to noise reduction. For example, Logic Pro X’s stock noise reduction plugin is a NOISE GATE.
That’s why I DON’T recommend using it.
It sounds bad because it doesn’t remove noise, it simply “mutes” your sound source when it drops below a certain threshold.
That’s why it sounds “choppy”… DON’T do that to your tracks, please.
One of the investments you’ll need to make is towards a good noise suppression plugin. ALL of the plugins we talked about today use a process known as SPECTRAL DENOISING.
In other words, it actually REMOVES noise from your audio.
I’m not entirely sure how this works…
I believe that some of these plugins work using AI or some clever algorithm.
Anyway, if you’re still doubting the possibility of PROFESSIONAL noise suppression…
Just take some time, check out some of these plugins!!
1. C-Suite C-Vox Noise & Ambience Reduction
Let’s start with my FAVOURITE noise suppression plugin, C-Vox Noise & Ambience Reduction.
It was just released a few days ago (at time of writing) and it arrived just in time…
Most of you know how difficult it is to record sound/audio in “less-than ideal” environments. I admit that even MY recording studio isn’t the most ideal location.
One of the most common issues with rooms is VENTILATION.
You may also be fighting with other sources such as appliances, traffic, etc…
Well, C-Suite has officially made it possible to record vocals and to…
- Livestream
- Podcast
- Voice-Over
AND pretty much anything that requires COMPLETE SILENCE.
I’m still blown away by the technology involved with the C-Vox noise suppressor…
When I did some more research, I found out that noise suppression technology developed by CEDAR was used. If you’re not familiar with CEDAR Audio, they basically make audio restoration software/hardware for FORENSICS.
Now you’ll understand how it’s possible to COMPLETELY remove noise.
It doesn’t deteriorate audio quality AT ALL.
It’s like magic every time I use it… It NEVER gets old!!
Oh, did I forget to mention that C-Vox Noise & Ambient Reduction runs in REALTIME?
In other words, that means ZERO-LATENCY.
However, the fact that this plugin is exclusive to Universal Audio might disappoint some. Personally, I’ve been using UAD products for quite some time and THEY ROCK!!
It’s revolutionary technology, especially when paired with forensic-grade noise suppression.
You’ll just need to see it in action…
2. Sound Devices – NoiseAssist
During one of my sound mixing/recording opportunities, I got to work with the Sound Devices MixPre6-II. Luckily, it was already loaded with all of the plugins including NoiseAssist.
If you were to purchase any of the compatible Sound Devices units, just keep in mind that you would need to purchase NoiseAssist separately.
It’s kind of pricey, but it just might be worth it out there in the field.
NoiseAssist is also the first noise suppressor to make me rethink noise suppression.
However, I can’t say that this one is completely flawless…
I still used the next plugin we’ll be talking about to make touch-ups.
That being said, I still believe that NoiseAssist is beneficial for field recording. I honestly haven’t tried it indoors, but I believe it would perform much better.
Come to think of it, I haven’t used C-Vox outdoors…
If I ever get the chance, I’ll try to make some benchmarks with these two!
Maybe they’re both tied for 1st place?
Anyway, another advantage of NoiseAssist is that it also works in REALTIME. However, there’s always more risk when you record things in realtime.
That’s because you can’t “undo” the noise suppression.
I trust C-Vox 100% indoors, but I wouldn’t 100% rely on NoiseAssist outdoors.
3. Accusonus ERA 5 Bundle – Noise Remover
I really like plugins that save me time.
It’s one thing when you’ve GOT time, but you’ll definitely need to increase your performance when you’re on the clock.
That being said, the ERA 5 Bundle’s “one-knob” design is fantastic!
However, it’s the Noise Remover that we’re interested in right now…
If you purchase the PRO bundle, you’ll even have access to Noise Remover PRO. The difference is that this version can “subtract” noise from your recording if it was recorded using two different microphones (i.e shotgun + lavalier).
I haven’t tried it personally, but it sounds like what humbuckers do to electric guitars.
In other words, I think it’s revolutionary for ENG style voice recording.
It’s clear to me that the ERA 5 Bundle was designed mostly for audio post production and not for music production. However, it works GREAT on noisy guitar tracks.
Out of all the “post-production” noise suppressors (the ones that DON’T work in realtime) though, the Noise Remover is the one that does the best job.
The option to use it under the Accusonus subscription model is one of the advantages!
You can also purchase it for a one-time fee, but I personally decided to subscribe.
Summary: 3 of the Best Noise Suppression Plugins
Which of these 3 noise suppression plugins do YOU prefer?
I personally use C-Vox and ERA Bundle 5 – Noise Remover.
The thing is, the noise suppression plugins we talked about all have different purposes. I did that on purpose because you’ll most likely need to use more than one of these.
In retrospect, it’s also possible that you only need one of these.
Either way, I really did my research and experimentation so you’ve got yourself a pretty distilled list of plugins to check out. I truly believe that these are 3 of the best noise suppression plugins.
Do you feel like I should add another noise suppression plugin to this list?
Let us know in the comments and please, share your experiences!
Sources
https://www.uaudio.com/uad-plugins/special-processing/c-vox-noise-reduction.html
https://www.sounddevices.com/product/noiseassist/
https://accusonus.com/products/audio-repair/era-noise-remover
