I will mention before providing this roundup of important plugins when working in audio post-production, that properly capturing the source (whether it be dialog or sound effects) by choosing the correct microphone(s), and proper placement and recording technique, is more important than knowing what the latest noise-reduction plugin is.
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The Tremolator is fantastic for adding warble to sci-fi elements, the Crystallizer can help you generate ghostly reverse delay effects, and FilterFreak is great for pulsing, rhythmic filters. EchoBoy (which has nearly endless musical applications) is one of my go-to delay plugins for when I need to create a natural-sounding echo in an actual environment.
In addition to the aforementioned plugins which I use regularly, I had a chat with my good friend Logan Byers (Sound Effects Editor at Levels Audio), and asked him which plugins he commonly uses. Here are his recommendations:
Anytime I work on dialogue, I always use this plugin to pull out ringing frequencies. I have found this plugin to be perfect for dialogue because it does not color the sound in harsh ways. The studio has the entire bundle on all mix stages and edit bays.
Free reverb VSTs used to be significantly less capable than their commercial counterparts. They were notorious for sounding artificial and metallic or, simply put, much less pleasing than the paid plugins and hardware units. Luckily, things have drastically changed for the better in recent years with the release of plugins like Orilriver, Dragonfly Reverb, MuVerb, Cloud Seed, and others.
Loosely mimicking the sound of classic reverb units by Lexicon and Eventide, OldSkoolVerb is a decent freeware alternative to plugins like UltraReverb ($199), PSP 2445 EMT ($149), TSAR-1R ($99), BREVERB 2 ($169), and others. An extended version of the plugin called OldSkoolVerb Plus (49.95) is also available, adding a powerful spatialization module to the feature set of the freeware edition.
Cloud Seed is the way to go if you need a huge 80s-style reverb effect. You can think of it as a freeware alternative to commercial plugins like Valhalla Shimmer ($50) or even Eventide Blackhole ($199).
As a result, there has been a wholesale change. While Magix's related Sequoia package, targeted mainly at mastering houses and broadcast applications, will move to version 12, its music production-oriented sibling has been reinvented as Samplitude Pro X. The key point in this reinvention is that Pro X, which retails for around the same price as Samplitude 11, and is thus a direct rival for the likes of Cubase or Pro Tools, is not at all a cut-down or hamstrung product. Pro X is the flagship version of Magix's DAW, and includes the full Samplitude Pro feature set; and although there is still a Samplitude product at the higher price point occupied by Pro 11, this has been renamed Samplitude Pro X Suite, to reflect the fact that the basic program is exactly the same in both cases. The 'Suite' appellation denotes the inclusion of additional bundled plug-ins and sample content, which we'll come to shortly.
There have, of course, been changes to the program itself, and arguably the largest of them is one that has only an indirect effect on the user: the application and its bundled plug-ins have been re-coded for full 64-bit operation. In making this move, Magix have also taken the opportunity to rethink aspects of Samplitude's user interface, partly with the aim of making it more accessible to new users. This has involved making Samplitude's numerous windows more manageable, by providing a central point in which they can be docked. Likewise, key windows within Samplitude, such as the Object Editor, have been redesigned.
Finally, I should also mention the restoration tools that come bundled with Pro X. There are five of these, all derived from Magix's Cleaning and Restoration Suite, and comprising a de-hisser, de-crackler, de-clicker, de-noiser and de-clipper. Despite the very basic controls these are effective and useful, and more than adequate for many everyday jobs, especially in conjunction with the new spectral editing functions.
Included with the Logic Studio and Final Cut Studio bundles from Apple, Soundtrack 3 offers multitrack editing/looping/mixing with a variety of audio repair tools on the Macintosh platform. Included is a Frequency Spectrum view; individual or batch correction of clicks, pops, hum and phase issues; and an advanced Noise Print function for replacing unwanted sounds with ambient noise copied from another section or file, with automatic matching and crossfades for a seamless blend.
Offered separately or included with its new Peak Pro Studio XT bundle, SoundSoap Pro 2 from BIAS offers intelligent adaptive noise-reduction with four restoration tools in a single plug-in, including new Adaptive technology for automated broadband noise removal with advanced controls for eliminating unwanted hiss, room noise, electrical hum, rumble, clicks, crackles and broadband noise with minimal artifacts. SoundSoap Pro 2 is designed for AU, RTAS/AudioSuite and VST formats for use with Mac (OS 10.3.9 and higher) and Windows (XP/Vista/Win 7) hosts.
The Master Restoration Suite from Wave Arts is a bundle of plug-ins designed specifically for audio clean-up applications that work with any Mac OS X (AU/VST/MAS/RTAS) or Windows-based (DX/VST/RTAS) DAW host. Included in the MR suite are MR Noise (broadband noise reduction), MR Click (click/crackle attenuation), MR Hum (buzz/hum removal) and MR Gate (expander/gate).
Waves offers a wide range of audio restoration plug-ins for TDM and Native users, ranging from its WNS Noise Suppressor (noise reduction for cleaning dialog tracks) to the Restoration bundle, which includes Z-Noise, X-Click, X-Crackle, X-Noise and X-Hum tools.
PSP has done extensive research and programming on this magnificent plugin to bring it to life. First of all, they have modelled the 2445 EMT to sound just like the hardware, but have also added a bundle of improvements not found in the originals. These are features not found on the hardware units. Secondly, PSP was fortunate enough to use and implement the reverb algorithm originally designed by Dr. Barry Blesser into 2445 EMT. The 2445 has the ability to run as a 244, 245 or both by a selector switch.
I *REALLY* liked the Lexicon DX plugin that was bundled back in the Sonar days. I was going to buy some of the current Lexicon plugin packages, but unfortunately they all use iLok, which is a major turnoff for me. I also have the Waves Diamond bundle, which has R-Verb, but I only really use that on occasion. What are your go-to reverb plugins? 2ff7e9595c
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