Noise/Hiss reducing software

[Julian Walker]

Hello folks

A friend of mine gave me a CD of some stuff he did a while ago, there is alot of hiss/noise on all the tracks. I think it was a rough mix as there is about 10 to 20 seconds of hiss before the track kicks in. Could anybody recommend some software/download to reduce the hiss, something to analyse the sound and possibly cancel it out. I assume having a decent amount of just hiss at the start should help get a good sample and increase the chances of getting rid of some of the noise.

Thanks in anticipation

Julian

PS He doesn't have the masters so I have to work with the CD

[Hugh Robjohns]

There are lots of fingerprint-based noise reduction programs around which work by analysing the background noise in a quiet bit of the track (which you obviously have at the starts) -- which is the 'fingerprint'. They then essentially subtract that noise character from the programme as a whole.

The best version is undoubtedly CEDAR's own de-hisser algorithms, but plenty of others are around. My personal cost-effective favourite is Izotope RX.

When using you'll get better results by removing only a small amount of noise (4-5dB maybe) on each of two or three passes, rather than trying to hit 10-15dB of noise reduction in a single go.

hugh

[Martin Walker]

My personal cost-effective favourite is Izotope RX.

I've tried quite a few over the years, and Izotope RX is currently my favourite as well

Martin

[Mixedup]

I use the TC or Waves ones usually... but the TC one is Powercore only.

There's a feature on noise reduction in the next issue of SOS so maybe worth keeping your eyes peeled for that.

[LRS]

My personal cost-effective favourite is Izotope RX.

I've tried quite a few over the years, and Izotope RX is currently my favourite as well

Martin

+2

[DaveFry]

Would it work if the hiss part was recorded , then copied enough times to match the full length , followed by simply phase-inverting just that hiss track and adding that to the whole CD ?
( Assuming the hiss is constant all the way through , of course )

[Hugh Robjohns]

Would it work if the hiss part was recorded , then copied enough times to match the full length , followed by simply phase-inverting just that hiss track and adding that to the whole CD ?

No, because the duplicated and joined hiss sections wouldn't be phase coherent with the original embedded hiss, and so they wouldn't cancel. In fact, they'd add together and you'd actually end up with more noise on most of the programme. Only the very first sectin of noise would match up with the inverted version, and so that bit would cancel... but the rest would be 3dB noisier!

Hugh

[DaveFry]

Thanks Hugh .

[James Perrett]

I would also add Adobe Audition to the list of decent noise reduction software. If I was buying today I would probably go for Izotope's RX though. If you can't afford either of these then I'd just try to find some cheap or free software to do the job as I haven't been impressed with some of the other alternatives. Nero's Wave Editor has his reduction and Reaper's ReaFIR plug-in has a multiband noise gate which can be used for hiss reduction.

James.