** 1 page review (1.5 pages?/ 987 words ** Quiet please Danny McAleer rids his recordings of a sound parasite... Noise is a pest. Despite your best efforts it pops up everywhere in sound recordings. Even those supposedly oxygen-free gold-plated cables the salesperson at the hi-fi shop sold you can't eliminate the fizz of an SH-101. Fortunately, SoundPool have contrived a piece of software to at least alleviate our recording nightmares. Denoiser is designed to work both as a stand-alone application, or as part of SoundPool's DSP suite, which also incorporates parametric EQ and FFT analysis in other plug-in modules for use in Audio Master. It features an "intelligent" de-noising system which, in contrast to the traditional noise gate which simply cuts out all frequencies when the sound falls below a definable level, actually samples the unwanted intruders, removing just them leaving a result more polished then Mr Sheen's sitting room. Bits and bobs In addition to the de-noiser element of the software, there are also a few off-line processing tools within the shell. These include Normalise (a function that optimises the volume of a selected file), and things to affect your stereo mix including: balance left and right channels, swap channels, mix to mono using a choice of left, right, or both signals. There's a normalise function which can be incredibly handy, since once bereft of its noise, a recording can benefit greatly from a little amplitude injection. Anyone familiar with SoundPool software will be immediately at home with the sample rate options dialog box which provides a choice of frequencies (for recording and playback), including a selection of Falcon sampling rates and, if you have an FDI connected, the more useful 44.1 and 48KHz. From here, you can also select the input source for your audio, using either the Falcon's own analogue inputs, or a digital input (such as the FDI or ADAT interfaces) using the DSP connector. All these settings, plus all the data pertaining to your working environment (window positions, sizes, and colours, and so on), can be stored in a configuration file. Although no actual editing of waveform data within the Denoiser software is provided, there is a sample view. This window comprises two sections: an overview of the sample below, and a user-definable zoom area in the upper part. Using a combination of keyboard short-cuts, mouse clicks, and menu entries, it's possible to negotiate both parts of the sample view, zooming in and out, and scrolling forwards and backwards through the waveform with relative ease. As well as setting left and right loop markers (for playing passages continuously), the sample view is also used to define blocks for analysing. Once created, these blocks can be modified using a combination of [Shift] and the left or right mouse button, moving the start and end points respectively. As many blocks as you'd care to highlight can be defined; those that are deemed undesirable can be simply removed by pressing [Delete] when the mouse cursor is above them. There are effectively two ways to operate the denoiser: ** UL ** * Using the functions Record and Record Mono, it is possible to sample audio directly into the software, and apply the de-noising process in real-time. * The second option is to perform any processing after the recording is completed (on an existing file), which is certainly my preferred way to work, because I can always return to my "original" if things go awry. ** /UL ** In both cases, the noise must first be "sampled". Noise pollution Removing noise from a sample using the Denoiser is straightforward: ** UL ** * Identify a part of the recording where the noise is prevalent, such as before or after the music, or during a quiet period. * Mark it using the sample view window. * The software analyses this section, draws a plot in the EQ transfer function window, and then it's ready to clean up your act, so to speak. ** /UL ** The degree to which a recording is "de-noised" can be controlled using the intensity level slider (measured in percentage). This control works in real-time, allowing you to find the best compromise between your original recording, and one that sounds like it's been squished by a ten-ton steam roller. It's actually a little more subtle than that, but over-indulging in the denoiser does have applications, particularly if you're inclined to being experimental with your processing hardware and software. To complete the controls, there's even a by-pass button which makes it easy to compare the processed signal with the original. Finished result It took just a matter of minutes to clean up some rather ancient recordings from a selection of analogue cassettes, compared with the arduous task of manually setting-up a noise gate and parametric EQ. SoundPool's Denoiser takes all the effort out of this unquestionably dull post-processing labour, and would be of substantial benefit to anyone who uses analogue recording materials and sources that can sometimes generate more noise than rush hour traffic. Perhaps the only contentious matter is its price, especially bearing in mind once you have one module, you'll want/need the others to complete the set. Taking into consideration the price of similar plug-ins on other platforms, the asking price is very reasonable - it's a lot cheaper and more agreeable than working with an obstreperous engineer. ** Boxout ** Denoiser v2.9 Publisher: SoundPool UK Distributor: System Solutions, 17-19 Blackwater Street, Dulwich, London, SE22 9RS. Tel: 0181 693 3355 Email: info@system-solutions.co.uk http://www.system-solutions.co.uk/cafe/ Price: œ149 Requirements: Falcon030, VGA/RGB monitor, 4Mb RAM, hard disk, FPU and non-FPU versions are provided. Pros: Modular design. Excellent quality results. Cons: Will be perceived as expensive. Flimsy manual, which lacks detail in parts. 81% ** /end boxout ** ** Captions ** ** DENOISR1.GIF ** Pick a frequency, any frequency... ** DENOISR2.GIF ** Move the slider as you record for dynamic de-noising! ** DENOISR3.GIF ** Amongst the waves of wonderful warbling lurks the noise. Seek it out. ** DENOISR4.GIF ** "It's funny, but when you actually see what noise looks like, it seems perfectly harmless to me..."