As another bit of fun on the team we’ve challenged each another to this; you get to keep your DAW with one extra plug-in that can’t be a suite of plug-ins or an external application. In this challenge we explore what one single external application we would chose in addition to the DAW and one 3rd party plug-in. As ‘Mr RX It’ my choice is a no-brainer, it has to be….
iZotope RX 7 Advanced
I have been using iZotope RX since RX2. When I started using it, I went searching for tutorials on how to use it and in the main all I found at the time were videos that showed the before and after but gave very little clue as how to get there. As a result I was asked to produce a series for videos for iZotope to show how you could fix 10 regular issues with RX in less than 2 minutes and that is how we changed RX from a noun into a verb.
Since I started using RX all those years ago I have lost count of how many times I have been able to save unusable audio that my clients and friends have brought me over the years using RX from iZotope and the skill in using it that I have developed.
Some highlights over the years have been using Ambience Match and EQ Match to enable my client to cross cut between two interviews of the same contributor recorded on different equipment on different days. As this documentary was a story without a presenter, it was essential that we could tell the story with the actuality and personal testimony from the main character. Without iZotope RX we couldn't have edited between the two interviews in the way that would best tell the story.
On another occasion I was asked to clean up a choir recording that had been recorded in a basement with air conditioning. I routinely clean up comedy panel programmes recorded in less than ideal locations, as well as self shot documentaries where the location sound is less than ideal.
Another example was a studio discussion programme that had distortion problems on al the recordings and it wan’t just simple clipping bit with two different treatments I was able to retrieve the audio saving them a complete reshoot,
These stories are just the tip of the iceberg of examples where I have been able to bring audio back from the dead, including saving a complete TV studio programme from being reshoot.
iZotope RX 6 Free Tutorials
Here are free tutorials on using iZotope RX that I have produced over the years…
Free Tutorial - Removing Click Track And Speaker Bleed With iZotope RX 6
In this free video tutorial, I show iZotope's Education Director, Jonathan Wyner just how easy it is to remove click track and speaker bleed with the De-bleed module in RX 6 from iZotope.
What Is Bleed?
Bleed happens when you have a microphone picking up audio that you don’t intend for it to pick up. This presents colouration and separation challenges that result in less control over your mix. Of course, the classic problem is click track bleed. Even the faintest click track or speaker bleed can ruin your recording.
Using RX Connect, I start by demonstrating how to move audio files from a DAW (in this case, Pro Tools) into the standalone version of RX to take advantage of the program’s full processing power. Then, after processing them, he shows you how to move them back into your DAW.
Solving 3 Common Audio Post Production Problems With RX 6
In this free video tutorial, I share some tips with iZotope's Education Director Jonathan Wyner using the Dialogue Isolate, De-rustle and De-wind modules in RX 6 Advanced
I show a range of common recorded dialogue issues that Post Production engineers face along with some easy RX6 workflows that quickly fix poorly recorded audio.
RX 4 Free Tutorials
Remove Unwanted Sounds Using iZotope RX4
Coughs, bangs, buzz, and other imperfections can distract from an otherwise flawless performance. In this video, watch as I use the Partials & Noise tab in the Spectral Repair module to remove them, using an acoustic guitar track an example.
How To Combine Multiple Takes Using iZotope RX
In this free video tutorial I show how to combine two takes that don’t match into one seamless piece of audio using iZotope’s RX4. I include a hidden feature in the RX4 Spectral Denoiser module when using incomplete noise profiles as well as the new Ambience Match feature added in RX4 Advanced in rescuing this recording.
How To Match Audio From Different Sound Sources
In this free video tutorial I show how you can use iZotope RX4 to match the audio from the voiceover commentary and a section of actuality in a documentary.
I start by taking the clips across from Pro Tools into the standalone RX 4 application using the RX Connect plug-in, added in RX4, before starting with the new feature in RX4 Advanced, to match the eq of the actuality to the voiceover. Next I use Clip Gain, another new feature in RX4, to even out the level differences in the clip, before using Spectral Repair to reduce the wind noise. Then I run the clip though the Dialog Denoiser module, which is now included in RX4. Finally I use the RX Connect plug-in to bring the processed clip back into the timeline in the Pro Tools session.
How To Fill Ambience Gaps In Dialogue Using iZotope RX4
How many times have you received an edit where the audio has been cut tight to the dialog with significant background. You then have to scramble around looking for bits of ambience to try and fill the gap, but it rarely works as well as you would like. In this free video tutorial watch as I use the Ambience Match feature iZotope introduced in RX4 Advanced, and see how easy it is to extract clean ambience from dialog tracks to fill the gaps.
How To Use Dereverb in iZotope RX
In this free video tutorial, learn how to use the Dereverb module introduced back in iZotope RX3 Advanced.
In self shot documentaries the sound is often the thing that suffers, as the crew have too many other things to think about. In this example all I had was the camera mic and it was too far away from the presenter in a reverbant space. See how I was able to improve this clip using the Dereverb plug-in in Pro Tools.
How To Use Declip In iZotope RX 3 Both As A Plug-in In Pro Tools & The Standalone iZotope App
In this free video tutorial, I show how to use the Declip plug-in module in iZotope RX3. See how I was able to improve it using the RX3 Declip plug-in and also when a problem needs more forensic treatment, how to export the clip from Pro Tools, work on it in the standalone RX3 application and then import the fixed version back into Pro Tools.
iZotope RX Reviews
In this demo video, we show the highlights of the new features added in the new iZotope RX 7 and RX 7 Advanced. For all the low down and detailed info on the new version of iZotope RX, check out the complete article on Pro Tools Expert.
What About You?
Why don’t you play along with but of fun over the holiday period? What would your one piece of software be after your DAW and one plug-in outside the stock plug-ins that come with your DAW?