In March 2019 we published a blind listening test in which the processing powers of three popular declipping plug-ins were put up against each other. We asked you, the Production Expert community, to take part, listen and vote for the audio example that you liked the sound of most. Out of the people who voted, 65% preferred the sound of Example A, that we can now reveal was processed by iZotope’s RX 7 De-clip.
The Test
To listen to the audio examples again please visit the original article: We Test 3 Top DeClipper Plug-ins That Quickly Restores Distorted Audio - Listen, Compare & Vote For The Example You Prefer The Sound Of
The Results
Example A: 65% iZotope RX 7 De-clip
Example B: 23% Accusonus ERA De-Clipper
Example C: 12% Acon Digital DeClip
What Do These Results Tell Us
Firstly, thank you to those who kindly took part in this blind listening test. Secondly, congratulations to iZotope, 65% of the votes is a clear victory.
Dan preferred the results of Example B which was processed by Accusonus’ ERA De-Clipper but it must be said that his view could be interoperated as biased as he was the one responsible for preparing the audio examples in this test. Dan explains…
“My reasons for preferring ERA De-Clipper over the other two de clipper plug-ins are down to the ERA simple UI and low plug-in latency. ERA De-Clipper is the only de-clipper plug-in out of the three that features an automatic mode for setting the threshold which in turn detects the “overs”. This important part of the de-clipping restoration process isn’t something to worry about getting right in ERA, which I for one like. Simplicity in audio restoration plug-in is key selling point for me.”
If you are in the market for a de-clipping plug-in, then these results should help you choose the right tool for your needs, however, it must be made clear that the only declipping plug-in featured in this test that you can buy as an individual plug-in (as in you don’t need to buy an entire plug-in bundle in order to get the de-clipper) is Accusonus’ ERA De-Clipper. Both offerings from iZotope and Acon Digital are only available within bundles offered by those brands. This isn’t a deal breaker in either case as most audio engineers who require audio restoration plug-ins will usually need a range of different repair tools in their “audio fix it” arsenal.
Also anyone who works in audio restoration will know that you need a range of tools to hand as there are often times when one tool will do better job on a particular piece of problem audio and the next day with a different problem another tool will do the better job. That said our own ‘Mr RX It’ would recommend iZotope RX7 as a very good place to start.