Accentize recently released DialogueEnhance 2, a completely reworked version of their automatic speech processing plug-in. In this article and video, Paul Maunder puts it to the test on some noisy audio to see what it can achieve…
Aimed primarily at video editors and podcast creators, DialogueEnhance 2 is a plug-in which offers four modules; noise reduction, dynamics control, spectral correction and loudness boost. Each of these are designed to be easy to use and to allow you to achieve good results with minimal effort. They can be activated or bypassed individually as needed. Much of the processing is achieved automatically with the help of Machine Learning algorithms. Let’s take a look at each of the four modules…
Noise Reduction
The noise reduction module is designed to detect and reduce unwanted background noise in dialogue recordings. The only control is the Reduction dial which lets you set the amount of noise reduction in dB. The noise detection itself is done automatically.
Dynamics Control
The dynamics control module is an automatic compressor. In automatic mode it will determine the compression settings based on the audio input signal. In this mode it will continually adapt to the audio, which is useful if the dynamics of your audio fluctuate over time. Alternatively, you can switch to static mode once DialogueEnhance 2 establishes a convenient setting. In static mode you have some control over the compression. The ratio and threshold can both be adjusted.
Spectral Correction
The spectral correction module will automatically detect and correct spectral imbalances in the audio. This is in essence an automatic 3 band EQ consisting of high and low shelving filters and a peak/dip curve. Once again, you can switch to static mode once a satisfactory setting has been achieved. In static mode you can modify the EQ if necessary by dragging within the gain-frequency graph. The Q can be adjusted by selecting one of the bands and scrolling with your mouse. Gain compensation can be adjusted in static mode. In automatic mode this is determined based on the filter curve.
Loudness Boost
The final module, loudness boost, allows you to set a target loudness level in LUFS. Dialogue Enhance 2 then adjusts the output level to achieve the specified loudness. As with the Dynamics and Spectral Correction modules, Loudness Boost has a static mode which allows you to set a fixed gain boost setting if required.
Take a look at the video below to see and hear DialogueEnhance 2 in action.