As I mentioned in this issue's review of Music and Speech Cleaner, a few years ago, Izotope created a series of programs to address all types of audio issues you as an independent filmmaker may run into. Maybe you’ve shot the perfect scene for your film only to realize later the audio is horrible. Whether you need to fix background noise, remove static, or remove clipping from a microphone that was turned up too high, Izotope is here to help. For reasonable prices, you are now able to fix your own audio issues right on your personal computer.
While Music and Speech Cleaner (MSC) does a great job, RX2 takes over where MSC leaves off. RX2 is used in all sorts of fields from forensics to filmmaking. This program comes in two different versions: RX2 and RX2 Advanced. It also comes as a standalone application and as a plug-in version, which can be used within most major film and audio software.
Unlike MSC, RX2 gives you a spectral analysis of your audio file. This is information that most people don’t work with on a daily basis, so it takes a little while to connect what you are seeing with what you are hearing. Once you begin to understand RX2’s display, you have your pick of restoration tools such as declip (for distorted audio), declick and decrackle (for phone calls and vinyl records), remove hum, denoise (for removing background noise), spectral repair, and a host of other tools. Many of these tools are in MSC, but RX2 gives you the ability to tweak your audio repair much more to your own liking.
RX2 Advanced gives you even more ability to manipulate and repair your audio. Though this advanced upgrade may be more than the typical video-oriented person needs, if you have the audio background, the rewards can be many! RX2 Advanced gives its users deeper access to more advanced denoise settings, spectral repair settings, the ability to separate tonal and noise elements of the track and process them separately, advanced dithering and sample rate conversion options, as well as the ability to manipulate time and pitch with Izotope Radius.
RX2’s Denoise tool will be your go-to tool in taking out unwanted background noise.
Ease of Use
I’ll be honest. RX 2 does takes some to master. While this is not necessarily a strike against RX2, this is by far Izotope’s most complex piece of software. If you use the standalone version, it will remind you of a beefier and more powerful version of Music and Speech Cleaner by keeping everything in one area. (In the same way that a neon-girded picture cars from the Fast and the Furious will remind you of a beefier and more powerful version of a stock Toyota Supra.), When you get into using it as it’s really intended, as a plugin for an audio program like Audition, Nuendo, or ProTools, it divides each tool into a separate plug-in, allowing you to work within the program that you’ve used for years.
The manual for this program is 74 pages long, and you probably will need to read most of them to really scratch the surface of what this program can do. With this steep learning curve comes much more freedom in manipulating the sound to your desired outcome. As said before, the main viewing window contains not just a basic audio waveform; it also contains an analysis of every frequency present in the audio file. Understanding what you see on the viewing screen takes some practice, but the final repaired audio far surpasses that of Music and Speech Cleaner.
In regards to RX2’s manual, Izotope does a fantastic job at making a complex program much simpler in just 74 pages. Many manuals are not written with the average consumer in mind, but Izotope makes their manual engaging, conversational, and informative. They skip over the mathematical lingo and clearly outline the pitfalls of overusing each repair tool. As with any program of this caliber, it will take you some time to get used to the repair controls, but Izotope made sure to keep RX2 as easy to use as possible.
Spectral Repair will probably be your second favorite tool from RX2’s arsenal. You can turn down or replace any unwanted sounds.
Depth of Options
RX2 gives you so many options with which to restore and repair your audio. You can take out barking dogs from a scene or simply reduce the amount of background noise. You can also make a scene louder or declip material that you recorded poorly on site. RX2 is a lifesaver and has over a dozen ways to fix audio, making a pristine, professional-sounding film a real possibility for us low-budget guys. Granted, RX2 will not fix everything, but when you run into snags, it will do more than you could ever imagine.
As if that wasn’t enough, within each repair tool is a handful of controls that will help you zero in on what exactly your problem is. Denoise allows you to sample the background noise so that you can take it out more effectively. Decrackle and declick ask you which kind of clicks RX2 should be taking out. And spectral repair allows you to lasso, magic wand, or brush out different sounds and replace them with the surrounding audio. If you think that is amazing, check out RX2 Advanced.
If you decide to go all-out and buy RX2 Advanced, you will get even more options. As I said before, an audio background is a real asset here. However, one tool that Izotope has included especially for filmmakers doing audio post is an advanced denoiser. You have even more options at your fingertips such as the ability to tell RX2 Advanced to account for several different kinds of background noises and adapt as the background noise changes, which is groundbreaking at this price point. There's also a "multi-resolution" checkbox in the Spectral Repair tool that offers improved quality. Another great addition is the ability to host audio plugins within the RX2 Advanced environment. So, if you have an equalizer plugin that you really like, you can pull that into the mix! My best suggestion is to set aside some time and play around with RX2 for a week to see if the upgrade to Advanced would be worth your money.
RX2 offers tool after tool to fix audio issues. Click each tool to open up a separate window, and go to work.
Performance
The first clip is taken from a scene of an independent film. It was really windy that day, and the background noise was very loud. You will hear the same clip two times: the first is with no audio repair and the second is with RX2. Pay special attention to the dog barking in the background. I used RX2 to take out the dog barking and reduce the overall noise of the scene. RX2 does a wonderful job at cleaning up a lot of the distractions in this scene, allowing the viewer to focus on the dialog.
The second clip is a recording of Andrew Carnegie from 1914. I restored this clip in my last review with Music and Speech Cleaner. In this instance, I used RX2 to reduce the background noise with Denoiser and enhanced Carnegie’s vocals with the Equalizer.
This final audio clip is from a recorded phone call. It was used in a podcast, and I wanted to show you what RX2 can do (this repair is beyond MSC) if your microphone levels are too high. Whether you used less expensive equipment or placed a microphone too close to an actor, it is easy to run into what is known by us audio people as clipping. Clipping results in distortion, which you will hear in the first part of this clip. I actually just talked with an independent filmmaker last week that told me a horrible story of doing an entire day of filming only to come back to the studio to discover that his equipment clipped every piece of audio that was filmed! RX2 allows you to select regions that are clipped and rebuild it as if it never clipped in the first place. Take a couple listens to this clip, noting the clipping after he says the word ‘first.’
RX2 Advanced gives you even more features. For most filmmakers, it will be a bit over your head at first (it was for me). However, if you can’t get the sound you want with RX2, RX2 Advanced allows you the ability to access dozens more parameters for each audio restoration tool within the program.
Here is one more video clip of what RX2 can do with on-location filming, which always has its issues:
Impressed yet?
Value
While RX2 is much more of an investment than Music and Speech Cleaner, I have a feeling that there will be a few times in your filmmaking career when having RX2 could save your life. When you don’t have a large budget to spend on your film’s audio, you are going to inevitably run into a situation where you need your audio repaired. While this will vary from person to person, there is no value that you can place on professional-sounding audio for your independent film. The next time you run into an audio snag, download RX2 for a free trial and see just how beneficial this program could be for your films. At $349, this program will pay for itself over the course of the next film you produce (assuming you have the time and desire to learn how to use it).
The price difference for RX2 Advanced may surprise you. Just realize the price for this kind of control in noise reduction was previously unheard of. For budding filmmakers, I can’t justify the cost for RX2 Advanced. There are too many options that you, most likely, would simply not use. If, however, you are a filmmaker that knows audio quite well, RX2 Advanced could definitely be a wonderful tool for you to experiment with. You will not know whether or not Advanced is for you until you give the trial version a shot. So, go download it this weekend.
Final Comments I don’t say this about a lot of computer software, but RX2 is a miracle program! The more I use this program, the more I love what it can do. The capabilities of this program exceed anything that has been on the audio and video markets. As I mentioned in my review of MSC, musicians usually record in studios, but filmmakers run into all sorts of audio problems by filming on site.. For those who film in less than perfect conditions, give RX2 a trial run. And for those want even more options to repair audio, consider buying RX2 Advanced! Either of these programs from Izotope will get your audio sounding much better in post-production. It is definitely worth the investment. Trust me.
Ease
of Use
7.0
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
10.0
Value
vs. Cost
10.0
Overall Score
9.3
Gabe Gibitz is a worship leader and home-recording guru in Lexington, KY. With no formal degree in music, he has learned most of what he knows about recording by reading lots articles, picking the brains of audio masterminds, and delving into the field himself. He plays a blue guitar and loves spending time with Abbie, his wife. You can download his latest e-book and 3 free songs at www.gabegibitz.com.
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