WAVES X-Noise Software Audio Processor User Guide
- June 10, 2024
- WAVES
Table of Contents
WAVES X-Noise Software Audio Processor
Thank you for choosing Waves! In order to get the most out of your new Waves plugin, please take a moment to read this user guide.
Product Information
Waves X-Noise reduces noise with minimal signal degradation while preserving excellent audio quality. It is part of the Waves Restoration bundle, which removes clicks, crackles, and hum from vinyl records and damaged recordings. X-Noise and the other Restoration plug-ins have a friendly interface that is easy to learn and use.
What problems does X-Noise fix?
X-Noise is ideal for removing background noise caused by tape hiss and airconditioner/ventilation systems. Loud, short-impulse noise and discrete signal disturbances should be treated first by X-Click, X-Crackle, or both.
How does X-Noise work?
X-Noise connects to an audio host application through its plug-in architecture. The algorithm is based on a single-ended, broadband, real-time, noise-reduction principle that uses frequency-domain analysis to detect and reduce unwanted noise from the source.
Usage Instructions
Installation and License Management
To install software and manage your licenses, you need to have a free Waves account. Sign up at www.waves.com. With a Waves account, you can keep track of your products, renew your Waves Update Plan, participate in bonus programs, and keep up to date with important information.
Support and Troubleshooting
We suggest that you become familiar with the Waves Support pages: www.waves.com/support. There are technical articles about installation, troubleshooting, specifications, and more. Plus, you’ll find company contact information and Waves Support news.
Using X-Noise
X-Noise uses two primary parameters, Threshold and Reduction, to control the noise-reduction process. Adjust these controls first to quickly configure X-Noise for a given input signal. Resolution, Dynamics, and High Shelf parameters offer more detailed control.
- Create a noise profile by selecting an audio section from the source recording (at least 100 ms) containing just the noise that you want to remove.
- Click the Learn button in the Noise Profile area below the X-Noise Analyzer. The button blinks and displays Learning.
- Play this section through X-Noise. Click the Learn button again to stop the learning process and create the noise profile, which appears as a white line on the X-Noise Analyzer. The line represents the frequency content of the analyzed noise.
- Adjust the Threshold and Reduction controls to optimize noise reduction for your audio input.
- Save your X-Noise setup, which includes your noise profile.
Controls and Displays
Threshold represents the level of the noise profile. The signal below the noise profile is removed, while the signal above the profile is not processed.
Introduction
Thank you for choosing Waves! In order to get the most out of your new Waves
plugin, please take a moment to read this user guide.
To install software and manage your licenses, you need to have a free Waves
account. Sign up at www.waves.com. With a Waves account you can keep track of
your products, renew your Waves Update Plan, participate in bonus programs,
and keep up to date with important information.
We suggest that you become familiar with the Waves Support pages:
www.waves.com/support. There are technical
articles about installation, troubleshooting, specifications, and more. Plus,
you’ll find company contact information and Waves Support news.
Waves X-Noise reduces noise with minimal signal degradation while preserving
excellent audio quality. X-Noise is part of the Waves Restoration bundle,
which removes clicks, crackles, and hum from vinyl records and damaged
recordings. X-Noise and the other Restoration plug-ins have a friendly
interface that is easy to learn and use.
This user guide describes:
- the problems X-Noise solves;
- how to use the software;
- the software user interface.
Click the ? on the toolbar for online help. Thanks for using X-Noise and enjoy!
WHAT PROBLEMS DOES X-NOISE FIX?
X-Noise is ideal for removing background noise caused by tape hiss and air- conditioner/ventilation systems. Loud, short-impulse noise and discrete signal disturbances should be treated first by X-Click, X-Crackle, or both.
X- Noise connects to an audio host application through its plug-in architecture. The algorithm is based on a single-ended, broadband, real-time, noise-reduction principle that uses frequency-domain analysis to detect and reduce unwanted noise from the source.
- Single-ended means that X-Noise does not rely on any complementary encode/decode processing applied during recording and playback (i.e., Dolby NR).
- Broadband refers to the wide frequency range from which noise is removed: high-frequency hiss and low-frequency rumble can both be targeted.
- Real-time operation allows you to adjust the parameters and hear the results immediately.
HOW DOES X-NOISE WORK?
- X-Noise can learn the character of the disturbing noise from a segment of the original recording containing only the noise to be removed. This segment is typically obtained from the recording’s beginning or end, or a gap in the audio. X-Noise uses this data to construct a noise profile that helps distinguish the noise from the audio data.
- X-Noise employs the most recent psychoacoustic research and multilevel decision algorithms to remove noise while preserving the sonic clarity of the source. It performs better than comparable DAW tools and as well or better than more expensive, dedicated-hardware solutions. X-Noise reduces noise while minimizing artifacts and other damage to the source recording.
- X-Noise’s controls are similar to a dynamics processor. Those familiar with a typical compressor/expander should get excellent results within a few minutes of experimentation.
Using X-Noise
X-Noise uses two primary parameters, Threshold and Reduction, to control the
noise-reduction process. Adjust these controls first to quickly configure
X-Noise for a given input signal. Resolution, Dynamics and High Shelf
parameters offer more detailed control.
For a complete user interface reference, see Controls and Displays. The
following example will get you started using X-Noise.
STEP 1 – CREATE A NOISE PROFILE
Create a noise profile by selecting an audio section from the source recording (at least 100 ms) containing just the noise that you want to remove. Click the Learn button in the Noise Profile area below the X-Noise Analyzer. The button blinks and displays Learning.
Play this section through X-Noise. Click the Learn button again to stop the
learning process and create the noise profile, which appears as a white line
on the X-Noise Analyzer. The line represents the frequency content of the
analyzed noise. At this point, save your X-Noise setup, which includes your
noise profile.
If you cannot find a noise-only section, try the default white noise profile
or one of the other available factory presets.
STEP 2 – NOISE REDUCTION
After creating the noise profile, cancel the selection of the noise-only segment to operate on the whole sound file. While playing the recording, adjust the Threshold and Reduction controls to the desired amount of noise reduction. Threshold sets the level at which the noise profile is used to distinguish between the sound source and the noise. Setting the Threshold to 10 dB typically means that the noise level is below the noise profile and therefore subject to removal. Use the Reduction control to set the amount of noise reduction applied. Increasing the Reduction setting increases the amount of noise removed from below the noise profile. If time-aliasing artifacts (singing or robot-like sounds) appear, decrease the Reduction setting and increase the Threshold (about 30 dB above the background noise). Artifacts can be further minimized by adjusting the Attack, Release, Resolution and High Shelf parameters (see Controls for more details).
STEP 3 – MONITORING
One of X-Noise’s great features is the ability to monitor either the normal
Audio output or the Difference signal removed by X-Noise’s current settings.
Listen carefully to the Difference signal to determine whether your settings
removed parts of the audio signal in addition to the noise. The goal is to
maximize noise reduction while capturing and degrading as little of the audio
as possible.
We recommend monitoring with headphones and monitoring between Audio and
Difference several times until the right balance is found. Heavily damaged
recordings may require a compromise between audio quality and noise reduction.
Controls and Displays
CONTROLS
THRESHOLD
Represents the level of the noise profile. The signal below the noise profile
is removed, while the signal above the profile is not processed.
Settings: -20 to +50 dB; Default = 0 dB
REDUCTION
Determines the amount of noise reduction applied to the signal below the
Threshold. 0% serves as a smooth setting that reduces a small amount of noise.
Settings: 0–100%; Default = 0 %
Dynamics
ATTACK
Sets the time from when noise is first detected to the noise reduction’s peak
level (set with the Reduction control). During the Attack time, noise
reduction is smoothly increased to avoid pops and clicks from abrupt
processing. The default setting (0.03 s) works well in most cases. Impulsive
sounds may require a shorter time; sounds that evolve more slowly may require
a longer time.
- Settings: 0–1.000 s; Default = 0.030 s
RELEASE
Sets the time in which the noise reduction is smoothly decreased from the peak
setting to 0. Like the Attack parameter, this gradual decrease avoids pops and
clicks resulting from abrupt processing. The Release time begins after the
Attack time has elapsed and the noise reduction has reached its peak. Longer
times preserve more ambience. Shorter times are useful for reducing noise in
speech for forensic applications.
Settings : 0–10.000 s; Default = 0.400 s
High Shelf
The High Shelf modifies how X-Noise operates on high frequencies; it is not an EQ filter in the signal path, but a Noise Profile modifier. Adding gain to high frequencies of the profile will call for more reduction of that spectrum and vice versa.
FREQ.
Controls the frequency above which the noise profile is modified.
Settings: 400 Hz – 20 kHz; Default = 4006 Hz
GAIN
Controls the attenuation applied to high frequencies. Increasing the gain
raises the threshold for frequencies above the shelf cutoff frequency and the
algorithm reduces more noise in that spectrum. Decreasing the gain lowers the
threshold for the frequencies above the cutoff frequency, resulting in less
noise reduction in the high frequencies.
Settings: -30 to +30 dB; Default = 0 dB
RESOLUTION
Resolution controls how fine the analysis engine is, which affects the amount of CPU resources used by the X-Noise algorithm. The High setting consumes more resources to analyze and process the audio data and results in the best audio. Slower CPUs will operate better using the Med or Low settings. The highest resolution is the finest one in the frequency domain, but not in the time domain. If you hear smearing of fast audio events, lower the resolution.
Settings: Low, Med, High; Default = Med
We recommend creating the noise profile and processing your sound source with the same resolution, although it is possible to change between them.
NOISE PROFILE
The Noise Profile is created by analyzing an audio segment containing a representative sample of the noise you wish to remove. Best results are obtained when the section selected for analysis consists only of the background noise you want to remove. Click the Learn button to begin the process; the button changes to Learning and blinks red/yellow until it is stopped when clicked again. It is important to emphasize that no noise reduction occurs while learning the noise profile. See Noise Profiles for more information.
OUTPUT MONITOR
The Output Monitor switches between Audio (the audio processed by X-Noise) and Difference (the noise currently removed with selected settings). Audio is the default setting in which the process outcome is monitored. Use the Difference setting to hear the noise being removed from the source signal. If audio is present in the Difference signal, modify your settings to achieve a better balance between noise reduction and signal loss/degradation.
DISPLAYS
NR: NOISE REDUCTION METER
The Noise Reduction Meter shows the amplitude of noise removed. The meter level correlates to the sound level monitored with the Difference setting.
X-NOISE ANALYZER
The X-Noise Analyzer is the plug-in’s main display. It shows three colored spectral envelopes:
- Red – the input signal before X-Noise processing
- White – the noise profile
- Green – the output signal after X-Noise processing
A healthy noise reduction process usually has the green output signal line mostly below the red input signal line but the peaks that cut through the profile can overlap red and green.
WaveSystem Toolbar
Use the bar at the top of the plugin to save and load presets, compare settings, undo and redo steps, and resize the plugin. To learn more, click the icon at the upper-right corner of the window and open the WaveSystem Guide.
Noise Profile
WHAT IS A NOISE PROFILE?
A noise profile is a segment of data that represents a normalized portion of the noise targeted for removal. X-Noise uses this data to analyze the entire audio input for noise with the same characteristics.
CREATING A NOISE PROFILE
-
To create an effective noise profile, try to find a section (at least 100 ms) containing only pure noise in the source recording. These sections are typically found before the audio begins, after it ends, or during a pause in the speech or music.
-
Select and play this segment through X-Noise and click the Learn button (below the Analyzer). The button changes to Learning and blinks to indicate that X-Noise is creating the noise profile. Click again to stop the Learning process and return to normal processing mode. The spectrum of the noise is displayed in the X-Noise Analyzer as a white line.
-
At this point, we recommend saving your X-Noise setup, which includes the noise profile.
-
If the source material does not have a section containing the pure noise you want to remove, you cannot create a noise profile and must instead use one of the factory presets. This method generally compromises noise reduction efficiency because isolating the noise from the audio is less accurate which leads to more audible artifacts.
Important Note : The noise profile should be created from the source recording used as the input to X-Noise. Creating a noise profile from a different source will not help -
X-Noise recognize the noise in your source. However, if you cannot find a noise-only segment in your source but can find one from the same recording session under the same conditions, you can use it instead and obtain good results.
SAVING, LOADING, AND SHARING NOISE PROFILES
The WaveSystem includes a Save button that stores the noise profile in the
setup file along with other parameter data. Each X-Noise setup file has two
spaces available for noise profiles, allowing analysis and storage of two
segments of noise which can be easily compared to see which works best.
Waves X-Noise software guide page 10 of 12
After creating a noise profile, an asterisk indicates that the setup has been
modified in the Setup A/B name bar. This noise profile can be saved into a new
setup or over the current one. A noise profile can be loaded by itself from
any previously saved setup. This can be useful if other sessions need to be
processed from the same recording conditions.
Important information and Useful Tips
LATENCY
To properly perform its task, X-Noise must look ahead to into the future. It
manages this incredible feat by delaying the source signal by 5120 samples
(about 116 ms in CD quality material). This is particularly significant when
the noisy track runs along with other tracks. To maintain sync, other tracks
should be delayed by the same amount. There is no way to avoid this in live
recording situations, therefore X-Noise is not recommended when monitoring a
live event. To use X-Noise in a sound file editor, it is important that the
editor is able to compensate for the plug-in’s delay. If this feature is not
available in your host, add at least 5120 samples of silence at the end of the
file and trim the start after the process is done.
STORING AND RECALLING THE NOISE PROFILE
Some audio host applications cannot store the noise profile data with the other plug-in settings. This means that saving a high level document such as a session, song, or work that includes X-Noise may not store the noise profile associated with that audio. We recommend saving setups within the WaveSystem to insure that the noise profile is saved.
SIDE EFFECTS
X-Noise creates minimal audible artifacts. Those produced are usually time- aliasing artifacts (referred to as leftovers, gremlins, singing robots, and blips) that sound like whistles or lingering oscillations. These can be treated by first lengthening the Attack and/or Release times. If the artifacts remain, choose more moderate Threshold and Reduction settings.