I have tried multiple searches on the forum, and can’t find anything to show me that (despite a WaveLab Pro 9.5 review that says you can) WaveLab Pro 10 can take a sample of noise and remove it throughout an audio file. Yes, I’ve got other issues too, but this is the first process before working further. No go here, and the rest is irrelevant.
I am desperate to find replacements for Apple’s ancient SoundTrack Pro and WaveBurner products (last updated in 2009) that mean I have to have a boot of 10.12 for my Mac, but still can’t find anything to edit and clean up a multichannel interview like Sountrack Pro can. Applying any type of processing to one or all of a multichannel file (you aren’t restricted to 2 channels) over a selected area is a breeze. WaveLab is not an easy in interface, even for someone who’s first Steinberg product was Pro24 on the Atari! I have used Cubase a lot over the years, but not WaveLab as earlier on it was a PC only app and I’ve been on Mac when it comes to pro work since 1994.
I’ve got 30 days to decide if I can spend quite a large sum of money on this and get results. My first look at the interface, and I’m struggling to find a way in and get the first task accomplished.
Sorry if it’s a bit ‘ranty’, I really want this to work!
WaveLab has two main workspace types. The Audio Editor (which is basically destructive) and the Audio Montage which is non-destructive.
In the Audio Montage, you can insert plugins on audio clips directly, on montage tracks, or in the montage output. This is all stored in the montage and found in the Inspector Tab.
Then there is the global master section which comes after all that.
For the Audio Editor, the global master section is the only place you can insert plugins and you have to be careful that you save and load the FX in the master section with the audio file.
You also have to be careful the the right global master section FX are loaded for the file you are playing or that it’s empty or bypassed if you no longer want any FX to be heard or rendered.
WaveLab is a very deep but very effective program. It will take some time to learn but in my opinion worth it. It does require some manual studying, forum reading, and perhaps video watching.
My word this seems painful and excessively convoluted. I can’t even be sure I’ve found what you’re describing yet (the manual assumes you know way too much about how this works, it’s very poor), and I’ll need a project with a longer lead time to try and get this app involved or I’m missing deadlines left right and centre. I’ve allowed 3 times what it will take in my current software (it’s a long interview and I’m picky, so that’s an extra 8 hours) - that’s not going to be close to enough I don’t think. I’ve applied well over 2 hours to get essentially nowhere. Still not reduced any noise.
From what you say, I do worry that even when I get there (that would be at a huge time cost as well as direct financial one), there would be a huge time deficit each time I am using it, way more than I’ll ever save by not rebooting in a different OS.This is trying to be too many things to too many people in one app, making each and every process long-winded, operated through a confusing UI.
I was hoping 10+ years would have brought a slicker process. It appears to have brought more things simply tacked on to more things. It looks like Adobe style UI where you need to go on courses etc before you can be vaguely proficient.
Sorry for another rant, I’m rather disappointed. I’ll try this again before my trial runs out, but not for the next day or two.
I hope Steinberg or someone finds a way to make a time-efficient editor.
Noise reduction is one thing among many many more that WaveLab can do. If it was the number one feature, it would be more prominent in the application.
Anyway, once you have found the plugin, things should be easier for you.
I hope Steinberg or someone finds a way to make a time-efficient editor.
No you have to dig into world of mastering there is no short cut
whatever app/program that you use and WaveLab is 25 + …
very good, excellent support from PG, Steinberg team and users in this forum.
If cleaning up dialogue is the main aspect of your work, you could also look into going the specialist route. iZotope’s RX Pro is a tool specifically focussed on noise reduction, and in particular it has many tools for improving different kinds of problems with dialogue. It is expensive, though, and I don’t know off the top of my head how many of these tools you get in the cheaper non-Pro version. WaveLab and RX can also work well together - but that’s pushing the price up yet more!
Mastering is not really the job here (I have done mastering, but this is editing and cleaning up interviews), and there is looking for a shortcut, and trying to avoid an unnecessarily convoluted workflow for what you are doing. I think WaveLab for me is such drastic overkill in terms of many, many features I won’t use, it won’t help.
I’m trying to streamline a workflow, this won’t be achieved here as I’m looking at the wrong size of toolkit. It’s not just a more modern version of what I’m using, it’s 3 or 4 other suites of functions added on top I don’t need, that all need space in the UI.
Thanks for all your help everyone, but unless I start needing significantly more functionality, this looks way past overkill.
I am probably looking for something too specific in reality.
Yes, it sounds like WaveLab is overkill for your particular use case. I second the suggestions to look at Izotope RX or ACON Digital’s Restoration Suite.
Izotope specifically has many tutorial videos on YouTube regarding dialogue editing, including noise reduction.
@KarnB,
This doesn’t have to be difficult. I’d suggest the following… first open the audio file in the audio editor. The Master section is usually found in a panel to the right of the main Audio editor display. If it’s not there then go to the Tool Windows menu and click on ‘Master Section’. The Master Section is where you can insert plugins when processing audio files. Click on any slot in the effects section (near the top of the panel) and, in the pop-up menu, select ‘Restore Rig’ from the Steinberg/Restoration folder. In Restore Rig there’s a Learn button in the noise reduction section. Use this to record your noise. The reduction algorithm can be tuned to suit various types of signal including speech.
I’d also second the Acon Digital Restoration Suite.
Wavelab also has a spectrum editing function in the audio editor (spectrum tab in the ribbon at the top of the display) and this might be helpful for certain kinds of frequency based editing (removing clicks and artifacts) but obviously has a learning curve.
Good luck.
But this is what an audio editor almost always is. It’s software with many, many features. Very few of us use all the features and personally I don’t feel the features get in the way. Wavelab is way more flexible than most and the GUI can be streamlined to suit your own workflow. For example, it has a sophisticated docking system so you can arrange the screen to suit your own preferences.
Karn,
You are telling my story! Been there, done that too!
As for WaveLab 10, I just bought it and am trying to acclimate. And am now at your crossroads; Where did they hide the denoiser?