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moosers
Published on 11/04/10 at 17:33
The Waves Ltd. Z-Noise is an in depth noise reduction plug-in that is part of Waves' Audio Restoration bundle of plug-ins. It's pretty similar to the X-Noise plug-in that is also part of the same package, but I like this one a bit more as I find it to be a little cleaner. I believe that you can get this plug-in individually without the bundle, although I got it in the Waves Complete bundle so I don't know this for sure. Installing the plug-in is easy as you do so while installing the entire bundle at once. The interface of the software isn't too difficult to follow and at the same time gives you total control over filtering unwanted noise. It has parameters for threshold, reduction (and a meter to show it), attack, release, transients, and knee. It also has a graph with a more traditional EQ for filtering as well. You can get more in depth with it as it has some more features to offer as well, but what I've mentioned is pretty much the jist of it. If you're going to be using this plug-in on a daily basis, the manual is definitely something worth checking out, although I haven't seen it for myself.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
The system that I'm running the Waves Ltd. Z-Noise plug-in on is running Pro Tools LE 8. I've got a Mac Book Pro lap top that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM where I'm running Pro Tools LE 8 with a Digi 002R audio interface. I have only been using this plug-in moderately here and there when I need to get rid of noise, and for these purposes the system I've got does a fine job of running it as I can't say I've had any issues with it at all.
OVERALL OPINION
The Waves Ltd. Z-Noise is definitely one of the most comprehensive noise reduction plug-ins on the market. It's limitless in what it can achieve if you know how to use it, and even if you don't know it well it's still pretty simple to use and to get it to do the basic job. Of course it can get tricky the more you want to get specific with it, but the more you use it the easier it gets to use. Of all the Waves Restoration plug-ins, this would have to be my favorite as I find it to be the most flexible while sharing that pristine filtering that the other plug-ins in the bundle have as well. If you're looking for the plug-in to help you cut out unwanted noise in music, sound design, and beyond, look no further than Waves' Z-Noise.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
The system that I'm running the Waves Ltd. Z-Noise plug-in on is running Pro Tools LE 8. I've got a Mac Book Pro lap top that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM where I'm running Pro Tools LE 8 with a Digi 002R audio interface. I have only been using this plug-in moderately here and there when I need to get rid of noise, and for these purposes the system I've got does a fine job of running it as I can't say I've had any issues with it at all.
OVERALL OPINION
The Waves Ltd. Z-Noise is definitely one of the most comprehensive noise reduction plug-ins on the market. It's limitless in what it can achieve if you know how to use it, and even if you don't know it well it's still pretty simple to use and to get it to do the basic job. Of course it can get tricky the more you want to get specific with it, but the more you use it the easier it gets to use. Of all the Waves Restoration plug-ins, this would have to be my favorite as I find it to be the most flexible while sharing that pristine filtering that the other plug-ins in the bundle have as well. If you're looking for the plug-in to help you cut out unwanted noise in music, sound design, and beyond, look no further than Waves' Z-Noise.