VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Jack Daniel]

...by which I mean that my call for help is best experienced if you picture me as a dusty, coal-smeared street urchin with a piteous tear forming almost credibly in my right eye...

I've been testing Izotope RX5 Advanced using their try-before-you-buy offer, a generous thing. I really like it, but it's really expensive: over a grand full retail (though it's actually going for $750 until Nov 14).

I've looked at other posts and the consensus seems to be that RX is a wonderful tool. Is it fair to say that those who've plunked down the big bux are happy with their purchase?

Also, though I have Pro Tools and sometimes use it, I normally use Audition, and "Connect" with that DAW is a bit clunky, though serviceable. Am I perhaps missing something that would allow me to use Connect with Audition while enjoying ProTools-like smoothness?

Thanks VOBBers! I say this on behalf of piteous urchins everywhere.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[Bish]

I have an older version of iZotope (RX2). I'm also working with Adobe Audition which has some wonderful repair tools. Using spectral view with the repair tool is a wonderful way to clean those stubbornly annoying little glitches. If I've ever needed any noise fixing, the adaptive noise stuff in AA suffices. If I use the AA tools where applicable, I find I'm only using iZotope for an occasional de-clip (when there's been an oops) and the de-crackle or de-click for general clean-up.

The current offer of RX5 DeClick, DeHum, DeClip, & DeNoise for $69 is tempting me to upgrade. Personally, I'm hard-pressed to think what else I'd need on top of the stuff already on-board with Audition. Of course, everyone's need are different, but there's a lot of stuff in the full production package that (for me) would never be used.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Jack Daniel]

Thanks, Bish. I too use AA for most spot repairs, even when I'm playing with RX, simply because the spot healer is so intuitive. (I never turn off the spectral view and consider life without it brutal and harsh.) What I like about RX is its gain envelope tool and the leveler, among other aspects. Its noise reduction mini-suite is the best I've ever seen, and like you say the de-click and de-crackle tools are killer. But 8 bills is a lot to pay for being cool.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[DenaliDave]

iZotope seems to be a CPU/resource hog...

Most of the tools I've been able to find from other companies as-needed. Some of them I actually like better, like Acon Digital's restoration suite.

Also, I find that the presets are garbage with iZotope, and it's very easy to "over do it". I've seen people complain that everything sounds bad and over processed with iZotope RX.

I don't really like iZotope's interfaces either, they remind me of Windows 98 or something from ages ago. It's a very vain and petty complaint, I realize this -- but iZotope is just plain UGLY compared to other plugins and Logic Pro/Twisted Wave.

It's good software, don't get me wrong, it does what it claims!

I find, however, that with a package like RX, you end up paying for a lot of things you probably don't need or won't ever use. I like to just have the tools I need/use in my toolbox.

But there is that CPU/resource hog thing that nags at me...other products that do similar things from other software developers don't seem slow everything down nearly as much.

Acon's stuff is worth checking out, as they have the most commonly used tools by VO people. I think Lance here did a review a while back...

Then again sometimes iZotope has their "plugin pack" for sale here and there which I think is probably the best deal they have going. It has all the de-click/clip/hum/noise tools that we use at a very reasonable price. Why pay for the farm when you just need a cow!?
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"The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve." - Buddha
www.alaskamic.com

[DenaliDave]

[Jack Daniel]

[Jack Daniel]

DDave,

Just wanted to say I did a fairly quick test with Acon's noise reduction module--holy cow! It did an amazing job with little jiggering. I'll have to do more testing but again--thanks for the pointer.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[DenaliDave]

Thanks! Got to pick the photos from the wedding yesterday w/the photographer!

Yep, Acon has good quality stuff, and I find for *me* the controls are easier to dial in.

I was mistaken, it wasn't Lance but Stephen J Cohen that did a blog post about Acon and some trials.

I think that they'll both do the job -- and I think he even said in side-by-sides if properly applied he saw little difference. For me, that tells me that the interface/controls are what made Acon work better for me.

And I think that's really what it comes down to...if I can get the tool to do what I want it to do easier, I'll probably go with that tool.

Acon has their restoration pack at a good price, and I've seen iZotope have their own "plugin pack" at the same price. So, I guess it comes down to what bit of software you're able to get the best results with. In the hands of someone else, they might get better results with one vs. the other!

I've been playing with a new program called ocenaudio this afternoon for punch & roll recording. It's a Twisted Wave clone but free, and it actually has MORE features like punch and roll built-in. Me likey...

Oh, it's also cross-platform too
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"The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve." - Buddha
www.alaskamic.com

[Jack Daniel]

Newlywed Dave,

Another query: is there an equivalent to Izotope's leveler tool that you know of? I think Acon's noise reduction is excellent and much cheaper than RX5, but I don't see a Leveler equivalent.
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

[DenaliDave]