Sony Noise Reduction

Free to try Sony Creative Software Windows 2000/XP Version 2.0m Build 596 Full Specs

Editors' Rating:

Excellent

Average User Rating:

6 User Votes

2.2

out of 6 votes

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Special Offer

$279.95

Editors' Review

by Download.com staff / April 30, 2014

Sony Noise Reduction consists of four professional DirectX sound restoration plug-ins that can clean up your vinyl recordings and tracks, eliminating noise that has been accidentally introduced or unwanted and annoying sound sources from otherwise good recordings. To use them effectively, however, you need to know what you are doing.

Pros

Great performance: Sony Noise Reduction includes Audio Restoration, Clipped Peak Restoration, Noise Reduction, and Click and Crackle Removal, all of which work as advertised.

Plug-in settings: You start with the default values and, if the result is not satisfactory, you can adjust many settings. Once you are happy with the results, your custom settings can be saved for later use.

Free trial: The asking price of $280 does not allow room for errors. The fact that professional tools can be freely tested is a good thing.

Cons

Pricey: The asking price and the Sound Forge 8 prerequisite make this professional software an unattainable dream for the casual user.

Requires experimentation: To get your job done, you may have to test out different plug-ins for the same track and spend some time adjusting settings. If you have at least some technical knowledge, it will all be a lot easier.

Bottom Line

If you use Sound Forge, the Sony Noise Reduction plug-ins are an indispensable addition to your set of tools. Effective and extremely useful, they are ideal for the removal of all kinds of undesired noises and diversions. Besides, they are easily tunable via comprehensive settings. It's strictly for professionals, though.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Sony Noise Reduction 2.0m Build 596.

What do you need to know about free software?

Editors' Review

by Download.com staff / April 30, 2014

Pros

Great performance: Sony Noise Reduction includes Audio Restoration, Clipped Peak Restoration, Noise Reduction, and Click and Crackle Removal, all of which work as advertised.

Free trial: The asking price of $280 does not allow room for errors. The fact that professional tools can be freely tested is a good thing.

Cons

Pricey: The asking price and the Sound Forge 8 prerequisite make this professional software an unattainable dream for the casual user.

Bottom Line

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of Sony Noise Reduction 2.0m Build 596.

Publisher's Description

From Sony Creative Software:

The Noise Reduction plug-in collection is a series of four professional-level, DirectX, sound restoration plug-ins: Vinyl Restoration, Noise Reduction, Clipped Peak Restoration, and Click and Crackle Removal plug-ins. Save valuable time and money by applying the Noise Reduction processing power to salvage vintage vinyl recordings, and rescue problem tracks. For basic restoration solutions, use the Noise Reduction plug-in preset parameters, or develop and save your own custom settings for complete control and unlimited flexibility. Whether you're in radio, multimedia, or music production, the Noise Reduction plug-in collection will prove an invaluable addition to your audio editing suite. Use this plug-in collection with Sound Forge 8 software or any other DirectX-compatible host application to clean up your audio files and achieve professional results.

User Reviews

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2.2
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4 stars

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"Best results when one sticks to basics with this baby."

rojer3 June 22, 2006 / Version: Noise Reduction 2.0.249

2006-06-22 02:12:03 | By rojer3

Pros

This Noise reduction plugin has come a really long way. Though Aesthetically its not all that appealing and forces the user to painstakingly move the faders and reach for the check boxes, this plugin is out right bossy and professional in delivering the desired filtered sound.

Frequency resolution is pretty darn good even at lower FFT settings. It may prove to be processor taxing on slower computers but its a negligible compromise on the final outome.

Pros: Utmost professional and accurate processing. Graceful charecterstics. Almost as good as no processing power needed on faster computers. Excellent Noise Print Capturing. All the features needed in a single Noise reduction plugin are found within in the main window with two Tabs.Can enter accurate values wherever needed.

Cons

CONS:

Looks very Dry and Boring. Carries a simple GUI nothing looks special or HI-FI.

Time consuming on slower computers. Some times crashes on very slow computers.

Small Spectrum Window, makes it very tough and congested to mark in add edit points.

High frequency make up gain requires more attention and demands focus on intricate nuances to get the right amount of compensation.

And finally, it falls down on Value for money factor,its a slightly highly priced plugin compared to its very few but existing competitors.

1 stars

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"until you pay, it adds annoying tones to your audio so you can't use it"

whaddup June 13, 2006 / Version: Noise Reduction 2.0

2006-06-13 17:47:15 | By whaddup

Pros

none

Cons

doesn't show up in my programs to uninstall.

5 stars

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"A TOP NOTCH plugin that delivers professional results that are hard to beat!"

weber-audio March 05, 2006 / Version: Noise Reduction 2.0

2006-03-05 18:28:21 | By weber-audio

Pros

In the hands of a skilled audio engineer (or advanced hobbyist), Noise reduction 2.0 most certainly can provide stellar results! It takes time to familiar with it and any user will invest their life in doing so, but the end results are worth it. Anyone who uses this software should have a trained ear, good monitoring system, discipline (so you don't overuse the tools) and a solid background in audio wouldn't hurt either.

Like a musical instrument, the more practice, the more your skills as a user will develop. The help files are to the point and will give you all the basic information needed to know about options and settings. After that, it is up to you to learn how to apply it correctly. If you are serious about noise reduction, Noise Reduction 2.0 is hard to beat. I use it with Sound Forge 8.0 and find it to be a happy marriage. However, it will work fine with many time line recording software that accepts DirectX plugins (such as Steinberg products).

Cons

I will agree with the other previous posts that this software is not for the beginner, but it wasn't intended for that purpose. Noise Reduction 2.0 is a professional level software and it's vast flexibility and wide range of settings can be a disaster for the first time user.

If you are searching for a one button, quick fix noise reduction software, this certainly is not the one for you. However, as you can probably guess, the results of such software tends to be mediocre at best.

1 stars

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"Too difficult to use - not self-explaining"

September 18, 2004 / Version: Noise Reduction 2.0

2004-09-18 06:32:10

Summary

I've used some noise reduction SW before, but this one is just too complicated to use.

1 stars

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"Can't use unless registered...can't register because program doesn't let you configure for firewall"

May 07, 2004 / Version: Noise Reduction 2.0

2004-05-07 05:05:56

Summary

You MUST register with Sony to use the software. You MUST be an unprotected sheep out on the big bad internet without any protection to use this software. I couldn't use it because my company's firewall blocked it.

If you're going to force someone to register online, then you should give them the ability to specify that they are behind a firewall, etc. Like EVERY OTHER piece of "PROFESSIONAL" software.

1 stars

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"it is fairly difficult for a novice user to achive acceptable results with this plug-in"

January 13, 2004 / Version: Noise Reduction 2.0

2004-01-13 10:02:54

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Full Specifications

What's new in version 2.0m Build 596
Version 2.0m Build 596 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

General
Publisher	Sony Creative Software
Publisher web site	http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com
Release Date	July 23, 2013
Date Added	December 10, 2013
Version	2.0m Build 596

Category
Category	MP3 & Audio Software
Subcategory	Audio Plugins

Operating Systems
Operating Systems	Windows 2000/XP
Additional Requirements	Sound Forge 8

Download Information
File Size	20.37MB
File Name	noisereduction20m.exe

Popularity
Total Downloads	99,339
Downloads Last Week	55

Pricing
License Model	Free to try
Limitations	Beeps in rendered audio
Price	$279.95

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Sony Noise Reduction

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Pros

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Editors' Review

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Bottom Line

Publisher's Description

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Full Specifications

What's new in version 2.0m Build 596

General

Category

Operating Systems

Download Information

Popularity

Pricing