Discover the latest industry news and audio post production.
The ERA Bundle 3 is an Audio Repair Suite makes it possible for you to focus less on the every day audio problems you may encounter and more on your creative contribution to your project.
November 23, 2021
Company: Accusonos
Product: Era Bundle 3
Price: $149
Our Rating: 4.7/5
The ERA Bundle 3 is an Audio Repair Suite designed for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. This technology makes it possible for you to focus less on the every day audio problems you may encounter and more on your creative contribution to your project.
A single knob interface makes each of the plugins here user friendly for both sound professionals and video editors with better looking interfaces than Izotope RX.
The Noise Remover plugin has been voted the best sounding by Pro Tools Expert readers against RX and other industry giants, and when used as a live plugin, we certainly agree that is sounds smoother and is more effective.
The Voice Leveler has a transparent sound and is very intuitive for those fast level adjustments on dialogue.
The De-Esser is easy to use and provides worthwhile control of those harsher phrases in your dialogue or vocal tracks.
The De-Clipper is still in Beta, and seems to work quite well for snipping off those subtly clipped elements in waveforms.
Plosive Remover works great on subtle microphones plosives, where the user forgot to employ a pop filter.
Reverb Remover is great too on subtle verbs, and sounds fairly similar to Izotope RX's De-Reverb module.
The variety of plugins on board are able to reduce noise, reverb, harsh ‘s’ sounds, plosives, clipping and level incoherence. The bundle price of $149 is excellent. All of these features are essential for today’s post production climate, with more and more challenging audio being commissioned for editing and mixing.
Izotope RX Elements is cheaper, but is missing De-Reverb, De-Plosive and Leveller although it does include De-Hum, De-Click and Repair Assistant (an artificial intelligence system for automatic repair) which is useful for beginners.
The lack of a Click Removal plugin is quite disappointing, and really should be included as a free upgrade for current customers in the near future. We use RX De-clicker more than De-Noise, so that would have been a very welcome addition.
It is always advisable to have two sets of noise reduction plugins for those situations where you have to maximise challenging signals and want to A/B plugins. Era Bundle 3 sounds just as good as RX, and offers some plugins that RX doesn't!
Review of the Bute Loudness Analyser and Normaliser
November 23, 2021
Company: Signum Audio
Product: Bute Loudness Analyser
Price: Stereo - £69 Surround - £89
Our Rating: 4.9/5
Every sound professional understands the role of audio in a project, but how it's mixed is crucial. The execution of loudness standards play an important role in the success of a project no matter who you are delivering it to. In order to maintain a dynamic mix that meets industry standards, Scotland-based Signum Audio have developed tools such as the Bute Loudness Analyser and Bute Loudness Normaliser to ensure compliance for streaming and broadcasting standards. The plugins are available separately or in a bundle called Bute Loudness Suite.
One obvious advantage to this plugin is it's excellent price point. For less than £100 it includes loudness standards for YouTube, TIDAL and others from across the globe, including your traditional EBUR128 / EBUR128s1.
The interface provides an overview of the loudness graph of your session. Best of all, it uses an automatic re-metering after adjusting small sections of your mix, down to the sample accurate level. You can even set alerts for particular audio events such as true peak levels, or thresholds of short term loudness.
While easy to navigate, the Bute Loudness Analyser might be intimidating for newcomers to loudness compliance, as it has quite a comprehensive feature set. However, the ability to use presets for different specifications is excellent, and the following plugin in the bundle helps account for the more novice user.
Check out the Loudness Analyser here
Company: Signum Audio
Product: Loudness Normaliser
Price: Stereo - £99 Surround - £149
Our Rating: 4.9/5
The Loudness Normaliser Includes a wide range of specifications, a very welcome addition being the Netflix compliance specification. It allows for automatic processing of your laybacks to adhere to the chosen standard. In addition, a simple to use, and very well designed interface will have you rendering compliant audio files in no time! The Normaliser comes as an Audiosuite plugin and a standalone software. Both plugins include metering in formats up to Dolby Atmos 7.1.2.
Loudness normalisation is never a substitute for meeting compliance at the mixing stage, but it is a great way to give you piece of mind, and to double check your mixes when delivering to a new spec.
You should always measure your mix with two loudness meters or audiosuite plugins as readings can vary. Pro Tools Ultimate comes bundled with Pro Limiter Loudness Analyser which can act as your second option.
Check out the Loudness Normaliser here
These two plugins provide a much more comprehensive loudness compliance solution than you will find in others at this price point. The ability to customise your workflow and interface is second to none and the price tag is the icing on the cake for today’s post production professionals. There is also a Bute Limiter coming in February as part of the Suite. This is a must buy for 2019.
Check out the Loudness Suite here
We are so happy to announce that after months of hard work, we can finally present phase two of the 344 Audio Studio Build!
November 23, 2021
We are so happy to announce that after months of hard work, we can finally present phase two of the 344 Audio Studio Build! There are now 3 areas in our studios:
Studio 1 will now be known as the 'Stephenson Suite' after prominent British inventor of the steam locomotive - George Stephenson.
Studio 2 (pictured below) will now be known as the 'Graham Bell Suite' after prolific British inventor of the telephone, also involved in the formation of the decibel - Alexander Graham Bell.
Finally, we have our newly completed ADR/VO/Foley Recording space (pictured below)!
We can't wait to reveal all of the other exciting things that are happening this year. Big thanks to everyone who has been supporting our mission!
344 Audio has just launched Sound Effects on the store.
November 23, 2021
344 Audio has just launched Sound Effects on the store, and we are excited to see such an amazing response to their release!
Our libraries are made from recordings we've gathered from many different countries and environments. We’ve been gathering sound effects for our personal library for almost ten years, and now we want to share them with the world.
Low Frequency Elements is a sound effects library that layers seamlessly into your tracklay, reinforcing your mix with thunderous low end.
Alien Atmospheres is a sound effects library that suggests alien presence, covering wildlife, weather, vehicles and ambiences.
Submersion is a sound effects library delivering over 1800 high quality sounds in 377 files (more than 9Gb), from bubbles and impacts over whooshes to ambiences, propeller sounds and many more, this collection has all you need to create an exciting underwater audio experience.
November 23, 2021
Company: Spectravelers Product: Submersion
Price: $56 (usually $70)Our Rating: 4.7/5
Submersion is a sound effects library delivering over 1800 high quality sounds in 377 files (more than 9Gb), from bubbles and impacts over whooshes to ambiences, propeller sounds and many more, this collection has all you need to create an exciting underwater audio experience.
Let's start with the facts. Submersion is recorded in high fidelity at 24Bit 96kHz WAV. It contains extensive metadata, 1800+ sounds within 377 files totaling 10.8GB, and is recorded with Aquarian’s H2a Hydrophones.
The included Design section which contains over 593 individual sounds in 172 files, allows you to build hyperreal effects in no time with a very cinematic sound. They are a joy to work with and instantly foster creativity. The Raw sounds have a very subdued high end, and heavy low end, due to the use of hydrophones in the recording. This means that they will sit in the mix without the need for perspective EQ.
Some of our favourites in The Raw library include the Pool Wall Scrapes and the River Bubbles, which conjure up some serious ASMR!
Submersion is very well priced, and currently on sale at A Sound Effect.
The lack of high end in Submersion may limit certain uses of the library. We think a wider variety of sounds such as thicker muddy waters could have also been useful. Something else that could enhance the library further is an additional microphone placed above the hydrophone (outside of the water) on certain sound effects which would be useful for changing perspectives.
Once again we have an expertly crafted, high quality library. Perfect for those projects where you're in a pinch to find underwater recordings fast or you simply don't have the equipment to record them yourself. Added bonus: This sound library doubles as a stress reliever because it is incredibly relaxing to listen to! So...water you waiting for?
