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Oeksound’s Spiff is an intelligent transient shaping plugin that offers precise, adaptive control for dialogue, music, and sound design—perfect for professionals seeking a powerful and nuanced mixing tool.
November 23, 2021
Company: Oeksound
Product: Spiff
Price: £139
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Here at 344 Audio, we are constantly on the lookout for the tools that will help us do our jobs more effectively and efficiently, and from many years of experience we have developed a critical ear when it comes to assessing the quality and usefulness of a plugin.
We have always been big fans of the products that the team at Oeksound have been putting out, and so naturally we were thrilled when they presented us with the opportunity to test and review their adaptive transient plugin Spiff.
On the surface, Spiff appears to be yet another addition to the range of transient shaping tools that are on the market, but upon diving in deeper, it's clear to see that Spiff does things a little differently than the competition.
The main function that sets Spiff apart is the way its EQ behaves. The EQ contained in Spiff is in fact a side chain EQ which analyses the incoming audio and applies a boost or cut to the transient components of the signal. This allows Spiff to process audio adaptively and with a lot more nuance than some of the other available tools within its class, making this product more akin to a scalpel than a sledgehammer. Intelligent stuff indeed.
Whilst at first Spiff may look a little confusing, once you get to grips with the layout of the GUI and how the different parameters operate it quickly becomes a very intuitive tool to work with. Sound shaping with a very tactile experience and one that rewards experimentation.
Using different colours depending on boost or cut is a subtle but very nice design feature, as it makes it easy to get a visual snapshot of what's going on without having to study all of the controls.
The EQ bands are extremely flexible, and there are very few limits on how far you can push things when searching for the desired sound, so don't be afraid to get a little wild when using Spiff, just be careful to not have the depth control set too high when pushing the high end or else things can get a little harsh on the ears.
Spiff is a versatile and potent mixing tool that will be highly applicable to a range of different applications.
We would use it to control harsh plosives when editing dialogue, to balance levels in a sound with wide frequency content, and as a precision mixing tool during trailer sound design.
Some other great uses of Spiff include:
- Removing mouth noises from dialogue recordings. - Adding brightness to dull recordings.
- Processing drum kit recordings.
- Cleaning up live audio recordings from bleed, unwanted sounds etc.
- Adding more impact and sweetness to drums, guitar pickings etc.
- Subtle cuts/boosts during mastering.
Yet again, Oeksound has delivered a plugin that stands above the competition both in terms of its effectiveness as an audio processing tool, and the quality of the user experience. There is a real depth to Spiff, and it seems like the kind of plugin that would keep revealing new facets to its operation even after months of working with it.
What we especially love is that Spiff bridges the gap between compressor and EQ, achieving similar audio results that you would commonly expect with a multiband compressor, only without compromising any of the dynamics.
This is a versatile mixing tool that is equally suited to pro mix engineers, composers and bedroom producers. Its fair price of £139 maybe places it just out of the reach of novice users but makes it an ideal purchase for anyone from intermediate level and above.
For more on Spiff and Oeksound, as ell as their website and purchase information follow this link: https://oeksound.com/plugins/spiff/
You can check out our recent review of its sister plugin Soothe 2 here: https://www.344audio.com/post/review-oeksound-soothe-2
We hope you enjoyed this review!
Tonsturm's SPCTRL EQ is a powerful, creative EQ and filter tool that offers precise frequency manipulation, modulation, and dynamic sound shaping—perfect for sound designers seeking bold and experimental audio transformations.
November 23, 2021
Company: Tonsturm
Product: SPCTRL EQ
Price: $99.00
Our Rating: 4.8/5Overview
Tonsturm have established themselves as a company who like to break the mould when it comes to their effects plug ins, offering users something a little different from the norm in terms of both the design and functionality of their products.
Today we are excited to bring you our review for their new SPCTRL EQ plug in. This tool, which combines elements of an EQ and a filter, gives users unapparelled control and precise manipulation of the frequency spectrum in one user friendly package.
At first glance, SPCTRL EQ shares its DNA with the previous Tonsturm product FRQ-Shift, so if you have any experience working with this plug-in then you should feel a sense of familiarity with SPCTRL EQ, particularly when working with the modulator and LFO windows. Speaking generally, SPCTRL EQ is most definitely a sound designers EQ and is best suited to the weird and the wonderful, with crazy alien/robotic effects and things of that nature being what it excels at the most.
SPCTRL EQ lets you filter, shape and control sounds with frightening levels of precision, allowing users to craft complex and intricate EQ effects and inject instant excitement into otherwise "dull" or "flat" sounds. Users can then further shape and sculpt their sounds across up to 4092 frequency bands, and add motion through the use of the built in modulators and LFO parameters.
In their own words, Tonsturm gives us an overview of SPCTRL EQ.
There are several key features that sets SPCTRL EQ apart from similar products within its class, with the vast number of modulation bands on offer, and its flexible curve editor being the most compelling.
SPCTRL EQ contains the same cutting-edge modulation system that we saw in FRQ-Shift, only this time it gives users many more degrees of precision thanks to the 4092 frequency bands, shaping functions and detailed visual display. Users can also manipulate the left and right channels independently or have them working together.
The depth of control that this product offers is superb, and its great to have such a wide array of features at your disposal, and to use them so fluidly in tandem with each other to transform sounds and take them to the next level.
In addition to the aforementioned features, it is worth noting the quality of the user interface. Tonsturm products are always laid out in a very easy-to-use way, but its interesting to see how the UI is continually being improved over multiple iterations as they release new products. We especially love the inclusion of a built-in undo button, which is a small but often overlooked feature that really shows the level of thought and consideration for the end-user that Tonsturm have put into SPCTRL EQ.
SPCTRL EQ has a hefty bank of pre-sets which can be easily accessed through its in-built navigation window.
What its useful for:
SPCTRL EQ is useful for a wide range of creative sound design applications including but not limited to the following:- Adding interest and tension to "static" and "uninteresting" sounds.
- Quickly transforming a voice or vocal recording into something robotic and electronic.
- Creating, risers, build ups and drops from "ordinary" sound sources.
- Use as a more interesting filter than a standard lpf, hpf, bp etc.
- Add motion and movement to sounds through modulators and LFO.
- Twist and bend sounds into new concoctions that you couldn't imagine or didn't think were possible.
In the above playlist you can check out a range of audio demos that show off how SPCTRL EQ performs with different sound sources.
SPCTRL EQ is most definitely a sound designers EQ, so users who are looking for something more traditional in design should definitely look elsewhere. This is a creative EQ first and foremost and therefore rewards users who are open to experimenting, breaking the "rules" and putting it through its paces. Overall this is a powerful and diverse product that definitely fits into the "premium" tier in terms of its quality. With a very accessible price tag of $99, we would recommend SPCTRL EQ to all audio professionals and sound designers who are still in the beginning stages of their career. This is an excellent tool in terms of its functionality and design, and it can help you get to grips with some of the more advanced techniques of frequency modulation.
We hope you enjoyed checking out this review!
If you like the sound of SPCTRL EQ you can find out more product details as well as purchase information on the Tonsturm website VIA the following link: https://tonsturm.com/product/spctrl-eq
Klevgrand's Degrader is a versatile bitcrusher and distortion plugin that delivers vintage hardware emulation, crunchy lo-fi textures, and intuitive controls for both music production and sound design.
November 23, 2021
Company: Klevgrand
Product: Degrader
Price: $39.99 (iOS $12.99)
Our Rating: 4.7/5
Degrader is available on Mac and PC in AU/VST/AAX formats. The GUI is very pretty, and consists of controls for Bit Depth, Sample Rate, Jitter, Saturation and more. Degrader allows the user to resample a signal anywhere between 250Hz and 96kHz, with a low pass filter including pre and post fader controls. Bit depth can be altered continuously between 3 and 24 bits resolution, resulting in some very crispy, hairy noises. Parameter linking is also useful here, a feature that can really speed up your automation when designing complex sounds.
The overall sound is rather crunchy, and somewhat reminiscent of more desirable bit crushing experienced on older hardware samplers (the presets offer emulation of vintage hardware too). There is enough range to go from AKAI emulation to all out computerised mutation. It works well for futzing, creating 8 bit effects or even simulating a video game environment by placing it on your sound effects bus. In a musical context, it sounds great for drum processing. We used it on a recent project where we had to vocalise a robot, Degrader added a tasty dose of extra spice to the mix that helped make the voices more believable.
It would be nice to see some convolution added to the plugin, reminiscent of that featured in McDSP Futzbox. Impulse responses of hardware units could add an extra dimension to the sound, that for the most part is already exceptional.
Most DAWs can bitcrush a signal, but not all have the interface, ease of use and classic sound that Degrader has.
Pro Sound Effects' Hybrid Library 2018 offers an extensive 65,000+ sound collection, providing high-quality, versatile effects for sound designers and post-production studios at an unbeatable value.
November 23, 2021
Company: Pro Sound Effects Product: Hybrid Library 2018
Price: $995 for Freelancers - Ends Dec 17th
(usually $1,995).
$3,995 for Companies.Our Rating: 4.9/5
The seminal general sound effects library for a new wave of Sound Designers and Audio Post Production Studios. The Hybrid Library is the best way to get a head start building your sound library now to compete with larger studios. We listened through over 65,000 effects to bring you our most comprehensive review ever.
The Hybrid Library by Pro Sound Effects (PSE) is an extensive general sound effects library aimed at freelancers and post sound studios. The package is mailed out to you, and you are provided with an online account to take an advantage of the included extras.
When our review copy arrived at 344 HQ from New York, it was quite an exciting moment. Knowing the quality of some of the other products, it was a nice feeling to load the drive in and start browsing the wide range of effects.
The library contains 65,000+ sounds totalling 400GB provided on a 1TB hard drive formatted for Windows and Mac, which is included in the price (covered by a 3 year failure warranty). Files are provided in a variety of formats ranging from 16Bit 44.1kHz to 24Bit 96kHz Broadcast WAV. There are mono, stereo and 5.1 effects included in many categories. The library includes extensive metadata and is organised into folders for your convenience.
Other benefits include access to a web based version of the Hybrid Library, which contains most of the sound effects, so that if you are working from another studio, you can open it up and get started downloading right away. This web store search allows an easy to use, 'download all selected' feature for grabbing effects in bulk and at speed. This leaves much to be desired from competitors.
There is an included $100 voucher, which can be spent as part of a purchase, it can be spread across multiple purchases, or it can be used to add to your library over time through their online web store which contains over 250,000 sound effects. We recommend investing this into their The Odyssey Collection: Vehicles Basic to help bolster the vehicle workups available to you.
You also have access to a 90 day trial of Basehead, a useful sound effects search software which allows you to organise and navigate your offline libraries, with metadata search functions. It’s likely you’ll already own a search software if you are making this purchase, but our go-to option is Soundly.
Freelancers are offered special pricing for the library (usually $1,995) with studios paying ($3995). The most exciting thing to discuss in this review is that you can currently purchase PSE Hybrid Library for $995 as a Freelancer (ends Dec 16th) - the lowest price EVER, which is frankly a no brainer. The best value for money ever in a general library of this size, and a great tool for increasing productivity.
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We promised an extensive review, and we delivered. We listened through every category of sounds in this library and almost covered the entire file selection over a number of days. The result of this can be found in our Categories of Irresistible Effects section at the bottom of the page, where we logged our initial thoughts (unedited) so that you can get a genuine feel for what is included and it’s quality from a professional user.As a general note, this library surprised us in some ways. It has a lot of content and the quality of each sound effect is great. Even though sounds are pulled from a variety of sources and recordists, there is a good cross section of perspectives and frequency responses in the effects, to make them as usable as possible in multiple scenarios. For example, the Guns section includes realistic, transient like effects, as well as covering larger than life distorted sounds for that Hollywood vibe.The coverage is more than enough to get you started, and if you had to, this library could be the last thing you ever purchased, which could be accented with personal recordings and design. All general libraries have their weaknesses, But thankfully PSE update the library from time to time to help alleviate any of these.
The inclusion of 5.1 effects is really a winner too, with mature choices made instead of recording in 5.1 to tick boxes. PSE recorded 5.1 effects that will really benefit your tracklay, demonstrating their knowledge and experience in sound effects editing.Something which is also important to mention, is the overall look and feel of this product strikes us as the start of a new age of general effects libraries, which help the independent sound designers and studios by offering affordable ways to compete with industry giants.There is a quality to a lot of the effects here (particularly those recorded by Blastwave) that inspire further design, and ignite those audio brainwaves that inspire us day by day in our pursuits of flawless sound. Furthermore, there is an attention to detail, things like aircraft turbulence add that professional edge to otherwise empty scenes. There are included sounds that are hard to find even in independent boutique libraries.
PSE Hybrid Library just screams 'hollywood' as you listen through, and it sounds so good that each effect feels designed and destined for it's intended use. Using this library stills make a film sound unique, unlike general libraries of the past, which are recognisable even to the general public. It will ignite the inner sound designer within you, and give you creative starting points for custom design. Quality AND quantity.
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Some nice inclusions for the future would be to have a complete offline search software included. With PSE's development of so many new libraries and a huge online database, perhaps they could create an offline version of their website's search engine for all purchasers.
There were also a couple of categories that needed more variety in the library. No doubt with upcoming additions that PSE provide these will be fleshed out. Make sure you read below to get our first impression of every section.
The ultimate sound effects library for the 21st century sound designer/sound effects editor. It will get you out of a lot of tight spots, and cover you when those unrealistic deadlines hit on the most demanding of projects.
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Check out our verdict of each category in the library, so that you know what to expect:
Acid - Burning melting acid.
Air - Those tasty, cinematic air bursts.
Aircraft -
Helicopters - A very good variety of movements and vehicles.
Jets - Very good for distant airplane pass by effects.
Misc - The turbulence in this section screams 'Snakes on a Plane'.
Prop Planes - A little less of an extreme speed than the jets.
Alarms - All of the common alarms you would expect/need for a film.
Ambience -
Battle - These really put you into the space, including a 5.1 effect.
Exotic - Needs more content, but this is fleshed out in the 'birds’ section.
Industrial - Think Star Wars Episode II Geonosis factory in 5.1!
Jungle - Some useful effects, more would be nice.
Misc - Mostly designed/abstract effects.
Nautical - Quite useful.
Public Places - Good filler for many scenes.
Roomtone - A nice selection, with some in 5.1, very good.
Rural - Some very unique moments have been captured here.
Suburban - Lacking some general residential FX like those from BBC library.
Technical - Useful sounds of auto repair shops, factories and computer rooms.
Urban - Great city backdrops.
Walla - Lacks a little substance, although the included sound very natural.
Animals - Has some very well isolated sounds of frogs, the bullfrogs sound very interesting and exotic - definitely some of the best frog sounds we've heard. But why are these the only animals? Perhaps this section should be Amphibians, as there is also a Birds and Mammals section.
Arrows - Has some excellent pass bys that could be use for magic or sci fi design elements.
Beeps - Excellent UI sounds, pretty much everything beep related you'll need.
Bells - Same note as previous, very extensive.
Birds -
Exotic - Has a nice variety or creepy/abstract bird sounds perfect for alien planets or unknown island jungles.
Land - Whip bird, excellent moments captured.
Misc - Excellent bird squawks and UK bird sounds.
Water - Sound design elements galore with geese and gulls.
Wingflaps - More natural wing flaps needed - we use these sounds all the time for off screen cues in scary scenes.
Boats - This section is excellent, a variety of boat sounds, and very nice touches with stepping onto boat effects.
Breathing - Gas masks great, as well as general effects, also zombie effects and drawn out breaths great for horror.
Buzzers - More than extensive enough for this subject.
Camera - Surprisingly extensive - the servo sounds are great for robotic movements - missing classic camera noises.
Cartoon - Full of little gems, and very fulfilling to listen through. More than enough content for an entire cartoon.
Chains - Good section with variations.
Chairs - Metal section is the best with some interesting creaks.
Clicks - Some nice elements, more ratchet movements would have been nice.
Clocks - Small selection, quality over quantity, it's nice to see that both close and distant clocks were recorded, as worldising these with reverb and eq can prove difficult in many mixes.
Cloth - Some useful cloth sounds for those fast turnaround short form projects that cannot justify foley.
Computer - A good perspective to the sounds, not too close, not too far.
Cooking - A nice section of cutting, slicing sounds and water sizzles, perfect for the next series of Hell's Kitchen. Perhaps more sounds of cookware being handled could be useful.
Crashes -
Debris - F*** these are larger than life.
Glass - A variety of weights, sizes and speed of shattering on different surfaces.
Metal - Some beautiful car crashes (more would be nice - but cars are expensive!), as well as a variety of objects.
Misc - Building collapses provide simply excellent layers for those huge explosions that can start to build up into a wall of incoherent noise in your tracklay. There are also some great 'aftermath' sounds here too.
Pottery - great layers for those interior shootouts, where youve already used metal, dirt and glass ricochets!
Rock - Often, rock debris and landslide effects are too short, this section fills those gaps.
Wood - Similar notes to previous section, you have a variety of extended debris crashes here.
Creaks - This category really evokes some mental pictures of scenes. The creaky ambiences are perfect for a haunted house or any location within a horror. The specific creaks are nice also, and often in other libraries the tone of these isn't quite right - well done PSE!
Crowds -
Applause - Kick those cheesy 90's crowd effects from your library, these are much more natural.
Misc - 5.1 Audience murmurs are a much needed tool, nice inclusion. This section is very useful as a lot of the sounds are not coherently American, so could be used in other countries such as the UK.
Movement - This section is useful for adding that extra little layer to a scene, especially if you don't have background foley tracks recorded.
Walla - Some nice inclusions here for a variety of spaces, including cafes/bars. Use of french, british and american crowds.
Crunches - Useful in some scenarios where a single crunch may be needed, most likely in ice/snow design.
Debris -
Dirt - Excellent filler for short foley cues if you don't want to cause a huge mess in a grave digging scene!
Misc - This section will defeinitely get some use, smaller or more abstract items being dropped is something missing from other libraries.
Rocks - Great for subtle landslide/earthquake moments when you need the movement and texture.
Distortion - Some of these sounds may not be that useful to a seasoned Designer/Synth Nut. But the 'PEDesign Elements' sound huge and are perfect for those complex CGI scenes, where you need to flick through a variety of noises to find your voice. Perhaps some shorter and harsher glitch effects would have been nice.
Creaks -
Door - A variety of door creaks from different recordists, very useful in basically every film.
Exotic - Two effects only (air pressure releases), maybe should be left in the Misc section?
Glass - It's nice to have the detail of glass doors as an option.
Hardware - Very useful for those door layers - handles, knockers, latches, locks etc.
Metal - Not only doors to rooms, but also objects such as filing cabinets, some effects have excellent natural verb.
Misc - Fridge, microwave, servo doors and more.
Sliding - Does what it says on the tin, slides with style.
Stone - Evokes a huge Egyptian pyramid stone door. It would have been nice to have a few more variations.
Wood - This section is so simple but so effective. Don't you just hate when you have to scroll through hundreds of door effects to find the right one? A lot of these sound like they'll do the trick.
Drawers -
Metal - These recordings retain their natural metallic resonance, which will help them fit into scenes amongst foley and effects.
Misc - Some more low frequency content in the cash drawers would be nice, but a useful inclusion.
Wood - Natural sounds that will fit into the mix well.
Drone - Dark and mysterious alien planets. A brief section that is complimented by various designed sounds in other sections.
Earthquake - Very brief section, mostly focusing on low frequency sounds that will layer with rock movements. It would be nice to hear some sounds of plates falling and other items during the quakes.
Eating - Very useful section, not those overly close and processed chewing sounds usually found. They feel natural, and will blend will location dialogue well. Also there are cats eating!
Electric -
Arcs and Zaps - this section is a little weak, it doesn't have that hollywood zap/weight that you would expect, such as that found in Polarity by Mattia Cellotto.
Hum - This section also needs some padding out, with lighting hums, and more natural electronic hums.
Misc - This section could have more variety - strong areas are the Guitar Plug in / feedback noises.
Relays - Some useful power up sounds.
Sparks - Quite useful for diegetic, real electricity, not so much for heavy design work.
Tonalities - Some very nice design work here, the 5.1 force fields are excellent!
Elevators - Very nice section, softer more natural sounds all the way up to Jigsaw's Lair-esque creepiness.
Energy - Brilliant. The explosions here are very well worldised and will blend with more ambitious design. The pixie movements are cool and will definitely be getting some use in a fantasy/sci-fi environment.
Explosions - Same notes as previous section, except some of these are more heavily designed so that you have options.
Fans & Air Conditioning - Very nice section, that contains more than enough variation, very useful effects for hiding low frequency noise within interior dialogue.
Farts - What can you say - did someone step on a whoopie cushion?
Feedback - Perfect section for Sci-Fi, musical design, or to place over idents.
Fight -
We're very picky with our fight sounds, so it will be nice to hear these.
Bodyfalls Good balance between low and mid frequency content.
Punches - Very nice. Every range from Hollywood to Fight Club. Sub / dramatic reverb layers also supplied, excellent attention to detail.
Misc - Decent category. Fallen characters movement effects, as well as zombies tapping on walls - very useful.
Swishes - There is a focus on subtle, more natural whooshes here. Although these are great, sometimes you need that dramatic kung fu swoosh too.
Fire -
Another category that is crucial and can waste a lot of time when searching through inferior effects in other libraries.
Burning - A good mixture for different scenarios.
Ignite - This section is our new go to, very well considered.
Misc - Some softer flames here, will be useful somewhere.
Whooshes - A must have. When you have that classic scene with the fire torch in a cave or tomb.
Fireworks - Very, very good close fireworks, and fireworks with crowds. It would be nice to hear some more characterful recordings of distant fireworks too.
Foley -
Footsteps - Useful if you don't have time to jump into the foley pits for a small cue. The apartment footsteps are perfect for BG foley to give some life to a scene.
Misc - VERY USEFUL. When you are missing a particular foley prop, these can be a life saver. Especially the cigarette smoking effects.
Props - Same note as previous.
Foliage - Great for branch and bush movements.
Games - Excellent sounds for Casinos / Gambling / Arcade scenes.
Ghosts - Not cheesy at all. Beautiful design that hearkens back to the Dementors from Harry Potter.
Glass -
Breaking - Nice section, goes well with the glass crashes from earlier.
Glassware - Place your orders, and grab your glass.
Hits - Pings and dings of glass.
Misc - Lightbulb screwing and ornament handling.
Scrapes & Squeaks - Tonal elements of glass interaction.
Gore -
Blood - Good sounds here, the blood vomiting is very useful.
Misc - Quite an extensive selection of bends, squeezes and head rolling.
Rips and Tears - If you didn't know this was a SFX library, the neighbours would be worried.
Guns -
Artillery - Canon sounds are nice, the cannon blasts ship is very convincing and sounds great.
Bullet Hits - Useful.
Bullet Whiz - More sounds are needed here, but this is a good start.
Bullets - Dropping on multiple surfaces.
Handling - A much needed category in a library like this.
Machine - Very nice balance between a natural and designed sound on each gun. Wide variety of weapons.
Misc - Some non-lethal and Sci-Fi guns, nice inclusion.
Pistols - Excellent range, between distant transient shots, to close up distorted hollywood bangs.
Ricochets - This section needs more, the current sounds feel synthesised and are not what you may be looking for.
Rifles - Excellent section, even muskets are featured.
Shotgun - Needs more 'larger than life' sounds, but these could be layered with other sections.
Heartbeat - Exactly as described.
Horns - Quite a useful section for boat horns and air horns.
Insects -
Flying - 5.1 Bee Hive and Insect Colony - whats not to like? More typical flies needed.
Land - All the cool land insects that we don't have in the UK to record, nice! Also meal worms in 5.1!!!
Misc - So many usable sound sin this section, strange cicadas and bug infestations.
Lasers -
Guns - Pretty useful for basic work, but enough room to layer further design elements.
Impacts - Very analogue synthesis driven.
Misc - Scanners etc.
Sword - Lightsabers, pretty useful for a fan film.
Liquid FX - Useful for a variety of elemetns such as mud suction and spitting.
Machines -
Electric - Useful effects for everyday electronics - toothbrushes, razors. The Steampunk effects in 5.1 are VERY nice.
Heavy - Beautiful sounding industrial machines etc, some in 5.1!
Light - Great, everyday sounds that could also be used to accent more experimental design.
Misc - Printers, projectors, sewing machines and more.
Mammals -
Cats - A very nice variety of vocalisations - close, reverberant, aggressive, soft, sad.
Dogs - A good mixture of common dogs, and most importantly, a selection of distant dogs for BG tracks. Zombie dogs are a nice extra.
Farm - A nice selection of pigs, goats and cows.
Horses - Very usable section, pass bys, vocals, wagons.
Marine - One of our favourite sections, a treasure trove for creature design - manatees, seals and dolphins.
Misc - Alpacas, squirrels and rats - useful.
Rodents - Another treasure trove of animal sounds, a variety of rodents.
Wild - Big cats, elephants etc - varying quality and recording distance as to be expected.
Mechanical -
Gears - Lots of useful steampunk sounds, these will get used a lot.
Misc - Windmills, toasters, cash counters and more.
Ratchets - These help fill gaps from previous sections.
Rollers - A very useful section for when metal is bending or warping within a scene!
Metal -
Hits - Useful sounds for metal ricochets, as well as designed metal hits to enhance punctual moments.
Misc - Mostly sounds of metal items/tools being handled.
Scrapes & Squeaks - Very nice sword drawing, the sounds of pipe drops and more.
Warps - Not quite as specific as the other sections, contains a random assortment of metal movements/tension.
Microphone -
Feedback - Needs more variety for this common effect.
Handling - Pretty useful.
Motors -
Combustion - Ship engines in 5.1, generators - nice category.
Electric - Some great servo noises in here.
Hydraulic - The medical facility door effect is perfect for Sci-Fi.
Misc - Generators.
Steam - There are sounds that help complement this weaker section in the earlier machines category.
Musical -
Chimes - Great little melodic effects for fairy magic.
Instruments - everything from bagpipes to didgeridoos performed like lightsabers.
Misc - Very useful busker sounds in here to liven up a city scene.
Tonalities - Now we're talking. A very extensive list of drone/tonal elements (many in 5.1) to fill in your scenes.
Misc - This section is so small, it should be part of tonalities.
Paper - Needed in any general effects library, a great time saver.
Phonographs - Let the needle drop.
Plastic - Plastic bags, legos, wobbling plastic.
Pops - Cork pops, speaker pop.
Pumps - Great section.
Radio FX - Useful for layering with those FUTZ dialogues in your session.
Rain - A good variety of textures for different rain types.
Rattles - Boings and vibrations. The carousel metal resonances sound like a gigantic metal spaceship passing over!
Reptiles - Snakes, alligators, crocodiles and even dinosaurs!
Rips - Some very nice textile tears here, as well as paper ripping - very usable.
Robots -
Misc - A variety of metallic/designed robot effects, possibly useful when combined with other sounds.
Motors - A variety of servos and machine sounds that are useful for tracklaying robot movement.
Voice - This section could really use some additional recordings/designed sounds.
Rockets - Nice sounds for rocket take offs/jet packs - useful for layering to design more complex scenes.
Rocks -
Grits - Nice elements of smaller rocks being dropped and handled.
Hits - A very usable section, bread and butter sounds with a lot of character.
Misc - Some very good sounds here that can pad out an earlier section that included stone doors opening.
Rolling - Any scene by a cliff side edge needs this - don't look down!
Scrapes - Another VERY useful section, rocks and different types of stones being dragged.
Rodents - Mouse and rat squeaks, quite a small section.
Rope - Perfect section, covering everything you would expect - tension, handling, whooshing, picking up.
Rubber - Very nice organic sounds, very well covered category that sounds amazing.
Rumbles - More drones and useful LFE elements.
Sand - A good section for the movements of sand.
Sirens - Some very good dry sirens that will need to be worldised. It would have been nice to see some more real world sirens that were captured from different distances in pass bys.
Snow - Some excellent snowy recordings from snowball making to snow dust.
Spaceship - One of the best 'designed' section of sounds, again by Blastwave. It would be amazing to see PSE release a general effects library with only pre-designed sounds like these.
Sports - One of the most useful sections in here. Any football themed or sports themed commercial will benefit from these.
Squeak - Stoves and noise makers.
Static - A nice section for design elements.
Stings - Outstanding work here. Stings are often to specific to a genre, or too old fashioned. These will stand the test of time and there are so many.
Subwoofer - Some very, very good LFE sounds.
Swish - Can be used to accent the fight sounds from an earlier section.
Switches - A hell of a lot of options here, you will surely find what you need.
Telephone -
Handling - Everything from old phones to new.
Misc - Vibrates and phone error signals.
Rings - You can never have enough of these, great for giving a little bit away about a characters personality.
Tones - Dial tones, button presses and more.
Television FX - This ones a real time saver, a mixture of 'faked' TV shows to FUTZ within a scene, as well as TV noises.
Test Tones - Turn down your monitors!
Thunder - Mostly more natural and distant recordings, some designed heavy cracks would work here too.
Tools -
Hand - Does what it says on the tin, very well.
Misc - A variety of useful additions to other tool noises.
Power - An extensive and well recorded section of effects. The chainsaw sounds are spot on.
Traffic - Typical sounds, as well as some very tasty 5.1 recordings!
Trains -
Diesel - Very nice recordings of new and old trains/horns.
Electric - Modern trains, a lot of these elements are useful for Sci Fi vehicle design.
Horns - Not enough to please a trainspotter, but more than enough to get by.
Misc - Very useful sounds of interior train movement, instantly adds production value to a scene.
Steam - Some beautiful locomotive recordings!
Subway - Nice sounds, quite reverberant.
Whistles - Very nice section.
Typewriters - This could get you out of a pinch if you don't own a typewriter for foley.
User Interface - Not the best UI sounds, but with the other categories you could piece together a convincing scene.
Vacuum - Does exactly what it needs to.
Vehicles -
Antique Cars - Just one car, but some good recordings.
Bicycles - Useful, but could be more extensive.
Brakes - Very good section for handbrakes.
Buses - Good section.
Carts - Makes you think of food shopping for Christmas!
Classic Cars - Damn, there are some nice chevy revs here.
Construction - Everything you would expect, recorded well.
Doors - These are always quite a personal preference, but there are lots of options, especially those with enough weight.
Horns - Some close, some distant, a couple of doppler horns would have been a nice inclusion.
Mechanical - Turn signals, wipers and door signals - very useful.
Military - Some tanks and armoured cars, a must in a general effects library.
Misc - Snowmobiles and other accent sounds.
Modern Cars - A very good cross section of useful vehicle pass bys and accelerations.
Motorcycles - Wow, these are very well recorded.
Race Cars - Epic dragster and formula one sounds.
Suspension - Useful sounds for a rocky road.
Tires - Great screeches and gravel sounds.
Trucks - Amazing truck sounds for those horror movies with the beaten down vehicles.
Wagons - This section included more SUVs than wooden wagons which was a surprise.
Voices -
Alien - Useful vocalisations, especially those clicky effects that are reminiscent of District 9.
Babies - Great vocalisations for those scenes with a silent young child.
Beasts - A very well thought out and complete section of monsters, zombies and creatures.
Blow - Snoring, blowing out torches etc.
Burp - Some disgustingly useful burps.
Children - Some useful voice effects.
Computer - GPS, Sci Fi computer and more.
Coughs - Great for building a sens of size within a crowd.
Efforts - Fight scene eqsue effort sounds.
English - Great variety of vooices in English saying different common phrases.
Foreign - Useful sounds of foreign walla.
Laughter - Another very usable category, includes some 5.1 crowds elements.
P.A. - Very american, but very usable.
Radio - Same note as previous.
Screams - You can't beat these.
Sneezes - Sounds like winter in the UK.
Telephone - Very american, good variety.
Whispers - Only one sound effect.
Water -
Bubbles - Excellent sound effects for water design.
Drain - Medium sized selection of usable sounds.
Drips - Excellent drips and drops, the 5.1 cave effects are great.
Flowing - Waterfalls and rivers and more.
Misc - Sloshing, moving and shaking.
Plumbing - Most of the sounds you would expect are in here, another bread and butter category.
Pouring - A good staple section.
Splashes - A variety of sizes and intensities of items splashing into water.
Spray - Windex bottle sprays, hairsprays, cologne and more.
Surf - Great sounds of the water from the ocean, including pirate ships, ocean waves and wind.
Turbulent - This section isn't quite as dynamic as you would expect, most sounds are very constant in level.
Underwater - This section has a nice tonality, with enough high frequencies to let you experiment in the mix.
Weapons -
Knives & Swords - Some very nice sounds for sword combat, the knife schwings are excellent and have that hollywood sound.
Misc - Maces, tasers and axes.
Whips - Lots of pass by sounds, whooshes and whips.
Whistles -
Human - A variety of common whistling articulations.
Mechanical - Sports and celebration whistles.
Misc - Teapot whistling, but the other effects should have been placed in the previous section.
Bys - The movement of lots of designed effects, many in 5.1.
Impact - Lots of whoosh impacts, a variety of genres and tonalities.
Misc - Magical and musical effects, great for designing fast moving complex footage.
Reverse - Some great buildups here.
Winds - There really are some gems in here. The sounds are dynamic and interesting, characterful.
Wood -
Chops - The sound of a tree being chopped down.
Cracks - Wood slowly breaking, these sounds can be used in a number of scenarios.
Hits - Some very well recorded impacts with good frequency content.
Misc - Wood movements and handling.
Scrapes & Squeaks - The wood slides here sound a rock monster!
Zippers - Very nice selection of zippers if you want to be specific to an object or feel.
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Klevgrand's Brusfri is a powerful, affordable noise reduction plugin that delivers high-quality results without introducing phase issues, making it an excellent alternative to pricier options.
November 23, 2021
Company: Klevgrand
Product: Brusfri
Price: $29.99 (50% Off)
Our Rating: 4.8/5
Swedish media innovators Klevgrand, have launched their latest plugin Brusfri, which aims to 'floor the noise' in your audio recordings.
Installing Brusfri is straight forward, an installer package works rather quickly to generate the relevant AAX Native and VST versions. The product is activated via a serial number, from within your DAW, and the process is instant. A far cry from the monotonous experience offered by many other developers. We performed our tests and review within Pro Tools 12 running at 24Bit 48kHz on a Windows system, the plugin worked rather well in Audiosuite, without crashes or hogging CPU.
The interface is stunning, very engaging to watch and use, especially where other audio repair plugins feel rather clinical. The controls here offer an attack and release parameter, for adjusting the envelope of the noise reducer. There is also a threshold, which controls the amount of reduction taking place and a learn button, which must be held during playback of the noise only part of the signal, in order for the plugin to analyse its frequency content. Finally, we have an 'edge' control, which controls the intensity of the reduction, providing a smoother sound at low values, along with a high pass filter and high frequency boost, to enhance the resulting noise reduced signal.
It is worth noting, that when the user hovers over a parameter, a brief description is given, which is useful for beginners.
Brusfri, meaning 'Noise Free' in Swedish, sounds more like an IKEA shelf set than a noise reduction plugin! The Swedish minimalism in both the design and operation works rather well and is certainly a breath of fresh air.
The plugin uses finely tuned gates as a means of reducing noise, rather than the usual phase reversal found in other software. This was implemented to retain the quality of the original signal. A great concept, as some people are growing tired of Izotope RX6 Voice Denoiser's phase artefacts on challenging recordings.
The high pass filter and high frequency boost within Brusfri, are quite useful parameters for shaping the output signal and retaining the high frequency content present in the input signal.
Due to the exceptionally low price, we know that many Dialogue Editors will want to hear how Brusfri stacks up against industry leader RX6. So without further ado, let us hear some comparisons. We took both a classic recording, and a more modern location sound recording, both with extraneous noise to reduce. We matched both plugins reduction level as closely as possible when making comparisons, but left all other parameters at their default value. We also used the learn function on both plugins to capture the noise signal before processing with AudioSuite.
The type of processing you prefer depends on your subjective taste. We have to say that the results from Brusfri surprised us. For the low price they are offering, this plugin has an amazing sound, and is worth having as an alternative processing option to RX6.
If you listen closely to the comparison, you will notice that RX introduces phasing, even at the medium reduction level, which is not as present on the Brusfri samples. It is also apparent that RX6 works better when pushed to extreme levels of reduction, as it retains more intelligibility in the dialogue. The great news is, that you now have a new processing option (Brusfri) to include before or after your RX6 processing chain, for a slightly smoother noise solution.
There are still a couple of ways Klevgrand can make this plugin work even smarter...
RX has a level of gain compensation built in to the plugin, which saves dialogue editors critical time when applying noise reduction. Klevgrand need to implement this with Brusfri.
The empty space on the interface is wasted on smaller screens - if someone is editing on a laptop, with both the video window and Brusfri open, there won't be much room left for the Pro Tools edit window. This can also be said about RX6, but the fact that there is 'dead space' in the top right leaves us wondering why the interface is not much smaller.
A really great addition, in either an update or 'Pro' version of the plugin would be to include 'RX style' phase processing as an extra module in the empty interface space. If the plugin has both processing methods, there is no reason to buy RX6 for voice denoising.
Noise reduction that is almost invisible at medium levels, and doesn't introduce phase issues. RX6 level quality at some settings. $30 introductory price tag. Go buy it, and join the revolution.
