ARBORETUM SYSTEMSRestoration-NR 1.1.0 (Win)If you've ever done any acoustic recording, then you've dealt with background noise. Most noise-reduction products are rather difficult to use, and even with precise settings they can have a negative effect on the timbre of the original sound. Restoration-NR ($299), from Arboretum Systems, claims to eliminate more hiss-with less coloration and loss of the original signal-than any other noise-reduction software.
Restoration-NR is a DirectX plug-in, which means that it works with any DirectX-compatible application, such as Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge and Cakewalk's Pro Audio. The software's mode of operation, however, depends on the host application. For example, in Sound Forge, Restoration-NR acts as an offline processor, but in Pro Audio it can be used as a real-time effect. The Bypass, Mute, and Preset functions also depend on the host. Other functions work the same way no matter how Restoration-NR is run.
Prints CharmingLike most noise-reduction software, Restoration-NR relies on a noise print to process the audio. Its Guess and Learn functions each provide a different method of analysis. Guess assumes that the signal you're analyzing contains both noise and original sound, and makes an "educated guess" as to how much noise is present. Learn, on the other hand, requires that you first select a portion of your audio file that contains only noise. As you might expect, I found Learn to be much more accurate than Guess. However, the Guess feature might come in handy if every section of your recording includes both noise and original sound. Restoration-NR also lets you save and load noise prints for future use.Restoration-NR's sound quality is quite good, especially when you consider that the program works with audio files that have resolutions of up to 24 bits and 96 kHz. But the program's results don't always support its claim of being the best. I found Restoration-NR to be comparable to other noise-reduction software but not necessarily better. Restoration-NR requires a fair amount of fine tuning to get the right balance between signal and noise, and even then, anomalies can sometimes be heard.
Control RoomControls are provided for Threshold (a +/-36 dB offset from a value the program calculates automatically) and Attenuation (0 to -36 dB). The Hi CutOff and Hi Boost controls let you deal with the high-frequency loss that can occur; Hi Boost lets you boost the signal up to 12 dB-a nice addition. You also get output-level faders (which can be grouped) and meters, as well as Hi Res mode, which determines if Restoration-NR uses 512 or 4,096 bands of gated EQ during processing. Hi Res mode gives you better sound quality but requires more CPU-processing time.
My only gripe is with the interface: it mimics hardware knobs for the parameters, and the knobs have to be adjusted with the mouse. This arrangement can be a bit awkward at times. It's too bad that Restoration-NR doesn't let you type in the settings.
In summary, Restoration-NR provides powerful, high-quality sound processing that is comparable to that of other noise-reduction products, in spite of its slightly awkward user interface.
Overall EM Rating (1 through 5): 3.5
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