Module Reference Guide

Every tool, effect and enhancement module in Acoustica 8, with descriptions and screenshots pulled directly from the official user guide.

Table of Contents

^ = New or Rebuilt in Acoustica 8

AudioFill

You can remove clicks, discontinuities or other short impulsive noise using the AudioFill tool which substitutes the selected time range with an estimation of the signal based on the signal before and after the the selection.

Channel Mixer

The channel mixer is a tool that works only on stereo and multichannel recordings.

Chorus

Multiply is a versatile chorus effect with a unique twist. Each simulated voice is processed with a phase randomizing filter so that unpleasant comb filter effects are omitted. The effect can be used to simulate the effect of several performers playing the same tones simultaneously, to widen the spatial image or to create special effects for sound design. Multiply can simulate up to 6 additional voices and both the pitch and the loudness of the voices can be modulated. There is also an integrated equalizer consisting of a low cut, low shelf, mid bell, high shelf and high cut filters that can be applied to the effect signal. An integrated pre-delay section makes it possible to create modulated and diffuse echo effects.

Convert Sample Format

The Convert Sample Format tool allows you to change the sample format of an audio recording. If you are not familiar with the term sample rate, please read Working with Digital Audio before proceeding.

Convolve

Convolve is a convolution reverb which can be used to apply recorded impulse responses from real acoustic spaces. This makes it fundamentally different from algorithmic reverbs, like Verberate 2. Convolution reverb is perfect for adding lifelike ambiance to a recording, like the ambiance from a room, a hall or a parking garage for example. However, compared to an algorithmic reverb which often offers control over the decay time and room size for example, Convolve doesn't offer you this control. It relies instead on the impulse response you load to determine decay time, room size, and other reverb characteristics.

DeBird

DeBird reduces unwanted bird song from recordings. The algorithm is based on deep learning and has been trained to separate bird noise from other sounds using an extensive training set. The default setting will immediately and fully automatically reduce bird noise. In many cases, however, you might not want to remove the noise entirely. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the bird noise detection. The sensitivity is adjustable for the full frequency spectrum or in frequency bands. A spectrum analyzer analyzes the incoming audio signal (the filled gray curve) and indicates the removed signal (the yellow curve):

DeBleed:Drums

Acon Digital DeBleed:Drums is an advanced AI-powered plug-in that helps mixing engineers and studio professionals remove unwanted bleed from drum recordings. Designed to enhance clarity and streamline the mixing process, DeBleed:Drums ensures that engineers can achieve tight, professional drum mixes faster and more efficiently than ever before.

DeBuzz:Dialogue

DeBuzz:Dialogue reduces the typical buzz and hum noise from dialogue recordings. The algorithm is based on deep learning and has been trained on thousands of high quality voice recordings and recordings of neon light buzz, AC hum and similar noises. The default setting will immediately and fully automatically reduce buzz noise. In many cases, however, you might not want to remove the noise entirely. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the noise detection. The sensitivity is adjustable for the full frequency spectrum or in frequency bands. A spectrum analyzer analyzes the incoming audio signal (the filled gray curve) and indicates the removed signal (the yellow curve):

DeClick 3^

DeClick 3 removes impulsive noise such as clicks and crackle. These distortions are very frequently encountered on LP and 78 RPM records, but also occur in digital recordings to drop-outs or distorted data packets. DeClick contains two different algorithms to deal with clicks and crackle. The actual declicker algorithm eliminates large clicks and pops in the recording, while the decrackler algorithms eliminates the frequent, but short clicks that the human ear perceives as crackle. DeClick removes clicks by substituting the recorded signal in the short period of time during the click with a signal estimated using the undistorted audio surrounding each click.

DeClick:Dialogue

Mouth clicks and lip smacks can be a major annoyance in voice recordings. DeClick:Dialogue is better suited for these problems than the standard DeClick tool which is optimized for vinyl and 78 RPM recordings.

DeClip 3^

DeClip 3 restores audio recordings distorted by analog or digital clipping. Clipping occurs during recording when the recording level is too high and the highest peaks cannot be correctly recorded.

DeEss:Dialogue

DeEss:Dialogue is an audio processing tool designed to reduce or eliminate excessive sibilance in vocal recordings, which refers to harsh "s" and "sh" sounds. It specifically targets and controls the high-frequency content associated with sibilant sounds. By employing frequency-selective compression DeEss:Dialogue allows for the reduction of sibilance without affecting the overall quality of the vocal performance.

DeFilter

DeFilter is a powerful tool that can be used to automatically address problems in a mix or to remove unwanted resonances, comb filter effects or other tonal imbalances.

DeHum 3^

DeHum 3 is designed to remove hum and buzz typically introduced by poorly grounded electrical equipment, but also other tonal noise sources like electrical motor noise. The dehum algorithm also supports adaptive hum reduction so that the algorithm adapts to fluctuations in the fundamental frequency of the hum signal.

DeNoise 3^

DeNoise 3 reduces noise such as hiss, wind noise, buzz and camera noise. As of Acoustica 8, DeNoise 3 integrates a new machine learning based mode that no longer requires noise profiles which allows for a faster workflow with reliable results. A manual mode is also provided, which functions as in DeNoise 2 and requires a noise profile in order to work.

DeNoise Light

The DeNoise Light 3 tool targets stationary noise such as broadband noise, hiss, wind noise, buzz and camera noise (please see About De-noising).

DePlosive:Dialogue

DePlosive:Dialogue attenuates excessive plosives, pops and low frequency noise that typically occur when recording dialogue without a pop filter or wind shield. The algorithm is based on deep learning and has been trained on thousands of high quality voice recordings. The default setting will immediately and fully automatically reduce plosives, however, you might not want to remove the noise entirely. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the noise detection. The sensitivity is adjustable for the full frequency spectrum or in frequency bands. A spectrum analyzer analyzes the incoming audio signal (the filled gray curve) and indicates the removed signal (the yellow curve):

DeRustle:Dialogue

DeRustle:Dialogue reduces the rustle noise frequently encountered in lavalier microphone recordings. The algorithm is based on deep learning and has been trained on thousands of high quality voice recordings and recordings of rustle and microphone bump noises. The default setting will immediately and fully automatically reduce rustle noise. In many cases, however, you might not want to remove the noise entirely. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the noise detection. The sensitivity is adjustable for the full frequency spectrum or in frequency bands. A spectrum analyzer analyzes the incoming audio signal (the filled gray curve) and indicates the removed signal (the yellow curve):

DeVerberate

DeVerberate 3 allows independent manipulation of the direct and the reverberated signal levels in existing audio recordings. An AI engine is used to separate the direct and the reflected signals independent of the number of audio channels recorded. The output levels of these two signal components can then be independently adjusted so that you can attenuate or emphasize the reverberated signal.

DeWind:Dialogue

DeWind:Dialogue reduces wind noise in dialogue recordings. The algorithm is based on deep learning and has been trained on thousands of high quality voice recordings and wind noise recordings. The default setting will immediately and fully automatically remove wind noise. In many cases, however, you might not want to reduce the noise entirely. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the noise detection. The sensitivity is adjustable for the full frequency spectrum or in frequency bands. A spectrum analyzer analyzes the incoming audio signal (the filled gray curve) and indicates the removed signal (the yellow curve):

Dither

Dither is a common process applied when changing the bit depth of an audio file.

Dynamics

A dynamic processor is used to alter the dynamic properties of the recording. To understand how a dynamic processor works, imagine a sound engineer trying to maintain as steady a volume level as possible during a recording. When the input level increases he pulls down the volume fader, and he pushes it up when the input level decreases. A dynamic processor does the same thing automatically according to its settings, only with a much faster reaction time.

Echo

The echo effect is a multi-tap delay effect. Multi-tap means that you can add several delays (up to eight) with arbitrary delay times and gains. Two different timing modes are offered, the BPM (Beats per minute) mode or the milliseconds mode. In the BPM mode, the time delay of each tap is specified in beats.

Equalize

Equalize 2 is a versatile, user friendly and great sounding equalizer with several unique features. Unlike other equalizers, you can freely adjust not only center frequency, gain and bandwidth, but also the filter slope for each band. The filter slope can be set anywhere from a gentle 3dB to ultra sharp 120dB per octave.

Extract:Dialogue^

Extract:Dialogue 2 separates dialogue from common types of background noise such as wind, rustle, traffic, hum, clicks and pops. The algorithm is based on deep learning and has been trained on thousands of high quality voice recordings on one hand and an equally extensive set of recordings of unwanted sound. The extensive training enables the artificial intelligence to automatically distinguish dialogue from noise without user interaction. This makes Extract:Dialogue extremely easy to use despite the internal complexity.

Fade

The Fade tool lets you create fade-ins or fade-outs quickly. You can select a fade curve from one of mathematical functions from the Fade function drop-down list:

Harmonize

Harmonize mixes several pitch shifted voices to create interesting harmonies. You can mix up to four pitch shifted voices.

Insert Silence

The Insert Silence command lets you insert silence with a specified duration at the cursor position. The following window appears where you can enter the duration in seconds:

Invert Phase

The Invert Phase tools flips the polarity of the audio signal. This is equivalent to using the Rotate Phase tool with a fixed 180 degrees rotation.

Limit

Limit is a two-stage dynamic processor, designed to transparently increase the perceived loudness of audio, while at the same time making sure no audio clipping occurs. First, there is a compressor stage (Pre-Compressor) that helps to keep the number of exceeding peaks within an acceptable range, which helps to prevent or reduce audible distortion. The second stage is the actual peak limiting stage (Peak Suppression) which makes sure that no audio will pass through above the threshold, also known as brickwall limiting. In this stage, peaks are reduced with a very quickly responding algorithm in the most transparent way as possible.

Modulate

Modulate is a modulation tool which offers a flanger and a phaser effect.

Multiband Dynamics

Multiband Dynamics features four independent dynamic processors in parallel, each working on a different frequency band of the audible spectrum. This allows you to apply dynamic processing with different settings for each of the four bands, making it a perfect tool for addressing certain problem frequencies in your mix, like low frequency rumble or sibilance for example.

Mute

The Mute command from the Volume menu mutes the current selection. You can also press Ctrl/Cmd+M.

Normalize

The Normalize tool in the Volume menu can be used to ensure a constant signal level in all your audio recordings.

Phono Filter

The phono filter emulates the effect of a phono preamplifier (de-emphasis filter) or the opposite process applied when creating a master record (emphasis filter). It can also apply PCM type emphasis and de-emphasis as found on DAT and early CD recordings. The analog amplitude frequency response is calculated accurately using analytic calculations and applied using a minimum phase filter to match the analog counterpart as closely as possible.

Processing Chain Tool

The Processing Chain tool from the Tools menu in Acoustica makes it possible to use processing chains in the ARA versions of Acoustica. For more information on how to use the Processing Chain, please see The Processing Chain chapter.

Quick Fades

The commands Quick Fade In and Quick Fade Out adds a fade the current selection using and exponential curve with -40 dB range.

Remix

Remix tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to split a finished mix into five instrument groups, or so called stems - Vocals, Piano, Bass, Drums and Other. The Other stem contains everything that's not in the prior four stems. Despite the internal complexity, Remix is very easy to use and the user interface shows a mixer layout that should be familiar to most users.

Remix:Drums

Remix:Drums uses a mixer layout to display and control the six drum stem outputs: Kick, Snare, Hi-Hat, Cymbals, Toms, and Other.

Remove DC Offset

Wrongly calibrated recording equipment may result in a signal that is not centered around zero as it should be. The Remove DC Offset tool calculates the DC offset of the selected region and subtracts the offset if necessary.

Reverse

The reverse tool in Acoustica 8 allows you to reverse an entire audio recording, or just a selection of a recording.

Rotate Phase

Speech recordings often have asymmetric waveforms like in the example below.

Signal Generator

The Signal Generator tool generates common test signals like frequency sweeps, sine waves and Gaussian noise with different frequency distributions (referred to as "colors").

Time Stretch

Time Stretch allows you to change the length of an audio recording without changing the perceived pitch.

Transpose

The transpose tool allows you to change the pitch of a recording, with or without changing the tempo. In many cases, large pitch changes lead to unnatural sounding results. The effect is especially pronounced when changing the pitch of the human voice, where higher pitched voices sound more like Disney's chipmunks than a human voice. The transpose tool has an optional Maintain timbre option that reduces this artifact. When Maintain timbre is checked, Acoustica creates a smooth spectral envelope estimation of the signal and whitens the signal before pitch shifting. The original smooth spectral envelope is applied after transposing and the original timbre is preserved

Verberate

Verberate 2 and Verberate 2 Immersive are algorithmic reverb plug-ins developed by Acon Digital. They are available as VST, VST3, AAX and Audio Unit plug-ins and can be used in any compatible host application on both Windows and Mac as well as within the standalone version of Acoustica.

Vitalize

Vitalize is tool which allows you to add extra presence and/or sparkle in a different way than with an equalizer. When you use an equalizer to boost a certain frequency range, everything in that range is amplified. In many situations this might be perfectly fine, but there is a chance you also boost unwanted elements of the audio, like background noise or vocal sibilance for example.

Volume

The most basic volume manipulation tool in Acoustica is Volume. The only parameters are the volume change in Decibel and the Invert signal toggle:

Volume Curve

The Volume Curve tool lets you define volume curves by adding a set of curve points. You can add a curve point by moving the mouse cursor over the curve. The mouse cursor turns into a pointing hand. Now you can click the mouse button to create a new curve point and move it around with the using the mouse. Double click a curve point to remove it again.

Acoustica 8 — Module Reference Guide. Content sourced from the Acon Digital Acoustica 8 user guide.