Video summary

Todd AO - Absentia DX Noise Reduction

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product Reviewed

Todd AO / “Absentia DX” (v3.2) — an audio noise reduction tool aimed primarily at TV dialogue editors and mixers.

Main Features Mentioned

Dialogue-Focused Noise Reduction

Absentia DX targets common TV-mix problems such as:

  • Hums
  • Rings
  • Tonal noises
  • Interference

Modular Processing

AirTone generator

Generates or matches room tone and can preserve tone movement and changes better than similar approaches (compared to RX’s ambience match).

  • Algorithms:
    • “Replace all natural”
    • “Replace all flat” (used for creating room tone chunks)

Phase synchronizer

Synchronizes tracks to a chosen boom channel, useful if you don’t have Auto-Align Post.

Range selector

Processes only a specific frequency range (e.g., skipping low frequencies to avoid affecting fundamentals).

Broadband reducer

A broadband reducer exists, but the speaker doesn’t use it—preferring Cedar instead.

Doppler remover

For pitch shifts (e.g., cars moving, airplanes overhead).

  • Algorithms:
    • medium
    • soft
    • careful (speaker suggests “careful” may be new)

Hum remover (core feature)

Described as the “meat and potatoes” feature.

  • Uses algorithms such as:
    • smooth
    • strong
    • electric engine

Tradeoffs noted:

  • Smooth: works well for most hums.
  • Strong: more aggressive, sometimes less natural/tighter.
  • Electric engine: best for repetitive tonal sources like vehicles/engines and generators.

EMI module

Designed for interference hits on lav mics, including cell-tower type noise.

Tick remover

  • Works transparently.
  • Less tunable/robust than some alternatives (speaker references iZotope), but can be very clean.

Birds reducer (new in v3.2)

Reduces birdsong and includes a sonogram for analysis.

Utility Features

Includes:

  • Split interleaved to mono
  • Copy sound reports
  • Select channels to process
  • History (mentioned as not tested in standalone by the speaker)

Pro Tools Workflow

  • A new Pro Tools plugin matches the standalone UI and is faster.
  • Key workflow improvement: no longer requires opening the standalone and doing a round-trip back into Pro Tools.

Two Ways to Use It (and the Speaker’s Preference)

1. Standalone / Offline Batch Processing

  • Can overwrite originals or write processed files with a suffix.
  • The speaker does not like using it this way.
  • Reason: even with conservative settings, it can sometimes sound bad—especially with:
    • male voices
    • hum near the vocal fundamental
  • It can “chew into” the fundamental and thin the voice.

2. Pro Tools AudioSuite Plugin

  • The speaker primarily uses this.
  • Mostly used for hums and rings.
  • Avoids fully automated processing when it might harm dialogue character.
  • The speaker had to revert to original recordings on a couple of projects due to over-processing.

Pros (As Stated)

  • Saves lots of time on dialogue cleanup.
  • Excellent at removing hums and rings in many cases.
  • Transparent results for certain issues (notably tick removal, per speaker).
  • v3.2 workflow upgrade via the Pro Tools plugin:
    • no standalone round-trip
    • faster, more integrated UI/operation
  • Includes useful specialized tools (e.g., Doppler remover, EMI, phase sync, birds reducer).

Cons / Limitations (As Stated)

  • Not foolproof—sometimes over-processes and needs reverting to original audio.
  • When used automatically/batched, it can damage dialogue (e.g., male voices with hum near fundamentals causing thinning).
  • Subscription model introduced in v3.2
    • The speaker dislikes it, though they understand the development rationale.
  • Some modules are less flexible than competitors
    • Tick remover described as less robust/tunable than iZotope’s approach.
  • Personal preference: the speaker favors Cedar for broadband reduction, suggesting Absentia’s broadband reducer may not fit their workflow well.

Comparisons Mentioned

  • RX (iZotope)

    • Absentia’s AirTone is described as analogous to ambience match.
    • Speaker believes Absentia preserves matching better (especially with movement/tone shifts).

  • iZotope RX Advanced

    • Referenced as costlier.
    • Absentia positioned as a more affordable option for people who don’t want to spend RX Advanced money.

  • Cedar

    • Speaker uses Cedar for broadband reduction, so they don’t rely on Absentia’s broadband reducer.

User Experience Notes

  • UI described as utilitarian but improved (“a little more prettiness”).
  • v3.2 plugin feels more modern and more integrated with Pro Tools.
  • Uses processing presets with hotkeys (1–8) in the plugin window.
  • Speaker uses it selectively, focusing on tonal noise issues rather than every project.

Pricing / Trial

  • The speaker advises checking the website for trial availability and cost.
  • No exact pricing is provided in the subtitles.

Overall Verdict / Recommendation

  • Rating: 9 out of 13
  • Recommendation: Worth considering for professional dialogue editors and re-recording mixers because it’s fast and effective at hum/ring cleanup, but it’s not perfect.

Practical Note

Dialogue editors should coordinate with the mixer, since mixers may prefer handling hum removal themselves. It’s also suggested as a good option for beginners who want to avoid higher-cost workflows like iZotope RX Advanced / Cedar.

Unique Points Mentioned (Deduplicated)

  1. Designed for TV dialogue editors to speed up removing hums/rings and tonal problems.
  2. v3.2 introduced a subscription model (speaker dislikes it but understands why).
  3. Two workflows: standalone/offline batch vs Pro Tools AudioSuite plugin.
  4. Batch/offline use disliked due to potential voice thinning (male fundamentals affected by nearby hum).
  5. Primary use case: AudioSuite in Pro Tools for hums and rings, sometimes requiring reverting to originals.
  6. AirTone generator supports natural vs flat modes; speaker believes it preserves tone movement better than RX ambience matching.
  7. AirTone can generate room-tone chunks from longer takes for snipping.
  8. Phase synchronizer aligns tracks to a boom channel without Auto-Align Post.
  9. Range selector limits processing to prevent “chewing” into fundamentals.
  10. Broadband reducer exists but the speaker prefers Cedar.
  11. Doppler remover handles pitch shifts with medium/soft/careful algorithms.
  12. Hum remover is the main feature, including smooth/strong/electric engine tradeoffs.
  13. EMI module targets interference on lav mics (cell-tower type noise).
  14. Tick remover stays transparent but is less tunable/robust than iZotope (speaker comparison).
  15. Birds reducer (new in 3.2) includes sonogram analysis.
  16. Utility features: split interleaved to mono, select channels, copy sound reports, and history.
  17. v3.2 Pro Tools plugin eliminates standalone round-trip and is faster.
  18. Plugin includes hotkeys (1–8) for presets.
  19. Best fit: dialogue editors/mixers; beginners may benefit vs RX Advanced cost.
  20. Editors should coordinate with the mixer before removing hums.
  21. Final: 9/13—time-saving and effective, but not foolproof.

Speaker / Viewpoint

  • Tom — the only speaker mentioned, providing workflow preferences, module-by-module comments, comparisons, and the 9/13 rating.

Original video