Think of it as Photoshop’s "Content-Aware Fill," but for sound.
Set your reduction amount to between 6dB and 12dB . Do not try to remove 100% of the noise. Remove 80% of it. A tiny bit of ambient noise sounds natural; a totally dead vacuum sounds fake. A Word of Caution (The "Lasagna" Principle) Here is the golden rule of noise reduction:
Most plugins have a "Delta" or "Listen" button. Press this. You will hear only the noise being removed. If you hear bits of voice or reverb tails in there, your settings are too aggressive.
Stop talking/playing. Let the room tone play for 3-5 seconds. Highlight that section and tell your plugin to "Learn" or "Capture" the noise floor.
Think of it as Photoshop’s "Content-Aware Fill," but for sound.
Set your reduction amount to between 6dB and 12dB . Do not try to remove 100% of the noise. Remove 80% of it. A tiny bit of ambient noise sounds natural; a totally dead vacuum sounds fake. A Word of Caution (The "Lasagna" Principle) Here is the golden rule of noise reduction:
Most plugins have a "Delta" or "Listen" button. Press this. You will hear only the noise being removed. If you hear bits of voice or reverb tails in there, your settings are too aggressive.
Stop talking/playing. Let the room tone play for 3-5 seconds. Highlight that section and tell your plugin to "Learn" or "Capture" the noise floor.