[ Read my product disclosure statement here.]
Boris Yamnisky, CEO of BorisFX, called me during NAB with the news: BorisFX just acquired CrumplePop. This was exciting news because, while CrumplePop has been creating plug-ins for a long time, teaming with BorisFX gives them a much bigger megaphone to share their news with the world.
However, in talking with Boris, I realized I hadn’t reviewed CrumplePop’s tools for a long, long time. So, Gabe Cheifetz, CEO of CrumplePop, sent me their plugins to review.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CrumplePop makes AI-assisted audio plug-ins that support:
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They have nine tools:
The tools are easy to install, easy to use and, in many cases, clean up audio quickly and easily. While most results will meet or exceed your expectations – especially for ease of use – there are a few quirks, like a lack of hum removal, that I cover below.
For anyone who is looking for ways to improve their audio, the CrumplePop tools should be part of their tool kit. When you want to remove unwanted sounds from your audio, it doesn’t get easier or more effective than this.
Developer: CrumplePop
Product: CrumplePop Audio Tools
Website: https://crumplepop.com
Pricing: $29/month for all nine tools (Annual subscription and $599 (US) perpetual license also available)
A free trial is available containing SoundApp, PopRemover and RustleRemover
DOWNLOAD & INSTALLATION
The CrumplePop audio tools (there’s no single brand name that describes these) are not available from the Mac App Store. Download versions for Mac and/or Windows from the CrumplePop website.
Installation is straightforward. As you install the tools, a quick four-step tour highlights how to access them in your NLE. Installation took just a few seconds.
OPERATION – FINAL CUT
To start, I loaded a sound clip with popped P’s (called “plosives”) into Final Cut.
The CrumplePop tools were available with no extra work in Effects browser > Audio.
Apply the effect to the clip.
In the Audio Inspector, as you would expect, the PopRemover plugin is displayed. Click the small icon and an illustration of the interface pops up.
I like the clear labeling of what everything in the interface does, and what you need to adjust. It requires no extra steps to make sure you know what you are doing with this.
The default settings took out these plosive instantly. To make adjustments, twist the Strength wheel. I really like the simplicity of operation. You don’t need to be an audio engineer to use these effectively.
OPERATION – AUDITION
With Premiere and Audition, you need to tell the software where these plugins exist. This installation step only needs to be done once.
In Audition, go to Effects > Audio Plug-in Manager. Then, click Scan for Plug-ins.
NOTE: In Premiere, go to Preferences > Audio, open the Audio Plug-in Manager, then click Scan for Plug-ins.
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After a few seconds, all available plug-ins are listed. Check the ones you want to load into the application.
Here, I used CrumplePop to reduce noise. Notice the similarity in the interface; again, the principal control is “Strength.”
As you increase Strength, the default setting is 80%, the amount of background noise decreases. When Strength reaches 100%, the background is pretty much gone, but, sometimes the speaker may sound a bit “weird.” Decrease the Strength setting until the voice sounds normal.
While this plug-in can remove all background noise, you’ll get the best results if you simply reduce it so that it doesn’t fight the foreground voice.
NOTE: If you need a truly silent background, move the recording to a studio. Most of the time, we want to hear the background noise to prove that we are on location, we just don’t want it very loud. This tool is perfect for that.
OPERATION – SOUNDAPP
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SoundApp offers access to all the CrumplePop audio tools, without requiring any other software. This is what it looks like to have a clip in the app and two tools enabled.
SoundApp only processes one clip at a time. You can import a clip or, more easily, simply drag it into the interface.
The tools are listed on the left. All are off until you turn them on.
Hover over a tool and click the power button (red arrow) to enable it. (The dual-arrows to the right display a help screen for that plug-in.)
The slider adjusts the Strength, again, with a default setting of 80%.
I like the fact that the SoundApp is self-contained and easy to use, but, when using LevelMatic, some weirdness creeps in.
The audio meters are labeled in a very non-standard way. There’s a reason audio meters display -6, -12, and -18. 6dB of level change halves or doubles audio volume. There’s no significance to -9 or -21. This labeling is a simple thing, but there’s no benefit to being non-standard.
It is unclear, when using LevelMatic, if a limiter is involved. It is also unclear what 80% means. In fact, percentages don’t make sense when adjusting levels. Yes, you can – and should – use the audio meters for level setting, but the percentages don’t explain what it is adjusting.
I do like the Inspector, though. This is accessed by clicking the “i” button in the top right corner of the SoundApp interface.
WHAT’S CONFUSING OR MISSING
The CrumplePop audio tools are fast, easy to use and work surprisingly well – especially for noise reduction. But there are several things I wished they do that they don’t:
SUMMARY
If you are frustrated trying to make your audio sound better, the CrumplePop AI-assisted audio plug-ins will decrease your stress and improve your audio without requiring an advanced degree in audio. And, when it comes to noise reduction, they can do magic.
Are these tools perfect? No. Do I recommend them? Yes.
