Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1536017
By Jennifer Walden S teinberg's SpectraLayers Pro 11 Ad- vanced Spectral Audio Editor isn't the typical sound restoration tool. This latest version includes AI-assisted processes that help editors separate mixed tracks and repair recordings with preci- sion and ease. Yes, that's right: separate mixed tracks! Their "Umix" modules offer un-mixing options for dialogue and music, including: Chorus, Components, Crowd Noise, Drums, Levels, Mid/Side, Multichannel Content, Multiple Voices, Noisy Speech, Song, and Transcription. After unmixing a sound file, SpectraLayers Pro 11 creates separate layers for each element (e.g., voice, noise, THE MAGIC OF UNMIXING WITH SPECTRALAYERS PRO 11 ALL MIXED UP instrument, etc.) so that each layer can be processed and refined individually. The editor can rename each layer and change the layer color for easy identification. Emmy-winning sound designer/sound effects editor/re-recording mixer James Da- vid Redding III, MPSE — known for his work on Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit," director Todd Haynes' film "Carol," and the FX series "The Patient" — described SpectraLayers Pro 11 as "iZotope RX on steroids." He first discovered SpectraLayers while working on a podcast series that had been recorded as mixed tracks. The overlapping voices made it impossible to make changes, like adjust- ing the timing to make room for effects or music, or rebalancing the voices. " I u s e d t h e Un m i x M u l t i p l e Vo i ce s module, and it worked! While it didn't get everything 100% right, especially when the overlapping voices sounded similar, there's the option to cut from one layer and paste to another layer, so I could manually fix it," he said. "The music stem separation is really good, too, especially compared to RX's Music Rebalance feature or RipX. Look, no one tool is a silver bullet, but if I had to recommend one to someone who's just starting out, I'm going to tell them to get SpectraLayers." UNMIXING MULTIPLE VOICES The Unmix Multiple Voices module allows the editor to unmix an unlimited number of voices, but only up to three si- 36 C I N E M O N T A G E T E C H I L L U S T R AT I O N : J A S O N E A S T M A N