Using Izotope RX7 with Audacity

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
1

I have Audacity 2.2.2 and just installed Izotope RX7 on my computer. Izotope’s System Requirements page says:
“RX 7 can be used as a standalone audio editor, as a standalone audio editor connected to your host via RX Connect, or as a suite of plug-ins…Supported Hosts: Audition CC 2018, Ableton Live 9 - 10, Cubase 9.5, Digital Performer 9, Final Cut Pro X*, FL Studio 12, Logic Pro X, Nuendo 8, Premiere Pro CC 2018, Pro Tools 10 - 12, Reaper 5, Reason 10, Studio One 3 - 4”.

– Does this mean that RX7 won’t integrate with Audacity? Or just that to use with Audacity it must be treated as a plug-in suite?
– If the latter, where are instructions on how to setup RX7 for this purpose?
– RX7 has both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Which should I use with Audacity?
– Same questions for Audacity v2.3, which I’ll probably install soon.

– Other things I should know? Thanks.

2

Does this mean that RX7 won’t integrate with Audacity? Or just that to use with Audacity it must be treated as a plug-in suite?

It means it may not work, or may not work completely & correctly in Audacity, and if it doesn’t you can’t complain.

“Stand alone” means it also runs as a stand alone application with no host required.


RX7 has both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Which should I use with Audacity?

Audacity is a 32-bit application so you’d need the 32-bit version (if it works at all).

3

In Audacity (version 2.3.2) PC, all the RX 7 (Standard Edition) modules show up, but they all fail to register unfortunately. Compatibility issues it seems.

Audacity > Analyze > Add / Remove Plug-ins… >

Example :
iZRX7BreathControl | (State : New) | C:\Programs(x86)\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\iZRX7BreathControl.dll

Error Message :
Effect or Command at C:\Programs(x86)\Steinberg\VSTPlugins\XXX.dll

I wish all the useful Izotope RX plugins could work in Audacity. :frowning: If there is a workaround, I would be curious to find out.
RX 7 plug-ins fail to register in Audacity.jpg

4

Currently VST plugins have to be 32-bit VST or VST2 to work in Audacity, not VST3, or VSTi, or 64-bit.

5

I just got RX8. Is there any reason that the same procedure wouldn’t work with it?

6

Which “procedure”?

iZotope list their system requirements here: https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/rx-8-standard.html
Note that they do not list Audacity as a supported host application, so if you get that to work, great, but it’s not officially supported.

7

Sorry. I misread that.

8

In Windows10 with Audacity v2.4.2 I use several Izotope RX7 plugins (especially Mouth DeClick) fairly successfully with Audacity.

Questions about Enable checkbox and Bypass button, using Mouth DeClick as an example:

At the bottom of the plug-in’s control screen there is an Enable check box and three arrow icons indicating forward, fast backward, and fast forward.
With the Enable box unchecked the plug-in works OK after clicking Apply; no audio output is produced while the plugin is working. Clicking the arrows has no effect.
With the Enable box checked, the Apply button works the same as with the box unchecked. But clicking the forward arrow triggers very slow plugin action that creates distorted audio output as it works; the other two arrows have no apparent effect.

The Bypass button toggles on and off, and the plugin is apparently inactivated with Bypass is on.

So:
– What is the purpose of running the plugin with Enable checked?
– With Enable checked, why do the fast back & forward arrows have no effect?
– What is the purpose of running the plugin with Bypass on, as opposed to not running the plugin at all?


Further, Izotope guru Don Baarns says that the Enable box and three arrows aren’t in RX7’s own control panel for these effects, but were added to them by Audacity for use as plug-ins. If he is correct, why so?

9

I think you need to look at how these controls work in an effect that is fully supported by Audacity, such as the “Bass and Treble” effect (Bass and Treble - Audacity Manual)

– It is sometimes useful, especially when using subtle effects, to compare the sound with the effect against the “dry” sound without the effect (when the effect is “bypassed”). You can do this by toggling the “Enable” checkbox on and off while playing the track.

– Fast forward / reverse should work whether the “Enable” checkbox is checked or not.

– Currently there is no point in applying the plug-in with the effect disabled - that will do nothing.
There is a point to being able to toggle the effect on / off when previewing.
In a future version of Audacity it is likely that you will be able to create a stack of effects. It can be useful to be able to enable / disable single effects within the stack individually.

Audacity uses a common framework for all “real-time preview” effect. Technically, they all inherit from the same base class. This allows Audacity to support many different types of effect (necessary for a cross-platform app) including VST, AU, LV2 and built-in effects without having to develop and maintain separate frameworks for each type and then conditionally compile for each combination that is supported on each platform.

It also means that future development for one type of effect on one platform will benefit all supported effects on all platforms. For example, if a Linux developer adds support for “side chains” in LV2 effects, then Windows users gain that feature for VST effects and Mac users gain that feature for AU effects.