DNS2 Dialogue Noise Reduction System

The dialogue noise suppressor that anyone can use anywhere.

Noise is all around us: traffic, aircraft, the noise inside vehicles, air conditioning, wind, rain and other water noises, the noise from domestic appliances and even excessive reverberation. It annoys people, and it can render many recordings unusable. So noise suppression techniques are used to clean up noisy dialogue for film production, suppress ambient noise for live TV and radio broadcasting, revitalise sound effects libraries, and enhance speech for forensic audio investigations.

Until CEDAR's Academy Award winning DNS technology, you were forced to use processes such as low-pass and other filters, noise gates, dynamics processes, or processes developed from analogue encode/decode noise reduction systems. These often proved inadequate. Filtering is not selective about what it removes, and there is no relationship between the input and the filtering effect. Gates have no effect when the desired signal is present and lead to unnatural gaps in the signal. Other dynamics processes generate pumping, distortion and other unnatural effects, and encode/decode processes when used in this way simply act as dynamics processors.

The original CEDAR DNS process overcame all of these problems and resulted in a string of awards when implemented in our hardware (the DNS1000 and its descendants) and software products (DNS One and its siblings). Today, there is a further development of the DNS algorithm designed specifically for portability and speed of use, and this forms the core of the DNS 2 which combines portability and flexibility in a unit so small and light that you can slip it inside your pocket or equipment bag.

DNS4 - 4 channels of real-time Noise reduction

The DNS 4 is the most advanced portable model in the DNS series. With its Hirose HR-10 power input and mini-XLRs for many connections, it takes up little more space than the industry-standard DNS 2 yet doubles the number of channels available.

It's incredibly fast and simple to use; the DNS algorithm requires nothing more than switching on the Learn function that identifies and adapts to the background noise, and then adjusting the amount of noise attenuation required. Notwithstanding this simplicity, it can achieve remarkable results. What's more, despite being so convenient that you can slip it into your pocket or equipment bag, it offers analogue line and ultra low-noise microphone inputs (the latter with optional 48V phantom powering), AES3/AES11 digital inputs, and both analogue and digital outputs. And, to increase its flexibility still further, it runs on 12V power so you can use it in the middle of a field as easily as in the studio or edit suite.

Retaining the near-zero latency of its predecessors, the DNS 4 is suitable for use in all situations - location recording, live-to-air broadcasting and live sound in venues such as theatres and concert halls, conference venues and places of worship, as well as in the studio.

DNS 8D & DNS 8S

The CEDAR DNS 8D has been designed specifically for broadcast and live sound. With eight channels of noise suppression, it hosts a new algorithm that marries the best of the machine learning and signal processing on which the DNS 8 Live and the DNS 2 dialogue noise suppressors are based. With its slick user-interface that includes standard and detailed modes of operation it offers better control than any previous dialogue noise suppressor, both from the front panel and from almost any web browser that can access its internal remote control software. With its near-zero latency and a standard 4-pin 12VDC input in addition to universal mains power, it's suitable for use in all live situations - not just broadcasting, but also live sound in venues such as theatres, concert halls, conference venues and places of worship.

The CEDAR DNS 8S hosts the world-class noise suppression algorithm that you already hear (or rather, don’t hear) when it’s used to clean the FOH sound and monitoring for major artists including Ed Sheeran, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Rod Stewart, The Jonas Brothers and Girls Aloud. It also provides the pristine sound that you hear when you watch the news and major sporting events on TV or go to see blockbuster movies at the cinema.

With the same setup, processing and remote-control capabilities that make our other DNS based hardware products so simple and elegant, you can use DNS 8S for any application where near-zero latency and retention of lip-sync is critical.

In addition to its fantastic processing, the DNS 8S provides fail-safe AES3 audio bypass implemented in the form of hardware relays that immediately connect the inputs to the outputs in the event of a power failure or other significant disruption. This means that you can install it with confidence in critical paths anywhere within the audio chain. And, with its standard 4-pin 12VDC input in addition to universal mains power, it's suitable for use in all live situations.

SE 1 Speech Enhancer

Police, security and counter-terrorism forces require covert audio surveillance systems that are rugged while remaining as small and light as possible. They must be simple to operate and able to run on batteries as well as mains power so that they can (literally) be used in the field when necessary.

Designed following consultation with numerous forces and agencies, the CEDAR SE 1 Speech Enhancer satisfies all of these criteria.

It offers two channels of advanced filtering and speech enhancement in a small device that sits immediately between the probes (microphones) and the headphones. It offers minimal latency and the simplest possible controls, and has a 12V power input that allows it to run on mains or battery power, all of which make it ideal for covert surveillance and rapid tactical response.

Supplied in its own rugged case, the SE 1 itself is small enough to fit into your pocket, yet its advanced audio processing capabilities allow field operatives to monitor audio, reduce noise and improve the listenability of audio captured in adverse conditions. It's flexible too. The SE 1 integrates easily with other equipment using either analogue or digital inputs and outputs, and incorporates two independent headphone outputs for live monitoring directly from the unit itself.

You can use a single SE 1 to monitor two microphones in a single location, or two listeners can monitor single microphones in separate locations, or you can take the input from a single source and create two output signals - the untreated audio and the filtered audio - so that courts and investigators can hear both the original sound and the filtered version.

The SE 1's audio processing is far more sophisticated than that of conventional noise reduction products, offering two simultaneous processes that maximise listenability and intelligibility. The first is a powerful noise suppressor based upon CEDAR's ground-breaking FNR forensic noise reduction system. The second is a dynamic signal enhancement filter optimised to reveal the speech yet further, and which incorporates a limiter to avoid output clipping distortion if a sudden loud sound occurs when monitoring an otherwise quiet signal.

Uses for SE1 include:

• improving signal quality and intelligibility during live surveillance

• enhancing the clarity of real-time communications

• making transcription easier and more accurate