Review: Waves Clarity Vx DeReverb | AI room and reverb removal for voice
An easy-to-use, powerful vocal post-production tool for poor acoustic conditions.
★★★★☆ Rated 4 out of 5
As a home-studio musician and podcaster, I’ve encountered my share of audio challenges. High ceilings, ambient noise and room echo have all been persistent issues, disrupting the clarity of my recordings.
I’ve experimented with all sorts of fixes, from EQ adjustments to hanging a large bed sheet over my desk to dampen sound. Needless to say, these solutions were far from ideal. So, I started researching software options that could help mitigate my studio’s environmental impact on recordings. That’s when I came across the Waves Clarity VX DeReverb plugin.
Here is how Waves Audio describes the plugin:
Got great vocal recordings ruined by unwanted background noise—air conditioner, room rumble, rain, traffic, airplane flyovers, background talking, etc.? Solve these issues with Clarity™ Vx, whose advanced Neural Networks (the same engine as in the larger Clarity™ Vx Pro) are trained to recognize vocals, and separate them from noise.
The plugin is simple and intuitive, featuring just five main controls. You can select a neural network, adjust the imaging, tweak vocal presence to maintain clarity and use the large “DeReverb” dial to achieve in the right amount of noise reduction. Within about 30 seconds, my vocal recordings—previously full of unwanted room echo—sounded significantly clearer and more focused, as if I’d recorded in a semi-treated studio.
I recently did a video demo of the plugin alongside the Universal Audio C-Suite C-Vox de-noise plugin, which is a good complement to this plugin.
Hear the plugin in action:
I did push the DeReverb dial to see how much further I could go, but, as mentioned in the video above, turning it too high caused my voice to sound muddy and muted. The plugin works best with moderate settings, so finding that “sweet spot” is key.
Overall, the Clarity VX DeReverb is straightforward and effective. It’s a minimalist tool that conceals its technical complexity, leaving users with only a few controls to fine-tune.
The only drawback is that it doesn’t remove ambient noise during vocal passages—only reverb and echo, and if you are faced with a really bad echo, it is not going to work miracles. To handle background noise, you’d need to extend your plugin chain with a separate de-noise tool. The full Clarity VX suite includes this feature, though at a higher price (I personally use the C-Vox C-Suite for noise reduction). For these reasons I’d rate the standalone Clarity VX DeReverb plugin four stars.
One tip: consider picking up the plugin during a sale, as it’s frequently discounted.
TL;DR Verdict: The Waves Clarity VX DeReverb is an intuitive and effective plugin for tackling room echo and reverb in vocal recordings, though it doesn’t remove ambient noise while speaking. Ideal for home-studio setups with echo issues. Best purchased on sale.
This review was not sponsored, nor contains any affiliate links.