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SPECIFICTION
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Cathar

github.com

macOSLinux
Visit github.com
Spec score 7.6 #11 of 22 in AI Audio Restoration Software

What it is

Cathar is a free audio restoration toolkit for Linux and macOS, with tools to clean, enhance, and level recordings. It accepts WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG, and M4A files, along with audio tracks inside MP4 and MKV video, and writes WAV, FLAC, or AIFF according to the output filename extension. Restoration options include denoising, de-humming, de-winding, de-clicking, de-clipping, de-reverberation, spectral repair, de-plosive processing, and rustle removal. Enhancement tools handle de-essing, breath removal, voice isolation, and bandwidth extension; loudness and peak normalization prepare delivery levels. The Rust toolkit uses inspectable and tunable DSP stages. Effects can run through the Rust crate or as command-line steps in a media pipeline. An optional machine-learning feature adds a deterministic GRU denoiser with safetensors weights. Optional terminal tools provide an audio player and spectrogram viewer. Cathar is licensed under Apache 2.0 or MIT, and its latest listed release is v0.8.0; the project describes itself as pre-1.0.

Spec sheet

purpose
Cathar is an audio restoration toolkit for noisy recordings and video audio tracks.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
license
The project is licensed under either Apache License 2.0 or MIT.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
maker
The repository owner is Vikram Bhaskaran, whose profile describes him as a technologist and lists Sydney.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
Current release
The GitHub releases page lists cathar v0.8.0 as the latest release.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Documentation
The project includes an illustrated Cleaning Up Sound book explaining its concepts and comparing it with tools such as iZotope RX, Audition, Audacity, SoX and FFmpeg.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
DSP approach
Its processing stages are inspectable and tunable DSP rather than opaque neural models.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
enhancement
Its enhancement functions include de-essing, breath removal, voice isolation, and bandwidth extension.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
formats
It reads WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, MP4, and MKV inputs and writes WAV, FLAC, or AIFF.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
implementation
Cathar is implemented in pure Rust with no ffmpeg, C/C++, or system-library dependencies.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
Input formats
It accepts WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG and M4A files, plus audio tracks inside MP4 and MKV video.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Installation
The command-line binary can be installed with cargo install cathar-cli from crates.io.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
integration
The toolkit can be called in-process through the cathar Rust crate or invoked as a command-line stage in a media pipeline.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
latest_release
The GitHub releases page lists cathar v0.8.0 as the latest release.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
leveling
Cathar supports LUFS and peak normalization for delivery.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
Machine-learning denoise
An optional ml feature adds a GRU-based denoiser whose open safetensors weights and deterministic inference are implemented in Rust.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
ml_denoise
An optional ml feature provides a deterministic GRU-based denoiser that loads safetensors checkpoints.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
Output formats
It writes WAV, FLAC or AIFF output selected by the output filename extension.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
Pipeline integration
Effects are plain functions over audio sample slices and can run in-process through the cathar crate or as a cathar command between pipeline steps.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
restoration
Its restoration functions include denoise, de-hum, de-wind, de-click, de-clip, de-reverb, spectral repair, de-plosive, and de-rustle.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
roadmap
Cathar is in the 0.8.x series and is described as being before 1.0.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com
Terminal tools
Optional tui features provide a terminal audio player and interactive spectrogram viewer; Linux playback requires ALSA headers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · github.com
tui
Optional tui features provide a terminal audio player and interactive spectrogram viewer.Read 2 Oct 2026 · github.com

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Reads seven listed audio and video container formats.
  • Includes spectral repair and noise reduction.
  • Effects can run in-process or as command-line pipeline stages.
  • Optional deterministic GRU denoiser is available.
  • Licensed under Apache 2.0 or MIT.

Limits

  • Linux playback requires ALSA headers.
  • Optional terminal tools require enabling tui features.
  • The project describes its 0.8.x series as pre-1.0.

Who it suits

Cathar suits Linux and macOS users who want audio repair tools in a standalone workflow or media pipeline. Rust developers can call its effects through the crate, while terminal users can enable the optional player and spectrogram viewer.

Verdict

Cathar covers restoration, enhancement, and level normalization with clear input and output formats. Its Rust integration options make it relevant to command-line and pipeline workflows, while terminal playback has an ALSA requirement on Linux.

Where Specifiction places it

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