PD Cleaner vs SpectraLayers Pro

PD Cleaner is a free Windows app for reducing clicks, crackle, hiss, and hum in old recordings, particularly public-domain recordings made before 1926. Drop in a file and it analyzes its era, noise, and clicks; a Clean dial lets you adjust the cleaning. Its voicings cover cylinders, acoustic 78s, and early electric recordings, alongside an uncoloured transfer option. A live before-and-after spectrum analyzer can show a curve, waterfall, or both, and users can solo noise being removed. The app works as a VST3 insert in a DAW or as a standalone program. Folder-based batch processing with one preset is limited to the standalone version. Built-in formats are WAV, FLAC, AIFF, Ogg, MP3, and Opus; a free optional add-on provides AAC and more. It supports 24-bit archival exports and says it does not overwrite the original file. The maker describes it as offline software. The Windows release is open source under AGPLv3, and its build may show an unknown publisher warning when first run.

SpectraLayers Pro is a spectral audio editor that presents sound as visual objects for editing, repair, restoration, and sound design. Pro 13 adds Unmix Sound Effects to separate short sounds from continuous backgrounds such as wind, crowds, traffic, and nature. Ambience Heal fills gaps using ambience from the source layer, while Reconstruct resynthesizes selected spectral data. Voice DeClick removes mouth noises, and Voice DeCrosstalk isolates unwanted voices from a target voice. The software supports batch processing and can run standalone or as an external editor. Listed integrations include Ableton Live, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Reaper, DaVinci Resolve, FL Studio, ACID Pro, Vegas Pro, KONTAKT, REAKTOR, HALion, and Tracktion Waveform; edited audio can be returned to the calling app. Pro 13 supports specified recent macOS releases on Intel and Apple silicon, and Windows 10 or 11 64-bit from version 21H2; Windows 11 on Arm requires 24H2 or later. A free trial is available, but no free plan or price is listed.