PD Cleaner vs Wave Arts Master Restoration Suite 6

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.

Wave Arts Master Restoration Suite 6 is a set of five plug-ins for cleaning up tape, vinyl, digital, and acoustic recordings. MR Noise 6 reduces broadband noise; MR Hum 6 combines hum and buzz removal with brickwall filtering and spectrum analysis; MR Click 6 targets clicks and crackle; and MR Gate 6 attenuates background noise in quiet sections. The fifth plug-in, MasterRestoration 6, provides an all-in-one option. The suite costs $99, paid once and has a fully functional 30-day demo. It runs on macOS 10.13 or later and Windows 7/8/10/11, in AU, VST3, and AAX formats on macOS and VST2, VST3, and AAX on Windows. Apple Silicon is supported natively in the listed Mac formats. These are not standalone applications: they require an audio plug-in host. Mac hosts must be 64-bit; Windows hosts may be 32-bit or 64-bit. Wave Arts or iLok licensing is available.