> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://izotoperx.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Use iZotope RX 12 in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight - URL: https://izotoperx.net/izotope-rx-davinci-resolve-fairlight/ - Published: 2026-09-03T21:45:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-07T16:17:02.000Z - Description: Use RX plug-ins for repeatable clip or track processing; use Fairlight External Audio Process when a damaged clip needs the standalone spectral editor. - Author: Brandon Hayes - Tags: Workflow, RX 12, Dialogue Cleanup Use RX 12 in DaVinci Resolve Fairlight in two ways. Add an RX AU or VST3 plug-in to a clip or track when the repair should remain adjustable during playback. Use Fairlight's External Audio Process when one clip needs the standalone RX Audio Editor, spectral selections or an Editor-only module. For the external route, add RX Audio Editor in Resolve's Audio Plugins preferences, right-click a Fairlight clip, choose External Audio Process, repair the bounced copy in RX, then use **Save**. Do not use Save As: Resolve is watching the bounced file it created and needs that exact path to update the timeline. ## Choose the right Fairlight-to-RX route | Need | Use | Why | | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Adjustable denoise or hum control on one clip | RX clip plug-in | Local and reversible in the Resolve project | | Consistent processing across one dialogue track | RX track plug-in | One setting follows all routed clips | | Processing across a bus or stem | RX bus plug-in | Applies after track routing | | Spectral selection, Interpolate or Editor-only tool | External Audio Process | Opens a bounced clip in the full RX Editor | | Many files with matching recording conditions and repair needs | RX Batch Processor outside Resolve | Process new copies after testing representative files | Blackmagic's current [Fairlight page](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/fairlight/?ref=izotoperx.net) documents third-party Steinberg VST and Mac Audio Unit plug-ins, plus an External Audio Process route that explicitly names iZotope RX. ## Nine steps for an RX external round trip 1. **Protect the edit.** Save a new Resolve project version, back up source media and verify the target clip and original audio layer. 2. **Add RX as an external process.** Open Preferences > System > Audio Plugins and add RX Audio Editor under external processes. 3. **Use the command-line application type.** Point Resolve to the installed RX Audio Editor application. 4. **Select one Fairlight clip.** Include the exact damaged event and enough surrounding context for repair. 5. **Send the clip.** Right-click and choose External Audio Process, then select the saved RX process. 6. **Repair the bounced copy.** Confirm duration, channels and sample rate before applying RX modules. 7. **Save to the same file.** For the opened bounced WAV, use File > Save and verify its original path; keep any RX Document separate. 8. **Return and compare.** Check sync, available handles, fades, channel layout and the protected original layer. 9. **Verify delivery.** Render a short test and audition the exported program before processing the rest. ## Install the format Fairlight can load RX 12 currently ships AU on macOS and VST3 on macOS and Windows, along with AAX formats for Pro Tools. For Resolve, use a supported AU or VST3 build; AAX does not become a Fairlight format. As checked on September 7, 2026, the [RX 12 release notes](https://www.izotope.com/pages/release-notes/rx-standard?ref=izotoperx.net) list DaVinci Resolve 19 among confirmed hosts and say all RX 12 plug-in formats are 64-bit. That list does not establish compatibility with every newer Resolve release. Verify your exact Resolve, RX, operating-system and architecture combination before a production upgrade. RX 12 lists macOS and Windows support, not Linux. The [RX plug-in formats guide](https://izotoperx.net/izotope-rx-plugin-formats/) separates AU, VST3, AAX, AudioSuite and ARA. Fairlight's documented third-party route should not be confused with an RX Spectral Editor ARA integration. You need Standard or Advanced for the external Editor route. The [RX 12 edition and module comparison](https://docs.izotope.com/rx12/en/rx-overview.html?ref=izotoperx.net) confirms that Elements contains six plug-ins and no standalone Audio Editor. Installing Elements will not provide the application requested by External Audio Process. ## Add an RX plug-in to a clip Open the Effects Library on the Fairlight page, expand Audio FX, locate the RX plug-in under VST or AU effects, and drag it to the target clip. Use the Inspector or the plug-in's custom window to reopen and adjust it. A clip effect is the safest starting point when one interview segment has a different air conditioner, hum or reverb problem. It avoids forcing one detector across unrelated recordings. Keep handles around the edit so the plug-in can be auditioned through fades and adjacent room tone. Blackmagic documents that audio plug-ins can be applied to clips, tracks or buses and that several plug-ins can be stacked. The older, Resolve 18 [Fairlight Audio Guide](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/UserManuals/DaVinci-Resolve-18-Fairlight-Audio-Post.pdf?ref=izotoperx.net) shows VST and AU categories and clip-based repair workflow; current menu wording should be checked against the installed Resolve version. ## Add RX to a track or bus Use a track insert when the same microphone, room and speaker continue across clips and the processing should follow that whole track. Use a bus only when every routed source genuinely needs the same repair. Dialogue, music and effects rarely share one sensible RX setting. Fairlight processes multiple plug-ins in top-to-bottom order. Put corrective work before downstream compression or limiting when those stages would exaggerate the defect, then bypass modules one at a time to identify stacked damage. Heavy real-time modules can interrupt playback. Blackmagic recommends cache or bounce options when processor-intensive plug-ins affect performance. The [RX Module Chain guide](https://izotoperx.net/izotope-rx-module-chain/) explains how to test a compact repair order before reproducing it in a host. ## Set up External Audio Process Open DaVinci Resolve Preferences, choose System, then Audio Plugins. In Setup External Audio Processes, add a descriptive name and point the command-line application entry to RX Audio Editor. Save preferences and confirm the new process appears on a Fairlight clip's right-click menu. These setup labels are documented in earlier Resolve manuals and illustrated in a [2024 Blackmagic forum discussion](https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?p=1067862&t=205650&ref=izotoperx.net); match them to your installed version and use the one-clip test below to verify the launch. Use the standalone application rather than an individual plug-in file. The purpose is to launch RX Audio Editor with a bounced clip, not to create another insert scanner path. Blackmagic says Resolve creates a new bounced version of the clip, opens it in the external application and updates the timeline after the file is saved. This is safer than opening the camera or recorder source directly, but still keep a project version and verify the lower/original layer before committing many clips. Check where the bounce is stored before starting a scene. Keep processed audio with the project's managed media and include it in backups and transfers. A saved project alone is not a backup of the audio files it references. In a [2023 RX 9 round-trip discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/davinciresolve/comments/11tza9t/?ref=izotoperx.net), an editor reported missing bounces after moving computers; a reply identified Capture & Playback > Save clips to as the folder control. Treat that as a useful historical warning, and verify the actual destination in your current project. Do not treat an approved bounce as disposable just because its folder is called cache. ## Repair the bounced file in RX When RX opens, first compare the filename, duration, channel count and sample rate with the Fairlight clip. Do not assume the correct media arrived merely because RX launched. Preserve the bounce's duration and sample rate during repair; avoid trimming, resampling or time stretching unless you have planned the corresponding edit in Resolve. Use the narrowest tool that solves the problem: De-click for impulses, De-hum for a stable tonal ladder, Dialogue Isolate for competing ambience, De-reverb for excessive room, or Spectral Repair for one selected event. The [Clean Dialogue with RX hub](https://izotoperx.net/clean-dialogue-rx/) maps symptoms to modules. Keep the selection inside available handles. Processing beyond the bounced media cannot invent a clean transition into a neighboring Resolve clip. Preview repaired audio with a little pre-roll and post-roll, then render only the justified change. ## Save, do not Save As Resolve's external-process round trip depends on the bounced file path. Use File > Save in RX so that exact file changes. Save As creates another file that Resolve is not watching, leaving the timeline copy unchanged. The [RX 12 file-saving documentation](https://docs.izotope.com/rx12/en/working-with-files.html?ref=izotoperx.net) explicitly says Save overwrites an open WAV or AIFF on disk. Confirm that it is Resolve's working bounce, not your recorder original, before using it. Save As writes a same-format copy; saving an RX Document preserves editable history but does not deliver a normal audio file to Resolve. If you need an archive, use File > Save RX Document to a separate `.rxdoc` path. Do not assume this creates a second bounced-audio tab. Verify the current document and destination before any further save. From an RX Document, use File > Export to write the full repaired audio to the exact known bounce path, preserving its WAV format, sample rate, bit depth, channel count and duration. Use full-file Export, not Export Selection. Replace only the verified working bounce with its backup retained; never rename an RX Document to WAV. The [RX import, export and safe-saving guide](https://izotoperx.net/izotope-rx-import-export-save/) explains the difference among Save, Save As, RX Document, Export and Overwrite Original. ## Check the returned clip and original layer Back in Fairlight, compare the processed clip against the original. Check start position, duration, channel order, fades, clip gain, speed changes and sync against visible picture events. A repair can sound clean but return late, short or mono. Blackmagic's current Fairlight page identifies View > Show Audio Track Layers for exposing layers. Compare the original and processed versions there; inspect the Layered Audio Editing setting in your version if needed. Do not delete the source layer during first approval. If the repair is wrong, restore the original or send a fresh bounce rather than processing the damaged render repeatedly. Do not assume the returned layer inherited every crossfade. Listen across both clip edges and restore the intended transitions where needed. Also compare any existing clip effects before and after the bounce: confirm what was rendered and what still runs live instead of applying the same cleanup twice. Audition through the full Fairlight chain. A later compressor may expose residual hum; a gate may chatter on newly quiet ambience; stacked denoise can make one clip unnaturally dry. ## Run a one-clip round-trip test before a full scene Choose a short dialogue clip backed by an independent disposable media copy in a test project with a visible sync event, such as a consonant, slate or door close. Send it to RX, make one unmistakable but harmless gain change, save, and return. This checks the application path, watched filename and timeline refresh for that particular setup before restoration decisions make the test harder to diagnose. Close and reopen the Resolve project. Confirm that the processed layer returns, the original remains available and the effect does not depend on an RX window still being open. Discard the disposable test project and media when finished, then repeat the actual repair on a fresh bounce in the working project. Do not rely on Undo surviving a project restart. For dialogue spanning an edit, test each clip separately unless the transition itself is the problem. A track insert can hear across clip playback, but an external bounce receives the selected clip and its available handles. If the repair needs room tone from the neighboring shot, prepare a separate, longer audio working copy with documented start time and channel mapping; test its return explicitly. Do not assume a compound clip automatically supplies the right surrounding audio. Document the external-process name and RX application path on shared systems. A workstation update can move the application or change permissions while leaving the old menu entry visible. A known one-clip test exposes that setup failure without risking a complete reel. RX 12 Standard opens mono and stereo audio; Advanced supports up to ten channels per file tab. Check that limit before sending production multichannel media. A wider Fairlight track or bus does not establish what RX can receive. Do not silently downmix to make the transfer work. Also test stereo or supported multichannel media when the project uses it. A mono dialogue proof does not validate channel ordering for a stereo ambience or a larger Fairlight bus. Mark the test with an obvious temporary timeline color or name, then remove it after the route is proven so it cannot be mistaken for approved content. ## Choose a clean processing order | Stage | Typical job | Failure to watch | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | Clip repair | Clicks, plosives, hum, local spectral events | Damaged consonants or transitions | | Track cleanup | Consistent noise or room across one source | One setting across mismatched microphones | | Track dynamics/EQ | Tone and level shaping | Exposing repair artifacts | | Bus processing | Shared stem control | Repair applied to unrelated sources | | Delivery | Loudness and final render | Clipping, sync or channel errors | Resolve 19.1's official [Fairlight automation documentation](https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/SupportNotes/DaVinci%5FResolve%5F19%5F1%5FNew%5FFeatures%5FGuide.pdf?ref=izotoperx.net) confirms automation support for compatible AU and VST plug-in parameters. Automate only controls that remain stable and predictable; use external spectral repair for one-off events. ## When RX plug-ins do not appear in Resolve 1. Confirm the RX module exists as a plug-in in your edition. 2. Confirm AU on Mac or VST3 on the supported platform was installed. 3. Verify that Resolve is scanning the expected format and location. 4. Rescan audio plug-ins and restart Resolve. 5. Check 64-bit architecture and current RX/Resolve compatibility. 6. Test the plug-in in a new project and on a plain audio clip. The dedicated [RX plug-ins-not-showing guide](https://izotoperx.net/izotope-rx-plugins-not-showing/) covers scan paths, caches, components and authorization. Fairlight's External Audio Process route opens the standalone application directly; it does not require an RX Connect insert. An Editor-only module such as Interpolate will not appear among normal Fairlight plug-ins, and Advanced's Ambience Match, De-rustle and Scene Rebalance plug-ins are AudioSuite-only. Use the edition table before treating their absence from AU/VST3 as a scan failure. ## Performance and render QA Use real-time RX only where the benefit justifies CPU cost. Cache or bounce approved processing when playback becomes unreliable, but retain a recoverable project version. Do not judge repair during stuttering playback. Before final delivery, render a representative scene and listen outside Resolve. Check dialogue sync at cuts, fades into room tone, stereo or multichannel mapping, loudness and the loudest repaired event. Compare against picture as well as waveform. For many homogeneous files, test the chain on representative clips and use the [RX Batch Processor](https://izotoperx.net/izotope-rx-batch-processing/) outside the timeline. Re-import results as new media rather than overwriting camera originals. ## Final Fairlight/RX quality gate - The plug-in or external route matches the repair job. - The correct AU or VST3 component and RX edition are installed. - The external process opens RX Audio Editor, not a plug-in binary. - The bounced clip's duration, channels and sample rate are verified, and its file is included in project backups. - RX saves back to the watched file path; archival RX Documents stay separate. - The returned clip remains in sync and the original layer is recoverable. - The full Fairlight chain does not stack destructive cleanup. - A rendered scene passes audible and picture-sync QA. The [RX Workflows hub](https://izotoperx.net/rx-workflows/) connects Resolve with Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Premiere Pro, Connect, plug-in and batch-processing routes. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does iZotope RX 12 work in DaVinci Resolve? Yes, for supported combinations. iZotope lists Resolve 19 as a confirmed RX 12 host; check newer versions separately. Blackmagic documents AU/VST plug-ins and external processing. RX 12 Elements has no standalone Editor, and RX does not list Linux support. ### Should I use an RX plug-in or the standalone Editor? Use a plug-in for adjustable clip or track processing. Use External Audio Process for spectral selections, Editor-only tools and one-off surgical repair. ### How do I send a Fairlight clip to RX? Add RX Audio Editor under Preferences > System > Audio Plugins > Setup External Audio Processes, then right-click the clip and choose that process. ### Why did my RX repair not return to Resolve? Check whether you saved a different filename or an RX Document. For the opened bounced WAV, File > Save updates that audio file. From an RX Document, export the full repaired audio to the verified bounce path, then return to Fairlight and check the correct layer. ### Can I save an RX Document during the round trip? Yes. Save RX Document to a separate archive path. Verify the current document before saving again; export full audio to the verified bounce path if working from the archive. Resolve cannot use an RX Document as the returned audio clip. ### Should RX go on a Fairlight clip or track? Use a clip effect for local or source-specific damage. Use a track insert only when the same recording conditions and repair need continue across the track. ### Which RX plug-in format should Resolve use? Use AU on a compatible Mac setup or VST3 on a compatible Mac/Windows setup. AAX is for Pro Tools, not Fairlight. ### How do I keep the external RX edit reversible? Save a Resolve project version, back up original and bounced audio, retain the original layer and archive an RX Document when needed. Verify the returned copy, fades, sync and media availability after reopening the project.