iZotope RX Guitar De-noise: Amp, Squeak and Pick

RX 12 Guitar De-noise is three processors in one: Amp learns static tonal hum or buzz, Squeak detects fret and finger noise, and Pick controls an attack that has become too sharp. Treat those as separate problems. Turning on all three at strong settings can leave a technically quieter guitar that no longer sounds played.

Start from production intent. A finger slide can make an acoustic part intimate; pick edge can define rhythm; controlled amplifier noise can belong to the tone. Remove what distracts the song, not every trace of contact between player and instrument.

What Guitar De-noise can—and cannot—repair

iZotope's detailed RX 12 Guitar De-noise documentation divides the module into Amp, Squeak and Pick. Amp targets hum or buzz from pickups and amplifiers. Squeak attenuates fret/finger noise during movement along the neck. Pick reduces an excessively prominent picked or plucked attack.

The module does not automatically know which sounds belong in the performance. Amp uses Learn, Sensitivity and Resolution; Squeak and Pick each have Sensitivity and Reduction. Amp has no separate Reduction slider. Each section’s Ear button auditions its removed sound; recognizable notes or useful articulation in that output are a warning.

In RX 12, Guitar De-noise is included in Standard and Advanced, not Elements, according to iZotope's current RX edition comparison. Its module-location table lists it in the standalone Audio Editor, as a real-time plug-in and as Pro Tools AudioSuite.

Diagnose amp buzz, hiss, squeak and pick noise

Hum, hiss and buzz describe different problems. For Amp, the learned frequencies must stay fixed even if their loudness varies. Broadband noise needs a separate denoiser. A buzz whose pitch moves also falls outside Amp’s static-profile requirement; compare another route instead of repeatedly learning over wanted notes.

Nine steps to clean a guitar take safely

1. Preserve the take. Make an independent copy of the source audio and work on that copy. A duplicated clip or playlist can still reference the same file.
2. Classify the sound. Separate static tonal buzz, broadband hiss, fret squeaks and excessive pick attack.
3. Choose a representative passage. In the Editor, leave Composite View and disable Instant Process. Select the intended channels and a passage containing both the defect and wanted notes.
4. Tune one section. Enable only Amp, Squeak or Pick for the first test.
5. Learn tonal noise correctly. For Amp, learn a noise-only passage with the same static hum or buzz, then select the guitar passage you intend to process.
6. Listen to the detector. Use Ear and adjust Sensitivity while checking for wanted guitar in the removed sound. Turn Ear off to judge normal output.
7. Set the amount. For Squeak and Pick, add Reduction conservatively. For Amp, judge its Sensitivity setting against the noise and the guitar tone.
8. Spot-repair exceptions. In the Editor, process a local selection or use Spectral Repair when a stronger full-take setting damages wanted notes.
9. Approve and export. Compare at matched loudness in solo and in the mix. Render the chosen Editor repair in normal output, export under a new filename and reopen the exported audio to check its scope and sound.

For a close decision, compare light and stronger candidates against the untouched passage. In the Editor, use the Preview and Compare controls before applying a result. Build alternatives from the same unprocessed state; processing a previous candidate again is a different, cumulative repair. Choose with the full arrangement playing, then check exposed intros, gaps and decays separately.

Amp: learn only static tonal noise

Amp is designed for hum or buzz from pickups and amplifiers, including complex tonal noise with many harmonics. Its Learn function captures a snapshot of the unwanted frequency set. In the Editor, select a passage containing only that noise and click Learn. In the plug-in, loop a noise-only passage, start Learn, let it analyze and stop Learn.

Choose the longest passage containing only the target hum or buzz; iZotope suggests a few seconds when available, not a mandatory minimum. Keep wanted strings and feedback out of the noise sample. After Learn, reselect the intended guitar passage and channels: the noise-only learning selection is not the region you want to repair.

Sensitivity determines how much learned hum or buzz is removed. iZotope recommends higher values when the noise amplitude varies and lower values for better guitar-tone preservation when the noise remains constant. Use Ear to hear whether the detector follows buzz or starts following notes.

Amp Resolution and the CPU tradeoff

Resolution sets the maximum number of amp-noise harmonics the section can remove. More resolution can model a more complicated buzz, but it also costs more CPU. Do not raise it simply because the control offers headroom.

Begin with the documented default Resolution of 128, learn a clean sample and audition the removed sound. Increase Resolution only when tonal components remain and a comparison confirms improvement. If the leftover is a broad wash rather than discrete tones, modeling more harmonics is the wrong next test.

A simple mains-frequency ladder may respond well to RX De-hum. Compare it with Guitar De-noise Amp on the same selection. Keep the version that preserves pitch, sustain and amplifier character while reducing the confirmed interference.

Broadband amp hiss needs a different route

Guitar De-noise Amp is not a universal hiss remover. Its detailed documentation explicitly routes broadband hiss and rumble to Spectral De-noise or Voice De-noise. A noise gate can mute hiss between phrases, but it cannot remove the same noise under a sustained note; it only hides the bed when the gate closes.

For steady broadband hiss, capture a representative noise-only selection and test Spectral De-noise conservatively. Its Adaptive mode is another option when the noise changes. The Voice versus Spectral De-noise comparison explains these routes. iZotope’s guitar-mixing example also uses Spectral De-noise to target hiss while protecting the instrument’s body. Treat that example as a listening approach, not a preset for your recording.

If noise is already audible in the clean DI, compare repair before the amp simulator with repair of its printed output. Listen through the same amp settings in both tests. This distinguishes noise present in the recording from noise introduced later; cleaning a silent DI cannot remove a hiss generator inserted after it.

Squeak: Sensitivity, Reduction and Duration

Squeak targets finger and fret noises created while sliding along the neck. Sensitivity changes how many events are detected; Reduction controls how far the detected squeaks are turned down. Set detection first with Ear, then decide attenuation in normal output.

High Sensitivity can attenuate high-pitched guitar notes. That is why whole-track settings that catch every slide can make an acoustic guitar sound dull. Include harmonics, upper-register melody and bright chords in the test selection, not only the ugliest squeak.

Duration has Short and Long behavior. iZotope documents Short for most events up to 200 ms and Long for short or long squeaks up to 1000 ms; Long has high latency. Use Short by default, and switch to Long only when the actual sliding event extends beyond what Short captures.

Use selections for exceptional fret squeaks

In the RX Audio Editor, isolate an exceptional squeak in time or use a time-frequency rectangle around its actual location. iZotope’s 2020 guitar-repair example limits a squeak selection to protect lower guitar frequencies. Its selected band is specific to that recording; do not apply a fixed upper-mid cutoff to every guitar.

Before drawing, switch Instant Process off so the selection itself does not trigger a repair. Use one file outside Composite View, whose edits affect all included files, and verify the selected channels. Preview the stronger Squeak setting, then check both selection boundaries after rendering. If the detector still catches wanted notes, test Spectral Repair or a small local Gain adjustment from the original state. A DAW plug-in does not provide the Editor’s spectrogram drawing tools; use host-supported automation/event processing or move the copy to the Editor for this method.

Preserve some movement when it communicates phrasing. The goal is to stop a squeak from pulling attention away from the part, not to make a human fretted instrument behave like a sample library.

Pick: keep the attack, lose the distraction

Pick reduces the attack of picked or plucked strings when it stands out too much. Sensitivity decides which attacks are detected; excessive Sensitivity affects tone. Reduction sets how much detected attack is attenuated, and Attack changes how quickly that attenuation arrives.

Solo Ear and make sure it contains the objectionable chirp or chatter rather than the body of every note. Then return to normal output and bring in Reduction gradually. If rhythm loses timing or the guitar moves behind the beat perceptually, the attack has been softened too far.

Judge pick noise on the actual performance. A high-gain riff, a clean arpeggio and a nylon-string part have different useful attacks, even when the transient shapes look similar. If Pick cannot separate the distraction, the manual suggests De-ess or De-click as alternative tests, with local Spectral Repair or Gain for exceptions. Compare each from the same source; none guarantees removal without affecting the note.

Ear mode is the safety control

Each section has an Ear monitor for the sound being removed. For Squeak and Pick, set detection before deciding how much Reduction to use. Amp’s Sensitivity also controls removal, so judge that adjustment against normal guitar output as well as the noise.

Amp Ear should emphasize the learned tonal noise, Squeak Ear the sliding event, and Pick Ear the excessive attack. Sustained pitch, chord identity or a recognizable riff in the removed sound calls for a lower Sensitivity, a cleaner Amp sample or a narrower processing region. Some overlap is unavoidable when the defect and the guitar occupy the same sound; retain a little noise if the alternative damages the phrase.

Turn every Ear monitor off before the final Preview, Compare or render/bounce. When using a plug-in, make that normal-output check in the host before bouncing. Compare at matched loudness through the effects chain and full arrangement, then listen to the actual exported file. A useful removed-signal check does not by itself establish that the repaired guitar sounds natural.

Acoustic guitar workflow

For an acoustic take with distracting finger slides, start by testing Squeak. Tune Short Duration on a representative passage, protect upper notes with Ear, and use local Editor selections for exceptional slides. If the real problem is pick attack or room hiss, start with that diagnosis instead. Keep intentional finger movement and rhythmic pick detail when they help the part.

Room hiss or preamp noise is a separate broadband problem. Do not teach Amp a sample that contains room ambience and expect tonal learning to remove it. Use the appropriate denoiser, and keep room reduction light enough that decays do not turn metallic.

When a retake is possible, compare microphone positions and ask the player to try a different hand shift or pick contact on the problem phrase. Record a short comparison before changing the entire setup. The useful question is whether the new take keeps the desired body and articulation with less distracting noise; restoration remains an option when the original performance is the keeper.

Electric guitar and DI workflow

For electric guitar, decide whether the printed file is a clean DI, a miked amplifier or an amp-sim return. Preserve the DI. If noise is present before high gain, compare cleaning the DI before reamping with cleaning the effected track afterward. Early repair can stop distortion and compression from amplifying the unwanted bed.

Use Amp Learn only for static tonal hum or buzz. If the amp-sim preset produces a broad “air” or hiss, use Spectral De-noise. If the noise changes with notes, pedals or modulation, a static learned profile may not follow it cleanly.

Pick chatter can become exaggerated by heavy compression. Tune Pick on the effected tone because that is where the distraction is judged, but keep the untreated DI so the production can be rebuilt. If the pick defines the riff, automate or spot-process only the offending phrases.

Order Guitar De-noise in the chain

If the recorded file actually clips, test De-clip before learning a noise profile; intentional amplifier distortion is not automatically a clipping fault to remove. Treat confirmed isolated clicks only when needed. Compare the order on copies if two defects interact. For a DI, test repair before amp simulation; for a printed amp, judge cleanup through the final EQ and dynamics as well as in solo.

Tune the three sections individually, then evaluate their combined effect. A live plug-in bypass compares its current processing, but bypassing a control cannot undo audio already rendered in the Editor. Restore the pre-render History state or use an untouched copy to build a fair alternative. In Module Chain, modules run in sequence and have power controls; the individual module footer Preview/Compare controls are unavailable there. The RX Module Chain guide covers testing the complete chain on the same original audio.

Keep the original audio and a separately named repair. Under RX’s file-saving rules, Save overwrites an opened WAV or AIFF. Save RX Document preserves the original, edits and view state for RX; an .rxdoc is not a DAW delivery file. After rendering the approved repair, use File → Export for the whole file or Export Selection only for an intentional excerpt. Choose a distinct output filename, check the required format and channel layout, and reopen it to verify the beginning, end, sustain and repair. Save the settings too, but learn and audition again on a different take.

Final Guitar De-noise quality gate

• The unwanted sound is classified as tonal amp noise, broadband hiss, fret squeak or pick attack.
• Only one Guitar De-noise section was tuned at a time.
• Amp Learn used a noise-only passage with static tonal buzz or hum.
• Ear monitoring contains the target, not sustained notes, chords or the recognizable riff.
• Squeak Sensitivity was checked against upper-register notes and harmonics.
• Pick Reduction preserves rhythm, articulation and intentional attack.
• Exceptional events were spot-treated rather than forcing stronger full-take processing.
• The result was compared at matched loudness in solo and in the complete mix.
• Ear monitors are off, the source remains recoverable and the separately exported audio has the intended duration, channels and audible repair.

The Music and Vocals hub connects guitar cleanup to clipping repair, bleed removal, stem work and the wider RX music workflow.

Frequently asked questions

What does RX Guitar De-noise remove?

Its Amp section reduces static tonal hum or buzz, Squeak reduces fret/finger slides, and Pick controls overly prominent picked or plucked attacks.

Can Guitar De-noise remove amp hiss?

Amp is designed primarily for tonal, static hum or buzz. Use Spectral De-noise for broadband hiss or rumble, then compare which route better preserves the guitar.

How do I learn amp noise?

In the Editor, select a noise-only passage and click Learn, then select the guitar passage to repair. In the plug-in, loop the noise-only passage and click Learn to start and again to stop. Use Ear and Sensitivity to check removal, then turn Ear off to judge normal output.

Why does Squeak make my guitar dull?

High Sensitivity can attenuate high-pitched guitar notes. Lower it and check Ear mode, then judge normal output with Ear off. In the Editor, use local time-frequency selections for exceptional slides instead of stronger full-take processing.

Should I use Short or Long Squeak Duration?

Short covers most squeaks up to 200 ms. Long can handle events up to 1000 ms but adds high latency; use it only when the real slide needs that span.

Can Pick remove all pick noise?

It can reduce excessive attack, but removing all of it may weaken rhythm and articulation. Keep the musical onset and attenuate only the distracting chatter or chirp.

Is Guitar De-noise in RX 12 Elements?

No. iZotope's current comparison lists Guitar De-noise in RX 12 Standard and Advanced, not Elements.

Should I process the DI before an amp simulator?

Test it when noise is present in the DI. Early cleanup can stop high gain from magnifying the noise, while keeping the untreated DI makes reamping reversible.