Sonos is rolling out an update for its S2 app today that will, among other things, add a welcome feature for home theater enthusiasts. Some of the company's devices will be able to decode the DTS Digital Surround format for surround sound, which should help folks get more out of movies, games and other content that supports the standard.
Sonos Arc, both generations of the Beam soundbar, Playbar, Playbase and Amp will all get DTS support. When your speakers are playing DTS Digital Surround audio, you'll see a badge on the Sonos app's Now Playing screen. both support Dolby Atmos as well.
DTS isn't as immersive as DTS:X or Dolby Atmos — the latter of which works on Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2). DTS supports 5.1-channel audio, but not a 7.1-channel setup or overhead speakers. Were Sonos to eventually roll out DTS:X support on Arc (it seems unlikely to arrive on the current Beam models), that would be a boon for Blu-ray fans. Still, broader support for surround sound standards isn't anything to sniff at.
In addition, the S2 update adds a battery saver setting for the Roam and Move devices. When you turn on the setting, the speakers will switch off entirely after being inactive for 30 minutes. You'll need to use physical power buttons to turn them back on. Sonos claims that, when the speakers are completely off, Move can retain battery life for up to 30 days and Roam can do so for as long as 70 days.
Elsewhere, the Now Playing screen on the iOS app will have EQ settings. You can tap the volume slider and access the settings on the right of the screen. Android users will gain access to the feature in the next few months.
Meanwhile, Sonos has revealed some intriguing news for fans of spatial audio. Support for Amazon Music Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos Music (which Apple Music supports) is coming to Sonos speakers "soon."
Bose's latest QuietComfort 45 headphones only just became available and they're already on sale at Amazon. You can grab the cans for $279 right now, or $50 off their normal price. That's the best price we've seen in the short time these headphones have been available, so now's a good time to get them if you've had your eye on a new pair of headphones or if someone on your gift list could use them.
Bose's QuietComfort lineup is beloved for many reasons and the company didn't try to reinvent the wheel here. The QC45 look very similar to the QC35 that came before it. We recommend the Bose 700 if you're looking for a striking pair of headphones, but the QC45, while not the slickest, are super comfortable to wear for hours on end. The physical buttons for onboard controls let you play/pause, take calls, skip tracks and adjust the volume, plus switch between active noise cancellation and ambient sound mode. Notably, Bose nixed the micro-USB charging port and opted for a more modern USB-C port on these cans.
Sound quality and ANC are as good as you'd expect on a pair of Bose headphones. Audio is clear and balanced and ANC is even better than it was before. QuietComfort devices have been some of the best you can get if you want to block out the world, and Bose managed to improve upon it even more in the QC45 with the help of multiple microphones that work with a "proprietary digital chip" to detect and silence more mid-range frequencies. That means it'll quell the roar of the commuter train you may be riding along with the voices of colleagues on Zoom calls right next to you.
Bose promises up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge and we got around 22.5 hours in our testing. That means you'll be able to keep these cans on all day long if you want and still have some juice leftover at the end of a work day. As solid as these headphones are, they do have a few flaws. We mentioned their somewhat boring design, but that's easy to overlook thanks to the QC45's comfort level. You can't adjust EQ yourself, but the cans have volume-optimized Active EQ feature that adjusts highs and lows automatically. They also have a feature that lets you connect them to your phone and laptop at the same time, but they don't automatically reconnect to your second device after taking a call from your phone. It's a small issue, but one that's amplified when you consider other headphones in this price range do this automatically. However, if you're looking for the best that Bose has to offer — especially in the ANC department — this deal on the QC45 is one to consider.
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Bose has done exactly that with its QuietComfort line of noise-cancelling headphones — and for good reason. The QC35 and QC35 II set the bar for active noise cancellation (ANC) when it comes to wireless over-ear cans. Bose’s powerful ANC blocks out more ambient roar than nearly all of the competition and the QuietComfort’s reliable controls meant they were a joy to use on long flights. Still, the QC35 II debuted in 2017 and technology has progressed a lot since then. Still, Bose managed to keep most of what made the line so popular while making a few minor updates with the QuietComfort 45 ($329). As it turns out, you don’t need fancy new features to make your headphones unique.
Design
In terms of aesthetics, there’s almost nothing new to report here. Bose was clear that the idea was to keep the trademark QuietComfort series design intact. The company did remove the pleats around the ear pads to clean things up, and it closed open spaces for a smoother look. It also swapped out the micro-USB port for modern USB-C charging. Overall though, you could easily mistake the QC45 for a pair of QC35 or QC35 II headphones.
The QC45’s ear cups still rotate and fold in for easy storage, and both the ear pads and headband remain soft and cushiony. On the right, the power and pairing slider is on the outside of the ear cup while on-board controls are along the back edge. These physical buttons give you the ability to play/pause, take calls, skip tracks and adjust volume. In the same spot on the left, what used to be the Google Assistant and Alexa button now cycles between active noise cancellation (Quiet mode) and ambient sound (Aware mode). If you press this button during a call, it will mute the mics. You can still summon your assistant of choice, but you now do so by holding down the center multi-function button on the right side instead.
If you want something that’s a bit less of a “dad on a business trip” vibe, but still desire Bose’s sound quality and ANC chops, you’ll want to look at the Bose 700 (more on those in a bit). Those have a more modern design. However, the entire point of the QuietComfort series is to keep you comfy for hours at a time while blocking out the world. The QC45 continues to do just that with its lightweight design that packs easy and is an excellent travel companion.
Software and features
Like other Bose headphones and earbuds, the QuietComfort 45 work with the company’s Music app. The software doesn’t offer much in terms of customization, but it will guide you through the on-board controls, display battery life, allow you to change ANC modes and switch between connected Bluetooth devices. There’s also a volume slider and a basic media controller, both of which you probably won’t need. What you are able to adjust does actually come in handy though. You can choose between four levels of Self Voice, or the amount of yourself you can hear in the headphones during calls (off, low, medium and high). This helps you be less shouty on Zoom, which is always nice. You can also adjust how long the QC45 will sit idle before automatically powering off to conserve battery.
Billy Steele/Engadget
That’s really it. Bose doesn’t offer the ability to tweak the EQ or even a select of presets to adjust the sound profile. Instead, the QC45 is equipped with a volume-optimized Active EQ feature that automatically adjusts highs and lows to maintain performance at all levels. There’s really no need to reassign any of the controls and features like automatic pausing or voice recognition aren’t available. This means the Music app is potentially something you’ll visit during initial setup, and never again.
Lastly, there’s one thing with the multi-device connectivity that I found frustrating. You can connect the QC45 to both your phone and your computer at the same time. This way when you’re working, you’re tuned into Slack and Spotify, but the headphones automatically switch over when you get a call. However, when that call is finished, the QC45 remains connected to your phone and you have to tap to get your computer back to the active stream. It’s a small nuisance, but when competitors do this automatically, it sticks out.
Sound quality
You might be considering a set of Bose headphones just for their noise cancelling chops, but don’t overlook the sound quality. The company has a decent track record with tuning, typically offering warm, balanced sound with good clarity that highlights details of the music. That continues with the QuietComfort 45 as these headphones handle all genres well, offering crisp highs, robust mids and deep bass when a song demands it. The tuning here is more even-handed than what Sony offers on its flagship model, so don’t expect booming low-end.
That being said, there’s ample bass for albums like Run The Jewels’ RTJ4 and Chvrches’ Screen Violence. The difference with Bose is that the low end doesn’t have the same depth or detail as other sets. The basslines of “Walking In The Snow” and “Asking For A Friend” don’t drone or oscillate with the same immersive quality as the competition. With more balanced tuning, and thanks to how well they handle details, the QC45 is well-suited for all genres — from metal to bluegrass and everything in between. They can get loud when you need them to and there’s enough depth to keep things from any semblance of flat or boring.
The most notable changes to sound on the QC45 were actually made to the active noise cancellation. Bose says a combination of external and internal microphones work with a "proprietary digital chip” to detect and silence more mid-range frequencies. The company explains that this should cover things like office noise, the roar of a train or the hum of a coffee shop. Indeed, these headphones are better at blocking the distractions the competition struggles with. I noticed the QC45 handled things like the TV and other sounds around the house with ease — including human voices on their own work calls. ANC performance was never an issue with Bose headphones, but the company has managed to improve on what was already top tier.
Ambient sound or Aware mode is also a new addition to the QC45. Something like this is a staple of most headphones nowadays, so it’s nice to see Bose include it. It doesn’t sound anywhere close to as natural as the AirPods Max, but it gets the job done when you need to hear what’s going on around you. The ability to adjust how much of your voice you hear on calls is also handy, since it looks like we’ll still be spending a good portion of our lives on video calls.
Battery life
Bose promises up to 24 hours on a charge with the QC45, four more than the QC35 II. Obviously, that’s long enough to take any commercial flight in the world, or to get you through a few full work days with ease. During my tests using a mix of ANC and ambient sound for both music and calls, I managed 22.5 hours before having to plug in. That’s slightly under the stated figure, but still quite a long time.
If you find yourself in a pinch, Bose has included a quick-charge feature that gives you three hours of playtime in 15 minutes. It’s more than enough to get you through your commute home, a workout or a Zoom call.
The competition
Billy Steele/Engadget
Bose has an attractive alternative to the QC45 in its own product lineup: the Bose 700. The 2019 model offers the company’s robust ANC along with impressive voice quality for calls, even in noisy environments. You can also set the level of noise cancellation between 0 and 10. The 700 has reliable touch controls instead of physical buttons and a design that’s more modern than the QC series. They’re more expensive at $379 and the treble can be harsh at times, which isn’t great when there’s no option in the app to adjust it. Still, if looks are important to you, these are a worthy alternative.
Sony has been giving Bose a run for its money over the last few years. The company’s latest flagship noise-cancelling headphones, the WH-1000XM4, keeps that pace. Sony packs in so many handy features on top of powerful ANC and excellent sound quality. The WH-1000XM4 can automatically adjust noise cancelling based on your activity or location and speak-to-chat, along with quick-attention mode, offers a convenient way to have a quick convo. Plus, automatic pausing, multi-device connectivity and support for Sony’s 360 Reality Audio may sweeten the deal. When you consider you can sometimes find these available for $100 less than the full asking price of around $350, the 1000XM4 becomes even more enticing.
Wrap-up
Bose is clearly catering to QuietComfort fans with the QC45. The new model maintains everything that makes this line of headphones so popular with noteworthy upgrades to noise cancellation. It’s also apparent that Bose is content to put its latest tech to work in entirely separate models like the 700, keeping the QC family going as long as there’s still demand for it. And if I had to guess, the clamoring will remain for quite some time. If Bose can manage to get the price closer to $300, future QuietComfort headphones become an even more intriguing proposition.
When it comes to improving audio for your wired headphones, a USB DAC (digital to analog converter) can do wonders for sound quality. However, a lot of them are large enough they need to say on your desk. THX built a USB-C version to remedy this, with the tiny Onyx clocking in at about the size of a thumb drive. And the connectivity means you can use it with both your computer or your phone. After only being available through Razer before, THX's DAC is now available through Amazon and it's currently on sale for $50 off the original asking price of $200.
The THX Onyx supports master-quality audio content and LEDs indicate which format you’re listening to — standard, high resolution, Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA). Inside, the Onyx packs a THX AAA-78 amplifier chip: the highest-powered mobile THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier configuration. THX says the AAA-78 makes the Onyx just as powerful as a desktop DAC or amplifier setup, but obviously it's much smaller. The chip reduces three types of distortion by up to 40dB and maximizes output power for more dynamic range and sound pressure level (SPL).
THX's sale on the Onyx runs through November 29th. The discounted price will only be available at Amazon.
Roland is again diving into its past with the JX-08 and JD-08 Sound Modules, emulating the vintage analog JX-8P and digital JD-800 synths from the '80s and '90s, respectively. Both reproduce the sounds of those classic synths digitally, while adding new effects and patches tuned for contemporary styles.
Roland's JX-8P came out in 1985 as one of the company's last analog synthesizers. It married analog synthesis with digital control, offering "warm pads, shimmery chorus and crystalline textures into the most popular songs of the era," Roland said. The JX-08 recreates those sounds with new effects and a polyphoric sequencer.
Roland
It features expanded polyphony, two-part multitimbral capability and dual/split modes, along with 32 presets from the original hardware and over 100 new patches more in line with modern needs. Plus, it's available with a panel derived from the synth's companion PG-800 programmer unit for the original hardware, letting you store creations in 256 preset slots.
The JD-800, meanwhile, was a digital synth introduced in 1991 with a "control laden panel and aggressively electronic sound palette," according to Roland. The JD-08 recreates that using "the original JD-800 waveforms" and advanced modeling techniques. IT also adds expanded polyphony, a two-part polyphonic sequencer and other modern updates.
Roland
Both synths are highly portable, can run on USB bus power or batteries, and include a built-in speaker for mobile sound monitoring. They also feature a built-in USB-C audio/MIDI interface to connect to computer production systems, along with a full-sized MIDI I/O. The JX-08 and JD-08 Sound Modules will arrive in the US in January for $400 each.
The holidays are always a good time to help someone upgrade their audio setup, whether that’s earbuds, headphones, speakers or something else. We’ve curated a list of the best sounding gear you can buy right now, with options for true wireless, noise cancelling, immersive audio and more at a range of prices and in a number of product categories. There’s even a set of $20 earbuds that would make an excellent stocking stuffer.
Sony WF-1000XM4
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
Sony’s excellent WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds were in desperate need of an update, and the company obliged earlier this year. The WF-1000XM4 are completely redesigned with a new look and smaller, more comfortable body. Sound quality is excellent and powerful active noise cancellation (ANC) can be configured to adjust automatically based on your activity or location. Sony increased battery life to eight hours (ANC on) and tacked on wireless charging this time around There’s also LDAC support for high-res audio over Bluetooth and DSEE Extreme upscaling to recover details lost to compression. The company’s speak-to-chat feature, although imperfect, is handy when you need to have a quick convo.
I said “the best just got better” during my review of the WH-1000XM4 last summer and that sentiment still holds true. No other company comes close to what Sony offers on its flagship noise-cancelling headphones when you combine sound quality, ANC performance and features. Multi-device connectivity is handy for jumping from your laptop to your phone during the workday while speak-to-chat and quick-attention mode allow you to take brief pauses for short conversations. 30-hour battery life, deep punchy bass and 360 Reality Audio support are also items Sony checked off the wish list.
Jabra was a surprise when it burst on the true wireless scene with its Elite 65t earbuds in 2018. Since then, the company has continued to refine its lineup of mid-range and premium options. In 2021, Jabra debuted the Elite 3: a tiny, comfortable set of earbuds that cover all of the basics for just $80. The comfy fit, impressive sound quality, reliable on-board controls and solid battery life make the Elite 3 as close to a no-brainer as it gets if you’re looking to give someone earbuds this year without breaking the bank.
For the audio aficionado in your life who has seemingly everything, it might be time to give Sony’s 360 Reality Audio a try. And even if you’re not willing to splurge for a top-tier streaming plan to unlock the requisite content, the company’s SRS-RA5000 speaker is still a nice centerpiece for a modest setup. With crisp and clear audio quality, the RA5000 handles all music well thanks to upscaling tech, so you’re not limited to Sony’s immersive format. There are plenty of ways to customize the sound and the speaker automatically calibrates itself to the room where it’s placed. Connectivity options abound, so the person on your shopping list can control everything from their phone without leaving their seat.
Sonos’ second attempt at a portable speaker is a more compelling product which makes it a solid option for your holiday shopping exploits. On the Sonos Roam, good audio quality only gets better when you use two of the speakers in a stereo pair. Even if you just opt for one, the compact design is much more portable than the larger Move. It’s durable and waterproof, plus you get all of the benefits of other Sonos speakers — like multi-room audio, TruePlay tuning, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and more.
Audio-Technica’s ATH-M50xBT were my top pick for non-ANC headphones since their debut. The combination of a fold-in design, comfy fit and warm sound quality made these so great. The company returned in August with the ATH-M50xBT2: an updated version that offers an even more compelling headphone option for anyone on your list. Alexa is now built in and multipoint Bluetooth allows you to connect to more than one device simultaneously. There’s also a low-latency mode for games and video on top of LDAC support to recover some of the sonic details typically lost to compression. And with claims of 50-hour battery life, there’s no need to plug these in often.
Earbuds aren’t typically something you’d purchase as a stocking stuffer, mostly due to cost, but J-Lab has an extremely affordable option if you really want to go that route. At just $20, the Go Air Pop covers a lot of the basics, including eight hours of battery life with three additional charges in the case. Touch controls and EQ presets are in play as well, alongside IPX4 water resistance so these can easily double as a workout companion for any New Year's resolutions.
What do you give the person who already has a set of headphones they really like? Something to make them sound even better. The THX Onyx is a tiny USB-C DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that supports master-quality audio content, though it obviously requires using wired headphones. LEDs indicate which format you’re listening to, including standard, high resolution, Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA). Inside, the Onyx packs a THX AAA-78 amplifier chip: the highest-powered mobile THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier configuration. THX says the AAA-78 makes the Onyx just as powerful as a desktop DAC or amplifier setup, but it's much smaller. The chip reduces three types of distortion by up to 40dB and maximizes output power for more dynamic range and sound pressure level (SPL). That’s a lot of power in a tiny device.
Sony has the best in-ear and over-the-ear wireless ANC headphones on the market right now, but it also has some of the best mid-range models. A case in point is the recent WH-XB910N over-ear wireless noise-cancellation models, with features like 30 hours of battery life, effective noise cancellation and tech that can amplify your voice on Zoom calls. They're not exactly cheap at $250, but you can now pick them up via an exclusive Amazon deal for $138 or 45 percent off for today only.
The WH-XB910 headphones offer sound quality nearly as good as Sony's top-end WH-1000XM4 models, though the noise cancellation isn't quite as effective. If you like your music with some serious bottom end, they offer the "XB" (extra bass) feature that amps up the bass when activated. It also uses DSEE tech to restore detail lost to compression, and supports Sony's 360 Reality surround-sound audio content.
Sony is also pitching these to the work-from-home crowd, with its Precise Voice Pickup that can amplify your voice on calls. It also offers an ambient sound mode so you can hear what's going on around you, along with on-board controls. On top of the 30-hour battery life, you can gain an additional 4.5 hours with a 10-minute quick charge.
If you're looking for the best instead, Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones offer both incredible sound, accurate sound quality and cone-of-silence levels of ANC noise cancellation. That model is still on sale for $248 in black or silver, or $100 off the regular price.
Dune is a film filled with gorgeous vistas from alien planets; skyscraper-sized spaceships; and some of the most beautiful actors working today. It's a joy to watch, especially on the big screen. But there's also an undersung element that ties everything together: sound design. It practically breathes life to the film — so much so that it makes Dune's wing-flapping ornithopter ships seem surprisingly real. The key to that magic, according to sound designers Theo Green and Mark Mangini, was a focus on capturing and using organic sounds, rather than fantastical digital creations.
Working together with Dune's director, Denis Villeneuve, the pair aimed to make "a real-sounding science-fiction film with things we've clearly never seen and heard before," Mangini said in an interview with Engadget."[It was] almost as if you put out a microphone and captured sounds as if those things actually existed. Everything we did ... is an outgrowth of that overarching philosophy to design a soundtrack for two hours and forty minutes that felt organic, as if we were [making] a documentary film."
That philosophy was essential to crafting the Bene Gesserit voice, a seemingly supernatural ability that allows members of Dune's religious order to control others. Think of it like the Jedi mind trick (Star Wars owes an absolute ton to Dune, don't forget). But instead of a hypnotic wave of the hand, the sound of Dune's voice is like a simultaneous kick to the gut and punch to the face. If you were somehow dozing off while the film's hero, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), tests his budding Bene Gesserit powers, you'd be easily jolted awake.
To make that otherworldly voice a reality, Green credits three elements. There's the voice actor Jean Gilpin, who he says is “brilliant” at crafting witchy and ancestral voices. The sound designers also recorded Dune's actors saying their lines several different ways, which they played back through a subwoofer and recorded the final output. That's an age-old technique known as "worldizing," or the act of recording audio that's being played back through speakers in a physical space.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures
The final component of the voice is the simplest: whenever a character starts to use that technique, the other sounds in the world fade away. In that early scene with Paul Atreides, we go from hearing the sounds of birds in the morning and a far-off thunderstorm to silence. That's an innately eerie effect that draws us into the interior world of the Bene Gesserit's powers: As Frank Herbert described it, they're calling on their ancestors and using advanced psychological techniques to manipulate others.
Green and Mangini went similarly old-school when designing the sound of Dune's ornithopter ships. They're the equivalent of helicopters in the film's universe, but they sound more like gigantic insects. To achieve that, Mangini says they combined the sounds of a large purring cat, a tent-strap flapping in high-velocity wind, and the fluttering wings of a large beetle. They weren't working from pre-existing sound libraries, either. Green had to bring a beetle into a quiet room and somehow get a decent recording.
Warner Bros.
All of that was just for the sounds of the ornithopters’ wings. To craft their propulsion system, the duo took recordings of beehives and modulated them to sound like RPMs revving up in a car's engine. The shifting of the ship's wings also came from an unlikely source: Mangini's Chevy Volt.
Once their work on Dune was over, the sound designers counted 3,200 new sounds that they developed for the film. Only three or four of them started out as electronic or synthetic sounds, Mangini says. That hearkens back to the way Villeneuve has approached visual effects in Dune and his earlier genre films: Go real whenever possible. For the sound designers, that push for authenticity also led to some inventive techniques. The gaping maw of Dune's enormous sandworms, for example, started out as the sound of Mangini half-swallowing a microphone.
Warner Bros.
Green likens the use of organic sounds as a way to avoid the "uncanny valley" that plagues some visual effects. Our eyes know when certain things look fake, and that takes us out of the reality of the film. "I think [the uncanny valley] is in sound," he said. "It's those tiny complexities and tiny nuances that you only get from an organically sourced thing that sells something as being real."
What if I told you that a graphics card could be the quickest way to improve your livestream or podcast audio? It sounds counterintuitive, but think about it: A GPU often has an extreme amount of processing power sitting idle, so why not use that redundant hardware for other things?
Fortunately, NVIDIA is way ahead of us, and has already harnessed the potential of its own GPUs to do things beyond, well, graphics. For example, you might remember RTX Voice, which as the name implies, is a tool for upping your microphone game. Then, it quietly released Broadcast — a more comprehensive tool aimed squarely at streamers and content creators. Both offer great audio enhancement features, but we’ll focus on Broadcast here as that has effectively (though not entirely) replaced RTX Voice.
Right up the top, I should set some expectations. While Broadcast offers some helpful tools for all streamers, the real benefit is for those with more entry-level gear. For example, if you have something like a Blue Yeti and an older webcam you’re going to get more out of this tool than someone with a Shure SM7B and a Sony A7.
Broadcast specifically “uses Tensor Cores on NVIDIA RTX GPUs to accelerate AI calculations so you can game, livestream and run AI networks at the same time.” It’s compatible with any RTX GPU — “GeForce RTX 2060, Quadro RTX 3000, or higher” — according to a company spokesperson.
If you don’t already own a compatible GPU, now isn’t exactly the best time to be looking for one, thanks to the ongoing chip shortage, but things do seem to be slowly easing up. If you do have a supported card then you can simply download the Broadcast app and get cracking. The better news is, if you have a Logitech headset or Blue mic, as of today, Broadcast is natively supported so you won’t even need to dive into the app.
Supported models at launch are Logitech's G733, Pro X and Pro X Wireless headsets, and Blue's Yeti X, Yeti Classic and Yeti Nano microphones. While that’s only a fraction of the companies’ offerings, it still represents a lot of headsets and microphones that today have new, untapped potential.
NVIDIA / James Trew
The Logitech partnership, to date, only works with some products and only with some of the features on offer in NVIDIA Broadcast. Those looking for the full audio-visual featureset will still need to download the standalone app. Once you’re in Broadcast you’ll see three main tabs: Microphone, Speaker and Camera. We’ll focus mainly on the microphone section, but the other two are just as useful and it all combines into one hub for tweaking your stream, be it video, audio or both.
Under the Microphone tab you’ll find a drop down on the left to select your input source and a space below for adding effects. The area on the right is given over to a tool for testing these effects before you commit to them.
Right now, there are only two effects to choose from. But both are useful and there’s no novelty chaffe (get your robot voices elsewhere!). Broadcast is focused on shaping up your stream, not bending it into something else. And importantly, all in realtime, unlike something like iZotope RX which is incredibly good at repairing sound, but aimed at post production.
Audio tools
The first effect is Room echo removal. For anyone who has a space with less than favorable acoustics, this is going to help you dial down that dreaded “cave” sound you have probably been battling with. Reverb reduction is actually quite a science, given that you’re trying to remove elements of a sound that are… well, very very similar to the source. So you can’t just hack out the errant frequencies and be done with it, you need to leave the original signal intact.
NVIDIA kept things nice and simple. Other pro tools (like iZotope’s RX) give you an bevvy of settings and controls. Broadcast? Just two: on/off and “strength” (amount of reverb to be removed). To test this, I used a condenser microphone as those are most prone to picking up reverb. In the recording below, I start with no effect applied before dialling in about 50 percent and then finally with strength set to maximum.
As you can hear, the effect is, well, effective. The acoustics in the room I recorded the samples in aren’t terrible, but they’re definitely not optimal. But the difference between the raw recording and then with the reverb removed is stark. The effect is most obvious in the first recording with the condenser mic. The raw signal is… fine, but things are much improved with the echo removal tool set to around half way. The recording feels much more present and there’s no distracting room echo. More, isn’t always better though. Once I dial the effect up to 100 percent, reverb might be eliminated, but at the expense of the original signal. In short, play around with the settings to find the best balance for your tastes and recording space.
You’ll notice in the second recording that there’s not really all that much reverb to remove. This is thanks to the dynamic microphone which does a pretty good job of that itself. You can hear a difference once I start adding the effect, but it might not be worth the risk of degrading your source audio for such a minor benefit.
Perhaps more impressive than the echo removal is the second effect on offer: Noise reduction. While reverb tends to be a constant, outside noises are unpredictable. Things might be quiet when you sit down to record, only for a loud motorbike or barking dog to invade your stream moments later. Not with noise removal applied though.
This effect is impressively adept at removing anything but your voice from your stream. Be that a jackhammer, a crying baby next door or even a song played loudly on a speaker right by your microphone. Honestly, listen to the below.
Notice how you can’t hear the song when the effect is applied? That’s coming from a speaker barely a foot behind the microphone. When I recorded it, it’s fully audible to my ears, but almost entirely inaudible on the recording. I say almost as those with sharp ears might notice the odd fragment popping through, but you really have to listen closely. I actually asked NVIDIA about this and was given this response:
“The AI networks are trained to recognize some patterns, and as such there will be gray areas where the AI can have doubts. [...] As such we wanted to give our users flexibility to run the effects in a comfortable range, or dial things up in case they needed help in extreme situations. For example, for audio effects we recommend running them at 75-90 percent, depending on how much background noise or room echo there is.”
As mentioned, Broadcast largely replaced RTX Voice, but NVIDIA decided to patch it with support for NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPUs meaning you can still get the noise reduction tools even if your GPU doesn’t support Broadcast. Though, the company says, experiences will vary on older cards.
As with the reverb removal, the strength setting will ultimately impact the quality of the output so trial and error is needed to find the sweet spot. You might also want to consider time of day. If, for example, you live near a noisy road, you could dial in a second pair of settings for when you have to record around rush hour.
The noise removal filter is impressive, but it’s not without limitations. For one, the “strength” slider doesn’t seem to fade out sounds like music, instead it falls off only once you apply the maximum amount. At least in my testing. I doubt you’re intentionally streaming with music only you want to hear, so that’s a minor thing to be aware of, but if you do need to keep the strength at maximum, be aware of that degradation in signal which will get worse the more noise Broadcast is eliminating.
As a companion to the vocal effects, the middle tab in Broadcast is “Speakers.” We can sum this section in one shot: It’s the same as Microphone, just for incoming audio. That’s to say, you can go ahead and remove room echo or background noise from people you are speaking with. If you’ve ever been on a Zoom call during these pandemic times and someone’s baby starts crying or has a really loud road nearby, then you can selfishly spare your ears here.
Camera tools
Conceptually, the effects for your camera work in a similar way to the ones for your microphone. NVIDIA’s AI cores are “looking” out for noise or, depending, your entire background. Yup, with Broadcast you can achieve a green screen effect without the actual screen. You might be thinking “well, Zoom/Meet/TikTok does that” and you’d be right, but those don't do it nearly as well. Below is an example of what background removal/replacement looks like in Broadcast
James Trew / Engadget
You can definitely see where the effect isn’t perfect around my hair, but in general it works really well. I did notice that it struggled with the headrest on my chair, with the image flickering around that area as I moved around, but again, it’s leagues above what you might hope for from a free chat app.
In total, there are five effects for cameras. Three for your background: Blur, removal and replace (images or videos work!). Then there is Auto Frame, which crops in and then keeps your face in the center. Last, but not least, is Video noise removal — this is apt for recording in low light and your camera starts to go all grainy. You can see some examples in the picture below. Two were taken using a GoPro and the other pair are from an old DSLR repurposed as a webcam.
If you have good lighting, you probably won’t need the noise removal tool. But if your camera struggles with anything other than an abundance of photons, this filter can help. Again, as with the audio tools, be aware that more is not always better. I found with the effect applied at 100 percent you get the tell-tale “smoothing” that will tell your viewers that you’re papering over the cracks.
James Trew / Engadget
The background tools, on the other hand, are a little more forgiving. The blur tool does a good job at obscuring the items behind you, but there’s a very unnatural contrast between you, in focus, and literally anything else in shot. This is similar to how iPhone “portrait” mode photos often appear. The background is blurred, but the subject looks unnatural as there’s almost no transition between foreground and background.
This is, of course, a benefit when you want to remove the background completely. With this filter, NVIDIA does a surprisingly good job of isolating you and deleting everything else. If you want to stream via OBS (or similar) with a game or video on screen while you play in the corner, this is the effect you want and no green screen required.
James Trew / Engadget
As seen above, NVIDIA does a much better job of removing the background than, say, Zoom or Google Meet does. There’s almost no bleed around hair or hands meaning your background rarely pokes through and spoils the green-screen illusion. Background replacement is essentially an extension of this effect with the option of choosing your own image or video to replace whatever happens to be behind you.
The last of the video effects is Auto-Frame which, as the name suggests, keeps you locked into the center of your shot. To do this, the video crops in a little bit and it uses the extra space to gently shift the video from left to right or vice versa as you move around. The movement isn’t jarring, it looks pretty smooth, and is a good way to make sure you don’t accidentally drift off to the side if you are a fidgeter (like me) and don’t keep still.
You can also combine these effects if you want. Auto-Frame can be stacked with either noise removal or one of the background effects for example, or you could use remove background with noise removal applied. Right now you can only stack two though, but that’s probably a good thing as all three at the same time might be a bit much.
The camera suite of effects is currently in beta, and NVIDIA has been adding new features and improving performance at a rapid pace. Version 1.2 in May integrated Broadcast into popular streaming apps like OBS, while the latest 1.3 version released in September added support for many virtual camera apps and made combining video effects much more viable by reducing their VRAM usage by 40 percent.
While performance and memory usage is never going to be an issue for those using Broadcast for their chats, one-PC streamers who are using the app while gaming will be grateful for the additional frames. Perhaps, one day, we can dare to dream about many other features such as multi-mic support (with different effects) live transcribing for closed captions and even smart detection of licensed music so your streams don’t flag a DMCA violation.
If you stream or do videoconferencing and own certain GeForce RTX GPUs, NVIDIA's Broadcast app can be a magical helper. It uses a streamlined, AI-powered toolset to remove background noise, add virtual effects, auto-frame shots and more. Now, Logitech has announced that it's incorporating some of those features directly into certain headsets and Blue microphones via a new beta, with no need to run any NVIDIA apps.
Thanks to a partnership between Logitech and NVIDIA, some of the Broadcast tools will be available through the G Hub drivers for the following products: Logitech G733 Gaming Headset, Logitech PRO X Gaming Headset, Logitech PRO X Wireless Gaming Headset, Blue Yeti X Microphone, Blue Yeti Classic Microphone and Blue Yeti Nano Microphone.
Here's the full list of compatible Logitech G and @BlueMicrophones devices:
G733 Gaming Headset PRO X Gaming Headset PRO X Wireless Gaming Headset Yeti X Microphone Yeti Classic Microphone Yeti Nano Microphone
The drivers will make it possible for users to eliminate unwanted background noises and/or echo in a single click and clean up their mic signal. "You can even test your mic signal to find the perfect settings for your set up," Logitech wrote. NVIDIA previously showed that it was possible to completely remove the sound of a hair dryer running in the background from your mic, so it's not just some minor noise reduction. It can also remove noise on the listener's end, like someone's clattering keyboard.
The feature is now available to everyone via an open beta with the latest version of Logitech G Hub. You can also, of course, run NVIDIA Broadcast as a separate app that works with all of Logitech's audio products (or any other audio products, for that matter). The feature is supported on GeForce RTX 2060 and up GPUs, along with Quadro RTX 3000 and Titan RTX or higher.
