Which RX Version Do You Need? Clearing the Noise!

iZotope was founded in 2001, and their first product—ironically—was a free plugin called Vinyl. Vinyl emulates the sound of vintage records (noise, crackle, wow-and-flutter) and was originally distributed at no cost to build buzz for the fledgling company. They would go on to create some of the most powerful tools used in music and audio post-production today, most notably Ozone and RX.

Back in the early days of RX, we audio post engineers learned to repurpose some of the modules originally designed to remove vinyl cracks and pops to help mitigate mouth clicks. And it worked—really well.

Before long, RX tools like Spectral De-Noise and the Vinyl Restoration modules became essential in post-production, surpassing other once-dominant solutions (including Waves, which has also improved significantly over time).

The Big Question for Voice Actors

On the work-at-home voice actor side of the business, there’s a lot of confusion about which RX products you should consider owning. The honest answer is always: it depends.

Currently, RX comes in three versions: Elements, Standard, and Advanced. While iZotope clearly outlines which modules come with each version on their website, there’s persistent confusion online about whether the tools themselves behave differently.

After participating in a recent social media thread—and getting a surprising amount of pushback from audiobook narrators—I reached out directly to iZotope to help cut through the noise.

Do the modules in Standard and Advanced work differently than Elements?

No.

While each bundle includes progressively more tools, how the shared modules work does not change between editions. For example, the excellent Voice De-Noise plugin is identical across all RX versions.

From iZotope:

“The core processing quality of RX modules does not change between Elements, Standard, and Advanced. When a module exists in multiple editions, it uses the same underlying audio algorithms.The differences between RX editions are about which modules are included, how much control you have, and which workflows are available—not about one version sounding ‘better’ than another.”

Further RX Reading: Creating a Surround Mix from a Mono recording for Amanda Palmer

“To remove mouth clicks, you need RX Standard!”

Also no.

RX Standard does add a dedicated Mouth De-Click module, but voice actors may find that the original De-Click module—which already includes a mouth noise preset—does the job just fine.

From iZotope:

“De-click is a more general-purpose tool designed to remove a wide range of clicks and transient noises, including vinyl clicks, digital artifacts, and mouth noises when using the appropriate preset.Mouth De-click was introduced as a voice-focused module, optimized specifically for mouth noises like clicks, smacks, and saliva sounds, with controls tuned to make this faster and more intuitive for dialogue and VO work. They can overlap in results, but Mouth De-click is purpose-built for speech and usually requires less tweaking.”

Need PROFRESSIONAL EARS on your setup? Click here!

Once you dial in a De-Click setting that works for your voice, you can save it and reuse it indefinitely.

The real deciding factor here is budget. I’ve demonstrated repeatedly in my classes that you can achieve comparable results with De-Click versus Mouth De-Click. If spending more money helps you get there faster and with less frustration, that’s a valid choice.

That said, in my experience working with voice actors, very few people are technically adept at noise removal—and it’s easy to damage your sound if you’re not careful.

PRO CLASSES taught by PROS!

“Standard and Advanced are way more powerful!”

Yes—but that’s not necessarily a good thing for voice actors.

In post-production mixing, I regularly use tools like Spectral Repair to reduce or remove intrusive sounds—car horns over dialogue, bird chirps in exterior scenes, and other problems that would otherwise require ADR. I’ve even used Music Rebalance to create a surround mix from a single mono file. These tools are incredible.

But if you’re a voice actor recording audiobooks and constantly dealing with honking horns or birds bleeding into your booth, the problem isn’t which RX bundle you own—it’s your booth. Full stop.

Fix the issue at the source, or simply punch in and rerecord. That’s often faster and safer than heavy-handed repair.

So… which version should you get?

It depends on your budget and your technical comfort level.

RX Elements includes:

• Voice De-Noise

• De-Click (with a mouth noise preset)

• De-Reverb

• Dynamic De-Hum

• De-Clip

• Repair Assistant

• 
  

Real talk: you should never need De-Reverb. If you do, your booth is too reflective. Same goes for De-Hum—persistent hum means something in your signal chain or environment needs fixing.

Repair Assistant analyzes your audio and suggests a starting point. In my testing, results have been inconsistent. Sometimes helpful, sometimes not.

RX Standard includes everything in Elements plus a lot more. For voice actors, the most relevant additions are:

• De-Plosive

• De-Ess

Even here, I’m cautious. Proper mic placement eliminates most plosives. RX’s De-Esser can be aggressive, and I personally prefer other tools in my kit.

Standard also adds advanced tools like Spectral De-Noise and Spectral Repair, which are invaluable for post-production mixers—but largely unnecessary for voice actors recording in a controlled space.

It’s also worth noting that the RX spectral editor is now only included with Standard and Advanced. If you’re using Pro Tools or Adobe Audition, you may already have spectral editing capabilities. RX plugins still work in-DAW, and Standard/Advanced add a Monitor plugin that lets you round-trip audio between your DAW and the RX editor.

Standard also includes tools for checking audiobook loudness and ACX specs. That said, Audacity is free, and its ACX Checker is quick and reliable for final verification.

In my experience, most of the plugins in Standard don’t meaningfully benefit voice actors. The loudest advocates online are often the same people selling coaching, presets, or “custom chains.” Draw your own conclusions.

Stop the STACK and stop RUINING your SOUND!

The Bottom Line on RX

As with most things in the VO world, there’s no universal answer.

At the time of writing:

• RX Elements: $99

• RX Standard: $279 (normally $399)

Starting with Elements is a smart move. If you later feel you truly need more tools (you probably won’t if your booth and technique are solid), iZotope frequently offers reasonable upgrade paths.

This lets you get into the RX ecosystem without overspending—and expand only if there’s a real need.

Up next: I’ll compare excellent tools from other manufacturers that voice actors can use as a final step before delivery. In my experience, voice actors who buy into heavy stacks, presets, and processing chains often end up doing more harm than good.

And for the record: most engineers do not want your audio processed. But if you’ve read my other posts, you already know how I feel about that.

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Frank Verderosa is an award-winning audio engineer and voiceover casting director with decades of industry experience. As the owner of POV Audio, he casts, sound-designs, and mixes television, radio, and promo campaigns for leading ad agencies and networks. Outside the studio, Frank supports the voice actor community through coaching, consulting, and demo production for talent at every level. To connect or learn more, visit www.frankverderosa.com and use the chat tab or explore the Voice Actor Services section.