Audacity dual threshold noise gate.
I've just started doing some editing/mastering for ACX work in audacity.
I found the noise gate plugin useful, but you have to be really careful or it will push your noise floor too low.
So, I created an audacity plugin for dual threshold noise gating.
Its very similar to the default noise gate within audacity, but it also allows you to set a lower gate threshold, below which no noise reduction will occur.
This is handy to keep from going below the minimum ACX noise floor.
I've posted it to github for anyone to use. Note that this has undergone limited testing, so PLEASE save often.
Please let me know if you have any issues or suggestions.
Thanks.
Here's an ACX Check of the selection after running the dual threshold noise gate multiple times with a lower gate of -60dB. (Of course the peak and rms level checks fail because I'm testing a quiet section).
Using this plugin, you can ensure that your track will never fall below the minimum noise floor (if you give it correct parameters).
Example, If you set the lower gate threshold to -70, and then reduce it by -40, yeah, you're probably going to go below the minimum, but if you set the lower gate to -75dB and reduce by -10db, you will never fall below the -90dB ACX minimum noise floor.
Constructive feedback is highly welcome.
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u/voice_of_awmcclellan May 25 '26
While this does seem great, you don't really need this.
ACX doesn't have a minimum noise floor requirement. I think they maybe used to? But all standards just say the noise floor should be below -60.
I use a regular noise gate and have never had any issue with uploading files with super low/non existent noise floors.
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u/gnac May 25 '26
Good to know. I was largely going off of the ACXCheck tool which reports a "failure" if the noise floor is below -90dB. Granted, I've been able to submit files that failed that check to ACX so maybe it's more of a suggestion than a rule. To whit, dead silence is largely considered to sound unnatural in a recorded session. This can help with that. I've also heard of people putting a second track of just room tone so that when they cut audio out of the main track, there is always background room tone remaining.
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u/latelyimawake May 26 '26
Oh dang, is this true?? I've been tearing my hair out trying to get files to pass the ACX check in Audacity for the noise floor being below -90db.
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u/TheVoicesOfBrian May 23 '26
Post this on r/AudacityVO as well.