NewBlue Audio Scrubbers (formerly simply known as NewBlue Scrubbers) is an older, budget-friendly suite of audio repair plugins, but for most modern editors, it is generally not worth it.
While the suite once filled a great niche for quick fixes, the audio restoration landscape has evolved significantly. Modern non-linear editors (NLEs) now come with built-in AI tools that easily outperform these legacy plugins. What is NewBlue Audio Scrubbers?
The collection is a set of 6 VST-compatible audio plugins designed to eliminate background noise and clean up poor video soundtracks in one simple process. The suite includes:
Audio Polish: A general tool to optimize, smooth, and enhance audio tracks.
Cleaner: Softens harsh sounds and helps clear out minor audio artifacts.
Hum Remover: Targets specific electrical frequencies (like 50Hz/60Hz line hum).
Noise Fader: Lowers the volume of silent gaps to fade out background hiss.
Noise Reducer: A basic tool to scrub away constant ambient room noise.
Auto Mute: Automatically kills the audio signal entirely when it drops below a certain volume threshold. The Pros: Why It Was Popular
Simplicity: The interface is built for video editors, not audio engineers. You don’t need to understand complex frequencies; you just adjust a few basic sliders to get an instant result.
Low CPU Overhead: Because these are older, algorithmic plugins rather than heavy AI models, they run incredibly fast without lagging your editing timeline.
All-in-One Package: It provided a broad toolkit for everyday post-production challenges in a single installation. The Cons: Why It Falls Short Today
Outdated Technology: The suite uses traditional noise gating and frequency subtraction. When pushed too hard, it easily creates a “watery” or “robotic” digital artifact artifact sound on voices.
Tough Competition from Stock Tools: Standard video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro (with its Enhance Speech feature) and DaVinci Resolve (with Voice Isolation) now feature native, AI-powered audio cleanup. These built-in tools are free and drastically out-perform the legacy NewBlue plugins.
Superceeded by Audio Giants: For serious audio restoration, the industry has entirely migrated to advanced software like iZotope RX or waves plugins, which offer vastly superior spectral repairing capabilities. The Verdict: Is It Worth It? Recommendation You use modern NLEs (Premiere, Resolve) No ❌
Stick with your software’s built-in AI voice isolation and denoise tools. They are superior and free. You edit on older, legacy hardware/software Yes 🔑
If you are running older setups with limited CPU power, this suite offers simple, low-resource fixes. You need professional-grade audio restoration No ❌
Invest in a dedicated, industry-standard tool like iZotope RX.
If you already own the suite as part of a legacy bundle like NewBlue TotalFX, it remains a handy tool for quick, lightweight hum removal. However, purchasing it as a standalone package today is highly unnecessary.
If you want to find the best way to clean up your audio, tell me: What video editing software do you currently use?
What specific audio problem are you trying to fix (e.g., wind noise, microphone hiss, room echo)? What is your budget for third-party plugins? NewBlueFX Audio Scrubbers – B&H Photo
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