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An introduction to FKFX Audio Noise Bleach, based on information from the maker and distributors: what it does, how to use it and who it may suit. It is not scored.
Eliminate resonating drums without damaging the hit hat, and remove guitar buzz effortlessly without shortening the note
— FKFX Audio official site
What is Noise Bleach?
Noise Bleach is a plugin from FKFX Audio (Feedback Effect Audio) for removing unwanted noise and resonances. The maker presents it as a percussive cleaner, aimed at cases such as a cymbal ringing into a drum loop, a low-frequency tail on percussion, or a guitar buzz that grows as a note fades.
Internally it is an 8-band noise gate with a dynamic matrix threshold for each band. According to the maker, it reads ahead in the audio so that transients are preserved while only the unwanted part is reduced.
To cut down on threshold fiddling, there are three automatic detection levels. A one-click auto setting gives a starting point, which you can then refine by hand.
You can audition what is being removed with Gate Invert, and use 8 solo buttons to listen band by band. It runs as VST, VST3 and AudioUnit on Windows 10 or macOS 10.13 and later. A free trial is available and the price is 55 USD.
8-band noise gate
The gate splits the signal into 8 bands, each with its own threshold, so a drum tail or a low buzz could be targeted without touching the rest.
Dynamic cleaning
The maker says it reads ahead in the audio to keep transients intact while removing what is unwanted, an approach that suits percussion where the attack should stay.
Three auto-detect levels
Noise Gate, Transients and Noise Bleach auto-set thresholds: a simple gate, an extraction of the main transients, and a harder gate respectively.
Gate Invert
Reversing the gate lets you hear only the removed part, which could help you check that you have not cut too much.
8 solos and a global threshold
Per-band solos help you listen closely, and a global threshold moves all bands together, useful for fine-tuning after the auto settings.
Latency compensation
Latency compensation is on by default and can be switched off in preferences for real-time live use.
Free trial
A free trial lets you try it in your own DAW on your own material before buying.
Specifications
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Noise gate / noise reduction (percussive cleaner) |
| Formats | VST, VST3, AudioUnit (Windows version also includes VST2) |
| OS | Windows 10 / macOS 10.13 or later (Intel and Apple Silicon) |
| CPU | 2 GHz or faster |
| Memory | 1 GB or more |
| Version | 1.8.3 |
| Bands | 8 |
| Manual | Multilingual, including Japanese |
What is included and system requirements
- Windows 10 / macOS 10.13 or later (64-bit only)
- VST / VST3 (Windows also includes VST2) / AudioUnit
- An activation code is emailed after purchase
- A multilingual manual (Japanese included) is in the download
How to use it
- Download the free trial from the official page and install it.
- Insert it on a drum or guitar track with a tail or noise you want to remove.
- Try the automatic detection first (Noise Gate, Transients or Noise Bleach) to set thresholds.
- While playing, use the 8 solos to hear how each band is being treated.
- Use Gate Invert to listen only to what is being removed and check that nothing wanted is cut.
- Adjust the overall amount with the global threshold.
- For live use where latency matters, turn off latency compensation in preferences.
- After trying the trial, buy it and authorize with the code sent by email.
Trimming unwanted ring on drum loops
It may be worth trying to cut cymbal bleed or tom resonance while keeping the hi-hat, as the maker describes.
Taming guitar buzz
You could try reducing buzz that grows as a note fades, without shortening the note.
Tidying low tails on percussion
On percussion with a long low tail, per-band thresholds could be used to clean it up.
Prep work before mixing
It could serve as a light clean-up stage on individual tracks before the mix.
Who it may suit
- People who want to tidy unwanted ring on drums and percussion
- People who find setting gate thresholds by hand tedious
- People who want to hear what is being removed as they work
- People who want to try a trial version first
Good to know before you buy
- The maker recommends trying the free trial first to check compatibility. Outdated OS versions and 32-bit VST2 are not supported.
- Listed hosts include Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Studio One, REAPER and FL Studio.
- All plugin formats are 64-bit only.
- Licensing uses an activation code sent by email at purchase.
How it differs from similar products
We do not pick a winner; the official figures are placed side by side.
Pure ExpanderFLUX::
Noise Bleach is an 8-band noise gate with per-band thresholds at 55 USD. Pure Expander from FLUX:: is a full-band expander that covers mild expansion up to hard gating, at 79 USD. They work differently, so neither is ranked above the other.
Price
$55 (FKFX Audio official site, checked 2026-10-27). Prices can vary by region and promotion, so check the official page before buying.
See Noise Bleach on the product page
Sources: fkfxaudio.com flux.audio (checked 2026-10-27)
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