Retouch
by CEDAR · Restoration · Spectral editor
Not rated yet
CEDAR's spectral editor, from the company that introduced spectral editing in 2002, for marking and processing sounds in a spectrogram.
An AI-based find feature locates repeated unwanted sounds, such as hi-hat spill or plosives, from one example.
Best for: Vocals, Drums, Mastering, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: spectral, repair, AI/machine learning, built-in analyzer, drums, hi-hats, dialogue, corrective, mastering, mixing, podcast, post-production, sound design, vocals.
What it does
Retouch is "the original, and best, spectral editor," in CEDAR's words. It lets you select complex areas of a spectrogram with image-editor-style tools and process them with a range of repair tools.
- Spectral editing: mark and process complex time/frequency regions in the spectrogram, using tools like those in photo-editing software.
- AI find: mark one offending sound and Retouch finds the other instances in the recording; a threshold biases it toward more or fewer matches.
- Repairs: hi-hat spill, sibilants and plosives, repeated machinery noise, and other sounds that overlap wanted audio.
- Uses: post-production, restoration, archiving, forensics and podcasting.
Sold individually as a CEDAR Studio 9 process, with a 14-day free trial.
When to use it
Pick Retouch on its own when you want CEDAR's spectral repair for difficult sounds tangled with dialogue or music. iZotope RX 12 and Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 13 are full spectral editors with more modules and editing features, and the CEDAR Studio bundle includes Retouch with the rest of the suite.
- Best for: removing sounds that overlap dialogue or music, drum bleed, de-essing without artifacts, and forensic or archive work.
- Genres: any.
- Look elsewhere if: you want to chain many processes or need a DAW-style spectral workflow; RX 12 or SpectraLayers Pro 13 do more.
- Standout: AI-assisted finding of every instance of a marked sound.
What producers say
Users rate its repair quality highly but miss some workflow features and balk at the price.
- Production Expert (2021): Korey Pereira said it "does a better job than iZotope RX with trickier sounds" with fewer artifacts.
- KVR forum user (2025): wrote "Retouch looks very interesting" while noting the Icons pricing.
- Gripe: Pereira missed "the ability to stack multiple processes" on difficult tracks as in RX.
- Production Expert: How Does CEDAR Audio Studio 9 Compare Against iZotope RX?
- KVR Audio forum: Cedar Audio Icons series
Where to buy
- CEDAR: $396.09 (Listed at £299.00 plus tax; converted at £1 = $1.3247 (ECB rates, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
- How to Use Retouch For De-essing Without Artefacts | CEDAR Audio. (CEDAR Audio Ltd)
- How To Clean Up Your Field Recordings | CEDAR Retouch (CEDAR Audio Ltd)
- Removing Drum Bleed Using Studio Retouch | CEDAR Audio. (CEDAR Audio Ltd)
- Introducing Retouch 8™
- CEDAR Retouch Demo #2
Similar plugins
- SpectraLayers Pro 13 by Steinberg · Spectral editor and AI unmixing · $359.99
- RX 12 by iZotope · Audio repair suite · $129
- Spectro by Stillwell Audio · Real-time spectral editor · $59
- CEDAR Studio by CEDAR · Pro restoration suite
- MDrumCleaner by MeldaProduction · Drum bleed remover · $29
More from CEDAR
- DNS One by CEDAR · Restoration · 8.8/10 · $329.85
- Adaptive Limiter 2 by CEDAR · Limiter · $131.81
- Auto Dehiss by CEDAR · Restoration · $131.15
- Blade EQ by CEDAR · EQ · $157.64
- Debuzz by CEDAR · Restoration · $131.15
- Declick by CEDAR · Restoration · $64.91
- Declip 2 by CEDAR · Restoration · $263.62
- Decrackle by CEDAR · Restoration · $64.91