Posted By Paul Kafasis on June 16th, 2010

Update (June 15th, 2018): Eight years later, we’ve got a new version of this post for Audio Hijack 3 and World Cup 2018.

If you’ve been watching the World Cup, you’ve heard the vuvuzela. It’s the loud horn which is constantly being blown by fans at the games. It shows up as a low rumbling sound in all broadcasts, and sounds something like a swarm of bees. While it’s no doubt worse for fans in the stands, it’s no picnic for viewers at home either, who are often left wondering if something is wrong with their signal.

Thanks to Prosoniq and their Vuvux plugin, however, you can do something to quiet those vuvuzelas. When coupled with Audio Hijack Pro, the Vuvux plugin offers an incredible reduction of the vuvuzela noise. Have a listen:

In that brief clip, the Vuvux plugin was toggled twice (right after “evening” as well as near the end), and the difference is incredible. With Vuvux running, the crowd noise is subdued, so you can actually hear the commentary.

So how can you get Vuvux working? It’s easy – just follow this guide:

Step 1: Download Vuvux and Audio Hijack Pro

Prosoniq’s Vuvux plugin can be downloaded, free of charge, from vuvux.com.

Audio Hijack Pro is of course available right here on our site. If you’re not an Audio Hijack Pro owner, you’ll be able to test drive it for 10 minutes per launch, then purchase for just $32.

Step 2: Install Vuvux

Vuvux is a standard AudioUnit plugin, so it’ll work great with Audio Hijack Pro. To install Vuvux, simply drag it on the Components alias found on the disk image¹. Once the plugin is installed, Audio Hijack Pro will be able to find Vuvux automatically, and offer it for use.

Step 3: Load Audio Hijack Pro and the Vuvux plugin

Launch Audio Hijack Pro, and select your source. I’m watching the games via EyeTV, so that’s my audio source. If you’re streaming video via your web browser, that browser will be your audio source².

Select your source application

Whatever your source, once it’s selected, just click the Hijack button. After that, the source application’s audio will flow though Audio Hijack Pro, enabling you to manipulate it with Effects.

Insert the Vuvux plugin in the Effects patch

Here you see the Effects patch, as I’m adding the Vuvux plugin. This will cause all of EyeTV’s audio to be adjusted, by Vuvux.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Once added³, Vuvux becomes active, and will immediately start working. You should hear a difference right away. I adjusted the plugin up to 100%, as I found it most effective there, but you can adjust it to your desired settings.

Savings

If you enjoy using Vuvux, you’ll want to purchase Audio Hijack Pro. As a special bonus, during the World Cup (through July 11th) you can save $5 off Audio Hijack Pro with coupon code WORLDCUP2010.

Finally, many thanks to Prosoniq for making this plug-in available! It’s already improving my World Cup experience.

Footnotes:

1. If you’d prefer to hand-install, Audio Hijack Pro looks for AudioUnit plugins in “~/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components” and “/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components”. ↩

2. If you’re using Safari on Mac OS X 10.6, you may wish to see this page from our Knowledge Base. Currently, Audio Hijack Pro must quit and relaunch Safari when it’s in 64-bit mode, even if Instant Hijack is installed. ↩

3. The plugin itself triggers the loading of vuvux.com. This seems unnecessary, but it’s caused by the plugin itself. ↩