Audio Tape Restoration tips
 

Hey folks,

I'm taking my first attempt at restoring audio of someone talking on a cassette tape, it's got a horrible hiss and so on in the back ground ( almost as loud as the voice sometimes). I've got the Sony Noise Reduction tool for Sound Forge and Vegas. and have been trying to work a little magic there, but any pointers would sure be appreciated.

Thanks

The first step would be to get the best possible transfer from analog to digital. If noise reduction was used in the original recording, it needs to be set appropriately in the transfer. Get the best signal to noise ratio during the transfer.

I'm not familiar with Sound Forge, but I'm sure there are some good filters to apply for specific problems like hiss. I would apply the correct amount of shelving filters to lock in the vocal range and remove unnecessary frequency response.

Then, I would focus on making the voice sound good and natural by shaping the EQ curve.

I'll post a bit of the original recording I got, and what I've been able to do with it (Trying the izotope RX filter, which is fantastic to say the least).

Dave

adobe audition


sample the noise, then gradually make several passes to try to remove it. also try to sample at 24 bits rather then 16bit