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Hi guys, hoping for a bit of help here.

I have a short audio clip (attached) where a man a woman are leaving a message to camera for the bride and groom at a wedding.

There is a band playing in the background so its quite difficult to make out what they are saying.

I have Adobe CS3 so have soundbooth, but I'm by no means an audio expert.

Can anyone advise on what to do to clean up the audio so that you hear lass of the band behind the camer and more of the people talking in front of the camera?

Thanks

James


ps - message to mods - I wasnt sure whether to post this in the audio section or the wedding video section, so apologies in advance.
Attached Files Audio2.wav (6.29 MB, 0 views)

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-things-audio/467066-audio-clean-up-help.html
(the .wav file is in the post in the audio section)

I typically just "play" with the settings until I find something that works, so I can't tell you specifically what to do, except... What I've done when I absolutely can't get clean audio is just to let the audio play as-is and place subtitles in the lower third.

Yeah I'm thinking subtutles will be a last resort, just hoping someone has a magic fix :)

Cheers

James

Unfortunately there is no magic fix when it comes to audio, but there are some things you can try. Use a multi-band EQ to try to isolate and bring out the dialog while cutting any frequencies out of the range of human voice (anything below 500hz and anything above about 2000 - 2500khz. That might help some. Once you've isolated the voices you can try adding EQ to the voices to be more clear. Be sure to cut unwanted freq's first before trying to add.

Good luck!

Added note: My frequency specs off the top of my head were a little off - here's a frequency chart that might be helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_frequency

Also, the "multiband compressor" in the Audio Effects menu in Premiere pro CS3 can be very helpful....play with until you get what you want.

Unfortunately there is no magic fix when it comes to audio, but there are some things you can try. Use a multi-band EQ to try to isolate and bring out the dialog while cutting any frequencies out of the range of human voice (anything below 500hz and anything above about 2000 - 2500khz. That might help some. Once you've isolated the voices you can try adding EQ to the voices to be more clear. Be sure to cut unwanted freq's first before trying to add.

Good luck!

Added note: My frequency specs off the top of my head were a little off - here's a frequency chart that might be helpful:
Voice frequency - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_frequency)

Unfortunately whilst the range of frequencies music "uses" to convey all its subtleties is very wide, the main range of notes rather than harmonics corresponds quite closely with the human voice eg standard tuning A is 330Hz.

Bill's initial statement was precise and correct - there is no magic fix. Sadly for the Op it's a good example of why people in our business should learn their craft properly, record it right and accept that "fix it in post" isn't always possible. My guess is that James wasn't wearing headphones. Sorry it's not much help now but next time...

Hi guys, thanks for the advice, the multiband compressor has helped a little.

The incident occurred due to trying to be in 2 places at once (the B&G only opted for the 'Diary Room' the morning of the wedding, usually I have an extra pair of hands) so the 'diary room' was a camera left running on its own.

No excuses though, I agree "people in our business should learn their craft properly, record it right and accept that "fix it in post" isn't always possible"

That being said, mistakes do happen, and nobodys perfect.

So lesson learned, unless the diary room has been booked in advance, don't offer it, no matter how much the B&G beg you the morning of the wedding.

ps. I was being ironic when i said I'm hoping for a magic fix :)
pps. I always wear cans.

Thanks again for the advice

You are going to have to lip sync that and hope no one notices.

"You are going to have to lip sync that and hope no one notices. "

lol, nice

Thought you would like that!

When I first started filming weddings I ran into a huge problem during an outdoor shoot. I was using a simple sony wireless mic. Reception on the mic was going in and out but I couldn't tell because there was so much wind (in San Francisco - on a hill). If I unplugged the mic there is no way I'd hear anything from where I was. I tested the mics before the ceremony started and everything was okay. As soon as people started taking photos with their digital cameras the audio began cutting out. One guy stood right next to me and I could here the audio go nuts. I wasn't a great experience. The couple was understanding though a good portion of the audio was bad out there. Now I use a mic hooked up to an iRiver player.

Sean:

I used to have that problem with my old wireless system, the string kept going loose. I had to upgrade too.

heh, I used to have a setup just like that too. As long as you kept that string tight the sound wasn't too bad. A bit TINNY though.

O|O
\__/

Sean:

I used to have that problem with my old wireless system, the string kept going loose. I had to upgrade too.

Isn't that still a wired system? I think you are mixing it up with these old systems:

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/museum/COMMS/ear/fail1a.jpg

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/museum/COMMS/ear/bolling%20field%201921%20a.jpg

Hi James

I know this is future advice but I always do 'vox pops' for the couple when the guests are having pre-dinner drinks. Never mind the band..just the sheer volume of ambient chatter can kill the "mini interview" What I do is get there early and wait for the first batch to arrive and then pounce on them for bridal comments! Since there are only a few in the room, your ambient level is low. Once the room fills up I already have enough footage and don't have to fight the high noise level anymore

Chris