Some help needed to clean up sound at DVinfo.net

Mark Doherty · March 20th, 2008, 05:58 PM

I am currently editing an interview which i filmed outside a week or two ago. On the day it was kind of windy so there is a bit of noise created by the wind. I am wondering does anyone have any links which deal with how to fix your sound when it is windy or else if they have a link which explains what the different audio filters do so that i can try figure it out that way.

The sound was recorded on an xh a1 using the rode ntg2 if that helps.

Bill Mecca · March 20th, 2008, 06:00 PM

you can try a noise filter, using just some wind noise as the sample, but it's not gonna be easy.

Adrinn Chellton · March 20th, 2008, 06:46 PM

I'm a big fan of the high shelf filter. I guess it would really depend on the actual range you need to limit, but for most of my background noise issues it seems to do the job.

Wind is tricky though, since it doesn't just pick a small range of frequencies to play in.

Robert Lane · March 20th, 2008, 10:08 PM

The best and easiest automated process/filter for removing any unwanted noise is "SoundSoap 2" from Bias.

http://bias-inc.com/products/soundSoap2/

We use this almost exclusively in our commercial productions unless we need a bit-for-bit noise removal, then we send the file to an audio-specialty post house for cleanup - at $450 per hour.

Like any shelf or "removal" tool it can take out more than you want and takes a experimenting to really get the feel, but once you've got it dialed-in you'll be amazed at what it can do.

Les Wilson · March 21st, 2008, 07:22 AM

I've had this exact problem. There is no magic "press a button" and viola, wind noise is gone. The best you hope for is to reduce the wind noise.

Filters do what they are named for. They "filter" out sound frequencies. If the frequency of the "noise" is the same as your vocals or whatever it is you care about, the frequencies will be removed from them too.

My experience with Soap is that if you have a constant noise, it does a very good job but if you have a noise that varies (e.g. a gust of wind), it's asking too much of Soap and you really need to work at the audio track piece by piece. Even still, the controls on Soap are great for the non-audio engineer and give you a fighting chance at zeroing in on the problem areas and scrubbing it a bit. I believe Soundtrack Pro can do the same filtering as Soap but I have no experience with it.

One workflow a music engineer showed me was to normalize the whole audio recording, then Soap it and then re-Freq it to soup up your recording. Re-Soap as needed.

Colin McDonald · March 21st, 2008, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ernest House

I've had this exact problem. There is no magic "press a button" and viola, wind noise is gone.

You're picking up noises of a viola with wind?
That must be bad.

:-)

Doug Lange · March 22nd, 2008, 02:27 AM

Most symphony violinists have the same problem, viola and wind noises!

:-)

Mark Doherty · March 23rd, 2008, 06:07 PM

Hi guys, i would just like to say thanks for the help with this. i tried using the filter to cancel out one kind of noise but it didnt work too well because the wind is not constant so in the end i used a high pass filter and lowered the bass a bit as well. I am gonna experiment a bit more and see if i can get any better results.

March 20th, 2008, 05:58 PM	#1
Mark Doherty New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 18	Some help needed to clean up sound I am currently editing an interview which i filmed outside a week or two ago. On the day it was kind of windy so there is a bit of noise created by the wind. I am wondering does anyone have any links which deal with how to fix your sound when it is windy or else if they have a link which explains what the different audio filters do so that i can try figure it out that way. The sound was recorded on an xh a1 using the rode ntg2 if that helps.

March 20th, 2008, 06:00 PM	#2
Bill Mecca Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 475	you can try a noise filter, using just some wind noise as the sample, but it's not gonna be easy. __________________ Award-winning Pine Barrens Documentary! Video, Audio, Music & More

March 22nd, 2008, 02:27 AM	#7
Doug Lange Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Posts: 138	Most symphony violinists have the same problem, viola and wind noises! :-) __________________ After years of lurking, I finally made the mistake of opening my mouth.

March 20th, 2008, 06:46 PM	#3
Adrinn Chellton Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Carlsbad, CA Posts: 195	I'm a big fan of the high shelf filter. I guess it would really depend on the actual range you need to limit, but for most of my background noise issues it seems to do the job. Wind is tricky though, since it doesn't just pick a small range of frequencies to play in.

March 20th, 2008, 10:08 PM	#4
Robert Lane Go Go Godzilla Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ USA Posts: 2,825 Images: 15	The best and easiest automated process/filter for removing any unwanted noise is "SoundSoap 2" from Bias. http://bias-inc.com/products/soundSoap2/ We use this almost exclusively in our commercial productions unless we need a bit-for-bit noise removal, then we send the file to an audio-specialty post house for cleanup - at $450 per hour. Like any shelf or "removal" tool it can take out more than you want and takes a experimenting to really get the feel, but once you've got it dialed-in you'll be amazed at what it can do.

March 21st, 2008, 07:22 AM	#5
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	I've had this exact problem. There is no magic "press a button" and viola, wind noise is gone. The best you hope for is to reduce the wind noise. Filters do what they are named for. They "filter" out sound frequencies. If the frequency of the "noise" is the same as your vocals or whatever it is you care about, the frequencies will be removed from them too. My experience with Soap is that if you have a constant noise, it does a very good job but if you have a noise that varies (e.g. a gust of wind), it's asking too much of Soap and you really need to work at the audio track piece by piece. Even still, the controls on Soap are great for the non-audio engineer and give you a fighting chance at zeroing in on the problem areas and scrubbing it a bit. I believe Soundtrack Pro can do the same filtering as Soap but I have no experience with it. One workflow a music engineer showed me was to normalize the whole audio recording, then Soap it and then re-Freq it to soup up your recording. Re-Soap as needed.

March 23rd, 2008, 06:07 PM	#8
Mark Doherty New Boot Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 18	Hi guys, i would just like to say thanks for the help with this. i tried using the filter to cancel out one kind of noise but it didnt work too well because the wind is not constant so in the end i used a high pass filter and lowered the bass a bit as well. I am gonna experiment a bit more and see if i can get any better results.