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Filtering a clip

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 21:11
by Nighthawke
I've a HUGE (3GB 3:47) audio clip that I consider to be my Royal Flush that I captured this week and would like some advice on filtering and noise removal.

I used an Ipod touch 4G using TASCAM's PCM recorder.

The audio file format is WAV, PCM, mono, 44100 sample rate.

I have access to Audacity, Wavepad, and Wavosaur.

My systems are top of the line (Multi-core Intel i7, win7 64bit, lots of RAM, like 9GB) so resources are not an issue.

I got jet engine rumble from a local airfield, hiss from the AC systems and flaws in the condenser mic, and reverberation and rumble from recording through a wall. Plus traffic noise, but that seems to be the least of my issues.

If I need to, I can clip sections of the file and send them for further checking and analysis.

Re: Filtering a clip

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:29
by alphonse01
Nighthawke wrote:I've a HUGE (3GB 3:47) audio clip that I consider to be my Royal Flush that I captured this week and would like some advice on filtering and noise removal.
That sounds huge! Did you record 3 minutes and 47 seconds, or 3 hours and 47 minutes?!
I got jet engine rumble from a local airfield, hiss from the AC systems and flaws in the condenser mic, and reverberation and rumble from recording through a wall. Plus traffic noise, but that seems to be the least of my issues.
In my experience, what helps most is to use the graphic equalizer to dim of parts of the bandwidth you don't want to keep, and highlight the part that correspond to human voice. If you get to display the bandwidth while playing your sound, you will visually identify the parts you are interested in.
The typical noise reduction tools usually precisely cut the "noises" we would like to hear, and they generate strange tones that are quite disturbing.
Be patient, learn with trial and error... And most important: make backups of every stage of your work. When you listen to it the next day, you might discover that some older versions are better than the next ones (maybe even the original).

Re: Filtering a clip

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 20:49
by Nighthawke
3 hours, 47 minutes, I overstated the size, it's only 1.5GB, heh!

I've segmented the file down to three sections so Wavepad won't blow it's mind. It already has more than a few times, probably the size of the file and the data processed. I'm chalking it up on program faults, I'm not seeing any resource problems, hardware or OS related. I'll segment it down some more, there are some dead spots in the session, but I don't want to cut them out until I can get the principal players to where they are heard well. That jet noise is no problem, 60hz rumble, but the amplitude it dishes out at really wrecks things.

Yeah, the noise filtering algorithms makes for some funky results and irritates me, so it'll be the EQ racked out to max sliders, or the graphic EQ which has infinite set points. It'll drive the application nuts, but i'll push it hard to get the results. I've made progress clipping out the jet and road noise, but i lose a ton of bass, along with Mr Bull there in it. I amplified it to 30db then started EQ work to clean it up.

I got the dog session cleaned up partly, but I still suspect they had an adult film running in the background which is confusing me at times, I'm working on sorting that out.

This is going to take awhile.

Re: Filtering a clip

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 20:28
by st3ve
Hi Nighthawke,
I'd be happy to help. I've done tons of work with .wav editing using goldwave and alsorts of converters...if I can clean up and recover my Donny Osmond LPs onto CD, I can do anything ..lol. If you want me to help drop a line back ;) steve

Re: Filtering a clip

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 21:00
by Nighthawke
st3ve wrote:Hi Nighthawke,
I'd be happy to help. I've done tons of work with .wav editing using goldwave and alsorts of converters...if I can clean up and recover my Donny Osmond LPs onto CD, I can do anything ..lol. If you want me to help drop a line back ;) steve
Well, I'm dealing with broadband noise here, not your garden typical pops and cracks a record would put out. Fortunately, I found a feature called the parametric EQ which gives me even more precise control over the audio and I've managed to make a girls voice stand out more from the background. This was only after 3 hours of trial and error.

But how to get a huge sound clip sent to you intact? Email would choke on it so badly....

Re: Filtering a clip

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 21:32
by sonar
I think it must more than a normal, average EQ.
It must a paramertic EQ, it contains examply the "Goldvawe" sound editor software.

Re: Filtering a clip

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 21:38
by st3ve
hi, I'm always happy to receive a big one if you can attach it to an email.....failing that if you can split an obvious bit out of it you could email that....well worry about doing the rest when/ if I success ;) Can it be added to a message to me here?...