audio 'topped off' lots of 'spitting

MichelleVan wrote on 3/29/2011, 5:02 PM
Hi, I have got a ton of audio with the audio band all 'filled up' and with high peak of speaking sounding like hisses. the speaker was too close to the mic .. so. I don't know the technical terms, but I need to bring it down. I've tried gain, I've played with EQ and volume controls, what I get is all of it being softer, or evened out, but still with the 'hiss'. I need help . I know a lot of Sony Vegas (I'm in #8) but don't know too many of the extras around audio. I'm self taught and don't know a lot of technical terms, but would appreciate anyone steering me in the right direction
Thank you

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 3/29/2011, 5:11 PM
You are welcome to upload a sample of your original audio somewhere and let us look at it; but it is highly unlikely than anything can be done about it if the clipping is as bad as you described.
MichelleVan wrote on 3/29/2011, 5:23 PM
Thank you.
Here you can hear what I'm talking about.
I don't think it is THAT BAD, I just don't think I know enough to know how to fix it.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/TalkingBooksTV/Video 53.wmv
musicvid10 wrote on 3/29/2011, 7:15 PM
Well, that is certainly not the ORIGINAL footage that I requested (it is low grade WMV), but it is enough to tell that there is nothing that can be done. The audio is hard clipped.

One of the more expensive solutions like Izotope RX will probably make some improvement, but as we say in the recording business, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

A reshoot with proper leveling at the source is your only resort.
ChristoC wrote on 3/29/2011, 9:33 PM
Musicvid is quite correct.

IMHO something has severely mangled this; even IzotopeRX does not touch this (I tried); there are inverted spikes in the waveform e.g.

and short of laborously removing each with a pencil tool, which would take forever and possibly still not sound any good, there's no easy fix, i'm sorry to say.
MichelleVan wrote on 3/30/2011, 5:11 AM
Thank you so much for trying and telling me. This is the ORIGINAL as it was shot with a webcam. (not a camera).. so .. it's all I have...

I appreciate the shot. DANG..

I do understand how to do it with each spike...

Humph and thanks