Cell phone interference... Please help

corug7 wrote on 8/19/2006, 1:57 PM
I have read this topic on the posts before, but don't know of any kind of fix for it. I shot a wedding last weekend and some person, or persons, had a cell phone ringing OTH. Of course, the person was courteous enough to have the phone set to silent, but my mic picked up the Pfitt-Pfitt-Pfitt noise we have all come to know and detest something fierce, and it spans the ceremony. Has anyone had good results getting rid of or at least quieting this scourge? I don't have NR2 yet but would consider picking it up if it would work for an occasion such as this. Thanks everyone.

Corey

Comments

JJKizak wrote on 8/19/2006, 3:07 PM
Without NR2 you would have to use Sound Forge equalizers and try to come up with some kind of notch on the fly. The Vegas equalizers might help some. If you recorded in stereo sometimes the other channel will have less noise and you can highlight the bad area on one channel and Forge will replace that area with the other channel. Sometimes it helps and sometines it doesn't. NR2 is your best bet other than dunking the cell phone into the fish bowl.
JJK
farss wrote on 8/19/2006, 3:12 PM
NR2 in conjunction with SF might give you a shot at it. You'd probably want to attack each offending section on it's own.
Problem is that the thing you want to get rid of probably is fairly broad spectrum so you'll do significant damage to want you want in the process of getting rid of what you don't. Worse still if the audio recording device had AGC on you'll get a shift in level of the wanted audio during the breakthrough.
Also with SF the Click and Plop Removal tool can do wonders to impule noise, not just for fixing vinyl. I've had very good results using it to cleanup sample rate error's nasty clicks.

Good Luck.

Bob.
Former user wrote on 8/19/2006, 5:44 PM
Can you upload a little section of the audio with the noise in it? It would help if the noise could be heard in at least one relatively quite spot. I'll see what I can do to remove the noise and then post back with what I came up with...
PeterWright wrote on 8/19/2006, 5:54 PM
In one project I had a single instance of this which happened whilst important words were being spoken. Attempts to remove it made the remaining audio sound too weird, so instead I superimposed a small graphic of a mobile phone in the bottom corner like a TV "bug", with an exclamation mark next to it. Went down well and no-one worried about the interference, but if this happened a lot the joke would wear itself out very quickly.
corug7 wrote on 8/19/2006, 8:45 PM
Yeah, Peter. I read your story on the last post like this, and it might have even gone over with this certain couple :). But like I said, it's every couple of seconds. I thought I might have been close to a tower or something, but the reception was at the same venue, and that went mostly Pfitt free. I guess one of the guests was either really in demand, or his phone was trying to establish contact with the network.

Jim, I might take you up on that offer. Thank you so much. I'm getting ready to hit the sack here but I'll try to upload something in the AM. No super hurry.

Thanks again, all
Corey