Hello! I'm a new Vegas 4.0 user and need audio advice

ccheaton wrote on 9/24/2003, 10:44 PM

Hey. I just recently purchased Vegas 4 + DVD based on the rave reviews on these forums. I love it! What a fantastic software package.

I've done some video editing before, so everything is somewhat familiar, but I'm audio inexperienced. Here are my current situations, please suggest what I should do.

1) I am editing the only existing copy of my sister giving a talk about her art gallery opening in NYC (see www.feldmangallery.com and look for Kelly Heaton, if you're interested... it's the current exhibit). There's a lot of noise in the background of some parts of the video. This includes people talking, walking, singing, shouting, etc... What's the best way for me to filter this noise out and focus the audio on her voice? Can I do this with just Vegas, or do I need another audio package?

2) I'm putting together a DVD for the family for xmas.... scanning in a lot of old family photos that I want to turn into a movie and have my grandmother narrate. What's the best way for me to record her voice for the narration? What sort of microphone/recording software/hardware, etc... is best for this type of recording (not the best overall, but best for this...) What's the advantage to doing this as a 'slide show' through DVD architect vs. a movie built from stills in Vegas?

Thanks for all of the advice! I'm glad to be part of the community.

Comments

alan278 wrote on 9/26/2003, 9:52 PM

I am no expert but since nobody responded yet, a couple of thoughts:
1) removing background sounds
Don't know how successful you can be at getting out the background noises. You can probaby try fiddling with the "fx" for the audio track - maybe filtering the high or upper-mid range or finding the general frequency range of the voice and boosting it. If you want it to come out great, have her re-record her audio in a controlled environment and then match it up and mix it along with the background noise until it sounds just as you like it.
2) voice recording
For the above, or for recording grandma, you could try a Minidisc recorder. MD records excellent sound (DV magazine did article comparing it favorably to pro DV camcorder audio). Use a lavalier or other microphone right up cloes to Grandma. The MD audio is typically recorded to PC via analog connection into sound card.
You could also just use a miniDV camcorder, again preferably with an external quality microphone very near your subject.

3) DVD-A Slideshow or Vegas "movie"
I'd probably go with the movie - more flexibility. But I don't know which is best. Once you have the content you can test both. (rewritable media comes in handy)
Good luck!

Cold wrote on 9/27/2003, 12:36 PM

You could try the sonic foundry noise reduction pluggin-expensive but very usefull. There are many post relating to this, do a search. Are you going to your grandma or is she comming to you? Many more options if she is comming to you.
Steve S.

ccheaton wrote on 9/27/2003, 1:16 PM

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to grandma, but it's not far, and I have a powerful laptop that I can take with me, if that makes any difference.

I have a little MD recorder that I haven't messed with much in years. Maybe I'll charge it up and see what happens. Does recording audio directly into Vegas work well?

decrink wrote on 9/28/2003, 2:50 PM

Recording right into Vegas is easy. You could probably get an inexpensive mic (maybe a lavalier) and plug it right into the laptop. Have grandma watch the video as it plays on Vegas and record her comments right into an audio track below the video. You could even move her voice a bit left or right to line it up how you want it.
Slide shows in Vegas are great too because you can zoom in on your slides (make sure they are at least 150dpi) or pan from left to right. When you're all done, you can even take some songs that you like and put them right on the next track down and fade it in under her voice.
You'll have a great time doing this and you'll learn a lot in the process.

As for the question about removing sounds from your sis' tracks, your best bet is probably a Sound Forge/Noise Reduction combo. Don't know if you want to spend that much but you could get down to the sample level and remove a lot of the extraneous sounds. Not all but you can clean up a lot of it.

Good luck.

ccheaton wrote on 9/28/2003, 4:07 PM

Thanks for all of the advice! I really appreciate it.

Clay