How do you Edit Out Noise from Outdoor Video?

GetLocal wrote on 4/25/2010, 6:13 PM
I have an video that was shot in a business parking lot and has traffic background noise that is distracting. Can someone tell me how to edit this out within Vegas Movie Studio 9? OR, is there a way to take the audio to Sound Forge or Audacity, remove the noise, and bring it back into Vegas without screwing up the video sync (lip movement) in the process?

Thanks for any tips. I have to get this out quick and can't re-shoot.

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 4/25/2010, 6:25 PM
If you hadn't said "can't re-shoot", i would have told you that the only usable way to do this is to re-shoot. Sorry. There's almost nothing at all you can do.

You can try playing with EQ, hoping that not much of the noise falls in the vocal bands. Cut out frequencies below about 250 and above 1.5K for a start. This should remove the rumbles and the hisses without affecting the voice much. It's not going to help a lot, or even a little, but it's something to try anyway.

Is there any chance you can bring the actors into your studio and have them overdub their lines while watching the video? Vegas is really good at ADR. This would be a lot faster and easier than reshooting, but it still involves bringing those folks in.
musicvid10 wrote on 4/25/2010, 8:02 PM
Kelly is quite correct as usual.
If the problem is traffic noise, the best you can do is cut the rumble frequencies, and little else.

A rule of thumb is never, never use the on-camera mic outdoors. A wired on-subject mic is inexpensive, and a wireless ENG-type system should be in every serious videographer's bag. Shotgun mics are an incomplete solution, and frequently cause more problems than they cure. Hope this helps.
richard-amirault wrote on 4/25/2010, 8:29 PM
What they said ..... If there was such a program, or device, the inventor would make a million dollars.
Byron K wrote on 4/25/2010, 10:53 PM
I've used an older version of Magix Audio Cleaning Lab to some degree of success to clean up a meeting w/ lots of background AC and traffic noise. The result wasn't perfect but made the conversation more audible and understandable.

Haven't used their new version but maybe this can help.

http://www.magix.com/us/audio-cleaning-lab/detail/features/restore-songs-or-recordings-and-remove-disturbing-noise/

They have a free trial but not sure if they limit some of the functions.