Noise Reduction

mjroddy wrote on 1/27/2004, 9:33 PM
I know I'm being particularly dense, but I can't find any info on my Noise Reduction 2.0. No help/how to deal.
I own Vegas 4.0d, Sound Forge 7.0 which came with NR.
Can someone please help my poor and tired brain and point out where the Help File is? I'm trying to reduce the sound of clothing rubbing on a mike.
Thanks much.

Comments

Liam_Vegas wrote on 1/27/2004, 10:30 PM
Are you <certain> your copy of SF7 came with the NR plugin? It does not come with SF 7.0 by <default> although you can purchase a set which contains both. I specifically purchased a set that contained SF7 and NR 2 (and CD Architect).

If you have it... it should have been on an independant CD and/or you specifically had to install it seperately from SF.

It appears as an available audio FX within Vegas.

[edit] and just on the assumption that you really DO have the NR plugin and that you have managed to find it... and that you are <just> unable to figure out how to bring the help up... you get into the help for the NR2 plugin from the FX settings (notice the little ? symbol on the top(ish) right side of the dialog box... click that (and no... I am not being sarcastic here... that icon does not really jump out and scream "click me for Help"... or at least not for me anyway).

Just a guess here (I am no expert on ALL of the extra plugins that came with NR2)... but you may find the actual NR plugin does not do a lot for you with the clothing sound... as that plugin mostly deals with hiss / buzz that is pretty consistent (at least that is what I use it for and it works great.

Not sure if another one of the plugins that came with NR2 would be better (such as click and crackle removal).
FuTz wrote on 1/28/2004, 6:56 AM
mjroddy:

just one link you can try...

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/download/step2.asp?DID=188

Cheers, hope that (or "this"?) helps !

PS: for all the bunch, it's:

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/download/step1.asp?CatID=12
mjroddy wrote on 1/28/2004, 10:34 AM
futZ, that's what I'm looking for. Thanks.
Liam, Yeah, I own the combo, same as you. I'll look for the "?" as you suggested.
With this info, I think I'll now be able to figure out how to use NR.
Thank you.
johnmeyer wrote on 1/28/2004, 10:45 AM
Let us know whether you get anywhere reducing your noise. The NR plugin is a fantastic tool, but I don't think there is anything you can do to reduce "cloth on mic" noise. It is transient, and almost by definition, "closely miked," is broad spectrum -- in short, a real pain.

I have been faced with similar challenges and, if you are willing to spend some time, you can often make things better by eliminating the noise during dead times. You can often copy adjacent or other audio into the offending area, especially if there is no other sound at that moment (e.g., if the person speaking or singing pauses). If it is singing, you can often use other parts of the performance and blend it with the bad spot. I have done unbelievable things with this. I had an old record that always skipped at one point -- no way to play it through, even with a penny on the stylus. Fortunately, the skip was in the refrain, and I was able to copy the similar portion from a later refrain. I have played it to over twenty different people, and not one can detect where the missing two seconds was splice in.

Here's a link to a ten second "before" clip:

Before

and here's the audio after the restoration:

After
FuTz wrote on 1/28/2004, 11:12 AM
wow! good job John!!!
mjroddy wrote on 1/28/2004, 12:32 PM
Agreed. That was amazingly transparent. Really nice.
So far, on my experiments, I was able to eliminate the noise on the mike, but it affected the voice as well; just made it a bit "muffled." That's why I wanted the manual to see what I could do for repairs.
Strantely, the noise wasn't from direct mike contact with clothing. The mike was (a Tram) clipped to the outside of a fellow's tux coat. But the russling between (I'm guessing) the jacket and the vest was enough to sound just like I had burried the mike under clothing. Same scratchy sound, even though nothing was directly touching the mike.
That wouldn't have been picked up from the cable, would it?
TorS wrote on 1/29/2004, 9:54 AM
If you have a short stretch of just the noise pure without any of the sound you were supposed to record, Noise Reduction should be able to do a good job on it. One piece of advise is that it is often better to reduce noice in small but several steps than to take one huge bite at it. Remember to renew your noise sample every time.
mjroddy wrote on 1/29/2004, 2:33 PM
TorS,
Thanks for that. That's what I was doing incorrectly. I'd get a sample of the sound I want reduced and would bring the slider to 100%. After reading the manual (thanks again for that fultZ) I learned to do in incrimentally. But I didn't get that I should update the sound after each pass. That makes sence.
So, I would ummm... Apply NR, reduce the noise by 10-20%; close NR, apply a second instance, re-capture the soundprint, reduce by another 10-20%.
Is this approximately correct?
Thanks again!
FuTz wrote on 1/30/2004, 7:53 AM
I I don't know if it's the idea. The way I'd probably try to do it would be more like wording by passes on different sets of frequencies.
Human voice is around 2000Hz. I'd try to work on these frequencies at the very last.
First pass: I'd work on lower frequencies to get rid of the "rumble" on this particular noise you wanna get rid of.
I'd then render to get a "bass corrected" track.
From this render, I'd work on higher frequencies (ie, above 5000Hz).
I'd render this.
Now I'd have a "bass and highs" corrected track. Maybe that would be sufficient and acceptable for my project and I could stop there.
If not, I'd then work on these 1500 to 4000Hz frequencies, trying to alter as less as I could the voices I'd like to keep.

Since human voice and that type of noise share a certain spectrum of frequencies, I'd try to work "by slices" into these frequencies. The idea being that perfection is probably unattainable but a decent, acceptable result is probably not beyond reach.

But maybe I'm completely off. I never did that kind of correction so far but by intuition, it's the way I'd try first.
mjroddy wrote on 1/30/2004, 10:44 AM
Man,
I'd love to WATCH someone do this.
I am such a complete audio novise (which is a real shame, because I've been a video producer for over half a decade), that your words above are almost greek to me.
I'm a visual learner and would really (hint, hint) love a full DVD series of audio sweetening lectures and tutorials.
Spot???