Wind noise

Bob H wrote on 9/26/2015, 6:25 AM

Hi all,
We all know the best option is to eliminate wind noise at source, but I have some video with a noticeable amount of wind noise. I use Vegas Pro 12 and I was hoping that some of you experts could advise me of the best way to try and reduce this. Which audio plugins should I try and in which order and any other advice would be most welcome.
Regards
Bob H

Comments

rraud wrote on 9/26/2015, 10:26 AM

A graphic, paragraphic or parametric equalizer can cut the bass frequencies and attenuate wind noise rumble. Another option is a high-pass (aka, low cut) filter (like an EQ but only affects the lower end of the spectrum). If it's severe, attenuate as much as possible in terms of dB and starting frequency, whilst doing as little damage to the 'good' audio as possible. It's a compromise and the result depends on how severe the LF noise and distortion is. Sometimes it can be rendered inaudible.. sometimes it's impossible to fix w/o replacement.
There are quite a few VST filters and EQ plug-ins available for free.. search for "free VST audio plug-ins".
Some of the spectral noise reduction plug ins and apps work well, but they ain't cheap and the learning curve is significant. iZotope RX and SCS SpectralLayers come to mind.

Bob H wrote on 9/30/2015, 1:21 PM

Thank you for your reply rraud, and I will try a few of your suggestions.

wwaag wrote on 10/3/2015, 9:54 PM

IMHO, the tool of choice would be Izotope RX, although I haven't tried Spectral Layers. The beauty of RX is its spectogram which enables you to "see" where the peaks are. There are a number of selection tools almost like Photoshop that enable you to select just those parts that (you think) are the culprits. Then using Spectral Repair you can either attenuate or replace that selection.

Having said that, wind noise, by its is very nature, can be difficult and often times impossible to correct, especially if it occurs at the same time that important parts of the audio, like speech, are present. One thing I've found is that wind noise sometimes affects one channel more than the other (assuming stereo recording). In those cases, it may be possible to copy parts of the better channel to the other not-so-good channel. While not perfect, it can be an improvement.

But as you stated in your opening line, We all know the best option is to eliminate wind noise at source.

wwaag