How to improve muffled audio

[dexter30]

I got this kinda old audio track recorded from TV and it sounds muffled, as if it was coming from inside a glass bubble. How could I enhance it, making it sharper, brighter? I have included a small sample. Thanks in advance!


videohelp.mp3

[Baldrick]

"The file you are trying to access is temporarily unavailable."

You can also include files when you post in our forum, just add it under the upload image/file.

[dexter30]

Ok, I have edited the post included the file. Thanks for the warning.

[redwudz]

Try using the freeware audio editor Audacity and play with the high pass/low pass filters.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I did this in Audacity using the Classic EQ and Amplify effect, I boosted everything about 6dB:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/nyquistplugins


videohelp.mp3

[dexter30]

Try using the freeware audio editor Audacity and play with the high pass/low pass filters.

Very nice tip, the audio got much clearer, only I had to remove noise in Audition (this feature in Audacity doesn´t seem to produce goos results).

Thanks redwudz!

[redwudz]

Just a generalization, but all filters remove something. As long as it's just noise, great. But sometimes it's dynamic range. Less is usually better with filters. That said, I have seen some very good improvements with audio filtering. Cutting out the low frequencies and the higher frequencies helps some audio with rumbles and squeaks. With a editor like Audacity, you can experiment with different filters without damaging the original audio. Try a few different filters and see what you can do. If you don't like it start over.

[lordsmurf]

Couple weeks late, but just saw this thread.
Sound Forge would fix most muffling, easy: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/restore-audio-soundforge.htm

As redwudz says, you alter/augment the audio. Sometimes loss is noticed, sometimes not. The end-goal is to make it better, not make it perfect.