I am looking for a way to remove background noise from the clip

[Keeran]

Hello, I am working on a school project and I am looking for a way to remove background noise from the clip, without compromising the voice quality. The only way I know how to remove background noise is with Audacity which is exactly which has exactly what I am looking for. It removes the noise without compromising the voice quality, but I can't open .avi files within Audacity, it will only take a MP3 file.

Which leads me to my second question, is there anyway to get Audacity to open a video file and it only opens the audio of the video file? or is this not possible?

My final question is, is there a way of extracting and removing audio from a video clip, so I can clean it up in Audacity and then sync it back up with the video?

Any other ways to remove background noise would be appreciated. The noise is like a CPU buzzing noise and I have heard its possible to remove it, but I have had no luck other than using audacity, which I can't because the audio is on the video file (.avi).

I have also used audio cleaning on sony vegas which does remove the background noise, but leaves the audio very quiet and makes it sound abit tinny.

Any help would be nice

Thanks in Advance
Keeran

[Selur]

Avi-Mux GUI should be able to extract and add audio to .avi files, so you could:
1. extract the audio with Avi-Mux GUI
2. modify you audio stream with Audacity
3. replace the old with the new audio and save the new avi file with a new file name

Cu Selur

[Keeran]

Thanks Selur I will give it a go

[hech54]

I just drag video clips into my old version of Goldwave - save out as a WAV.

[Selur]

Audacity can also directly open the audio stream if the FFmpeg Import/Export plugin is installed. (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/plugins)
But you still need to switch the old with the new audio stream.

[Baldrick]

I changed the thread title so it better describes your problem.

[Keeran]

Thanks guys. I got audacity to take the audio with that plugin.

[PCC]

I have the same problem, so I'm going to try that solution. I also have another problem which is that I forgot to turn on the second audio input on my camera, and so all my footage is mono in the left channel. Is there a way I can make it stereo?

[budwzr]

For the noise, you have to find the frequency range and lower the level. It should be a very narrow slice of the whole bandwidth, and it's rhythmic.

[PCC]

I've sorted the noise now, just the channel problem. Got a perfect version, just need it to be stereo.

[budwzr]

So convert it to stereo.

If you want it remastered, so it sounds better, you'll have to do that too.

[PCC]

I thought it was as easy as just pressing a couple of buttons, but couldn't find them before. Do you just duplicate the track and switch it to right channel?

[budwzr]

I don't use Audacity, but you copy twice into the new sound. Or else it's take off the channel lock and select, copy, paste.

[PCC]

Thanks. I think I've done it now, it's the same method I tried in Premiere Pro - the track was on the left so I duplicated it and put it on the extreme right, but it didn't work. Works in Audacity though! How do you go about remastering? I could just search it...

[budwzr]

Mastering is the final processing of a recording. It conforms the mix into a standard, depending on Genre.

The "Standard" is whatever the current tastes are. Since you just have a voice audio, that's easier. Make the tone pleasant, intimate, and clear. Like a radio talk voice.

See what you can do, then post a sample if you want. You'll get more feedback.

[PCC]

Here it is: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jqjw67eode5gng0/audio1.wav?m The last 30 seconds are blank. Also there's a couple of sounds that are over the dialogue which are meant to be there, as there's video to go with it.

It's perfectly fine in my (unexperienced audio-wise) opinion, except for the few bits where his wife is talking over him! How would I get rid of that?

[budwzr]

That "noise removal" is no good. Is that a joke?

[PCC]

There was a hissing sound throughout it before. Read my last post, there's meant to be some sounds in some parts, the thing I want to get rid of is some speaking over him, right at the start over "Hello" and during "Isles of Scilly calling in at the cornish ports".

[budwzr]

No, but it's a lot of dead holes in the audio from the noise gate. And that voice is difficult to improve, other than boosting volume. But if it's part of a soundbed I could do something.

The voice sounds like there should be seagulls and ocean.

[PCC]

Here is the video, with original mono track, it goes with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHRbQjpZtfs

There will be music eventually playing over the dialogue.

[budwzr]

Looks good. Nice camera work.

[PCC]

Well thanks, do you get why there are gaps every now and then?

[budwzr]

Well thanks, do you get why there are gaps every now and then?

Yeah, it's OK with a sound bed, sounds great. I'll post something later.

[PCC]

00:00 (My name), 00:13 and 00:54 are the main bits I want to correct, some whispering over it. There sounds like a lot of crackle sometimes as well.

[budwzr]

Meh, I give up. It's hosed. That voice is too monotone, and there's too much noise at the fringes of the dynamic range. The recording will have to be redone. Hahaha, sorry about wasting your time.

The video is pretty decent, so bad sound will stand out more.

[PCC]

Is it really that bad? It sounds fine to my ears, through speakers and headphones. This is it as it stands: http://youtu.be/3nyKfOUrBp8

[smrpix]

You can probably mask the noise with the music.

You'll also want to add some stereo presence back now that the voice is so clean. BTW, that voice will never be stereo, and it shouldn't be, keep it right up the middle. Maybe a little compression to even it out. If you have stereo versions of the SFX, shovel etc, use them.

You may want to do a soft edged color correction to lighten only his face -- sort of like the vignetting that's already in there. He's a little murky in the chair.

Nice piece.

[PCC]

Thanks for the feedback. Is it in the middle at the moment? I have a lot more to shoot, and I'll make sure I have both channels on when I do the rest of it. How would I add "some stereo presence" to it?

[smrpix]

Record or find some stereo room tone, and/or exterior tone that matches your locations and mix it in at a low level. Your music will determine how loud it needs to be. budwzr's earlier suggestion of seagulls and waves is a good one for the exteriors (and interiors as well if used very subtly.)

Your voice track IS right up the middle now, but an earlier version had him on the left with unneeded hissing on the right.

When you mix your priorities should be 1) voice, 2) music, 3) effects/presence.

If you're doing more shooting, take some time to shoot audio only -- such as 1 minute or more of stereo roomtone with no one talking. House sounds are okay -- wind whistling through the windows are great, radios, phones, tvs should be turned off. Furnace or AC should be avoided. Cats are fine.

As with the picture, you're building an illusion of reality.

[PCC]

Thanks, great advice. Though I'm not sure I particularly want those added sounds...having it silent is exactly as I want it at the moment. When I record stereo roomtone, if noone's talking it will just end up with the hissing sound most likely? I see what you mean though. Thanks again.