Sound problems - I need help!!!

I am trying to edit a short documentary that has an extremely tight schedule. The audio for the interviews is so problematic that under normal circumstances I would just have them reshoot the entire sequence and start from scratch. However this is not possible, so I am stuck with what I have and no time left.

The interview was filmed in a small room with hard surfaces (lots of echo). The area was naturally noisy (an African village with lots of people, chickens, and a main road nearby).

We could not show a lav mic, so it was recorded with a shotgun; unfortunately it was not possible to get it too close to the person speaking due to the wide lens on the camera. To make it worse the person had a naturally quiet voice, and he would keep slipping lower and lower the whole time.

The mic was run to an external audio recorder, and the combination seems to be naturally very hissy to begin with. The levels were increased until the noise floor was very loud indeed.

So basically everything is wrong with this audio.

When I brought it in to FCPX the levels of the interview was peaking between around -20 & - 30. So I had to raise it up. I ran through the basic sound check (raised the loudness until it was peaking at about -12). The presets are obviously not working for this audio (background removal and hum removal).

I know this is probably a lost cause; but does anyone have any ideas for the best way to remove background noise levels in FCPX? I have been playing around with different audio filters and can't make any improvements whatsoever.

I'm guessing the background noise is mostly in the higher end of the scale, but I just can't seem to isolate it at all.

I don't have any other audio software; so I have to try and make some progress with FCPX only!

The audio recordings are WAV 16 bit, 48,000hz (I can email a small sample if anyone wants to have a try (about 2.2mbs for a small sample recording).

You have anyone with FCS in your neighborhood? You could do a lot with Surgical Noise Reduction in STP.

I got rid of a bunch of roosters and muffler-less cars in some audio I shot the other day. It also helps with the hiss.

Hi, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I don't have FCP7, or any other software at hand. So pretty much I only have FCPX & Motion available to use.

It would probably be possible for me to use CS5.5 on a PC, but even then I don't think I will have enough time with this schedule. It has to be done mid week...

Try Audacity. It's free.

audacity.sourceforge.net/download/mac.php

sent pm

If the "noise" is louder than the voice, you can "improve" it, but not only a slight amount.

Ben! great to put a face to the name, prefer this avatar to the other:)

Lee Patterson wrote: Ben! great to put a face to the name, prefer this avatar to the other:)

It was either the face or the tattoo.

As for sound, especially in a documentary, folks REALLY need to plan and work at it at least as much as they do on the visual quality of the shoot. Seriously. Most audio problems simply won't go away in post.

But, STP would be about your best bet with the spectral editing. It won't "fix" it, but could make it "better" than it is.

I know this might not help now, but seriously: iZotope RX. I can't recommend this software enough. Its noise removal algorithms are VERY good. A lot of background noises are erratic and change frequently. This software handles them with aplomb.

Yes, RX is the best on the market. But you really need the very expensive Pro version for really bad audio clean up.

Hi guys thanks for the responses. I don't think I can justify the price of RX, but I like the price of Audactity...its just a question of whether i have the time to learn a new program while I'm editing on a tight deadline.

So, I take it there are no filters worth mentioning in FCPX?

Is this something Logic could handle (I have been looking for an excuse to buy it and learn it, though I doubt I would have the time now).

You'd have to buy Logic Studio from the online Apple site, which comes with SoundTrack Pro. There's a spectral analysis suction in there, that may (or may not) help. Without actually hearing the original audio (posting a clip would help), there's no way to tell for sure. All there is in FCP X is the built-in noise reduction.

Yes not having spectral analysis in FCPX after killing Soundtrack Pro is a epic fail! :ohmy:
It was the best feature, but we will see what will come next huh? :woohoo:

Thanks guys. I have been playing with the noise reduction filter in Audacity and I seem to be getting some promising results after isolating the hiss and making a profile of it (and then applying this to the whole clip). Right now I have got the hiss and most background noise reduced to almost nothing (though there is a slight whispering noise that fades in and out - kind of like the whispering noises made by the Others in the TV show Lost)! I think I should be able to tweak it to manageable levels (or meet it half way with the soundtrack that will be laid under the interviews).

Thanks also to one poster here who had analyzed a sample with Audition and offered to process my audio files; this is by far the friendliest forum on the internet!

I managed to finish this documentary. I have posted the video on this thread:

www.fcp.co/forum/13-made-with-final-cut-...ary-comp-have-a-look

The results seem to be workable (though there are discrepancies).

PM sent

Personally, I prefer AmadeusPro to Audacity, there are a lot of things you can do to improve the sound.