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Audio cleaning modulated buzz
I ran into a buzz saw recently (no pun intended). During my first documentary interview at someone’s home, the cheap Azden wireless lapel mic kept pickup up electrical noise that sounded like it was modulated on top of the subject’s voice. After trying to eliminate all possible sources of interference, I discovered, after the shoot of course, that the subject had a baby soundly asleep upstairs, with a wireless baby monitor holding vigil.
After slapping my forehead several times, I tried my normal methods for removing constant noise, such as hums, hiss, etc. to no avail.
I have posted a sample at https://dl.dropbox.com/u/47017921/Media/rebecca_noise.aiff.
If anyone can point me to a technique or tool for cleaning it, it would save a reshoot.
John
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6 Replies
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Have you tried creating a ‘notch’ in an equalizer and dropping just that range that the buzz is in?
Windows 7 64-bit, ASUS P6X58D, i7 960 3.20GHz, 24.0GB DDR3, 12TB connected storage
http://www.narrowroadmedia.com -
Izotope RX 2 Denoiser would eat this up and spit it out.
Thats all i use for problems like this.
Just select a portion that has that electrical buzz for
it to analyze what to be removed…and it does the rest.
Or even using the Hum Removal.Steve Rhoden
(Cow Leader)
Film Editor & Compositor.
Filmex Creative Media.
1-876-832-4956 -
Steve, it looks like I’d need the Advanced version of RX to get the adaptive denoiser.
Is that the specific tool you referred to?
If so, I’d need to see if I can afford to add this to my arsenal at this time vs. outsource vs. reshoot. I need to see how much footage is affected.
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Jeff, I’ll give that a shot and see if I can get close. I did try several EQ operations when I first discovered the issue, but it is worth another session.
John
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[John Kirkilis] “add this to my arsenal”
Can’t beat a pair of good headphones during the shoot.
Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com -
I’m green to HD workflow, but not so green to not monitor my audio. 😉
I knew I had a problem and that I was tempting fate by using the low-cost Azdens. We shut off cell phones, ceiling fans, and anything else I could think of at the time that might generate an EM field. I just didn’t have the experience to ask about a baby monitor when the subject said that her baby was peacefully napping. Her husband had the receiver with him in the garage, which was far from the room I shot in. I didn’t think to ask until we returned home and I did web searches about wireless interference and came across references to some baby monitors causing mischief with some low-cost wireless lavs.
For the subsequent interviews, I ran out to a nearby Guitar Center to get a pair of Sennheiser wired mics, which worked just fine.
Live and learn.
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