audio editing question: how to eliminate “high spots”?

[Rob James]

Hi Chris, normally a compressor is used in audio applications and in NLE situations, to resolve this. Depending on what version of Vegas you’re running, it automatically places three effects on your audio track every time you add an audio track or video track with audio. They are, in order, Track Noise Gate, Track EQ, and Track Compressor. Viewable by left clicking the Track FX button on your narrator’s track. If those FX’s are not added by default then you’re running an older version of Vegas, and I would search the plugins you have on your computer (Direct X and others) for a compressor. If you do have the Track Compressor effect on your audio track, simply single left click it, to highlight it, and adjust it’s settings from within there. You’ll get the idea of what each setting does by altering them, and monitoring your audio track at the same time. If none of this resolves your issue, and it should, you’ll have to automate the levels on your audio track, until it sounds useable. Done by right clicking your audio track and choosing Insert/Remove Envelope/Volume. Then right click the line it creates and choose Add Point. Drop points wherever you want to automate the volume and adjust them in places where your audio is spiking. Hope this helps.

Rob, https://www.robjames.net

[Chrisgleason635]

Hi Rob-

Thanks for the advice, I will give that a try. I have been tinkering all morning using all of the plug-ins (I am running Vegas 8) and seeing what they do. So far I have had the best luck with the graphic equalizer, but this is tedious at best and doesn’t fully solve the problem without creating new ones. Maybe that is the nature of the beast and I should be shooting for a happy medium?

Your approach is intriguing, so I will give it a shot right now.

Thanks
Chris

[Rick Mac]

I don’t beleive that a compressor will resolve you “static” problem. What a compresor does is to reduce your dynamic range (makes the volume more consistant).

What you have is a digital over caused by recording at to high of a level. In digital audio, renever you hit 0 on your meter that is as loud as you can go. What occurs then is a flattening of the waveform and distortion (static).

To get rid of the distortion you must use tools like the tools in Soundforge (or other audio editing program) to fix your distorted wavefrom peaks.

Since I am at lunch right now I will have to wait till later to get into specifics.

Modest compression is good to average out your volume but will not help your pops, static, distortion.

Do you own anything like Soundforge, Audition?

Regards, Rick.

Rick Mac
Director of Audio Production
TCT Network – Directv 377

[Chrisgleason635]

Hi Rick-

Thanks for the help. I think your diagnoss is correct as to why this problem occured. A real rookie move, but now I am stuck with it. Anyway, I have been messing around with all sorts of filters and am not quite having the right results.

I think that you are exactly right– I need to doctor the waveforms in the audio, not mess with the overall dynamic range of the file. I don’t own soundforge but would purchase something to do the trick if necessary. Time is of the essence, and I sure have learned a lot in the last 5 hours of experimenting, but mostly I’ve learned what WON’T work. heh heh.

Is soundforge a $$$ piece of software? If so, is there something budget-minded that will do the job?

Thanks
Chris

[Chrisgleason635]

Rick-

By the way, I have Audacity, but I can’t find anything in it that seems like it will allow me to actually go in and edit waveforms.

I don’t rule out buying something new if need be– the right tool for the job is often worth the $$, it seems– so I will be curious about your suggestions.

Thanks
Chris

[Mike Kujbida]

Chris, is there any way you could post one of your problem clips on a website somewhere?
This way, someone who has SoundForge could play with it and tell you if it’s an easy fix or not.
This would help you in deciding whether to lay out the money or not (for what I consider a very worthwhile program).

[Chrisgleason635]

Hi Mike-

Here is a short clip (10-15 seconds) that will show you exactly what I’m working on. It is a 1.1 megabyte MP3, and it is worse than most of the rest of the whole audio track. If I could get the first minute evened out, the rest is ok. I saw online that Adobe Audition is much less expensive than Soundforge– would that do the job? And is my hope of finding some kind of filter completely untenable?

Here is the link. I just uploaded it so it might take a few minutes to make it through the maze on Youtube’s server:

https://www.youtube.com/chrisgleason635

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[Mike Kujbida]

Chris, because of possible compression errors, a WAV file would be better than an mp3.
If you don’t have web space, sign up for a free account at YouSendIt.
The basic account lets you upload up to a 100MB which, for your needs, will be more than enough.
As far as Audition goes, I’ve heard some very good things about it but have never personally used it.

[Rick Mac]

Chris,

Sorry for the delay. Tonight was date night with my wife.
Audition does have the tools needed. Soundforge has some additional tools that help automate the process of finding all of your clipped waveform locations and dropping a marker to help you locate areas that need help.

I’m not sure if Audacity has the needed tools.
I will look it over in the next few minutes and post back.

I tried the youtube address but could not find your file.

How quickly do you need to fix your project?

Regards, Rick.

Rick Mac
Director of Audio Production
TCT Network – Directv 377

[Rick Mac]

Chris,

I downloaded Audacity and took a look.
The “remove click & pop” tool may fix some light wavefrom distortion. You have to zoom in real tight on the waveform and highlight the area where the waveform is flatten out.
Then run the “remove click & pop” tool (look under effects). You will have to do this for every instance where the waveform is distorted.

The tool looks a bit limited but who knows it may help.

By the way, before you purchase anything post me a a few seconds of a bad clip and a light clip.
For really bad clips there is little that can be done.
Better to know that before you drop some cash.
An MP3 file is fine.
Email me with attached file.

cooledit2003@yahoo.com

I will evaluate it and see if the tools in Audition can remedy your worse case file.

Regards, Rick.

Rick Mac
Director of Audio Production
TCT Network – Directv 377