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Specific Audio Filters to use in FCP 6
Hello –
I have a few sound questions if there is anyone who can help….
I am VERY new to sound and have a few areas of my film that are in need of filters but I’m not sure which ones to use. Unfortunately, I do not have access to a compressor (physically or financially), so FCP 6 & Soundtrack Pro are all I have available to me.
And of course all of the issues below are during various dialogue scenes that cannot be reshot or ADR’d for one reason or another.
1. Water heater hum in background while filming in basement.
2. Motorcylce revving by while shooting exterior scene.
3. Airplane drones from take off & landings since location was 8 minutes north of airport.
4. Dialogue is soo hard to hear, even at 12db. Is there a filter to “quiet” the background noise?
5. Refrigerator running in background.Any and all help/advice is GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks~
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4 Replies
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some of the background noise can be helped with Soundtrack Pro’s Noise Removal feature. Some of the things (motorcycle revving).
The idea that any sound can be removed and you are left with beautiful (or even okay) audio is a FBI movie myth.
Apple’s online tutorials has a good one on noise reduction, I think it is on the DVD that came with the software.
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I would start with the FCP Notch filter. You can isolate certain frequencies and pull them down. Should work with some of your issues. The FCP Hum filter might also work for some. But, a motorcycle reving is a tough one. The frequency changes, thus you can’t isolate it. But, a good place to start.
If you are not audio-savy, I would seriously consider taking your final tracks to a pro studio to have them work on them. They know the tricks.
Ernie Santella
Santella Productions Inc.
http://www.santellaproductions.com -
As an audio post pro, I can tell you that some issues can be helped with EQ and others with noise reduction tools. In my opinion, FCP is a poor device for proper audio editing and processing. Compared to professional tools, the EQ and dynamics processors are toys.
STP is a tool that I played with briefly and although it is better than FCP, it is also far from the sort of processing I achieve with a Fairlight and CEDAR noise reduction tools. By all means expolre the noise reduction tools in STP but if you are dealing with a commercial program for broadcast, you shouldn’t be using FCP or STP to finish your sound track.
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Yeah, there are a few things you can do with filters, but they don’t fix them completely. The best rule of thumb is to get the best recordings while on location. Many times, complete sounds for a scene are recreated, such as ambient sounds and distinct sounds such as footsteps. This is called foley sounds and are difficult to do if you’re not a seasoned pro. Even so, they need to match the environment being portrayed visually as you can’t have a man walking outside to footsteps that sound like they’re in a room.
When planning for your shoots, always factor in sound and see what the best possibilities for sound recording are. If possible, use boom or shotgun mics that are unidirectional, that is, they have a straight ahead pickup pattern and won’t grab the audio from around the location, just the dialogue.
Good luck in the future!
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