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Hi guys, I dont know that much about audio, I am more a video guy. I am making a video for a friend in costa rica and I hired a costa rican sound guy to make the audio. . It is terrible.

He recorded the levels VERY low and there are some sort of cicada's or locusts making a high pitch hiss in the background. I am now back in the states and looking for any way I can salvage this audio to be used for an online only video. Keep in mind I work in final cut and only have the audio filters that come stock (apple & fcp)

here is a sample audio clip so you guys can here it, what filters should i use?

Avid

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!

Comments

tvpuravida Tue, 05/21/2013 - 11:03

well basically the client (even though he is my friend) isn't happy with the audio so I need some advice on what filters to try? someone told me maybe the graphic EQ and a low pass filter? or maybe high shelf? does that sound right? I tried it and it seemed to cut out the cicadas but made them sound as though they were in a small boxy room if you know what i mean

hueseph Tue, 05/21/2013 - 12:45

Honestly, that background noise sounds like ambiance to me. It's not bad at all. In fact, I think it adds to the sound. If you are in a tropical area, these noises are common. They are part of the environment. You can't change that. Editing that out is going to do terrible things to your dialogue IMHO. You'll need to convince your client of this. It really does sound fine.

KurtFoster Tue, 05/21/2013 - 23:55

there are some noise reduction programs that sample a part of the audio where there is no one talking and then applies some algorithm to remove the noise without damaging the audio. usually when recording on location the sound person will record 30 or 40 seconds of background audio to accommodate the n/r program.not sure how well it works or what it's called.

MadMax Wed, 05/22/2013 - 05:38

Kurt Foster, post: 404968 wrote: there are some noise reduction programs that sample a part of the audio where there is no one talking and then applies some algorithm to remove the noise without damaging the audio. usually when recording on location the sound person will record 30 or 40 seconds of background audio to accommodate the n/r program.not sure how well it works or what it's called.

Kurt... it's called Izotope's RX... what I linked to above.

It's extremely comprehensive and deals with "noise", clicks, pops, and electrical "hum".