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Removing unwanted sound from a recording

68.54.57.245
Posted on July 9, 2014 at 14:06:06
elias21@gmail.com
Audiophile

Posts: 1
Location: South Florida
Joined: July 9, 2014
 First, I will apologize for my actions. This is my first use of this forum, so I am not sure that I won't violate some rules. I am facing a problem of identifying what is on a cassette tape, recorded when my uncle was 96 years old. The interview was conducted by his son on the porch of my uncle's home which faces one of the busiest streets in Miami. Result is that, what is in the interview is completele indecipherable because of the traffic noise. All the information I have gathered, so far, talks about removing noise, like hum and hiss.

I can convert the cassette to digital onto my computer, but I need some guidance removing the traffic sounds. I am not particular about the quality of the audio - only the content of the interview.

Thanking you in advance, and I hope I didn't commit any fatal errors.

Elias21

 

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Can't help, but sounds like a worthwhile endeavor!, posted on July 9, 2014 at 14:31:13
rlindsa
Audiophile

Posts: 7265
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Joined: October 5, 2004
 maybe one of those CSI-type police labs can uncover the real content.

Seriously, best of luck with this.

rlindsa

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 9, 2014 at 15:55:20
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 9361
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 CEDAR Audio comes to mind but you will probably have to pay a professional to do the work.

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 9, 2014 at 16:24:27
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46280
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 I've used the Audacity software for removing clicks and pops from my digitized vinyl records. I'm not sure how suitable it might be for your application but since it's a freebie, why not give it a try?


 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 9, 2014 at 16:25:27
Tony Lauck
Audiophile

Posts: 13629
Location: Vermont
Joined: November 12, 2007
 I use iZotope Rx to do this kind of work. It might work, it might not. It depends on the recording. If it is indecipherable there is little chance that the end result will be good quality, but it might be understandable. I've done a lot of restoration of old lectures and have seen a large range of quality, some hopeless, some when cleaned up was of salable quality.

How much audio do you have?

Tony Lauck

"Diversity is the law of nature; no two entities in this universe are uniform." - P.R. Sarkar

 

Pro Tools can identify wave forms and delete them. nt, posted on July 9, 2014 at 17:56:57
oldmkvi
Audiophile

Posts: 10581
Joined: April 12, 2002
 /

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 9, 2014 at 18:15:33
jamestavegia@gmail.com
Audiophile

Posts: 275
Location: Atlanta, GA
Joined: November 26, 2013
 This will be a tough one, but you might find someone close who has a 31 band graphic EQ and see if you can do it by ear by subtracting some frequencies. I am fearful that the traffic noise is very broadband and it may be really hard. It would be worth a try.

I would try and digitize it at 24/96 or 24/192 and work from that file. You really don't want to wear out that tape any more with repeated plays.
Jim Tavegia

 

Reminds me of, posted on July 9, 2014 at 19:31:31
Des
Audiophile

Posts: 2110
Location: Great Barrier Reef
Joined: August 3, 2000
Contributor
  Since: August 2, 2000
Gene Hackman in Coppola's

"The Conversation"

Hope you can find an outcome--Good luck

Des

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 9, 2014 at 19:59:26
Inmate51
 Hey Elias, the important things are to think about frequencies and levels.

Dump the low frequency stuff (<150 Hz or so). Then use a compressor to expand the signal which is above a certain level, and try to dump more stuff which is below some level.

If hiss is an issue, you can try some EQ to tame it.

Someone mentioned Pro Tools. I don't use it, so I can't comment on its abilities in this area. But I do use SoundForge, and it has several features which "could" get the job done reasonably well. Even so, you're fighting an uphill battle, which might be best tackled by a pro in that field and has done this before. This is what you might call "forensic audio".

Tony Lauck seems to have a grasp on this, so maybe he'd like to take a shot at it - for free. (Kidding, Tony!) I'd take a shot at it, but it's really not my forte.

:)

 

The first thing to do..., posted on July 10, 2014 at 09:30:50
rlw
Audiophile

Posts: 3347
Location: Near West Palm Bch, FL
Joined: August 29, 2006
 Would be to get a digital copy of the tape in the highest resolution you can - 24 bit, 192 kHz would be great. And do this as soon as you can, every time you play that tape it is degrading a little bit.

Once you have a digital file, you can then start to throw software at the problem. Programs like Adobe Audition or Audacity are good places to start. And here are some links that will help you in eliminating background noise from the digital file:

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/learn/start/audition.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Background-Noise-in-Audacity

Go to Google and key in "remove background noise from audio" as your search term for even more links...

Good luck!
-RW-

 

Step-by-step instructions using Audacity, posted on July 10, 2014 at 10:07:11
Tubo
Audiophile

Posts: 375
Location: So. California
Joined: June 9, 2004
 This method works well with hiss or amp noise. Traffic noise is more challenging, but it's worth a try. Audacity is a free program you can download from the Internet. Abe Collins recommended it below.

Basically, the method involves recording a few seconds of the noise—i.e. traffic noise. Hopefully, there are a few seconds of traffic noise in your recording where nobody talks. This gives Audacity the "noise profile" to remove.

The tricky part is giving Audacity a "clean" example of your uncle's voice. Perhaps from a different occasion? If you don't have one, proceed with the remaining steps anyway and see if it works. Good luck!

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 23, 2014 at 18:28:48
michaelhigh
Audiophile

Posts: 839
Location: midwest
Joined: August 18, 2010
 Use equalization to identify the offending content, then cut till it starts detracting from the overall mix. Even cheeseball non-pro audio EQ's will accomplish this. The more bands of EQ that are available will narrow the Q of the freq that's causing the offending audio. First, try somewhere between 8 to 10K. Let your ear be your guide.

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 23, 2014 at 21:23:46
Inmate51
 As long as this has bubbled back to the top...

Another AA inmate has found www.richardhess.com for audio restoration. You might give them a call.

Also remember to see the Tape Trail asylum.

:)

 

RE: Removing unwanted sound from a recording, posted on July 24, 2014 at 12:56:26
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15518
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Welcome! Elias21-

I am sure you find find some help here.

 

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