i run win7 64bit. i have audacity 2.0.5. this is not the newest version and I do not remember when nor when I got this version.
I have just downloaded chris amplifier plugin program.
I had taped, with sony voice recorder, a class where instructor is taking us thru the exercise. her voice is quite low due to the recorder being too far away from her.
I tried to find amplify under effects but could not find it.
I tried compress under effects. i do not know what i am doing at all in that respect. i just moved the sliders one way or the other.
I was able to get voice louder but then i also get the hum of the tape recorder in background.
i have tried to select a bit of the hum to remove the noise but i cannot get it working.
i tried looking at Chris’ software but again since i do not know anything about all these volume options…i do not know what to change.
If the noise is bad, you may not be able to make much improvement. Honestly, the best thing might be to listen carefully and type-up a transcript.
Amplify should be at the top of this list.
Amplify is no different from turning-up the volume. The voice and the noise will be turned-up together.
Compression tends to bring-up the background noise. In general, dynamic compression makes the quiet parts louder and/or the loud parts quieter. Typically, it’s used to make “everything loud”. In rare cases where you have intermittent very-loud noises (like a loud barking dog), compression can sometimes bring down the noise and make it slightly less annoying.
Since compression is non-linear and it tends to make the noise go up-and-down, you generally use noise reduction before compression when the noise is constant, if you are going to use both.
The [u]Noise Removal[/u] effect is worth a try, but if the noise is bad the other “good” sounds may be removed or damaged and “the cure can be worse than the disease”.
Also, try the Equalizer effect. The Graphic EQ mode is easier to experiment with than the Draw Curves mode. The main voice frequencies are between ~300Hz and 5000Hz. So, start by pulling-down the equalizer sliders above and below that range. You can also try pushing up and down the frequencies in the voice range to see if that helps. And/or you can also try pushing-up the sliders around 5000-Hz and above. Boosting these high frequencies will bring-out the “T” and “S” sounds.
That will make the show as loud as possible without overloading the track.
Back-of-the-Hall recordings have two problems: The obvious one is low volume because the microphone is too far away. The other, much more serous problem is the noise the actual room is making including echoes and reverb.
There are no tools to help this. People still shoot like this for a reason.
The compression tools have the exact opposite affect from what you want. Their job is to make the presenter lower and the room noises louder. Chris does the same thing.
You never told us what the problem was and what the goal is.
If the problem is not being able to understand the presenter, that may be the end of the story. Audacity has no Forensics tools. We can’t do"CSI" surveillance tricks.
If the goal is to create a clear presentation out of the work, that may not be in the cards either for a lot of the same reasons. We can’t split environment and interfering noises from one single voice.
yes i understand now that compression will not do what I desire and it seems amplify will not either. the equalizer effect, for now, seems a bit out of my experience.
problem is: my instructor is giving directions as to steps for exercise. when there is no talking, as we are all doing the steps, there is this hum of the recorder. my goal is: to increase her voice so I can hear it better and not have the background hum of recorder while she is not talking.
if i can remove the background hum and then increase volume so I can hear her better…that should do the trick.
steps I plan to take:
I can isolate this background humming noise in between her voice instructions.
maybe I will try take a noise clip and apply it to noise removal.
my understanding is that noise removal will erase the noise from all of the recording and still leave the non vocal space intact.
even tho i can isolate these segments of no voice, i still need the time in between next instruction to allow to take steps.
I practice my exercise while listening to the recording.
well thanks to your help and a big pat on my own back…i was successful…
I did isolate and remove this background humming noise in between her voice instructions.
then tried normalize, compression and amplify…all seemed relatively the same volume.
overall…i am so pleased with the outcome.
thankyou.
