I am using Windows 7 Enterprise, I am using Audacity 2.0.0. I obtained the .exe installer.
I have a Mono audio recording that I have been trying to clean up for a few days now. It is a conversation that has noise through out. It is not the typical background noise. It appears that the noise is dominating the track but not the entire track, because it turns on and off. Some of the conversation is very clear. It is a heater/AC unit blowing and the conversation is happening behind the noise. Also there is a radio in the background playing.
I have tried all the basic clean up tutorials but I am so new to this that I may have overlooked some stuff. I am not sure how to capture the frequency of the noise to try to remove, isolate or suppress it. I have tried the noise removal, isolate the voices, the noise, etc. I tried to compress, and to contrast it as well. A friend mentioned that I may have to use a fine EQ system. I tried to work with the Gain and set a new noise floor and work with the EQ in audacity but may just not grasp or have the needed experience.
That is usually a sign of no hope.
Low level constant noise can usually be reduced quite effectively, but where the voice is buried beneath the noise there is often no way to dig it out.
That is usually another “no hope” scenario. As far as the computer is concerned, voices on the radio are just voices. The computer does not know if the voice is on a radio, TV or someone in the room.
There is a chance that you may be able to reduce that noise a little, but don’t expect miracles.
Try applying the Equalization effect (Effect menu) with the “Walkie Talkie” preset curve selected. This will cut out frequencies below and above the strongest speech frequencies and may help to make the bad parts a little more intelligible.