Noise removal not working in Windows 7

[mrstevet]

hi all,

i have tried to use the NOISE REMOVAL feature in audacity 1.3.13 without success.

I have tried two computers:
1. asus 1001p netbook running windows 7 starter
2. hp hdx16 running windows 7 ultimate 64bit

This is what i try to do:
1. open sound file
2. go to Effects | Noise Removal
3. select GET NOISE PROFILE

then the program automatically shows the message 'Creating Noise Profile' and the green status bar moves up until completion.

Finally the program reverts back to the main editing screen.

from the tutorials I have read, once I select GET NOISE PROFILE, I should be able to then manually select a section of the audio that has the background noise to remove, then go through the various options in the NOISE REMOVAL dialog box to remove the hiss etc.

this is driving me nuts. Hope someone can help!

thanks

steve

[kozikowski]

The philosophy of Noise Removal is simple, although the explanations are usually not.

Find a segment with pure objectionable noise and no show. Select that and make it be the Profile.

Anything you include in the profile will be removed from the show. If you select some of the violins in the profile by accident, that's the end of the violins in the show.

Then select a portion of the show with both noise and show and apply noise removal. Only the noise is removed.

That's the fairy-tale version because it never works out that well in real life, but that's the story.

If you have a progress bar during the profile step, you are so doing it wrong.

Hiss and tape noise is particularly miserable because if you do a good job removing it, the "sss" sounds in your voice go, too.

Now does it work better? You should work with smaller portions of the show until you get your sea legs. Nothing like rendering a two hour long performance and finding out you messed up.

Koz

[mrstevet]

thanks for your reply.

unfortunately I cannot select any segment to be the profile.

1. I start with a sound file
2. I go to EFFECT | NOISE REMOVAL
3. I select GET NOISE PROFILE
4. nothing happens!

help!

[Gale Andrews]

unfortunately I cannot select any segment to be the profile.

1. I start with a sound file
2. I go to EFFECT | NOISE REMOVAL
3. I select GET NOISE PROFILE
4. nothing happens!

That's not quite what you said the first time, which was that you could do the above and see a progress dialogue "'Creating Noise Profile", but it wasn't clear why you could not after that select an area from which to remove the noise.

The idea is to select a representative area of "noise only" for your noise profile. To select the noise, click and drag over the noise. If you see a progress dialogue when you get the noise profile that suggests you did not select anything (in which case Audacity by default selects the whole track) or possibly you have selected more noise than you need.


Gale

[mrstevet]

That's not quite what you said the first time, which was that you could do the above and see a progress dialogue "'Creating Noise Profile", but it wasn't clear why you could not after that select an area from which to remove the noise.

The idea is to select a representative area of "noise only" for your noise profile. To select the noise, click and drag over the noise. If you see a progress dialogue when you get the noise profile that suggests you did not select anything (in which case Audacity by default selects the whole track) or possibly you have selected more noise than you need.

Hi Gale,

actually.... i made a mistake. The error reported earlier is what I get on the netbook (windows 7 starter). The second email was in relation to the HP laptop (running 64bit windows 7) which is the main computer I use.

However in both cases i cannot get to the stage that allows me to select area of 'noise only' .

Maybe this is a bug with windows 7?

Thanks

[kozikowski]

Maybe this is a bug with windows 7?

You should avoid using the "B" word until we've exhausted all the other possibilities.

Can you find a section of the performance that has only noise? Drag select it.

Open Effect > Noise Removal and click Get Noise Profile. Close Noise Removal. Drag-select a portion of the show that you want to clean. Open Noise Removal and apply it -- click OK. It should do something. Then you can UNDO and mess with the settings to get more or less correction, quality of spoken word, and leading and trailing edges of words. Those are the three settings top to bottom: reduction, smoothing, and attack. You can use the Preview as well.

If you have no part of the performance with only noise, then this is going to be seriously hard work and may not be possible at all.

Koz

[Gale Andrews]

in both cases i cannot get to the stage that allows me to select area of 'noise only' .

But selecting an area of "noise only" is the first thing you have to do, before you even click Effect > Noise Removal and press "Get Noise Profile". What you have stated before suggests you can do that step.

The only thing that "happens" when you click "Get Noise Profile" is that the noise profile is captured and Noise Removal closes. It is normal that it closes, even though it might be more intuitive if it stopped open. You can't see the profile nor does Audacity say "Noise Captured", but next time you click Effect > Noise Removal you will see the "OK" button is no longer greyed - if OK is greyed, it means Audacity has no noise profile.

If you are playing, recording or pausing playback/recording, you won't be able to access Noise Removal (or any other effect).


Gale