clean up old audio

[cynthiad14]

I have 6 minutes of audio I extracted from a 1968 video clip so I could try to clean it up. I've attached a segment. Throughout the clip you hear periodic noise. I've tried noise removal, but it's hard to find a segment with only the buzz; it happens only when someone is speaking. Is there any way to clean this up without taking days and days of work on every little spot?

[kozikowski]

It sounds exactly like multi-path distortion from an FM radio.

Noise Removal only works on noise or sound that is low level and constant over the course of the show: air conditioning noise, computer fan noise, mild microphone hum.

How were you planning on getting rid of it manually? Anything that directly interferes with speech is usually hopeless.

Koz

[Trebor]

As the defects are mostly not simultaneous on left and right channels, then producing only what is common to both channels (with Kn0ckout) has less defects ...

Astronauts at the Ranch, before-after ''extract centre'' using Kn0ck0ut, then low-pass EQ @7KHz.mp3

(287.44 KiB) Downloaded 155 times

NB: The result of using "extract centre" is mono : you will lose any stereo effects on the original recording.

... Is there any way to clean this up without taking days and days of work on every little spot?

Your recording may be a candidate for "Brian Davies ClickRepair" , which repairs all the clicks automagically, (and unlike Kn0ck0ut you would retain stereo ).

[cynthiad14]

Trebor,

Gave it a try with Knockout (good thing I have both mac and windows computers). The track sounds much better! Not perfect, but not nearly as irritating as it was before. I can certainly live with it, after all it is an old recording, people will expect some imperfections.

You're a lifesaver!

Cynthia