Better Noise-Reduction option?

[NovaProspekt]

Is there a better option for noise removal with Audacity than the built in 'Noise Reduction' effect? I can remove the background noise and static I want to with the NR effect, but it's really drowning out the audio that I'm trying to save.

Using the latest version of Audacity on Win 7 btw

[kozikowski]

I can remove the background noise and static I want to with the NR effect

And that's usually the mistake. The old tool was called Noise Removal and we changed it because too many people expected it to removed noise to zero. It doesn't do that. It won't turn your messy, hissy, noisy live recording into a studio production. Very few software packages will do that and maybe none.

Effect > Noise Reduction is always a juggling act. The goal is to reduce the background noise gently increasing in strength until it starts to damage the show. Then you stop. That's as good as it gets.

How are you recording the show and what is it?

If you're recording audiobooks, we have tools that can help.

Details are good.

Koz

[kozikowski]

There is Noise Gate. I think it's an optional add-on effect. That one tries to figure out when you stop talking and it slams the sound to silence. It usually sounds about that good.

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Nyqui ... Noise_Gate

There's no other tools I know of.

Koz

[steve]

For specific types of "noise", filters can work better than "Noise Reduction" effects. A typical example would be where the "noise" is a constant hum or whistle with only a few frequencies, in which case Notch filters can be used to cut those frequencies.

[NovaProspekt]

I can remove the background noise and static I want to with the NR effect

And that's usually the mistake. The old tool was called Noise Removal and we changed it because too many people expected it to removed noise to zero. It doesn't do that. It won't turn your messy, hissy, noisy live recording into a studio production. Very few software packages will do that and maybe none.

Effect > Noise Reduction is always a juggling act. The goal is to reduce the background noise gently increasing in strength until it starts to damage the show. Then you stop. That's as good as it gets.

How are you recording the show and what is it?

If you're recording audiobooks, we have tools that can help.

Details are good.

Koz

I've just got an acoustic guitar with an onboard preamp system w/ a piezo pickup, going into one effects pedal, then into a usb audio interface, then the computer.

I've adjusted the settings on the guitar and usb interface every which way and neither seem to have any effect, except for lowering the volume of the piezo knob, but then I'd just have to increase the volume in audacity and I'd still have all the noise anyways.

There is Noise Gate. I think it's an optional add-on effect. That one tries to figure out when you stop talking and it slams the sound to silence. It usually sounds about that good.

http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Nyqui ... Noise_Gate

There's no other tools I know of.

Koz
     

I tried the noise gate as well, but you can still hear the static when the recording kicks in.



Is there a way I can upload a few second sample of the noise, would that help?

[NovaProspekt]

For specific types of "noise", filters can work better than "Noise Reduction" effects. A typical example would be where the "noise" is a constant hum or whistle with only a few frequencies, in which case Notch filters can be used to cut those frequencies.

I tried the notch filter effect as well, but there are too many other frequencies besides the standard 60hz electronic hum.

[kozikowski]

We totally want to hear it. Record a second or two of silence and then 8 seconds of stereo playing (two blue waves) or 18 seconds of mono (one blue wave). Export WAV (Microsoft).

Scroll down from a forum text window > Upload Attachment > Browse.

There's a pretty serious limit on the length of sample you can post, so no, you can't post a 3 min song.

Koz

[NovaProspekt]

We totally want to hear it. Record a second or two of silence and then 8 seconds of stereo playing (two blue waves) or 18 seconds of mono (one blue wave). Export WAV (Microsoft).

Scroll down from a forum text window > Upload Attachment > Browse.

There's a pretty serious limit on the length of sample you can post, so no, you can't post a 3 min song.

Koz

Here's an example of the noise i'm getting. The first 10 seconds is the unaffected noise, the next 10 is static with the effects pedal on, and the last 20ish is some playing with the guitar for reference.

[NovaProspekt]

We totally want to hear it. Record a second or two of silence and then 8 seconds of stereo playing (two blue waves) or 18 seconds of mono (one blue wave). Export WAV (Microsoft).

Scroll down from a forum text window > Upload Attachment > Browse.

There's a pretty serious limit on the length of sample you can post, so no, you can't post a 3 min song.

Koz

Here's an example of the noise i'm getting. The first 10 seconds is the unaffected noise, the next 10 is static with the effects pedal on, and the last 20ish is some playing with the guitar for reference.

Looks like that file didn't export correctly, This one has the static cut down to about 3 seconds each, then as much playing as possible to keep it under the upload limit.

[NovaProspekt]

We totally want to hear it. Record a second or two of silence and then 8 seconds of stereo playing (two blue waves) or 18 seconds of mono (one blue wave). Export WAV (Microsoft).

Scroll down from a forum text window > Upload Attachment > Browse.

There's a pretty serious limit on the length of sample you can post, so no, you can't post a 3 min song.

Koz

Here's an example of the noise i'm getting. The first 10 seconds is the unaffected noise, the next 10 is static with the effects pedal on, and the last 20ish is some playing with the guitar for reference.

Looks like that file didn't export correctly, This one has the static cut down to about 3 seconds each, then as much playing as possible to keep it under the upload limit.

Part 2