Noise Reduction

Nutty I remember you saying you used to use Audacity?

There's a noise removal tool in there - you preview the background noise, it takes a measurement of it (frequency I suppose), then it removes that noise. i don't know how efficient it is, never used it, but it's definitely there in Audacity.

Try drag and dropping your track into it, and use the noise removal function, then drag and drop back to MC4.

you can use the GATE from MC plugins, but it can be tricky getting it to work right depending on how loud your noise is.

Noise reduction works on frequebncies. If there is a hiss or rumble, the noise reducer will match the frequency of the hiss, and then play it along with the original sound, at 180 degrees out of phase, which cancels the sound, the same as noise cancelling headphones. But for background noise, usually you have sounds, varied sounds like a kid talking or a phone ringing, or walking. It is almost impossible to match that sound as one frequency, or even a group of frequencies. There are clicks, pops, thuds, etc. that are transients, loud sharp hits, not long playing droning type sounds. A noise gate can cut the transients, but they depend on volumes for triggers, and you need to deal with release times also, so that the music is not affected.
The damage to the music track you mention when using noise reduction filters concerns the frequencies. If the offending hiss is at the same general frequency as the major part of the guitar sound, maybe it is high, and the guitar part is high in the sound bands, the phase shifted cancelation will also cancel the good guitar part, but in a narrow band width, and that can cause problems.
Later
Albert

I tried using Audacity for the current project I am working on and don't like the results. It really cuts way too much out and changes the vocals.

So, how does the GATE fillter/plug in work? Do you just add it as an FX or do you run it through somehow? It sounds really difficult based on your explantion Albert. I think I need a bubble room to record in. But since my chances are pretty slim for that, I'll have to learn how to do it the hard way!

Thanks.

Annette

Thanks Beagle,

It sounds complicated, but I'll read through the tutorial and hopefully it won't be so difficult.

Annette

^+1 huh????

I just love your sense of humour Albert.

Annette

Nutty....my noise reduction is wait until the house is empty. Seriously! I record my instrumental tracks anytime since I can record all that stuff totally inside the system...(no mics)

When I get ready to record vocals I try to schedule that when no one is here...they're all out at school & work or they've gone shopping....and the house is all mine..and quiet.

I don't worry about the airconditioner...it's central but it still has noise.... unless the vocal track is very quiet....even then...here's my tricks:

Split & delete. I start the recording (punch in /out) and sing the part. When I have a keeper, I save it....then I zoom in and split the clip just a few milliseconds before the vocal actually starts.... then I delete the leading clip. Works just like a noise gate with no rise....bang...its on. Same thing at the end.....if I need it.

Also keep in mind...depending on the track...that noise might be covered by other instruments playing....and don't forget envelopes are useful to accomplish the same thing.

As if that isn't enough.... some noise may actually improve the "feel" of the recording...example: the hum and noise of an amplifier...can give a sense of eager expectation to the listener....as they anticipate the guitar playing...... of course this guitar needs to come in breathing flames.

Thanks Herb,

That's what I try to do for the most part. I was recording more at night because we don't have central air. Closing the windows and shutting the fans off aren't good on most days here. But it is getting cooler, so I'll try and do more in the day. The cut and paste is a good idea. I don't know why, but I haven't had any luck with cutting a section out of a single track; it ALWAYS hightllights all the tracks, so I just end up recording the whole track over again. Those ideas will help out ion most cases, but yesterday I finally got a really good voice track except I hit the microphone stand during a vocal section. I would have to do a punch in I guess, but I never get the same volume. Would a volume envelop work for that? I don't know much about envelops yet. Again, why, when and where? I have read about them in the tutorial but not sure when and why to use them.

Thanks.

Nutty

ORIGINAL: gamblerschoice

Its not really that complicated. Once you get the protons flying around the collider at just under the speed of light, the target is aquired, and the miniature singularity is acheived, resulting in a small black hole that eventually eats all of Europe.
Huh???
Later
Albert

Just how much of Europe Albert?

..."Just how much of Europe Albert?"....

Just the bad parts. Why, where do you live???

Yeah, just like stargate, Herb. And I'm going through with Valla...

Later
Albert

Yeah, but Dr. Lam has my stargate sequence locked!

Stargate shmargate. Yeah, sure, it's cool, warping the space/time continuum through wormholes and all, but the improbability drive....now THAT's a machine.

When doing tight editing with the split tool, make sure your snap to grid settings are non-musical, click off the musical time box, and click on the box below, absolute time(?) I think, and then in the drop down beside it pick "samples". If you vertically maximize a track, use the zoom tool to enlarge the horizontal view of the measure, you can see exactly where the wave starts and also where it ends. I have heard and read about picking a trim point at a "zero crossing" point to avoid clicks, but I have never noticed any audible click when I do a split.
I use the split tool often, and get in as close as possible to the wave, it might take a little time until you get accustomed to doing it, but once you get a feel for it, you can edit clicks, pops and mic stand bumps, or phones ringing, or dog barks, anything that stops before the actual musical sound you are trying to preserve.
Noise suppression inside an active audio/musical wave is another story
Later
Albert

Rob,

I generally only use the split and delete function to trim audio at the beginning and end of a voice or instrument part. I don't try to "clean up" between all the breaks...that's just to much work..... unless there is a big area of audio silence in the track. This is more common for me in a "first take" where I generally let the track run. As I go back to punch in/out...I'll clean up as I'm going.

This is an old habit from CWP8...where deleting the audio saved valuable hard drive space as well.

For me...It's a neurotic habit.... it looks better on the screen, and the main reason now is for noise elimination.