noise in a track

I uploaded a sample that shows said noise: http://www.file-upload.ne...5/sonar-noise.mp3.html

native


I have a track recorded with Sonar 8.5 (drum overheads). I imported this track into X1 - several times, there is a distorted noise, like a distorted synth sound. however, it does not show in the track's wave form.

any ideas where this might come from or how to get rid of it, without losing the track?

thanks.

I downloaded the MP3 and listened a couple of times - Side note:  It would be better if you had a direct link to MP3s rather than the site you used.  There were two pop-ups, then the page where it's confusing which is the download button and which is the download for some ad - and the main point is, a way to not visitors to do a download - people would be more likely to listen.

That sound on the toms in the middle of the clip sounds like a wash of phasing.  Is it a stereo track which you're now playing back in mono?

A gate wouldn't help here at all since that would cut out the sound of the drums entirely.

Another note - a sound like that wouldn't necessarily be detectable in the wave form.  Maybe if you zoomed in super close, but it can be hard to distinguish distortion from percussive sounds - since percussion Is distortion. 

Randy B.

Belg, my Dutch is not good.  Looks like you said you listened to this, but I couldn't figure out the rest.

It sounds like a badly tuned drum head to me.

Perhaps it has been exasperated by the electronics of the recording chain... but it seems like acoustic distortion to my ear.

I can't imagine fixing it after the fact.


Good luck.

best regards,
mike

native

rbowser

I downloaded the MP3 and listened a couple of times - Side note:  It would be better if you had a direct link to MP3s rather than the site you used.  There were two pop-ups, then the page where it's confusing which is the download button and which is the download for some ad - and the main point is, a way to not visitors to do a download - people would be more likely to listen. 

You are right, I am sorry. Here is a direct link: http://www.believing.de/_files/sonar-noise.mp3


I recorded the track on my laptop in Sonar 8.5 (64bit on Win 7) as a stereo track. When simply playing it back, I can already hear the noise. The recording chain was a simple Tascam US-122 directly into Sonar.
I exported the track and importet in in my studio pc, Sonar X1, same problem here.

Any ideas what I could to to get rid of the noise?

Hi, Native- Good deal on the direct link, more people are likely to listen.

Still sounds like phasing, possibly from a stereo track being played monophonically.

Randy B.

I can see it as well now that Jim points it out.

Good eyes Jim!


best regards,
mike

hand edit.

how often does it happen?

I heard it as overload distortion. The original recording was way too loud, too close to the digital 0db FS mark. Many audio interfaces make a variety of sounds when clipped. Another good reason to adopt a proper tracking reference standard like K system at -14 or -20. This would never have happened. But setting drum levels can be tricky, even with the best VU's and the like. If you get drummers to play at decent likely volume then setting levels will be easier.

There is a great article in the latest (Australian) Audio Technology magazine about the total myth regarding trying to record as hot as you can with digital levels especially in 16 bit. To use the most bits and all that. The main thrust was record at lower level, it is very OK to do so these days. Most interfaces can handle it with ease and at 24 bit of course it is even better.

Removing it could be tricky. I would try cutting it out completely and move the audio back that tiny amount. But soon (as close as possible but look for an area that could have time added in OK) after the drum fill I would cut the audio again and put the space back in to put the rest of the audio back where it was. Even if there is a tiny gap of silence there, and I think it needs to go as well because it is one of those sounds you will always hear, it might sound OK with a tiny gap there also depending what is going on at that exact second with the rest of the music. (masking) If you do very fast fades on the edges of the cut you will help it a lot.

Another option is to cut it out and zoom in and do two fades on the cuts. Then perhaps drop another sound in between eg a tom hit for example. to fill in the gap. I would tend to do that on a longer gap. Shorter gaps might make this type of operation audible. This one is quick and it might work with I have suggested above.

Don't be afraid to edit audio anywhere even if it means shifting it in time here and there.  A little sacrafice in timing can hide huge multitude of errors in recording such as a bad overload clips and the like.

Randy just gave me an idea. This is when you do cut it out, fade the edges and drop another big tom hit right on the spot where the tom hits at the start of the cut. (or just prior, and on another audio track so you have lots of control over this) 

It will hide everything. You might want to use envelopes to drop the main track down a little and also the new tom hit might need to be automated so it does not overlap the origial track too much.

If envelopes don't work then this is when a separate editor is your friend too. You can do some surgical editing on the volume shaping of both the original track and the new tom hit. Any decent single sample of tom hit would work too.

That is interesting about the peaks especially if there are no peaks at all in the track. What can happen sometimes is a bad mounting or vibration in the mike mount or something like that although you are doing a stereo overhead and I am sure they were mounted well.

I have heard sounds like that with some close miked drums where the mike was loose or got hit etc.. Maybe the drummer hit the mikes?

But either way I think cutting it out and putting a tom hit to hide the gap is going to work OK.