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Subject:Clipped Peak Horror - Please Help
Posted by: chewbonkay
Date:1/15/2003 7:41:48 AM

Please help! I'm trying to save a recent blunder by a videographer. A session was shot where the wireless mic was much too hot and thus the recorded audio is distorted. Because the clipping occurred in the first step the wav file itself does not appear clipped thus using the Clipped Peak plug-in does not at first work. I am still trying to rescue the file so I have performed the following - wave hammer to 0dB. Then I increase the volume 130% so that actual clipping occurs. I then apply Clipped Peak. Then I applied Noise Reduction to get rid of some unwanted noise. The result is much better but still not satisfactory. Before I tell the videographer that she must beg for a re-shoot, I'm trying to make the file as good as possible. Ultimately a music bed will be applied so the audio will have some "masking."

Any suggestions? I would be more than happy to email a short mp3 of the file if someone would be willing to take a quick look at the file. chewbonkay@hotmail.com.
Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.

Mike

Subject:RE: Clipped Peak Horror - Please Help
Reply by: musicvid10
Date:1/15/2003 2:31:43 PM

"..the wireless mic was much too hot and thus the recorded audio is distorted."

In this case the distortion is a result of overmodulation of the FM carrier and is a mishmash of harmonic and wideband splatter, not audio clipping, thus it doesn't look like it in waveform analysis.

Unfortunately, there is very little you can do about it. You could use spectrum analysis and try to dip out some of the mid frequencies that are offensive, or some smoothing, or you might try the high freq restorer from rgcaudio, but it might actually make it worse. If I had a way to fix the audio from every play I've seen with overmodulated wireless mikes, I'd be rich! The smart ones keep the mikes down and the board up. A little hiss is better than mud.

Subject:RE: Clipped Peak Horror - Please Help
Reply by: rraud
Date:1/15/2003 9:30:06 PM

ADR or re-shoot... too bad. That's what happens when videographers AND video editors do sound.

Subject:RE: Clipped Peak Horror - Please Help
Reply by: specktron
Date:1/16/2003 1:01:46 AM

Sounds like the camera had an auto compressor or something. Are the clips really distorted or do they just look like sh*t? Hey, the girls really do look prettier at closing time! Wrap up this baby one way or another asap. Use a multi band compressor/expander, or eq, or noise reduction to eliminate as much of the crunchiness as possible. Then enhance as much desirable audio as you can around the dips to try to make up for it. The mid-price-range mastering plugins (PSP, Ozone) do a good job of making even the worst recordings sound listenable.

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