Very poor Audio -Sound Forge - PC - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:Very poor Audio Posted by: PaulJG Date:7/9/2010 9:00:55 AM I have a Attorney client that want some very poorly recorded sound cleaned up. It must have been recorded with a cell phone at a distance. I used NR with the in-between noise, Equalizer, and Normalizer with some improvement, but the voice is still not clear File name frg004.tmp Location C:\Users\vegas\AppData\Local\Sony\Sound Forge Pro\10.0File size 333.54 MB (341,538,670 bytes) File attributes - --a- ---- Last saved 2010-07-09 10:37:44 File type Wave (Microsoft) Audio format Uncompressed Audio sample rate 44,100 Audio bit rate 1,411 Kbps Audio bit depth 16 bit Audio channels 2 (Stereo) Audio length 00:32:16.160 (85,384,656 samples) Video format No Video Video attributes No Video Video length No Video Video field order No Video Video pixel aspect ratio No Video
Subject:RE: Very poor Audio Reply by: musicvid10 Date:7/9/2010 9:23:17 AM Posting the file properties gives no indication of what audio problems are in the file. Nor have you given us any indication. "Cell phone at a distance" doesn't provide useful information. The best thing you can do is have the attorney send it to a professional sound restoration lab for analysis and enhancement, and keep the original file pristine because it will be asked for, too. Message last edited on7/9/2010 9:31:56 AM bymusicvid10.
Subject:RE: Very poor Audio Reply by: Geoff_Wood Date:7/9/2010 4:38:29 PM The limitations are nothing to do with you file spec. The initial very poor sound quality is your limiting factor. Keep a 'reference copy' of the original, then do all your playing around, experimentation, etc, on copies. As musicvid suggests, if thisis of legal significance, maybe lashing out on pro specialised forensic restoration may be appropriate ? geoff
Subject:RE: Very poor Audio Reply by: brighterside Date:7/12/2010 1:19:20 AM The attorney may have watched too many CSI shows and/or movies like The Conversation. There is only so much that can be done. Likely you can make it better, but I doubt it will ever be 'clear'
Subject:RE: Very poor Audio Reply by: Chienworks Date:7/12/2010 4:12:36 AM Unreasonable expectations abound. Someone one brought me a recording of a small jazz band and asked me to separate it into recordings of each individual instrument all on it's own. I asked where he got such a ridiculous idea. He said he saw an instruction manual for a graphic equalize that labeled each slider with a different instrument and figured i had such a device. What he had missed in the illustration was that each instrument had a range line drawn, spanning many sliders over several octaves and overlapping with all the others. He actually got mad when i wasn't able to do what he wanted. Back in my analog photography days a plaintiff brought me some rather poor pictures of barely visible skid marks on the road and asked me to enhance them so they would be more visible. I did, but i also told him to take the original photographs along to court as well. He didn't because he thought the judge would be confused by two separate sets of pictures. The judge threw out the case because the plaintiff submitted only altered evidence.

Subject:Very poor Audio

Posted by: PaulJG

Date:7/9/2010 9:00:55 AM

I have a Attorney client that want some very poorly recorded sound cleaned up.

It must have been recorded with a cell phone at a distance.

I used NR with the in-between noise, Equalizer, and Normalizer with some improvement, but the voice is still not clear

File name frg004.tmp
Location C:\Users\vegas\AppData\Local\Sony\Sound Forge Pro\10.0File size 333.54 MB (341,538,670 bytes)
File attributes - --a- ----
Last saved 2010-07-09 10:37:44
File type Wave (Microsoft)
Audio format Uncompressed
Audio sample rate 44,100
Audio bit rate 1,411 Kbps
Audio bit depth 16 bit
Audio channels 2 (Stereo)
Audio length 00:32:16.160 (85,384,656 samples)
Video format No Video
Video attributes No Video
Video length No Video
Video field order No Video
Video pixel aspect ratio No Video

Subject:RE: Very poor Audio

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:7/9/2010 9:23:17 AM

Posting the file properties gives no indication of what audio problems are in the file.
Nor have you given us any indication. "Cell phone at a distance" doesn't provide useful information.

The best thing you can do is have the attorney send it to a professional sound restoration lab for analysis and enhancement, and keep the original file pristine because it will be asked for, too.

Message last edited on7/9/2010 9:31:56 AM bymusicvid10.

Subject:RE: Very poor Audio

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:7/9/2010 4:38:29 PM

The limitations are nothing to do with you file spec. The initial very poor sound quality is your limiting factor.

Keep a 'reference copy' of the original, then do all your playing around, experimentation, etc, on copies. As musicvid suggests, if thisis of legal significance, maybe lashing out on pro specialised forensic restoration may be appropriate ?

geoff

Subject:RE: Very poor Audio

Reply by: brighterside

Date:7/12/2010 1:19:20 AM

The attorney may have watched too many CSI shows and/or movies like The Conversation. There is only so much that can be done.

Likely you can make it better, but I doubt it will ever be 'clear'

Subject:RE: Very poor Audio

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:7/12/2010 4:12:36 AM

Unreasonable expectations abound. Someone one brought me a recording of a small jazz band and asked me to separate it into recordings of each individual instrument all on it's own. I asked where he got such a ridiculous idea. He said he saw an instruction manual for a graphic equalize that labeled each slider with a different instrument and figured i had such a device. What he had missed in the illustration was that each instrument had a range line drawn, spanning many sliders over several octaves and overlapping with all the others. He actually got mad when i wasn't able to do what he wanted.

Back in my analog photography days a plaintiff brought me some rather poor pictures of barely visible skid marks on the road and asked me to enhance them so they would be more visible. I did, but i also told him to take the original photographs along to court as well. He didn't because he thought the judge would be confused by two separate sets of pictures. The judge threw out the case because the plaintiff submitted only altered evidence.