Subject:How to ...

Posted by: Stebu

Date:9/14/2012 7:00:08 PM

How do I eliminate hissing sounds from voice overs ?
So far I edited sounds, songs and voices in Vegas Pro 9. This was (is) perfectly fine for me and my outputs as a hobbyist however, when I got a new computer I also upgraded to a new and 'better' mike. Though I proceed (tape) as usual - now my voice overs are full of hissing noices etc.
How do I correct this in post ?
I also got SF Pro 10 (and ACID Pro 7) but have no idea how to work with Sound Forge.
Could someone please lead me thru a step by step solution to eliminate / reduce the hissing sounds. Thanks !

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:9/14/2012 7:54:25 PM

Presumably you are talking about a constant hiss ?

Use Noise Reduction. It takes a snapshot of the noise during an otherwise silent period, and subtracts that noise-print from the file.

If it is 'hissing' on sibilants, there is a preset on Multiband Compressor to address this.

As to "how to work with Sound Forge", RTFM or check out the online tutorials on this website, or on Youtube.

[link]http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/training

geoff

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:9/14/2012 8:16:16 PM

Only good way to reduce hiss is at the source.
Usual cause is low mic level and overcompensating in the preamps.
Usually results from plugging a mic into a line input and cranking the gains in order to hear something. Or really cheap equipment.
Izotope RX (expensive!) will offer some relief in post, but not as good as getting it right in the recording.

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: Stebu

Date:9/14/2012 8:21:39 PM

Sorry, ... I did not express my problem properly.
I am not talking about constant noise influences but (what I call) hissing reflected in voice overs by an emphasized S, or Bs and Ps etc !

Also, thanks for the lead to sony training though as a total newbie in this field it is a little hard to understand such substantial software. Thats why I asked for a walk thru.
I appreciate your help.

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: Stebu

Date:9/14/2012 8:28:13 PM

musicvid - you are absolutely right. This is exactly what I am doing however, the really cheap equipment worked 'perfectly'. This problem started with when introducing the 'better' and more expensive mike.
Any equipment suggestions ?
Thanks for your input.
Rgds Ste

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: roblesinge

Date:9/14/2012 8:50:29 PM

Some larger diaphragm condensers, which is probably what you've stepped up to are really sensitive to sibilance, which is the sound you are describing. Try to fix it with the way you address the microphone. Standard for voiceover is to be 3-5 inches away from the grill, and I would even go a bit off-axis, meaning don't talk directly into the mic. Put the microphone at a 45-degree (arbitrary) angle to your mouth. You can also put the mic a little above or below the level of your mouth. This does more for plosives, but sibilance is the same concept: Unwanted air hitting the diaphragm. I've heard some people have had luck with smaller diaphragm condensers or even shotgun microphones to alleviate this problem, but unfortunately, it's something that a lot of talent (or mostly post-producers) have to deal with.

You can run de-essing on the file after the fact. The stock de-esser can be found at Effects-->Dynamics-->Multi-Band Dynamics-->Reduce Loud Sibilants (de-esser). Play around with that and see if you can get some usable results.

Rob.

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: Stebu

Date:9/14/2012 9:12:06 PM

Hi Rob,
I will try to go thru your recommendation exactly the way you suggested. At this point I just want to add that I did try different Mike distances and the effect was that I could hardly hear anything.
I will report back shortly - tomorrow !
Thanks.

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:9/16/2012 2:05:47 AM

Are ytour record meters peaking up around -12dB or more ? Sounds like as well as the sibilance you have level problems (too quiet) .....

Some magaqsines may also help with general knowleadge. Sound On Sound and Recording are two goods ones.

geoff

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: roblesinge

Date:9/17/2012 7:24:02 AM

Could you detail what exactly you're using? From the mic into the computer, list your entire chain. Otherwise, we're just guessing.

Rob.

Subject:RE: How to ...

Reply by: rraud

Date:9/17/2012 9:26:50 AM

Yes, we're just guessing. Can you post a clip in Dropbox, website ect.?