Removing Background Conversations in Audition

Question

I recorded some spur of the moment interviews using my DSLR at an event. The people I interviewed came out well enough for my ears to discern what they are saying, but there is a lot of background conversation "noise." Most of it isn't perceptible words, but it is loud enough to be distracting. I've tried Googling the issue and most of the noise reduction suggestions I've found seem focused on removing air conditioners, music, etc.

I think the challenge I'm running into is that I'm not trying to remove sound that is significantly lower in frequency. I do have several really good seconds of pure background sound recorded that I've tried to use as a sample in Adobe's "noise reduction (process)" tool. Actually Final Cut Pro X's automatic noise reduction was probably better at isolating the real conversation, but ended up creating a terribly tinny result.

Can anyone offer advice on how to specifically reduce the volume of background conversations in Adobe Audition CC?

http://sound.stackexchange.com/questions/39996/how-to-lower-unwanted-sound-and-raise-desired-sound-in-a-recording/39997#39997 there's a similar question here , might help :) — frcake, Dec 04 '16 at 13:04
In fact, this situation almost perfectly duplicates the question frcake limited and will face the exact say pitfalls. It's definitely worth reading through in it's entirety before deciding if a new question is needed! — , Dec 13 '16 at 22:40

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 03 '16 at 21:47

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It is likely impossible to remove undesired voices from a reecording when they are in the same frequency range as the voices that you wish to retain. Suggest using better microphone and/or mic position. And monitoring audio during recording is just as important as watching the viewfinder. You have demonstrated why this is so important.

answered Dec 03 '16 at 21:47

Richard Crowley

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I was afraid of that. It was the sort of situation that didn't lend itself well to doing any monitoring. I'll need to improve for next time, though. Thanks, Richard. – Timothy R. Butler Dec 03 '16 at 23:50
Even ear-buds from your phone or music player would be better than no monitoring at all. – Richard Crowley Dec 04 '16 at 02:48

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 05 '16 at 11:55

The microphone on a DSLR is only suitable for guide track - not for production audio. For any production audio you need to be recording with a decent shotgun mic or a correctly placed lavalier. It's not worth even attempting to try and fix something like this in post - it's really not going to be possible to get a usable result.

The microphone will be pretty much omnidirectional and if you are unlucky enough to have an image stabilizing lens, it will be recording mostly the gyro in the lens.

My honest suggestion is to go rent some decent sound gear and go get the interview again. You will need at the very minimum, a shotgun mic and an external recorder.

Removing Background Conversations in Audition

2 Answers2