3 Replies Latest reply: Jun 3, 2014 9:35 AM by reindeer4 RSS

    Need help getting 3 audio clips to match a 4th

    reindeer4 Community Member

      Hi.  I'm going to be working on an animated video based on 4 audio clips.

      Clips 1,2, & 3 are similar quality and levels;  Clip 4 sounds richer and has higher levels.

      Re-recording is not an option.

      (Clips 1,2, & 3 came from a video camera where the right channel had lots of noise and was far from the subject, and the left channel was a lapel mike which was clean but low levels

      Clip 4 only recorded in the good left channel and levels were higher and overall quality sounded better)

       

      I tried using audition to separate into mono tracks, then dumped the right channel where the noise was.  I then created stereo channels for all 4 clips (just doubling the left) and added a little bit of reverb to 1,2 & 3 as well as raising volume to get closer to clip 4 - and this worked ok (much better than the originals)

       

      Below is a video with the original 4 snippets (just the left channels) - would appreciate any recommendations from experienced Audition users.  I need to get the audio as good as we can before splicing it up to make the animated video.

       

      Thanks for any suggestions.

       

       

        • 1. Re: Need help getting 3 audio clips to match a 4th
          reindeer4 Community Member

          Any suggestions on how to fix this?

           

          Also, if I use a main clip to make subclips in Adobe Premiere CS6 and then fix the original clips later in Audition, will those changes and improvement to the audio propagate through to the subclips - or would I have to start over with the improved main audio file and make new subclips again?

           

          thanks

          • 2. Re: Need help getting 3 audio clips to match a 4th
            therealdobro Community Member

            The problem isn't the levels, because you can just turn up the quieter clips to match the good clip.  The real problem is the difference in quality between the clips.  When you say Clip 4 sounds 'richer', you mean that it has more low end, more lower frequencies, whereas the other clips sound thin because they lack those lower frequencies.  Keeping in mind that you can't use an EQ filter to add frequencies that weren't recorded, my first experiment on the 'thin' clips would be to see if a parametric EQ set somewhere around 100 Hz could boost the lower end to make them sound more like the good clip.  If that doesn't work, then maybe you'll have to consider removing some of that low end from the good clip so that it matches what you've got in the thin clips.

            • 3. Re: Need help getting 3 audio clips to match a 4th
              reindeer4 Community Member

              Thank you.  The spectral frequency display gives visual confirmation of what you said, and boosting the low frequencies with an equalizer makes the audio clips sound much closer in quality without introducing the artifacts I got with reverb and levels.  Appreciate the help.