2 Replies Latest reply: Nov 5, 2014 12:47 AM by Alan Craven RSS

    Can I remove a background explosion? Boom!

    mksalva Community Member
    mksalva Nov 4, 2014 2:58 PM

      We were shooting a talking head video today, when a construction crew set off some dynamite for a new parking garage.

       

      The entire video was 7 1/2 minutes long, and he was almost finished talking, so I hated to make him stop and do the whole thing over again. Can I use Audition to minimize the noise?

       

      The speaker was saying a word when the explosion happened, in case that matters. It begins at about 6:14.84 and ends at about 6:15.03. So it only lasts about an one-eighth of a second. This is the timeline with and without the area highlighted.

       

      Can this be fixed? Can I do this in Audition? Or another application? I have CC & CC2014 installed.

       

      Thanks!

       

      explodey.jpg

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        • 1. Re: Can I remove a background explosion? Boom!
          SteveG(AudioMasters) Community Member
          SteveG(AudioMasters) Nov 4, 2014 3:08 PM (in response to mksalva)

          I think that you should be able to paint most of that out in spectral view, just by looking at what's either side of it and eliminating the parts that are different during the explosion. So that's mainly the upper and lower partials. You want to be careful at the start as well - I think (just from looking at it) that the actual boom starts fractionally later than the start of your highlighted area. It's worth zooming in when you edit this. Also, highlighting sections and loop previewing them so that you just hear what you've highlighted is often informative. Personally I'd use the lasso tool, but you get a choice; that's up to you.

          • 2. Re: Can I remove a background explosion? Boom!
            Alan Craven Community Member
            Alan Craven Nov 5, 2014 12:47 AM (in response to mksalva)

            The part of the boom that is in the higher frequencies can be replaced quickly by Copy and replace using  Mix Paste.  Select the area of the boom in the high frequency region above the wanted audio using a marquee.  Carefully drag the marquee horizontally to an area of ambient noise just before, or just after the boom, click Copy.  Carefully drag the marquee back over the boom.  Click Mix Paste, with the % of original set at zero.

             

            I find this is quicker and gives better results than painting, in spectral regions where there is no other audio you wish to keep.

             

            The lower frequencies will have to be painted out as Steve says.  Magnify the trace both vertically and horizontally while you do this to avoid removing wanted audio.  Listen to your results frequently, and avoid over-doing it!  It is all too easy to end up with an audible lack of sound frequencies by painting out unwanted sounds.

             

            Does the talent react visibly to the boom? If so do you really need to remove it, at least entirely?  If this is the case you then have a visible reaction with no cause!