Peaking audio fixes?

E

ebsseattle

Active member
I recorded an interview using a Sennheiser ME2 LAV and a wireless G3 system, but only after the fact realized the output signal from the transmitter was too high, clipping the high end of the audio. When recording, I had the recording levels lowered on the camera so audio didn't peak (useless in the end). Are there any fixes anyone can recommend as to ways to smooth out the audio peaks so it sound more natural, less clipped? It's just a 1-on-1 interview.
 
Generally, once clipped, the audio is ruined. There are programs that attempt to repair the file, but I've not been too impressed with the results. If you can supply a few seconds of problem audio, I'll give it a go for you.
 
While not guaranteed, iZotope RX Declip can possibly help. It all depends on the severity of it all.
 
What you really need the most is lots and lots and lots of patience. When it comes to noise reduction what always amazes me is that a very light pass with, say, iZotope RX2, then SoundSoap Pro, then iZotope RX2 again yields much better results than the do-it-all-in-one-pass "brute force" approach.

I took the multiple pass approach with some badly clipped audio (about ten seconds long) where I used iZotope RX2, then another pass with iZotope RX2, then did a few hand drawn fixes and then one with SoundSoap Pro. It took about 90 minutes (I was in a hurry). Was it great? Not at all, but it became close to tolerable; at least it wasn't painful to listen to.

I have heard amazing results with Cedar DeClip; rather pricey, however.
 
Always have to laugh though that if this happens in the picture dept they just make the shot black and white and arty, you see it all the time in interviews as they can't match the B camera shots!

You could always stick it through a distortion pedal and make it sound arty??? ala the vocals on Iggy Pop's Passenger? ;0)
 
I bought Rx because it was the only thing I could find that would "ease the pain" on some badly clipped FX recordings (it's hard to set a level on supersonic jet by's...). It can't "fix" the sound but it has done wonders on converting nasty digital clipping into much more tolerable analog sounding distortion.

In your case it's hard to tell. It's actually easier to lighten a hard digital clip than it is to smooth out analog distortion, it really depends on what it sounds like, and you can never really tell till you try it.

I have had amazing results and other cases I thought would be a piece of cake turn into nightmares.

Your best bet is to hand the clip over to someone who has a lot of tools and experience and see what they can do. Short of that you can get the demos of many of these things and play around and see if you can make a dent.

The ones that have worked for me are Rx and Sound Soap. In general Rx is a much better tool but on some problems SS seems to work better.
 
I think it's important to understand that there is no setting to adjust the output of the G3 transmitter. The transmitter adjustment is gain, controlling how much gain is applied to the microphone before the signal hits the rf stages.
On the receiver end, the adjustment is also gain. How much of the received signal is sent to the output jack.

I do believe that the Lectros and possibly zaxcom do allow you to adjust transmitter power but that would not create distortion or signal clipping.

ebsseattle said:
I recorded an interview using a Sennheiser ME2 LAV and a wireless G3 system, but only after the fact realized the output signal from the transmitter was too high, clipping the high end of the audio. When recording, I had the recording levels lowered on the camera so audio didn't peak (useless in the end). Are there any fixes anyone can recommend as to ways to smooth out the audio peaks so it sound more natural, less clipped? It's just a 1-on-1 interview.
Click to expand...
 
"I do believe that the Lectros and possibly Zaxcom do allow you to adjust transmitter power but that would not create distortion or signal clipping."
- Yes some have RF power settings... and lowering the RF level would not have helped in the OP's case. BTW, the RF on the SK100 transmitters are fixed at 30mW The OP likely had the transmitter's sensitivity set incorrectly... repairing that type of clipping is difficult, if not impossible. Most clip restoration software is for the digital (overflow) type.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top