the best way to reduce noise?

hi i know i have some distortion there. But i would like to reduce the basic noise there..


where could i put this uncompressed file?
 
Upload it to youtube then we can hear what's going on. If you want to fix noise after the fact, there are audio plug-ins that allow you to select a sample of the noise only, then you can pull out the noise from the rest of the clip. It's not perfect, but you can lower the noise. I'm not sure, but Soundtrack Pro may have a filter like that.

EDIT
{{{{{OK I heard your youtube video}}}}}}} Yes you can reduce the noise with a "Noise Reduction" plug-in. I don't know what audio apps you have. Do you have any audio editors?
 
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I don't know if anyone has said this, but firstly a shotgun is not the best choice for indoor use. Second, when recording dialogue the mic should be between 1 and 2 feet from the mouth of the person speaking. This will help get your levels up.

ALSO TURN AGC OFF!!!! Auto gain compensation will raise the noise level when nobody is speaking.

Another thing is to not turn up your audio recording levels up all the way. Try keeping them at 50% - 75% at most. Turning levels up also turns up the noise.

You basically have a consumer camera and a mic plugged straight in. You need to get the signal coming into the camera louder. Maybe a JuicedLink box. YOu must pay attention with box' like Beachtek though because many times they do not turn up the mic, but only attenuate (turn down) from the level of the mic.


You have vegas, which is an awesome audio app. To remove hiss get some noise reduction plugs like I said. Try iZotope RX.Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP1PjS7Jrxg&feature=related


THis is cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTabBpjweBc&feature=related
 
Okay, I haven't had a chance to check out the clip yet -- the site is blocked here at work. But my next thought would be the connection between the Rode and the camera.

The Rode has an XLR connector, the camera has a stereo mini jack. So are you using a cable with an XLR connector on one end and a stereo mini plug on the other? Are you using one or more adapters to convert the XLR to a mini stereo? Is your mini plug a stereo plug or a mono plug? You could have a bad cable, a bad plug, or a bad adapter of some kind.

On playback, can you tell if the noise is only on one channel, or on both channels? If you're connecting a mono plug into a stereo jack, and the noise is only on one channel, the solution might be (a) a mono-to-stereo plug adapter, or (b) duplicating the good track to the opposite track in post.

Lastly, have you tried the mic on another camcorder? If you can find one with an XLR input, try it on that and see if it still makes noise. If it does, chances are you have a bad mic. If not, more investigation is in order.
 
I've skimmed through the online documentation, and there's not a lot of useful info in the manuals for your camera regarding connecting an external mic. But it does refer to the mic jack as the "MIC (PLUG IN POWER) JACK". Which makes me wonder if it is sending phantom power to the microphone. Maybe try taking the battery out of the NTG-2 and see what happens.

Also, as mentioned before, go into the camera's settings and make sure the mic volume is turned up to an adequate level.
 
hi all,

i will be able to do some more tests next week :(

I tested Audacity and i get nice results there.

Why is a Shotgun not the best choise for indoor?

Would you use this rode ntg-2 only for outside? What should i use for indoor and outdoor?

Thank you all for helping me.
 
Shotgun mics achieve extreme side rejection at the expense of back sensitivity, especially at lower frequencies. In an indoor setting there can be considerable reflection off of ceilings, again, particularly at lower frequencies, as well as other noises from above. So you could wind up with quite a bit of LF junk in the sound - boominess from the on-set sound itself, rumble from HVAC and other mechanical devices, thumps from upstairs neighbors walking around, etc.

Outdoors, there's no ceiling for anything to bounce off of, so with the typical downward facing orientation of the mic, its back sensitivity is almost irrelevant aside from things like aircraft. And its side rejection is ideal, because that's where most of the undesired sound will be coming from (traffic, pedestrians, construction crews, etc.).

So indoors, a hypercardiod, which has almost as much side rejection as a shotgun and quite a bit less back sensitivity, is a better bet.
 
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My first impression is:

- talking straight into the mice (don't, hold it in an angle of 45°)-
- holding mice with your hands..(ok for this example)
- a normal room noise, it's not a big hiss or electric noise
- is the window open ? soundengenieers DO have to suffer from hot weather outside !!!
so always windows closed and NO aircon on,(also a good advice for people recording on the set :-p)

Some solutions

- cut away the very high frequencies (17kHz - 20 kHz) with a EQ (parametric)
- a noise reducer could work also, but take care...

About the shotgun indoor: It's true that the best for indoor is cardiod or hypercardiod (cardiod is good for recording "environment sound of people takling for example".

BUT !! If you only have a shotgun, it's not a shame to use it. Only know that there are better solutions. You can make fire by scratching two stones, or with a lightner...
 
Try a Rode NT3 for indoor use. Maybe an Ocktiva MK12. Those are the inexpensive choices that still sound great. The NT3 runs on 9v battery too, and with your consumer camera you will need it. It lasts hours and hours on one battery. The NTG-2 has no power switch, and the battery keeps running down until you take it out of the mic.

I'm almost positive the hiss I heard is from the camera. Just turn off AGC, turn down your levels to 50%, and get close to the mic. Try it. Then get an NT3 for indoor use. They sound very very nice.
 
Chamber005 said:
I'm unclear why you're saying reducing hiss in post is that big of a challenge, though. I'm doing it for the first time now and it's pretty simple IMO. Any decent audio program is going to have a generic noise removal generator that will work pretty well. If he needs to get more specific he can attack the wave file directly and remove anything unwanted.
Click to expand...

Don't take this wrong but the above can only be said by someone who has either poor speakers, very low standards or is just not listening all that closely. I suspect the first and last since good speakers and a good listening environment are not all that high on most peoples lists and it takes time and experience to train your ears.

Tape hiss is pretty simple to remove with out having a big effect on the sound (of dialog) but broadband is often VERY hard to remove with out a lot of damage. And if you thing waveform editing is going to get you there talk into a mic and tap it. Now go and remove that thump with out touching the dialog. You won't do it at the waveform level. There are some tools that can do it but now we are talking $.
 
etrust said:
Hi,

i will make tomorrow the last test with the rode-ntg2 without battery and with fresh baterry and will tell you the result.

I have a old Behringer B-1.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHB1

Is this the correct one for indoor?
Click to expand...

For indoor what? The B1 is a side-address studio mic. Recording a singer in a studio or an announcer in a voice-over booth, sure. Recording dialog in a dramatic production, no. (Disregarding Behringer's questionable rep for quality mics.)
 
Berringer B1 is NOT the right type of mic. B1 is a large diaphragm condenser for singing, and voiceover. You need a small diaphragm condenser, hypercardioyd.



The NTG-2 will sound better running on Phantom power than with the battery. There is less noise running on Phantom.
 
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