micrphone wind noise

[DickL]

I'm trying to restore some live tape recordings from the 70's which have the mike cleverly placed under an air-conditioning vent, so there is a lot of win pop and rumble. Most of the energy is below 300 hz, so cutting everything below that makes the recording intelligible, but the cellos become violins and the bassoon is now a clarinet. I've spent hours with different filters, but nothing seems to work as well as the hi-pass approach. Does anyone have any experience with this problem?
Thanks, Dick

[Craig Maier]

Re: micrphone wind noise

There are two possible approaches to the problem. If you have an area of the recording wherein there only exists the noises of the air conditioner, try using the Continuous Noise Filter. Sample just the noise and then apply the filter. The other alternative is a filter found under the Forensics menu called the Adaptive Filter. Try it first in normal mode and then alternatively try it in keep residue mode. I think that the first mode has the best chance of working, but it is worth while to try both. I hope that this helps.

[Dan McDonald]

Re: micrphone wind noise

I have had pretty good results with the adaptive filter. The other night my son was working on a music project and his collaborator had recorded his portion with a radio playing in the background (the night before the project was due, with no time to get him to re-record it). We were able to use the adaptive filter to cut out most of the radio background without adversely affecting the acoustic guitar part he needed for the project.

Also, if the mic is reproducing kind of a "boomy" sound from the wind, I've had pretty good luck with the paragraphic equalizer set at the "100 hz -16dB shelf" setting.

Dan

[DickL]

Re: micrphone wind noise

Thanks for the tips on the adaptive filter. I've spent most of the time struggling with the continuous filter which really does a good job of cutting the noise as well as the music. Never tried making a 78 out of a tape recording before. Not only is the first reel entirely bad, but the 2nd one too. Down with 2-head tape recorders.

[Craig Maier]

The DCForensics10.5 has a special wind noise filter. It is designed for exactly that purpose. You can find it at www.diamondcut.com