Podcasting Hacks

Fix Common Audio Problems

Advice from the experts on how to fix common problems in recorded sounds.

I’ve rounded up some solutions to common audio problems. In audio you always have many ways to do a single thing. You can use these as a starting point on the way to finding your own solution.

Reduce Wind Noise

Wind noise creates a loud rumbling that is below the 100 Hz level in recordings. You can use a low-pass filter or EQ [Hack #57] to attenuate this effect. However, it’s unlikely you will be able to remove the noise entirely. You should aim to reduce it to an unobtrusive background level and go from calling it noise to calling it ambience instead [Hack #64] .

The ideal solution is to resample the sound with a windscreen and a filter on the microphone to take out wind noise.

Give Your Voice a Phat Sound

Starting with a good clean signal, you can add some depth by using an EQ to boost the mid and low ranges from about 1.5 kHz down. A slight reverb helps, though you will want to dial this in to make sure you aren’t adding so much that the sound feels over-processed. Set the reverb to a small room and set the wet/dry mix very low [Hack #58] . You don’t want to hear the delayed signal, you just want to double the existing sound to phatten it out a little.

If you have the chance to do a retake on the sound, have the person move much closer to the microphone. This will make use of the proximity effect, and the microphone will pick up more of the natural depth of the voice.

Obscure a Voice ...