Subject:Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Posted by: Robert P

Date:5/16/2011 11:32:10 AM

Looking for suggestions as to how to treat a particular audio file, 44.1 mono. Want to bring out the clarity and tame some harsh peakiness and boominess, yet maintain the basic dynamic character of the audio - i.e. don't want it sounding ultra compressed.

Here's a .wav file with 3 sample sections that demonstrate the issues. Guitar and male vocal, guitar and female vocal, then both together. The guitar is a bit peaky, the male vocal has some issues with both low freq's and kind of a harsh graininess in his vocal delivery. There are some harsh spikes in the female voice, even outright distortion in a few places.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/11/1809238//Raw_Sample.wav

What I have to work with is SoundForge 8, also have a 3 band compressor plugin. So far, having a difficult time getting rid of all peakiness and harshness.

All input will be appreciated.

Thanks

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:5/16/2011 12:41:54 PM

I smoothed out the upper-mid spectrum, and put in a bit of peak limiting and normalized. Pretty subtle, really.

If you like it, I'll post my settings. Sample is good, I wouldn't mess with it too much.

Right-click and "Save Link As"
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20519276/Raw_SampleEQ.wav

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: rraud

Date:5/16/2011 1:30:37 PM

I did about the same as MV, EQ and a comp/limiter. Staying within the SF world of processes, I used the Graphic EQ and Wave Hammer. On the EQ, gently roll-off below 120Hz, and a slight notch around 3-5kHz.
Wave Hammer: ( about 3.5:1 ratio, with a max of about 7dB of gain reduction on the peaks, 20ms attack; 200ms release, I disengaged the 'auto makeup gain' and engaged the 'Smooth Saturation'. I used only 1-2 dBs GR in the secondary 'Mazimizer' stage which seems to bring out a gritty distortion in the lead & backing vocal segment. I topped it off with a slight bit of reverb (small plate), w/pre-delay of about 100ms for a very subtle ambient slap-back.

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: Robert P

Date:5/16/2011 2:00:36 PM

Hi musicvid, I appreciate the effort. I'm really hoping to smooth it out more than this.

Some things I'm specifically hearing. Still too much resonance/boominess in the male vocal such as in the phrase "...there's some kind of madness, *IN* your eyes..." on the word "IN" -

Still hearing big loud spots on the female voice on the second sample

"...mmmm*WHOAH*..."
"....*AND* I said we can't...."
"...*BABY* all this talkin'...."

etc.

Trying to get it to where I can crank the volume a bit and it's not like an icepick in the brain, similar to a commercial recording, where there aren't any big "hits" on your ears sonically even at fairly loud volume.

The difficulty I'm having is achieving this without carving out so much with EQ that it ends up sounding tubby or compressing it to death, still retaining the character of the guitar (yet have it not be as peaky), etc.

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: rraud

Date:5/16/2011 2:56:49 PM

In a 'mixed' track it's difficult to separate the tracks. This is the result I got w/o spending more than a few minutes on it.
http://db.tt/HHzx7d2

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: Robert P

Date:5/16/2011 3:56:46 PM

Per rraud

"..In a 'mixed' track it's difficult to separate the tracks. This is the result I got w/o spending more than a few minutes on it..."

Can you advise what you did? Where you got closer to what I'm looking for is on the 2nd sample, the girl's vocal - the peaks are closer to being tamed while not making her sound muffled/tubby.

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: musicvid10

Date:5/16/2011 6:06:41 PM

rraud,
Well, at least two sets of professional ears are hearing nearly the same thing. I would again advise the OP not to overcompensate at this stage; he'll listen to it again in six weeks and it will sound perfect (trust me, I'm a producer).

rraud: gently roll-off below 120Hz,
musicvid: -3dB, 1 octave@200Hz

rraud: a slight notch around 3-5kHz
musicvid: -3dB, .3 oct.@2800Hz and -4dB, .5oct.@4000Hz

rraud: Wave Hammer: ( about 3.5:1 ratio, with a max of about 7dB of gain reduction on the peaks
musicvid: Normalization to -14dB RMS with dynamic peak compression "On" (nearly the same outcome).
Note: OP could norm to -12dB RMS and get closer to what he would like to hear ;?)

rraud: a slight bit of reverb (small plate),
musicvid: Didn't do this, but would also have "wettened" a bit if it was my own content.

Quite amazing really, considering the wide variations in the way musicians "hear" the same content.

Subject:RE: Suggestions on how to treat this audio file?

Reply by: rraud

Date:5/17/2011 9:56:50 AM

I used the 'Peak' detection algorithm on the 1st stage of Wave Hammer where my maximum gain reduction was more like 5-6dB. In addition, a slight graphic fade envelope (about 0.8dB "manual compression") was applied to the most 'obnoxious' peaks prior to the 'EQ> Wave Hammer' process.
I hear ya MV. "listen to it again in six weeks"...sometimes overnight makes a difference.
Cheers, Rick