Audacity Help - remove audio below certain volume?

WolfWraith

WolfWraith

I Love YTtalk
As the title suggest I'm looking for a way to remove audio below a specific volume/db, for example anything below 0.5. I know how to remove background noise but I specifically want to remove waveforms below a certain db without it effecting the volumes above it. If I set the noise removal tool too high it can make things sound robotic so that's a no go as far as I can tell.

Here's an image of what I'm talking about with the parts I want to remove in red, if that helps:
audacity example.jpg

Currently the only way I can do this is manually but that means literally finding each and every point and just deleting/silencing the audio throughout the entire track which is an absolute pain.
 
What you're looking for is called a noise gate. I don't use Audacity anymore though so I'm not sure it has the function.

Basically a noise gate is a threshold below which sounds are removed. The problem is the same as with any automated process though. It can sound really abrupt as it transitions from audio to no audio. So it will do the parts in red from your picture, but it will also chop off beginnings and ends of other waveforms that you don't want adjusted. Might be worth a try though.

Are those keyboard clicks?
 
Tarmack said:
What you're looking for is called a noise gate. I don't use Audacity anymore though so I'm not sure it has the function.

Basically a noise gate is a threshold below which sounds are removed. The problem is the same as with any automated process though. It can sound really abrupt as it transitions from audio to no audio. So it will do the parts in red from your picture, but it will also chop off beginnings and ends of other waveforms that you don't want adjusted. Might be worth a try though.

Are those keyboard clicks?
Click to expand...
Thanks, I will look into that, but if it does cut of beginnings and ends of waveforms it may cause problems for the commentary. Unfortunately it's a combination of breathing and sounds that my chair makes. I try not to move around as much as possible when recording but sometimes it's inevitable and I find it can be distracting when it pops up in the recordings. Apparently there's a plugin for it for Audacity, I might try it out and see how it goes.
 
It's more just that a noise gate doesn't descriminate types of audio. You set a threshold and everything below that threshold is zeroed out. So, looking at your waveform, there are parts before and after speaking that would meet the criteria.

Honestly, what you're trying to avoid is part of the job of a good editor. :) Going through and dealing with the minute nonsense in a recording.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top