Audio editing

[Shadetreesurgeon]

Recorded a vlog with a new mic but unfortunately it picked a whole lot of engine noise from my bike and drowned out my voice a bit... anyone ever use garage band or something to edit their audio and try to take exhaust noise down or even out altogether? Dont know if its even possible..

 

[RoBoCox]

Audacity is a free program with alot of good videos on youtube about how to use it and stuff, should check that out

 

[Shirou]

It is not possible. Exhaust sound blends very well with voice, there is no easy way to remove it.

 

[CBRHoonigan]

ring CSI they can do that i saw it on their show

 

[Shadetreesurgeon]

Lol, yeah... guess I'm gonna have to do that over again. Oh well...its not like I'm being punished I just go ride my motorcycle more!

 

[CaptainCranky]

Probably not possible mate - I export my sound into my recording studio sometimes and can adjust for, say, a boomy voice (take lower mid and bass out) but Shirou is probably right that you can't separate the exhaust from the voice. Perhaps a quick way to check would be just to play the footage back through anything you have that has EQ controls ( a stereo, media player (has an eq setting) etc.) - see if it sounds any better if you play with the EQ.

 

[finnoctane]

In Audacity play with the equalizer at different frequencies on the audio track. You may be able to remove loudness from the exhaust at the lower end but in the mids (around 1000Hz) where the voice sits you may struggle. Once you develop you own equalizer graph you can use it to get the voice track cleaner on all your vlogs.

 

[Arctic Pride]

I switched helmets and this happened, I had to play with my mic position as well as the deadening...Best stuff I've used so far was cut up kitchen sponges thanks to Dan

 

[kuhlka]

Probably not possible mate - I export my sound into my recording studio sometimes and can adjust for, say, a boomy voice (take lower mid and bass out) but Shirou is probably right that you can't separate the exhaust from the voice. Perhaps a quick way to check would be just to play the footage back through anything you have that has EQ controls ( a stereo, media player (has an eq setting) etc.) - see if it sounds any better if you play with the EQ.

Best way I found to record exhaust audio is to wrap a remote mic in a microfiber cloth and put it under the seat. No way in hell you'd get voice audio in that location. For the Diavel I get a nice bassy exhaust note. Might have to try merging an audio source from there with my in-helmet audio to see how the exhaust sound turns out. Since I switched to the Sony AS100v, I no longer have gain adjustment, so I can't dial down to isolate the voice like I can with my Contour+. Here's an example of the under seat audio.

Under the seat, needs gain to be dropped

Built-in mic

In Helmet with foam/glove wrap behind cheekpad, gain dialed down on Contour+

No gain adjustment (automatic) Sony AS100v, same foam/glove deal but better Sony omnidirectional mic

 

[Arctic Pride]

How much wind blocking do you have on the sony mic? It definitely sounds crisp

 

[kuhlka]

How much wind blocking do you have on the sony mic? It definitely sounds crisp

I took a 1" square chunk of foam padding from my Razer Sabertooth case, cut a hole in the center and stuffed the mic into it. stuffed that into the thumb of a rubber glove and tied off the end. Stuffed that into my left cheek pad near my mouth. My voice isn't as isolated as I'd like, but it's better than before. The better quality stereo mic probably helps as well. It's a Sony ECM-CS10. Previous mic is a mono Pyle-Pro PLM3. Neither of those mics are powered.

 

[ariderslife]

Use sound insulation Foam, i did,
works awesome

 

[kuhlka]

Use sound insulation Foam, i did,
works awesome

Got a good source for buying the stuff?

 

[Shirou]

Got a good source for buying the stuff?

"Buying"?
It's free, it's around the house. Find any piece of rubber foam like dish washing sponges or the likes. Some stuff comes packaged with it.

 

[kuhlka]

"Buying"?
It's free, it's around the house. Find any piece of rubber foam like dish washing sponges or the likes. Some stuff comes packaged with it.

Not all foam is created equal. There is open cell, closed cell, rubber, sponge, neoprene... Has anyone done any testing to see which works best for isolating voice in a helmet? Any is better than none, obviously, but I'd like an at least semi-scientific experimentation to see what works best. Hell, we could vlog about it.

 

[Shirou]

There are way too many variables to research, it is not only "mic" against "Motorcycle speed".
Things that influence the result:
Microphone: Type of mic, position, connection, circuit between mic and camera.
Recording device: Here we can agree on a brand or specific device like a drift camera but a gopro will have a completely different result since the mic input is not handled the same way.
Helmet: Type, brand, age, noise isolation capabilities, fitting, head shape, general helmet "noisyness", open or closed visor.
Mic gizmos: dead cat, foam, sponge, rubber, amplified mic (Useless for action cameras).

I started with an average setup and began improving the audio by moving it around until it pleased me, only to find it was very sensitive to wind, I added then a mic foam and it got better, then that mic got some rain on it and stopped working, I replaced it with another one I made and added foam and rubber glove thinghy as suggested in the forum and now I have crisp sound that doesn't even clip when I scream.

It is my opinion that sound quality isn't the heart of vlogging and it doesn't even matter. I don't watch 2 of the popular names because most of the time I cannot even hear what they say, or the audio is constantly clipping. Another issue is way too much exhaust noise, I can't handle watching a 10 minute vlog with constant whirring in the background and so loud I can barely make out what the vlogger is saying. That didn't keep subs from coming to them though.
So, aside from the feeling that you're giving not only entertainment but your most polished and best quality product, sound is not as important with most people watching vlogs out there.

 

[CaptainCranky]

Best way I found to record exhaust audio is to wrap a remote mic in a microfiber cloth and put it under the seat. No way in hell you'd get voice audio in that location. For the Diavel I get a nice bassy exhaust note. Might have to try merging an audio source from there with my in-helmet audio to see how the exhaust sound turns out. Since I switched to the Sony AS100v, I no longer have gain adjustment, so I can't dial down to isolate the voice like I can with my Contour+. Here's an example of the under seat audio.

Under the seat, needs gain to be dropped

Built-in mic

In Helmet with foam/glove wrap behind cheekpad, gain dialed down on Contour+

No gain adjustment (automatic) Sony AS100v, same foam/glove deal but better Sony omnidirectional mic

That's really good - agreed about under-seat. I combined my exhaust and voice with a simple splitter, 2 mics and positioning. Under seat was too loud, but mounted on my seat bag was perfect

 

[ariderslife]

Got a good source for buying the stuff?

I got mine from a Music Shop, $12 bucks for this massive 90cm by 90cm foam padding. Acoustic foam i think its technically called.