Clean up noise on MP3 file with Audacity

E

EssKayKay

New member
Hello,

I am an old guy who is very new to audio editing so please bear with me (something to pass the time in my retirement). I am using Audacity. I realize Audacity isn’t much of an editor and surely not a DAW but the price is right and basically it works for me. Maybe it is not applicable for this forum and if so please accept my apology; otherwise, I’d like a little help with this if possible.

I have a recording of a garage band from the early 1960’s (we were in 6th grade) which has been exported to an MP3 file and imported into Audacity. The problem is parts of the recording are very noisy (I have no idea where this noise came from).

I know how to create a Noise Profile and use such to clean the file accordingly and have done so for some of recording but am still having a problem with a very noisy portion that happens a few times throughout the recording. The problem, I do not know how to isolate just the noise as there are other things being recorded along with it. When I use the noisy portion of the file to create the profile and run the “cleanup” it removes most all the recording, not just the noise.

Does anyone know if this is possible and if so could possibly explain to a dummy like me how to clean it up? I have attached a small portion of what I am talking about where you will hear “noise” jump in at between 5-13 seconds (the actual recording is about twenty minutes long).

Thanks,
Steve K.
 

Attachments

  • Noise.mp3
    303.7 KB · Views: 22
I’ve not had any luck with the noise removal that’s in Audacity on anything complicated, i.e., if you don’t have a clear capture of the noise. Even then the artifacts can be unacceptable IME.

Izotope’s RX is the tool you probably want to try. ($$) It can do some amazing things though I still find the occasional electrical glitch can be niggling.

If you want to send me a short clip of the problem I can give it a shot.

Oops. Saw you have an attachment. I’ll give it a look when I get home.
 
Wow, that's pretty bad, and even the part without noise is bad. Sounds like the original tape deck must have had some bad flutter, or you were scruffing off oxide so bad it was affecting the transfer.

I tried a quick "spectral noise repair" and didn't have a lot of luck. (MP3 attached.) There's so much other noise that it's hard to not impact the recording. But, I'm no RX expert and use it for quick cleanups of vocals usually from open mic recordings. Probably someone more versed in the finer points of that tool can do better!

Honestly, at that particular spot, if it's the only one, it's repetitive enough it seems like you could easily copy/paste the same parts (from where that noise does not occur) over that and it would be fine.

View attachment Noise-rx.mp3
 
Thank you all for your interest, concern, and help. Yes, this is a very dirty recording from one of my Jr. HS friends who just discovered it. He recorded it over 50 years ago so it is what it is. It did bring back memories and that was great, I was just hoping to hear it a bit better.

Again my thanks....
Steve K.
 
You could try downloading the demo of Sound Forge from MAGIX? Gives you 30 days to play for free but if the previous incumbents have had little luck, not a LOT of hope.

Dave.
 
check out free audio editor. works for editing wav formats... you can then compress with audacity.

you may want to try reducing the high shelf or adding a lil roll off in the "air" range, ie 10khz and higher
 
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