Help with DVD Audio

[7string]

Ok, here's one for you. I have a project. This band was videotaped onto VHS and then converted to DVD. Now I have to take the audio from the DVD and 'fix' it so that it sounds decent. I don't have to put the audio BACK on the video. The goal is to put it on CD. The video was taken by the bassists girlfriend who was sitting in front of the bassist during the show so the bass is loud as hell. The drums and guitar are kinda lacking (understatement). And whatever she aimed the camera at became the dominant part of the sound, HOWEVER she was still in front of the bassist, so no matter where she aimed the camera the bass was still louder than everything else. Here's a track from the DVD that I got just by playing the DVD into SF. Any suggestions? And if it has to do with EQ, please be very specific. Thanks!

 

[Wireneck]

Im listening and the main thing that jumps out at me is that it sounds like there is a blanket dumped over the mix. If I did anything it might just be to brighten it up slightly. This could present more problems though since it was just ripped from a VHS (tape noise/etc, well I think haha?).
Otherwise the mix itself doesn't really bug me, knowing that it just came off a video camera mic. Not too bad.

 

[XLR]

7string, I'm going to tinker with the file a little and try some things. Sounds like it's just hyper compressed from the camera mic's AGC, along with the bass proximity issue. Figuring some Waves multiband uncompressor tricks, some harmonic exciter to add a little artificially derived high end, or just some EQ will help. Will return tomorrow with maybe a suggestion or two.

Tim

 

[7string]

7string, I'm going to tinker with the file a little and try some things. Sounds like it's just hyper compressed from the camera mic's AGC, along with the bass proximity issue. Figuring some Waves multiband uncompressor tricks, some harmonic exciter to add a little artificially derived high end, or just some EQ will help. Will return tomorrow with maybe a suggestion or two.

Tim

Dammit Tim! Speak English!

That would be great! I don't have the ear YET to pick those things out and that is exactly what I was hoping for. An uncompressor would never have occured to me. Anything you can do to point me in the right directions for all this (there's about 1o songs that I have to deal with - NOT to mention the songs with Dick Wagner) would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Look forward to hearing the final results.

 

[7string]

Im listening and the main thing that jumps out at me is that it sounds like there is a blanket dumped over the mix. If I did anything it might just be to brighten it up slightly. This could present more problems though since it was just ripped from a VHS (tape noise/etc, well I think haha?).
Otherwise the mix itself doesn't really bug me, knowing that it just came off a video camera mic. Not too bad.

Well the VHS tape was converted to DVD and then I just played the DVD and recorded with Sound Forge. I'm not as familiar with the way things record to video as some people here which is why I came crying for help!

 

[XLR]

I just did a quick try using Izotope Ozone's multiband processors and got two versions to listen to. Monitoring w/cans so who knows what they'll sound like on speakers .

Version A uses the multiband compressor with 3 bands: top band from 1.5 kHz on up is using an expander setting (1.5:1 with threshold at -4 dB), the lower bands are compressing very slightly - which even though the whole file was already limited to death, seemed to reduce the bass with a better sound than using EQ. Lower crossover point was at 150 Hz.

Version B does all that and adds some stereo widening. Main drawback of B is that when it's summed to mono it pretty much becomes outer limits noise. Don't know if either of these will be close to what you need but here they are.

Tim

 

[7string]

I just did a quick try using Izotope Ozone's multiband processors and got two versions to listen to. Monitoring w/cans so who knows what they'll sound like on speakers .

Version A uses the multiband compressor with 3 bands: top band from 1.5 kHz on up is using an expander setting (1.5:1 with threshold at -4 dB), the lower bands are compressing very slightly - which even though the whole file was already limited to death, seemed to reduce the bass with a better sound than using EQ. Lower crossover point was at 150 Hz.

Version B does all that and adds some stereo widening. Main drawback of B is that when it's summed to mono it pretty much becomes outer limits noise. Don't know if either of these will be close to what you need but here they are.

Tim

I think all they want is to get as close to the live CD's as they can get, which I know is impossible with the vidcam's mic. I like them both but B sounded a bit more 'brittle' than the A to me. But both are great! More than I could do. I'm still trying to figure out compression so multiband is WAY above my head.

You say it was limited to death. Was this from the vidcam's mic? Or was it from my recording it to SF?

You should see the vid. In the middle of the song, right after the drum solo break the guitarist screws up and he points his right hand like it's a gun at his left hand and shoots it for screwing up! hahaha

The more I listen to them the more I like B even though it sounds a bit brittle or high endy to me. But that may just be these Altec 2.1's. "A" sounds a bit more full but the bass is still pretty heavy.

Oh, and here's the background for those that don't know. Dick Wagner played with the Frost back in the 60's and then went on to play with Alice Cooper writing some of his biggest hits (Only Women Bleed, Welcome To My Nightmare, How You Gonna See Me Now, etc.) and he is now living in Mid-Michigan. The band threw him a surprise birthday party back in 1997 but he thought he was just coming up to jam with the band.

So now you know why they want to 'memorialize' the show.

Thanks Tim! I may try recording it again with lower levels or something. They seemed pretty low to me when I dubbed them the first time but maybe I'll play with it and try to get a more natural sound or something.

 

[XLR]

I tried another approach using just EQ and I like it better. Just putzing around in something outside my normal sphere so I realize none of these may be much of an improvement really but it's fun to mess with for a few minutes.

Tim

 

[7string]

I tried another approach using just EQ and I like it better. Just putzing around in something outside my normal sphere so I realize none of these may be much of an improvement really but it's fun to mess with for a few minutes.

Tim

Wow. That sounds really good! You're right, this IS fun to mess with. I've just realized that I've moved from mixing to mastering! Is that a good thing?

I messed with another one of the songs today. Here are the dry version and the fixed version. Am I going in the right direction do you think?

I think what you did to the first one sounds better than what I did though.

 

[7string]

Da bump da bump da bump!

 

[XLR]

I listened to my first two hacks on the OP file, finally on speakers rather than cans, and don't like either. That Ozone multiband crossover's filters just do bad things to the sound IMO. And it's way to active in the 7 kHz area or there abouts. I kind of like the last version I did though, compared to the original.

The song2dry and song2fixed files you did are going in a good direction I think. To my ear, on my system, I think you might want a little more low end in the fixed version, but it's a tough balance to get from a video camera's built-in mic that sounds like it was pegged the whole time.

Anyway it's been fun tinkering with it, and I love the band's performance - especially the lead gtr.

Tim

 

[7string]

I listened to my first two hacks on the OP file, finally on speakers rather than cans, and don't like either. That Ozone multiband crossover's filters just do bad things to the sound IMO. And it's way to active in the 7 kHz area or there abouts. I kind of like the last version I did though, compared to the original.

The song2dry and song2fixed files you did are going in a good direction I think. To my ear, on my system, I think you might want a little more low end in the fixed version, but it's a tough balance to get from a video camera's built-in mic that sounds like it was pegged the whole time.

Anyway it's been fun tinkering with it, and I love the band's performance - especially the lead gtr.

Tim

Thanks Tim! I was thinking the same thing as I was tweaking but I'm always afraid of too much bass so I brought it down some. I'll have another look at it.