Topic: Attenuating clapping in live recordings - the easy way

[LoveBuzz81]

How can you attenuate/filter only frequencies that are above a certain db level?  (for quiet performances with clapping 10 db's louder than the music.). This should be straightforward... not sure how to execute this with Logic or Audacity.

My preferred way in Audacity:

1. Highlight the area with loud clapping.
2. Effect > Hard Limiter
3. Set Residue Level to 0.7  Basically this softens the limiter somewhat making it not sound offensive like a limiter often does.
4. Set dB limit to -12 or so.  You may have to set it a little bit lower than you think because changing the Residue Level makes your setting here less than a "hard" limit.
5. Hit OK, then decide if that does what you wanted it to without actually limiting the music.  You will have to go back and forth and undo / redo a couple of times to get it where you want.  Make sure to leave Residue Level at 0.7, but adjust the dB limit.

I don't see Hard Limiter under effects in Audacity.  I'm using Noise Gate in LPX w/ the duck feature.  Not too effective.

[Sloan Simpson]

Limiter

Any particular type of limiter?  Basically I want to filter all frequencies/sound -6db and louder and then normalize the wav file.

Any limiter will do that, though some have more control than others over how it's accomplished. I use FabFilter Pro-L.

Hmm, I'm trying a noise gate but it's only filtering sound below a certain threshold rather than above.  I'll check out some other plugins.

Do you use a hammer for screws? Wrong tool.

[mandodon]

Just recorded some at a bluegrass festival where there is clapping and yelling after some solos or in the middle of solos while songs are being played. Any advice for that? Just limit the whole recording?

[voltronic]

Just recorded some at a bluegrass festival where there is clapping and yelling after some solos or in the middle of solos while songs are being played. Any advice for that? Just limit the whole recording?

Don't limit the whole recording; just limit those sections.

[Sloan Simpson]

I'd run the limiter across the entire set. If you don't want it to limit the music just set the threshold above the music's peaks.

[Sloan Simpson]

Just re-read the thread, almost everything in here looks needlessly time-consuming IMO. Using a limiter VST plugin in Reaper (I use FabFilter Pro-L) I'm able to find my threshold within seconds while the music plays and I can observe meters and see what's being limited and what isn't. I haven't made a selection regarding clapping in at least a decade. I spend a few seconds setting up a limiter at the end of my plugin chain, render and enjoy 

[nak700s]

I have always highlighted each clap and reduced the gain of that clap. Works great and sounds very natural. But this seems like the way to go

I do the same thing...1/100th of a second at a time.  I don't believe in compression, and find this to be the most natural sounding solution.  I'd like to know if the suggestions here are as natural sounding... Please let me know if you try them, considering we both seem to be of the same school of thought.

[Sloan Simpson]

All of these techniques are reducing dynamic range, or compression. Some just choose to do so manually.

[opsopcopolis]

All of these techniques are reducing dynamic range, or compression. Some just choose to do so manually.

Yup. Manually pulling all the claps is just doing exactly what limiter would be doing.

Also +1 for Fab Filter. Love that thing

[ol' dirty taper]

Would someone with Fab Filter or similar be able to walk through their process? Having a hell of a time finding the right settings on a tape I have.