Topic: Easy way to get Conversation out of Audio with Audacity Knockout?

[Denes]

I record with 44.1k 16 bit stereo from a Zoom H2.  I would like to cut down the folks chattering on my recordings.  I think there is a program called knockout, which just take what common in both channels and subtracts the rest.

I am having problems finding it.  Anyone try it.  How easy is it to use.

I have dodged the bullet with two sets of mics, I can pick between the two.  I only have a 8 foot stand.  I think a 12 footer may help there.

[yltfan]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=audacity+knockout

Other than that, I know nothing about this, apart from the fact that the experts around here (which I am not one of) pretty much all agree that you can't really remove the chatter without messing up the music.

[Denes]

Speak softy and carry a big mic stick.............   Mace and guard dogs might help too.....

This was a real small festival I went to.  I have (2) Zoom H2's with their own mics.   I put one near the speaker and another in the audience.  My lightstand is a Bogen 3362, only 8 feet tall.  My other one is a plain jane mic stand, maybe 7 feet tops.  The main problem I have is the machine itself with the attached mics.  Hard to see what you got up there and play around with the settings.  I usually check the db's during sound check, one vocal or instrument and set to -24db and so far so good.

The mic 5 feet away the speaker is new to me, sounded a bit bright on some, and a bit of a overkill on some instruments.  This place also had a forward center stage that was unused, I tried it there too.

How does a 12 foot tall mic stand compare to a 8 footer in chatter reduction?

[vanark]

Get some mics and get them up to 10 ft.  The chatter will fade away.  Cardioids or Hypercardioids will help reduce the audience noise as well.

I'd sell one of your  's and buy some mics and preamp.  Someone had a good deal on some AKG 393 + warm+ mod UA-5 in the Yard Sale.

[Denes]

I have noticed some recording have much less chatter in one channel over the other.   I have been tempted just to use one channel, for the simple fact it sounds better.

[yates7592]

You can't remove the chitty-chatty-irritating human voice with a plug-in without losing some of the music as well, for the simple fact that the frequencies of both overlap. If you can't get the mics up high (and a lot including myself cannot without attracting unwanted attention) then the next best thing is either to get right up to the stacks or right at the front where at least you have no chatty-Cathy's directly in front of you.

[cashandkerouac]

^^^agreed^^^

going high with the mics is a good strategy, but has diminishing returns if you go too high.  you don't want your mics above the direct sound coming from the stage and/or the stacks.

going up front can also be a good strategy, as it puts most (if not all) of the chatters behind you.  the downside with this strategy is that you will lose a lot of the voacals.

regarding software that will "erase" or minimize crowd noise, i haven't found anything that does that job.  the best solution is to use mics that are most appropriate for the job (based on the acoustics of the venue, the anticipated noise of the crowd and the location from which you plan to record).

i find clappers to be more of a hassle than chatters (at least in open taping situations).  Adobe Audition CS5.5 (via the auto heal function) does a great job of "erasing" or minimizing clappers near your mics, but you have to be very surgical.  it's also very time consuming.