Topic: How To "Fix" Whistles / Loud Clapping ??

[Tim]

Hard limiting is "cheap and dirty" but sounds OK.
Limit to 10db below peaks where the envelope goes to noise.
For me, that's usually -10db or -15db

There are times when I wonder why we don't just clip and burn with two-second gaps.

One day I will make a compilation recording of the worst of the "between song" stage banter and bad jokes.

Strong contenders:

SCI - The Gandhi joke
Dead - Bobby's Deer Hunter joke
BFFT - Batman/ Jed Clampett/ Wooton jokes
Buffett - almost everything that I've heard

Fishman's prison joke

[ashevillain]

Dead - Bobby's Deer Hunter joke

What show?

[kgreener]

I've used the "soft limiter" preset in the Graphic Dynamics section of Sound Forge with great results. 

fwiw...

[Chuck]

I've often thought that the best way to remove loud whistles & other obnoxious noises some people make at shows would be:

#1 - invent a "way-back" machine (so you can go back in time)
#2 - go back in time and "eliminate" that person from the show. This could be accomplished in several ways:
      1 - make sure he/she was never born (this would be tough, because you would have to do a lot of research, like finding his mother etc...)
      2 - Go back in time to just hours before the show is supposed to start and make something happen that prevents him from making it to the venue. Like, flatten all his tires, or send him on a wild goose chase.
      3 - Another good option that wouldn't require a lot of research would be to go back in time until just before he walks into the venue. Have some "thugs" stand outside the venue waiting to carry him off until the show is over.

Now, the hard part of doing it this way is inventing time travel...

If I could do that, I would go back in time to some of the Grateful Dead shows in the 1970's and make sure Donna didn't make it to the show. Like August 13, 1975... I'd like to hear that Eyes Of the World without her coming in at the wrong time and botching it...

[eman]

Well, time travel is one thing, but for me what works best is a thing called P.E.S.T.- or Portable Electro Shock Therapy. When a rabid clapper/whistler does it more than once in a 2 minute period, just move in behind them and WHAMMO! they will be as docile as a kitten for the rest of the show. I think Grace Designs makes a nice lightweight but powerful model...

Seriously, though, I haven't done it yet but a whistle has a very specific frequency and you can highlight it, open your parametric EQ and create a very tight band notch filter on that frequency. Use the "preview" button and play with the parameters- frequency, bandwidth, attenuation- until it is minimized.

Worst banter offender: Sam Bush (he can be funny, too, but some major groaners at every show)

[BC]

I've used the "soft limiter" preset in the Graphic Dynamics section of Sound Forge with great results. 

fwiw...

I do the same thing.

[BobW]

Dead - Bobby's Deer Hunter joke

What show?

Ooooh, must go into the analog stuff.....

Went something like, "So the game warden says hey buddy, I caught you, you're poaching.  The hunter carrying the deer on his back  looks at the warden and says I don't know what you mean, looks back over his shoulder and yells, "AHhhh!!! -  Get off "   THUMP !
 <rimshots>

[Brian Skalinder]

I did most of my removal with Audacity. Ctrl-R repeats the last amplitude adjustment. So I set it at -2.5dB and then just highlight and keep hitting ctrl-R.

Ugh, sounds tedious.  Try using compression to lower the claps to the level of the applause across an entire range all at the same time.  Sure beats zooming in and highlighting every single clap.  There are multiple threads here or in the Computer Recording forum about using compression to reduce loud claps.

[bluegrass_brad]

Ive found the best way to fix the whistling and clapping is to give them a good smack on the back of the head ....

course then you get all the yelling and cursing and that is a bitch to fix too.

[F.O.Bean]

stun guns are key

[spyder9]

stun guns are key

Tranquilizers are effective too.   

[F.O.Bean]

stun guns are key

Tranquilizers are effective too.

I keep those for myself