AUDIO RESTORATION SERVICES
With our professional audio restoration service you will receive cleaner recordings that are ready to be used on your project.
we de-noise and restore your audio recordings, removing imperfections such as unwanted clicks, crackles, natural reverb and more.
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What is Audio Restoration?
Audio restoration is the process of removing imperfections from sound recordings. These imperfections can include noise, clicks, crackles, hiss, hum, distortion, and other audio artifacts that downgrade the quality of the audio. The goal is to improve the clarity, fidelity, and overall quality of the audio while preserving the original content as much as possible.
Key Techniques in Audio Restoration
Noise Reduction
Hiss Removal: Hiss is a high-frequency noise often present in analog recordings or poorly digitized audio. Techniques like spectral subtraction or noise profiling help in reducing hiss.
Hum Removal: Hum is typically a low-frequency noise (50/60 Hz) caused by electrical interference. Filters, like notch filters, can effectively remove hum.
Broadband Noise Reduction: This involves reducing continuous background noise without affecting the primary audio. Algorithms identify and reduce the noise profile while preserving the desired signal.
Hum Removal: Hum is typically a low-frequency noise (50/60 Hz) caused by electrical interference. Filters, like notch filters, can effectively remove hum.
Broadband Noise Reduction: This involves reducing continuous background noise without affecting the primary audio. Algorithms identify and reduce the noise profile while preserving the desired signal.
Click and Pop Removal
Impulse Noise Removal: Clicks and pops are brief, disruptive sounds. Algorithms detect these transients and replace them with audio interpolated from surrounding samples.
De-crackling
Similar to click removal but focuses on removing continuous crackle sounds that are often present in old vinyl records. This process involves detecting and reducing fine transient noise throughout the audio track.
Distortion Correction
Distortion occurs when the audio signal is clipped or overloaded. Restoration software uses harmonic analysis to reduce distortion and restore the audio to a more natural state
Reverb and Echo Reduction
Excessive reverb or echo can muddy the sound. De-reverberation algorithms estimate the original dry signal by reducing the reverberant components.
Spectral Editing
Involves visualizing the audio as a spectrogram and manually or automatically editing out unwanted sounds. This is useful for removing specific artefacts without affecting the entire frequency spectrum.
Application in the Audio Recording Industry
Archival and Preservation:
- Historical Recordings: Restoring old recordings (vinyl, tape, or early digital formats) to preserve cultural and historical audio content.
- Library Archives: Libraries and museums use audio restoration to digitize and restore recordings for future generations.
Music Production:
- Remastering Albums: Older albums can be remastered with restored audio for re-release, ensuring they meet modern sound quality standards.
- Sample Restoration: Producers often use samples from old recordings; restoring these samples improves their quality for new productions.
Film and Television:
- Dialogue Cleaning: Removing noise and enhancing clarity of dialogue tracks for films and TV shows.
- Soundtrack Restoration: Restoring and enhancing old soundtracks for re-releases or remastered editions.
Forensic Audio:
- Law Enforcement: Cleaning up audio recordings to make dialogue intelligible for evidence in legal cases.
- Research: Enhancing recordings for research purposes, such as wildlife studies or environmental monitoring.
Broadcasting:
- Historical Programs: Restoring old radio and TV broadcasts for rebroadcast or archival purposes.
- Live Recordings: Cleaning up live event recordings to improve broadcast quality.
What tools do you use?
We specialize in using industry-standard tools for audio editing and restoration such as:
- Noise Reduction Software:
- iZotope RX: One of the most popular and comprehensive audio restoration suites, it offers tools for noise reduction, de-clicking, de-clipping, and more.
- Waves Restoration Bundle: A set of plugins that handle various aspects of audio restoration, including noise reduction, de-clicking, and hum removal.
- Acon Digital Restoration Suite: A suite of tools for noise reduction, de-clicking, de-clipping, and hum removal.
- De-Clicking Tools:
- Cedar Audio: Known for its high-quality de-clicking and de-crackling capabilities, often used in professional archival and restoration work.
- Sonnox Restore: A collection of plugins including DeClicker, DeBuzzer, and DeNoiser.
- De-Clipping Tools:
- iZotope RX De-clip: Specifically designed to address clipping distortion by reconstructing the waveform of the audio.
- Acon Digital DeClip: Part of the Acon Digital Restoration Suite, it effectively reduces clipping artifacts.
- Hum and Buzz Removal:
- Zynaptiq UNVEIL: Although primarily used for reverb removal, it can also help in removing hum and buzz from audio recordings.
- Waves X-Hum: A plugin specifically designed to remove hums and buzzes from audio recordings.
- Spectral Editing Tools:
- iZotope RX Spectral Repair: Allows for precise editing of audio by visualizing and manipulating the spectral content of the recording.
- Adobe Audition: Offers a spectral frequency display and tools for detailed audio restoration work.
- Equalization (EQ) Tools:
- FabFilter Pro-Q: A versatile equalizer plugin used for precise audio adjustments and restoration.
- Sonnox Oxford EQ: Known for its high-quality EQ curves, useful in shaping and restoring audio.
- Reverb Removal:
- Zynaptiq UNVEIL: Specifically designed for reverb removal and works well in reducing room noise and echo.
- Acon Digital DeVerberate: Another tool for reducing or removing reverb from audio recordings.
- Multi-Effect Restoration Suites:
- Steinberg SpectraLayers: Offers a visual approach to audio editing and restoration, allowing for complex spectral editing.
- Magix Audio Cleaning Lab: Designed for cleaning and restoring audio with a user-friendly interface and various restoration tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do Audio Restorations take?
Depending on the scope of the project our turnaround time is between 5 and 7 days, this means that we will deliver your cleaned audio files back to you via email, within one week, after the day you submit your files to us.
What formats do your sound engineers work with?
Our sound engineers work with a multitude of different file formats such as WAV, AIFF, and MP3 files, WAV or AIFF is preferred as this will always garner a better result when applying further enhancement.
What happens after I purchase the service?
Once you have selected your package and checked out, you will receive an email to an online portal where you can submit your files to us, before submitting your files, please compress them into a zip file before making the transfer.
What will happen to my sound recording?
Your sound recording will sound:
Clearer
More professional
Less tiring to the ears
Clearer
More professional
Less tiring to the ears
What we need from you.
To garner the best results and fix your digital audio, we advise that the audio you submit to us be the original sound that was captured from its original source and recorded at a 24-bit solution and at least 44.1 to 88.2kHz or 96kHz sample rate, we also advise that the recording has no pre-processing applied, as this can affect the results we can achieve when working with your audio file.
What is your contact address for customer support?
Email any customer support enquiries to george@yourlocalmusician.com
