When high-pass filters are used on both the microphone and preamplifier, the slope of the filter increases, resulting in a quicker falloff of low frequencies. If more high-pass is needed, activate it on the preamplifier. Apply the filter on the microphone first. Many microphones have their own high-pass filters. Remember that вЂњtelephone-grade audio,вЂќ which is optimized for 90% of speech energy, has a frequency response of roughly 300 to 3,000 Hz. For applications where speech intelligibility is more important than maintaining a natural, full-sounding speech signal, a much more aggressive high-pass of up to 320 Hz can be used. Since there is very little voice energy below 100 Hz, using a high-pass (also referred to as low-cut) filter is good practice when recording dialog. Use a Low-Cut Filter at the Microphone or First Stage of AmplificationДЄ majority of background noise is вЂpink-noise-likeвЂ™, with most energy at low frequencies and less energy at higher frequencies. The null of a supercardioid microphone is at 127 and 233 degrees. While a cardioid microphone null is at 180 degrees off-axis, as microphones get more directional, the null angle shifts. The exact null angle depends on the polar pattern. When noise sources cannot be eliminated, position microphones so that the noise sources sit within the null, or least sensitive part, of the microphoneвЂ™s polar pattern. This trait can be used to reduce background noise. Microphones with cardioid, supercardioid, and shotgun polar patterns are less sensitive to off-axis audio signals, or signals that are not within the microphoneвЂ™s ideal pick-up area. Be sure to use effective windscreens on microphones, especially when outdoors.ДЄ quick listen with headphones often reveals acoustical sound sources, like wind noise, that are not otherwise obvious. Wind noise can wreak havoc on microphone preamplifiers and produce artifacts that may be impossible to remove.

Minimizing wind noise is also extremely important. Most of the time this is easier said than done.

Similarly, if traffic noise is audible, moving to a new location is the ideal solution. For example, if there is a nearby air-conditioning unit, turning it off is far easier than trying to remove the sound in post-production. When possible, it is best to eliminate acoustical noise sources before recording. Lavaliers can often be placed closer to the mouth than boom-mounted microphones, improving the speech-to-noise ratio.

That incredibly short subject-to-microphone distance can overcome loud stage volumes.ДЇor this same reason, lavalier microphones are often used to capture production dialog in high-noise environments. Think about a live performance where a singer is holding the microphone directly at/on their mouth. The single most effective way to improve the speech-to-noise ratio is by reducing the subject-to-microphone distance. Reduce Subject-to-Microphone Distance, Increase Microphone to Noise Distance LetвЂ™s explore a few common techniques below. There are several ways to increase the speech-to-noise ratio, each with their own benefits and compromises. Increasing the speech-to-noise ratio is beneficial not only for recording, but also for on-set communication channels or IFB feeds. The balance between background noise and speech is referred to as the speech-to-noise ratio. When there is too much background sound, speech can become difficult to understand. Mixing and recording production dialog is a balance of capturing clear, direct speech with just enough indirect, environmental background sound for context.

Remove wind noise from audio