How to match audio of same person speaking in a different location

[Joshua5FC5]

Hi Everyone,

My first time using a forum of any kind! I was hoping to see if there was someone out there kind enough to offer me some advice. 

I filmed an interview a couple of years ago for a documentary for a charity organisation (covid happened, it was put on hold) and I recently went back to refilm one of the intervieas at the clients request because of various reasons I wont get into...but mainly due to an item of clothing which isn't appropriate for the organisation as a whole Being worn by the subject.

The documentary was already fully edited to the original interview (his interview is the foundation and runs throughout) and the newer interview is far less poignant but visually, it is significantly better with appropriate clothing.

In order to keep the structure of the edit intact and preserve the poignancy of the original interview I need to keep some of the original audio but mix in the new interview audio.

I have managed to make what is being said work perfectly, but the issue is that they sound significantly different (as expected) 

We filmed in the same building (a warehouse) but were not able to film in the same exact space and the room we were in had much more reverb.

He is also slightly more rushed (it was colder) which you can detect and goes some of the way to it being jarring.

My question is, is there a way/tool or process to help me figure out the differences between the audio files and a way to match them closer together? 

From my searches online, I have been unable to find many people with this exact or similar issue who have been offered solutions other than reshoots or ADR - both of which are not possible. 

I have music underneath throughout the sections where the audio transitions and have tried various editing techniques to dance around the issue - but it is still very obvious to me. There is a chance that it could go unnoticed if not drawn attention to, but I would sleep better if it was improved. 

If anyone has any advice, it would be most welcome!

Thank you,

Josh

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

We get questions about this quite regularly. Let me put it like this: people complain that recordings they make with the same talent, same equipment, same space sound different in the morning and the afternoon! And that's the thing - there's no way at all that you're ever going to get even close to matching the sound. What you have to bear in mind is that human ears are incredibly sensitive to even the slightest change in a voice - it's a survival thing, and there's no getting around it. So the only way I can get you to sleep better is to tell you that you've probably already done as much as you can.

In this situation, the only other thing you might be able to do, since it's a pictures issue, is to get your interviewee to actually do something, rather than talking to you on camera - and use his existing speech as his own voice-over, if you like. I've done this before, and it can be surprisingly effective.

[EuanWilliamson]

@SteveG_AudioMasters_  is correct. It's almost impossible.

However, here's an option.

This technique by Mike Russell may help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=41&v=KXu-J4xnJ6U&feature=youtu.be

You could try this on the new interview audio to make it sound like the old OR

don't forget, you could always process the old audio as well.

A quick test will soon tell you if this is going to work in your particular situation.

It's worth a try since you seem to have run out of other options.