How to remove wind noise from audio?

[Ivoryz00]

Hello! I'm new to Audition & I've spent most of today learning the basic tools of the program. I've watched a lot of tutorials on YouTube. A lot to learn but I think I'm getting it.

Is it possible to remove wind noise from audio that was recordered on a mic? So far, I've learned how to remove hiss & hum's out but wind seems to be pretty tricky. Or worse, nearly impossible.

Thanks!

[ryclark · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately you will find that it is 'almost impossible' due to the effect that the wind has on the microphone itself and the following amplifier. By the time the audio arrives at the analogue to digital converter it is already distorted and that is something that cannot be removed after the event. Prevention in the first place with a 'dead cat' windshield is really the only way and a forgiving microphone preamp with low frequency cut.

You may find that you can help the audio a bit by using a High Pass filter to reduce some of the bass signal in the audio. Try the Generic High Pass preset in Effects/Filter and EQ/Parametric Equalizer. Adjusting the frequency higher than the default 100Hz position may help more but eventually will take too much out of the wanted audio. But unfortunately it won't remove any of the distortion or 'blustery' noise.

[Dale - TC]

Looks like a challenge for your development team to take on for future versions!  There's an algorithm for everything, yes?  Yes, a dead cat is best (although it looks silly and is a distraction, especially for lavalier mics), but sometimes, like in my case, my "august" and "noble" coworkers lost all the lav dead cats we had, but the shoot had to go on!

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

dalec53086485  wrote

There's an algorithm for everything, yes? 

Er, no. There is, for instance, no algorithm for curing distortion - simply because there's no reference to what the original should sound like.

As for wind noise...  Once again there's no algorithm, simply because it's random and unpredictable. Whilst the effects can certainly be mitigated, you have to do this manually, and what you have to do will vary a lot. Wind does have the  basic characteristic of being a blast, rather than a vibration and the blast isn't 'audio' as such - so no algorithm possible, just on that basis alone.

Oh, and I think you need some better-organised co-workers!

[ryclark]

As Steve says a lot of what 'Wind noise' is is in fact the effect that the wind has on overloading the microphone and the analogue circuits that follow it in the recorder. Even worse effects if there is some automatic gain control involved. So it is not the noise of the wind at all, which would be easier to remove if it was that alone.

[Alfredho.Altamirano]

Thanks so much for this comment: "Wind does have the  basic characteristic of being a blast, rather than a vibration and the blast isn't 'audio' as such". Clear and precise!

[SierraMtn]

I got one of the Dead cat mics, and still got wind noise on my shot mic. I am hoping that maybe a dead cat on a lavalier will help when It comes in. Yes, it is a prolem as most dead cats fall off lavaler mics and wont stay on very well and get lost easily. 

[andyskullshoes]

I agree with ryclark in that removing wind noise from contamintated audio is not possible, but taming the effects of wind noise is possible using lesser known multiband compression & Equalisation. You may indeed want to 'salvage' what you can, and in some cases the wind noise, if not distracting, can add to the energy and ambience of the recorded live audio/dialogue. I found this article pretty comprehensive on the role of multiband compression and noise reduction 5-pro-tips-to-reducing-wind-noise 

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

I'm sorry, but you clearly haven't understood at all what this question is about; it has nothing to do with noise removal per se. And before anybody else tries to copy the settings you've used for noise reduction in your video, I should point out that they are completely unhelpful. There's no way that setting both sliders to 100% is going to do anything but make your resulting audio sound quite a lot worse than it originally did.

We try to give accurate and helpful answers on this forum, but I'm afraid that yours isn't one. You claimed that you are no audio expert, and with that I can only concur. So may I respectfully suggest that just placing random, irrelevant 'answers' to questions is no way to help anybody, and that sticking to andwers to things that you actually know about might be a better way forward. One of the things you could try is looking at some of the other posts on the forum about noise removal; you'll find that there is rather more to getting good results from it than you might think.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

If you seriously think that doing a single NR pass with all the controls set to 100% isn't going to sound significantly worse, then there's something seriously wrong with whatever it is you are monitoring on.

As for beginners learning from videos like this - you have got to be joking. When you start off, you teach people the correct way to do things, not some random way. All that happens otherwise is that they think the tools are faulty when they get inferior results, and then they come complaining here about it, and we have to start over explaining it properly. So all you are doing is making more work for us.

We are perfectly capable of setting beginners off in the right direction, and often with a little understanding too. I'm afraid that your video, and others like it, will not help either them, or us.

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

Here are a couple of links about better NR techniques to use, rather than just slapping it on:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/audition/removal-of-background-trash-noise/m-p/10568629

https://community.adobe.com/t5/audition/remove-drone-noise-from-audio/m-p/9983322

[misty0D45]

There are YouTube videos all over addressing this. You use a highpass filter. For the love of God stop arguing. I just took the wind out of my own video using that filter and adjusting the Hz. STOP FIGHTING like kids.

[EuanWilliamson]

This thread dates from 2016 and lists many ways to reduce wind noise, but removal is very difficult.

Sadly, as of Feb, 2021, there is no Adobe Audition solution. I'm sure in time they will use "Sensei" for this.

There is a resonable solution using machine learning from Crumplepop.

It's available at https://fxfactory.com/info/windremoverai/ and is cross NLE compatible.

There's a free trial and if your audio is valuable and can't be redone then perhaps $129 is reasonable.

If you're not in a hurry, FxFactory regularly have 40% sales.

Disclaimer: I know of this product. I haven't used it. I'm not paid.