Is it possible to "clean up" a recording like this? How?

amother

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 4:01 am

I have a recording where my great-grandfather recorded himself singing a song that he wrote. He used a double tape recorder and harmonized with himself too. Unfortunately the recording is really blurry and it's hard to make out the words. I have this in electronic form--not the original tape. Is there a way to use technology to clean up the sound so that it would be possible to more clearly make out the words?

TIA!

amother

Seagreen

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 4:07 am

To some extent it probably is possible.

If the "blurriness" is because of static overlaid on the singing then the static can be subtracted. It still will not likely lead to a perfectly clean recording.

Here's an example of what professional audio cleanup can do:

https://jemcentral.org/2019/11.....udio/

Amateur audio cleanup can be attempted using free apps like Ocenaudio or Audacity, and using the "automatic noise reduction" effect. That will likely make a big difference, although for old audio it won't make it fully clear.

Professionals will use a lot more tweaking to get the best sound out of it and remove static and clicking sounds from old audio equipment.

If the audio is completely destroyed, though, it can't fix it. There's an old joke in graphic design circles of a person who comes in with an old photo of his great-grandfather sitting behind a cow milking it. All you can see is his feet as he sits on the stool. The person asks the graphic designer, "Can you move the cow so I can see what my great-grandfather looks like?" Vehameivin yavin Smile