Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

Inexpensive Digital Noise Reduction

Shane Rettig

For sound designers with modest computer-based digital audio setups, digital noise reduction requires an expensive investment in high-end software from companies such as Digidesign. However, anyone who has internet access can achieve quality noise reduction (removal of tape hiss, hum, etc.) using inexpensive shareware. One such program is SoundHack®, a Macintosh application written by Tom Erbe, faculty member at Cal Arts. SoundHack® performs a spectral analysis of an input file and resynthesizes elements of that file as an output file based on user-defined variables. In eliminating tape hiss, for example, SoundHack® identifies spectral components below a certain threshold and excludes them ...