How do I uncensor a censored audio track in Goldwave?

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adidasos
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:02 am

How do I uncensor a censored audio track in Goldwave?

Post by adidasos »

I need to know how to uncensor a censored track in Goldwave. It will be just one step in the larger process of uncensoring a music video by replacing the censored audio in the .vob file with retail CD uncensored track. I can't replace the whole track outright in some cases. I have to copy and paste in the swear words, etc due to there being sounds, or lengthy audio portions in the video audio not in the CD audio, or the lengths of said audio tracks don't match. To be able to copy and paste I have to be able make both tracks the same volume (normalize/sound leveling). I have tried some programs that do this. But their results where unsatisfactory. If they are not exactly the same volume wise or damn near to it when you cut and paste, the stuff you paste in will be too loud or soft. So how do I get them this close in volume? Then I need to be able to copy the portion(s) of the uncensored audio over the exact same portion of the censored audio track, no more no less. It has to exact. I have no idea how to do that either. Can anyone help?
Last edited by adidasos on Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:52 am, edited 2 times in total.
donrandall
Posts: 550
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:06 pm
Location: Denver, Colorado

Post by donrandall »

Good luck. It ain't gonna be quick, easy or straightforward. It will require patience, time and effort and some trial and effort.

Timing is one problem. If your timing is off, it will be apparent that it just sounds wrong.

Volume matching is going to be difficult, because merely looking at the wave peaks and thinking you have successfully matched the volume may be deceptive. You might have to spend a lot of time trying different things. Although I doubt it, perhaps you will discover that one version (Censored Vs Uncensored) was compressed more or less than the other and you may need to explore that.

I rather suspect it is more likely a case of getting a precisely timed lift - or copy - from the uncensored version and a well timed paste into the target.

I don't know if this will work with the sources you are using, but one thing you might try is to have a copy of each. Zoom in on the very beginning of each file and make sure that each of them are timed to start PRECISELY the same, as regards the timing indicators in Goldwave.

Use the timing notations as a reference when determining where to place the new sound into the track being modified. You may need to adjust and it may still require more than one attempt.

Good luck - it sounds like an interesting challenge!
DougDbug
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:33 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Post by DougDbug »

A couple of things that might help -

If both soundtracks have the same amount compression, you can match the volumes by Maximizing (normalizing) both files before you start (Effect -> Volume -> Maximize). After maximizing, they will both have 0dB peaks, and if one is not more compressed than the other, will have the same average level.

GoldWave has a "Match Volume" feature (Effect->Volume->Volume Match). It will report the current average level, and it allows you to set a new target-average level. (Average volume better-correlates with perceived volume than does peak level.)

The way I'd use Match Volume, would be to select the section of the main audio track (a slightly longer section than you're going to replace), and use Match Volume to just to check the current average, and then cancel. Then, I'd adjust the add-in audio to match.

You might also get better results by using the optional GWVoice Censor Plug-In "in reverse". You can copy the swear words into the clipboard, and then over-write the "bleep" (or whatever). (You might get a smoother insertion/transition with the plug-in.)

You might also get better results if you replace bigger sections than just a single word... picking a "good spot" for the splice-in and splice-out.
adidasos
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:02 am

Post by adidasos »

Thanks everyone who has contributed so far! Basically I know how to do everything but the noramlization/maximing volume however you wanna say, and the copying and pasting to the exact same location I copied from in one to the exact same area in the one I'm pasting to. Both tracks will be the same in pretty much every way. They will either both be .ac3 or they will both be .wavs and the properties of each the same... If I use Goldwave I have to use .wavs as it doesn't handle .ac3 files. I'll try to use some of the methods suggested to accomplish my goal, thanks again! I have one concern though, and that's that messing with the original audio will throw off the sync because it's so many frames per second, and if in editing it I make the file smaller or bigger then it will go out of sync. Boy is this complicated! :(

Is there a way to make Goldwave work with .ac3 files?

Is there a way to tell in milliseconds how far into a track you are at any given point? (Audio delay is in milliseconds)

This could be helpful for what I want to do!
DougDbug
Posts: 2172
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:33 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Post by DougDbug »

By default, GoldWave cannot edit AC3. And, it cannot edit 5.1 channel files in any format. There is a 3rd-party (unlicensed) AC3 CODEC called AC3Filter. I've never tried it, but I seem to recall that someone has used it with GoldWave. I think AC3Filter is only a decoder. If that's correct, and you need an encoder, XRECODE can convert from WAV to AC3. (XRECODE is free, so it also uses unlicensed CODECs.)

GoldWave (or any other editor) has to decode the file to PCM (like a WAV file) before editing anyway. So, it's generally easier to convert everything to WAV before you start. That way, you don't have to wait for decoding/encoding every time you open/save a file, and you won't go through any unnecessary (lossy) encoding steps which might degrade quality.
I have one concern though, and that's that messing with the original audio will throw off the sync because it's so many frames per second, and if in editing it I make the file smaller or bigger then it will go out of sync.
If you use Edit -> Overwrite (or the optional GWVoice/censor plug-in), you will not affect the overall length/timing of the file.
Is there a way to tell in milliseconds how far into a track you are at any given point? (Audio delay is in milliseconds)
At the bottom of the window, it gives you the start, end, and length of your selected area, down to the millisecond.
Boy is this complicated!
No kidding! :twisted: The actual audio editing is probably the easiest part! This process is going to require several different software tools, several steps, and lots of time. Since you're working with VOB (DVD) files, have you figured-out how you're going to re-multiplex the new audio into the files? I assume you want to keep the VOB files, menu structure, and all of that stuff. (I've never done that with a VOB file...)

Before you spend a lot of time editing, I suggest you try working-through the whole process with one or two "quick and dirty" edits.
The Great Watbol!
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AC3 file format

Post by The Great Watbol! »

When do you think Goldwave will utilize AC3 format for editing and saving?
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