Softening up noise?

[XAXAU]

I want to soften up noise, get rid of the harshness and make it smooth but I haven´t got a clue on how to do it. I suppose a real tapemachine would do the trick but I know people are doing it ITB.

How do you guys do it?

[Yoozer]

Use pink instead of white.

[Simonator]

^^^ This... or Brownian noise.


Or, Low Pass Filter (shallow cut-off like 6dB/Oct)... if you balance the cutoff right, you will end up somewhere close to pink/brown anyway (assuming white was the source.).

Pass through a reverb insert 100% wet will soften too.

[Diantre]

Chorus maybe? Eq out a bit of the higher frequencies also.

When I want noise, I turn on my EMX with tube gain on 11 as well as every channel on my cheap Yamaha mixer and record that. Analog FTW

[XAXAU]

Hmm, my UAD Dimension D seems to soften up anything I pass through it.
I don´t wanna get rid of the highs in the noise, just make them soft and lush. A little chorus, a little short wet reverb. What else is there?

[andrewsc]

Most interesting results would be probably sampling and using real world noise sources such as air escaping a bike tire, adjusting mic position, etc.

Besides a simple EQ, you could try a de-esser to reduce harsh frequencies.

Passing noise through effects often brings out the character of the effect quite vividly.

[Simonator]

Originally Posted by XAXAU

I don´t wanna get rid of the highs in the noise,

No one is suggesting to get rid of them entirely... just reduce them relative to the lower frequencies; first order filtering... or like Yoozer said, just get some pink noise to begin with... then you have equal perceived loudness for all frequencies, and it doesn't set fire to your cochlea.

[Johnny Wrong]

I use a de-esser on hi hats sometimes, you could try that set to the frequency that sounds harsh. 3000-5000 maybe?

[Simonator]

Originally Posted by Johnny Wrong

I use a de-esser on hi hats sometimes, you could try that set to the frequency that sounds harsh. 3000-5000 maybe?

Interesting suggestion. I can see how this might work on hi-hats... but I can't immediately see the point of using it on noise;
A de-esser is effectively a dynamic EQ, that can jump in when needed & attenuate a short burst of sibilance, then return to a neutral state to allow the rest of the vocal through without being EQ'd.
Assuming that the noise we are talking about is not rapidly changing in its frequency range, then I would have thought a standard fixed band EQ would be more effective.

Full points for imaginative use on the hi-hats though!!

[OurDarkness]

Originally Posted by XAXAU

I want to soften up noise, get rid of the harshness and make it smooth but I haven´t got a clue on how to do it. I suppose a real tapemachine would do the trick but I know people are doing it ITB.

How do you guys do it?

Filter it.

Darker versions of noise (pink, red, brown, blah) are all derived from white noise through low-pass filtering.

[XAXAU]

Originally Posted by andrewsc

Most interesting results would be probably sampling and using real world noise sources such as air escaping a bike tire, adjusting mic position, etc.

I do have a UA LA-610 and I own a bike too I like that idea a lot!

[XAXAU]

My friend and I were talking about it and decided to sample the sound of a smoke machine

[esaias]

sample the noise and then lower it in pitch and maybe a hint of LPF depending how dark you want it.

-tomi