How To Remove Echo In Final Cut Pro

Hello-oh-oh-oh-oh-ooooooooo (cavernous sound), Raisin Haters! 

Today’s blog talks about one of the peskiest issues of audio editing: echo.

A sound that repeats because of reflection or reverberation is called an echo and is from the Greek word, ekho, meaning “sound.”

Echo and other sound-related concerns are bad for business because your audience will turn away from and immediately check out of your story.

Issues with sound such as good ole echo will come up whether you like it or not.

Issues such as…

Removing echo especially when you’re handed someone else’s interview footage that was filmed indoors, no lav mic and using only on-camera audio.

Cutting back on “empty room” echo or horrible background noise.

Getting rid of echo that intrudes while recording outdoors or getting rid of it altogether.

Those concerns are a bummer to deal with for sure but there are ways to deal with echo.

Anyhoo, are you a fan of reverb? I used to be a fan of reverb in the form of yodels until I had a heart-to-heart talk with my wife about the power of silence, haha!

Before paying to become a sound engineer to solve this “resounding” problem check out this tutorial on removing echo in Final Cut Pro.

It shows you how to reduce reverb using a variety of tools like compressors and envelopers and provides you with filming techniques for recording audio while outdoors.

Let’s get ready to remove echo….(echo) (echo) (echo) in Final Cut Pro.

Mic Placement To Avoid Excess Room Tone And Echo

Position your microphone as close to your mouth as possible so that your voice dominates the space. This also ensures that the surrounding noise is minimized or drowned out.

Show/Hide Audio Meters

The audio meters reveal your clips’ audio levels in Final Cut Pro. Audio meters alert you for audible distortion that happens when one or more of your clips reaches peak level.

Click those 2 vertical bars/buttons on top of your timeline. This action opens up the audio levels to the right side of your screen giving you a view of the audio happening in your timeline.

Audio Enhancements

This is a feature in Final Cut Pro that analyzes your audio during import. It determines if the sound is too soft, has a hum, or is too loud. Any of these three and the Audio Enhancement feature automatically addresses these problems by correcting them for you.

1. Go up to your Inspector window.
2. Once that opens up, click on Audio Enhancements.
3. In Audio Enhancements click on Show, then click Equalization.
4. In Equalization, click Audio Analysis – No Problem Detected.
5. Click the icon that’s beside No Problem Detected and wait for the prompt that appears: Green (sound is good), Yellow (sound is iffy), or Red (bad). Final Cut will check all of the right options that match the prompt that appears.
6. Go back to Equalization and make your tweaks from the menu such as Flat, Bass Boost down to Treble Reduce.
7. You can also tweak Noise Removal and Hum Removal in case you have an electronic device nearby that’s messing with your audio.
8. Done!

Compressor

A Final Cut Pro Compressor automatically adjusts pitch for audio.

1. Bring up your Effects browser.
2. Go to Compressor and click the icon across it to bring up the Echo Test screen.
3. Click on Default on the left side of the Echo Test screen.
4. From the Default menu, choose the Voice preset and pick the vocal compressor option/number that best fits your audio.
5. Done!

Noise Gate

The Noise Gate in Final Cut Pro is a feature that muffles audible noise and hum in the background.

1. Bring up your Effects browser and search for Noise.
2. Drag that onto your timeline to cut out all the noise in your project.
3. Go to Noise Gate, and click Advanced Editor to bring up another Echo Test screen.
4. Click on Default on the left side of the Echo Test screen.
5. From the Default menu, choose Backing Vocal Gate.
6. Adjust the dials on Backing Vocal Gate that best fits your audio.
7. Go back to your Effects browser and search for Enveloper.
8. Drag that onto your timeline and change the Preset to Room Killer.
9. Tweak the preset from the audio options under Room Killer.
10. Press Command + L to listen to your playback for less audio echo.
11. Done!

Crumple Pop Echo Remover Plugin

Plugin to the rescue!

1. Bring up your Effects browser and search for Crumple Pop Echo Remover.
2. Drag that onto your timeline and wait for the Echo Remover screen to come up.
3. Tweak the center dial of the plugin to set your audio level.
4. Done!

Trivia!

Did you know that carpets, sheets and foam sheets are opportunities to improve audio quality while editing? Sure does! Try spreading carpets on the floor, hanging sheets on the walls and installing foam sheets around the room to dramatically lessen echo.

Let me know how these echo-busting tips helped you. I’m always pumped to hear from you!

Happy editing,

Dylan

P.S. *Me Using My Low Register Voice*

By the way, if the echo is the same frequency as the audio/voice, there’s no way to solve the echo other than to re-record the whole thing. *sorry*