To restore audio is to preserve the past.

I restored audio on some footage from 1956 for this documentary about Meher Mount 'THE TREE OF FIRE: A Story of Love and Resilience'. I was given a compressed MPEG-4/H.264 (.mp4) video file. The video originally needed subtitles to comprehend most of the audio. The final result after audio restoration is that 95% of the video is now comprehensive. All audio was restored with audio software, not AI.

I used iZotope, SpectraLayers software and my ears. These tools have been enhanced greatly due to closed AI processing, but it’s quite different from using open source AI replication. Open source AI replaces the voice with a synthetic voice that copies and mimics. Even if they claim to respect your privacy, your data, voice and characteristics are still training AI. That’s not what I do. The tools I use separate and strip away layer by layer any unwanted noise, such as distortion or a siren in the background.

I believe AI has its place as a tool in our lives, but not to replace or replicate humans. AI lacks heart and soul and it feels empty.

I filmed another movie at Meher Mount and it’s a magical and special place in Ojai.

#postsound #audiorestoration #film #postproduction #movie #mehermount #documentary