Being into audio, a co-worker asked me today what software would be good to clean up (remove noise) four mpeg4 files from a lecture, and then merge them into one file. Naturally, this is one area where I have zero experience.
Not really no. To do what you mentioned would require an audio workstation. Though this could just be a PC with editing software such as Sound Forge Pro for example. Well, at least I mean that is the way I do it and I would not attempt any other way even if there was one. The files would need to be converted to an editable format such as PCM, then edited to remove the noise (which in itself may be anything from a simple process to a very complex one requiring a lot of experience). Then the edited files are concatenated within the software then converted back to whatever format is required (in this case the original one).
I'm not aware of any "quick fix" method to do what you want. It requires expensive software and possibly a lot of experience depending on the noise components that have to be removed. It could also be incredibly time consuming again depending on the nature of the noise.
Not really no. To do what you mentioned would require an audio workstation. Though this could just be a PC with editing software such as Sound Forge Pro for example. Well, at least I mean that is the way I do it and I would not attempt any other way even if there was one. The files would need to be converted to an editable format such as PCM, then edited to remove the noise (which in itself may be anything from a simple process to a very complex one requiring a lot of experience). Then the edited files are concatenated within the software then converted back to whatever format is required (in this case the original one).
I'm not aware of any "quick fix" method to do what you want. It requires expensive software and possibly a lot of experience depending on the noise components that have to be removed. It could also be incredibly time consuming again depending on the nature of the noise.
There was a program for ripping called Audiograbber. It is abandonware now, so downloads are free. Fortunately, it will work on more modern Windows based operating systems. I mention it because the program had an optional noise removal plugin made by Algorithmix that was very inexpensive.
The plugin allowed for correction before the audio was processed. It worked sort of like a tape monitor switch. The user could tweak various parameters to get the best out of the software without losing the desired audio. For the few remaining artifacts, Soundforge could be used on the processed file. Maybe an inquiry will get you the plugin.
If it still exists, this may be a halfway decent solution to your problem. It's a thought, anyway.
EDIT: I assume you are going to strip the audio from the mpeg4? My idea won't work with video files.