# Does Anybody Know How to Get the Sound of a Cat Scratching Around in a Litter Box Out of an Audio Track?



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 7, 2021)

Some of you may know that I have worked a long time as a publicist in the movie business. Over 40 years in fact. I've just started making a series that will help people promote themselves. It's called “How to Give an Interview," and I expect to post the first 4 or 5 episodes in September. 

Anyway, I was editing the first episode this week and I kept hearing this prominent scratching sound in the background. Was my shirt rustling on my pants? I couldn't figure it out. 

Eventually, I realized it was my cat Moses scratching around in his litter box. He's never done that before when I made videos, but I guess there's always a first time. 

Does anybody know how to get the sound of a cat tossing litter around in a cat box out of an audio track? I’ve tried everything: EQ, gating, noise reduction, spectral processing, etc. RX7. If I really roll off the high end the sound disappears, but it makes my voice sound like crap. All attempts to notch it away have failed. 

Thoughts?


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## Kent (Aug 7, 2021)

RX is the best. Do a selection of the affected area with a brush or magic wand. If really pressed, the Deconstruct module can be effective, but it might have some other drawbacks.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 7, 2021)

kmaster said:


> RX is the best. Do a selection of the affected area with a brush or magic wand. If really pressed, the Deconstruct module can be effective, but it might have some other drawbacks.


Do you need RX Advanced for that? I only have RX Standard.


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## Kent (Aug 7, 2021)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> Do you need RX Advanced for that? I only have RX Standard.


I am honestly not sure. If you’re asking then probably! 😕


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## Zedcars (Aug 7, 2021)

Could you post a small snippet so perhaps others could try? I’ve done a little bit of extraneous noise removal before on speech recordings. Chair squeaks, birdsong, breathing, wind. I’d be happy to give it a go, but can’t promise to be able to work miracles.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 8, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Could you post a small snippet so perhaps others could try? I’ve done a little bit of extraneous noise removal before on speech recordings. Chair squeaks, birdsong, breathing, wind. I’d be happy to give it a go, but can’t promise to be able to work miracles.


Since I posted this, I have been thinking about reshooting the video for a lot of reasons, not just this noise. I don't like the performance. This is going to be a series I will work on for at least a year and it's important that the first one be as good as possible. I'm shooting the second one today.

But if I do use _any_ of this footage, I will definitely post some audio. I'm going to be uploading (at least) four videos at the same time in September, so there is time. 

But I really appreciate all of you taking this seriously because it is no joke to me. It's heartbreaking when the audio is otherwise pristine.


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## Dirtgrain (Aug 8, 2021)

Audacity (free standalone) can do a so-so job, sometimes good, sometimes not: 


In case you are still on it. But Rx might be better? Or Wavelab (pricey)?


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## nspaas (Aug 8, 2021)

Get another cat, record it in the litter box and reverse phase?


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## kevinh (Aug 8, 2021)

Did you try offering it treats? Hehe. If RX spectral repair (std and adv, support) doesn’t do the trick just add a small addendum to video introducing your cat and move on


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## MusiquedeReve (Aug 8, 2021)

I hereby nominate "Does Anybody Know How to Get the Sound of a Cat Scratching Around in a Litter Box Out of an Audio Track?" for thread title of the year


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## Markastellor (Aug 8, 2021)

I second the nomination. Couldn't help but smile when I read that title. It sounds a like a real and frustrating problem, so I empathize, but I suppose a pet therapist might suggest giving your cat a a starring role in a few web videos (cat videos are very popular on You Tube). After your cat feels the thrill of the spotlight a few times future sabotage would be less likely. I give credit to all you who gave valid technical answers without a second thought. Hope the retake went well.


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## MusiquedeReve (Aug 8, 2021)

*If you represent The Police, kindly disregard their ownership of Every Breath You Take


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## Karmand (Aug 9, 2021)

Audition


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## sluggo (Aug 9, 2021)

This original thread title sums up the industry perfectly


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