Subject:recording question/help

Posted by: leftyT

Date:9/10/2003 5:42:04 PM

Hi,
I've got some live recordings on cassette tape and i'd like to transfer them to cd. i've figured out how to use sound forge to record via my sound card's line in. now, once i've got the wav file, what are some things i can do to "fix up" my wav? i'd really like to remove as much tape hiss as possible, and any other things i can do would help. there are all these things like wav hammer and normalize and so on which may help but i don't know. i looked all through the SF help files and i never see any actual examples of how to use SF to work with cassette tranfers. thanks!

FYI, Windows XP, SB Extigy, SF 6.0

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: Goldenears

Date:9/11/2003 2:19:09 AM

There's a neat little free sample program called RayGun (website similarly spelt) that has a magic noise reducing program contained in its workings as well as a useful hum filter amongst other features. Used carefully it removes the rubbish without touching the audio. If you get too adventureous you take the audio too. If you really like the program then its only a matter of dollars.

Normalising is the last stage before you commit the file to CD - it just sets the absolute peak level at the loudest part of the file to maximum before clip.

If you make a copy of the original transfer file and play with it you can always go back to the original transfer without re-dubbing if you muck up when experimenting.

Good luck, Goldenears

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: jerrerae

Date:9/11/2003 10:31:05 AM

Hi,
I've had good results using Sonic Foundry's Noise Reduction (NR 2.0) to remove hiss from tapes also, but as with the program that Goldenears mentioned, you have to be careful not to try to take too much hiss out or it will have an adverse effect on the sound. I'd rather have a little hiss than artifacts. From my experiences I found that monitoring this is best done using a good pair of headphones.

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: keether

Date:9/11/2003 10:50:03 AM

Yes to both the preceding very practical messages.

I would add that Noise Reduction offers the option of listening to the material you have removed. You can do this before making any of your changes permanent. If you hear some rumblings, some clicks, then fine. If, on the other hand, you hear touches of music, then you have removed more than "noise" and might want to go back and do slightly less Noise Reduction. Wonderfully, all this can be done without having to save permanently.

To listen to this removed material, click the box at the lower left of the Noise Reduction box -- can't immediately remember its name -- and click Preview.

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: leftyT

Date:9/11/2003 5:22:13 PM

thanks guys. i see this preview button but it doesn't play any sound. any NR recommendations as far as settings go? i can tell i'm over my head and i wonder if i'd be better off just sending these off to someone i can pay to transfer them. i don't know how to listen and tweak all these foreign settings and such, i just want a "remove hiss" button. i know, i'm weak.

thanks again.

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: keether

Date:9/12/2003 12:13:45 PM

You're weak? Join the crowd. I find it kinda nice knowing there's nowhere to go but up.

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: leftyT

Date:9/12/2003 1:26:00 PM

Yeah, the only way to go.
I played around with it some more and I was able to muck about with previewe function enough to get it to work.

what do you guys think of me using my zefiro ad-20 (analog>digital converter) when doing the transfer? i could run my line out from my tape deck to the ad-20(i've got the cables) and then run the ad-20 to the optical in on my soundcard? would that be beneficial?

then i remove this hiss and then i DITHER...what's dither? how do I dither? i've read how it's very important, but i've not seen how to do this. i've also been told to stay away from normalizing if possible.

merci

Subject:RE: recording question/help

Reply by: philsayer

Date:9/15/2003 7:27:11 AM

As the hiss is likely to be pretty constant, you could try using the Paragraphic EQ (if you have it) to notch it out.

There is a "hiss removal" preset - it removes 6dB at 8KHz upwards, but you may have better results with the four stacked filters set manually by trial and error.