Mastering reel to reel tapes to CD using Soundforge 4.5 -Sound Forge - PC

Subject:Mastering reel to reel tapes to CD using Soundforge 4.5 Posted by: WJW Date:2/6/2001 2:38:39 PM I am mastering 90 min. lecture tapes from reel to reel tapes onto CD. Many of the tapes have some noise that is just 'tape hiss' , others were poorly recorded and have a bit of 'hum', and some have some extraneous room noise. Some are also recorded at a fairly low level, or perhaps the tapes are just old enough that they have lost some volume. I've been using what is available in Soundforge 4.5, although I'm not all that familiar with much of it it and have therefore been doing some experimenting. I've experimented with Normalizing the wave file, also various forms of EQ available on the paragraphic eq, and with the noise reduction plug in. Some of the questions that I have: What should I do to the wave file first? Try Normalizatuion? Or should I do any EQ or noise reduction first and then Normalize? I'd also be interested in knowing what all the presets are in the paragraphic EQ, at the beginning of the list, and what applications they might be good for concerning these lecture tapes I'm doing. I'll also be doing some piano and organ tapes- also reel to reel- in the near future and am wondering if any of these presets would be useful for that. I'm refering to the ASF VOX and the ASF AMPEX settings. What are they really meant to be used for? When would I use something like, say, the 15db at 1000 Hz EQ preset? I'd really appreciate some info from anyone out there who has worked with this type of mastering and has a little more knowledge and experience with it than I do. Also, I've noticed that when I use the noise reduction plug in that I get better results if I run it several times at a lower db setting; but I still seem to be getting my original wave file to start sounding weird before I've really been able to get rid of as much 'noise'- even tape hiss' than I'd like to be able to get rid of. Any suggestions for what to set the attack and release rates at to get a more natural sounding wave file after noise reduction on what are basically tapes of one person giving a lecture? Or should I just leave the rates set at the preset rate and settle for the best noise reduction I can get without it starting to affect the way the file sounds? Answers to any of the questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, WJW
Subject:RE: Mastering reel to reel tapes to CD using Soundforge 4.5 Reply by: Rednroll Date:2/6/2001 9:37:08 PM First of all it says "ignore user" next to your name, so that other people can click on that if you are being annoying. Someone might want to do this, when you post a paragraph long subject and you're spouting off like a banshee. I thought this might be an obvious feature, but once again, there's always someone to prove the world wrong. Now the answer to your question. The best thing to use for your tape hiss, will be the noise reduction plugin. I would normalize the file first. This will bring your noise floor up, so that you can optimally reduce it. I would also spend 5 minutes reading the help file included in the Noise Reduction plugin that describes each setting and also gives a quick start so that you can properly use the plugin. You didn't mention anything about capturing a "noise print", so I will have to assume that you probably didn't take the time to do that. Once you capture a noise print here are the settings that I would recommend for your application. Set the "Reduction" to Mode2 or Mode3, these will tend to give you the least flangy artifact sound that becomes present when doing high noise reduction. Set Noise bias to 0dB. Set Attack Speed to 94 and Release speed to 7. I found a fast attack and a slow release works best on tape hiss and room hum removal. Set "FFT size" to 2,048 and "Overlap" to 89. Now adjust the "Reduce noise by" to anywhere between 15 to 20dB. The higher you raise the "Reduce Noise by", the more flangy artifacts you will start to hear, when you hear artifacts back off 3-5dB. These settings will choke most slow computers, but work wonders on old recordings. I just finished a project of 4 full CDs of home recordings that where transfered from 1/4 inch tape from the 1940s and this plugin made them CD quality. Shoot you could even hear things in the background that no one knew where there, because it was covered by noise. This plugin truly is the best noise reduction that I've ever used, but you really should read the quick start so that you can properly use it. Now after you've processed the noise out I would try maybe adding some EQ, especially between 3.5K TO 7Khz (the presence range) to take some of the dullness out. I would explain more about Equalization and how to use it, but that is something best learned through experience and I could spend all day just getting into the basics. Oh!!!, the +15dB at 1Khz, would probably mostly be used to give something the Effect of something being played over a small speaker or a telephone. That's why there's that preset, because this is asked for a lot for special FX's. Even more drastic would be to raise 1.3Khz +24dB and a Low shelf around 400Hz -20dB and a high shelf at 3.5Khz -15dB. Instant telephone with a touch of distortion!!!

Subject:Mastering reel to reel tapes to CD using Soundforge 4.5

Posted by: WJW

Date:2/6/2001 2:38:39 PM

I am mastering 90 min. lecture tapes from reel to reel tapes onto CD. Many of the tapes have
some noise that is just 'tape hiss' , others were poorly recorded and have a bit of 'hum', and some have
some extraneous room noise. Some are also recorded at a fairly low level, or perhaps the tapes are
just old enough that they have lost some volume.
I've been using what is available in Soundforge 4.5, although I'm not all that familiar with much of
it it and have therefore been doing some experimenting. I've experimented with Normalizing the
wave file, also various forms of EQ available on the paragraphic eq, and with the noise reduction plug
in.
Some of the questions that I have: What should I do to the wave file first? Try Normalizatuion?
Or should I do any EQ or noise reduction first and then Normalize?
I'd also be interested in knowing what all the presets are in the paragraphic EQ, at the beginning
of the list, and what applications they might be good for concerning these lecture tapes I'm doing. I'll
also be doing some piano and organ tapes- also reel to reel- in the near future and am wondering if
any of these presets would be useful for that. I'm refering to the ASF VOX and the ASF AMPEX
settings. What are they really meant to be used for? When would I use something like, say, the 15db
at 1000 Hz EQ preset?
I'd really appreciate some info from anyone out there who has worked with this type of mastering
and has a little more knowledge and experience with it than I do.
Also, I've noticed that when I use the noise reduction plug in that I get better results if I run it
several times at a lower db setting; but I still seem to be getting my original wave file to start sounding
weird before I've really been able to get rid of as much 'noise'- even tape hiss' than I'd like to be able
to get rid of. Any suggestions for what to set the attack and release rates at to get a more natural
sounding wave file after noise reduction on what are basically tapes of one person giving a lecture?
Or should I just leave the rates set at the preset rate and settle for the best noise reduction I can get
without it starting to affect the way the file sounds?
Answers to any of the questions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
WJW

Subject:RE: Mastering reel to reel tapes to CD using Soundforge 4.5

Reply by: Rednroll

Date:2/6/2001 9:37:08 PM

First of all it says "ignore user" next to your name, so
that other people can click on that if you are being
annoying. Someone might want to do this, when you post a
paragraph long subject and you're spouting off like a
banshee. I thought this might be an obvious feature, but
once again, there's always someone to prove the world wrong.

Now the answer to your question. The best thing to use for
your tape hiss, will be the noise reduction plugin. I
would normalize the file first. This will bring your noise
floor up, so that you can optimally reduce it. I would
also spend 5 minutes reading the help file included in the
Noise Reduction plugin that describes each setting and also
gives a quick start so that you can properly use the
plugin. You didn't mention anything about capturing
a "noise print", so I will have to assume that you probably
didn't take the time to do that. Once you capture a noise
print here are the settings that I would recommend for your
application. Set the "Reduction" to Mode2 or Mode3, these
will tend to give you the least flangy artifact sound that
becomes present when doing high noise reduction. Set Noise
bias to 0dB. Set Attack Speed to 94 and Release speed to
7. I found a fast attack and a slow release works best on
tape hiss and room hum removal. Set "FFT size" to 2,048
and "Overlap" to 89. Now adjust the "Reduce noise by" to
anywhere between 15 to 20dB. The higher you raise
the "Reduce Noise by", the more flangy artifacts you will
start to hear, when you hear artifacts back off 3-5dB.
These settings will choke most slow computers, but work
wonders on old recordings. I just finished a project of 4
full CDs of home recordings that where transfered from 1/4
inch tape from the 1940s and this plugin made them CD
quality. Shoot you could even hear things in the
background that no one knew where there, because it was
covered by noise. This plugin truly is the best noise
reduction that I've ever used, but you really should read
the quick start so that you can properly use it. Now after
you've processed the noise out I would try maybe adding
some EQ, especially between 3.5K TO 7Khz (the presence
range) to take some of the dullness out. I would explain
more about Equalization and how to use it, but that is
something best learned through experience and I could spend
all day just getting into the basics. Oh!!!, the +15dB at
1Khz, would probably mostly be used to give something the
Effect of something being played over a small speaker or a
telephone. That's why there's that preset, because this is
asked for a lot for special FX's. Even more drastic would
be to raise 1.3Khz +24dB and a Low shelf around 400Hz -20dB
and a high shelf at 3.5Khz -15dB. Instant telephone with a
touch of distortion!!!