I can't seem to get the Hang of this product - Need help

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Coriolanus
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:50 pm

I can't seem to get the Hang of this product - Need help

Post by Coriolanus »

Ok this is my problem.

I had an old set of tape of an audiobook from England. I used the recorder that came with my soundcard to write them out to WAV files.

I want to burn them to CD but I need to clean up the audio a bit.
1, Remove clicks and hisses.
2. On several tapes there was like a stuttering hand I need to get rid of
3. I need to edit out the voice that announces the beginning and end of the cassette.
4. I need to be able to create cut and chop the files up to about 70 minute lenghts to burng to CD.

I don't know where or how to start and there is no manual - the FAQ and TUTORIAL are NOT helpful -- I really need a PDF manual?

Can this product work for me? Or would I do better with Sound Forge Studio which I know has a manual -- I really like Manuals.

PS - I don't want to have to playback every single wave file.
DougDbug
Posts: 2172
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:33 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Post by DougDbug »

1. Remove clicks and hisses.
You can usually get rid of low-level background hiss. But it can be tricky, and sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.*

Select a section of noise-only. Click Copy. This will put a noise sample into the "clipboard".

Select the whole file and click Effect->Filter->Noise Reduction. Select the Clipboard Noiseprint preset, and click OK.

Listen to the results to make sure that you've made an improvement, and to make sure you haven't removed some of the voice along with the noise.

There is another tool called a noisegate. A noisegate kills the sound altogether when the audio level falls below a preset threhold. So, you get absolute silence when the speaker isn't speaking. There are noisegate presets under Effect->Compressor/Expander. (You'll have to experiment with the threshold settings.)

The "clicks" might be more difficult. Try Effect->Filter->Pop/Click. If the clicks occur when the speaker is not speaking you can manually mute them: Zoom-in and select the "click", and then Edit->Mute. There are lots of special-purpose programs designed to eliminate vinyl-record "clicks" and "pops". (I'm not sure if these will help, since your source isn't a record, and you defects will have different characteristics.) I use Wave Repair ($30 USD). It works great, but it usualy takes me a full weekend to fix-up an LP.
2. On several tapes there was like a stuttering hand I need to get rid of
Sorry, I don't understand the defect... Often, it is difficult to describe a particular defect. (And, some things will be impossible to fix.)
3. I need to edit out the voice that announces the beginning and end of the cassette.
Now we're getting to the easy stuff! Just select (highlight) the part you want to delete and hit the delete key on your keyboard.
4. I need to be able to create cut and chop the files up to about 70 minute lenghts to burng to CD.
Also easy! Select the ~70 minure section and click Paste New. That will create a new file with the selected section.
PS - I don't want to have to playback every single wave file.
In your case, you may be able to get-away with listening to short sections, but in general, audio editing requires lots of trial-and-error, listening and re-listening. You always need to check/review your changes, especially when you are working on things like noise reduction. For most of us, it's a hobby and we enjoy it... But, it does take time and effort.


* Noise is a problem for professionals too, even with their professional software. Professional recordings are still made in soundproof studios with high-quality, low-noise, equipment. Most movie dialog is re-recorded in a soundproof studio.
Coriolanus
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:50 pm

Post by Coriolanus »

2. On several tapes there was like a stuttering hand I need to get rid of it Sorry, I don't understand the defect... Often, it is difficult to describe a particular defect. (And, some things will be impossible to fix.)
The voice of the reader acts like the tape got stuck or hung up (it is an old tape) -- like a pause in the middle of a word, or repetitions of the first syllable of a word several times before completing the word.

Can I edit this out? I there any way to detect this defect automatically? Is there a software detection program for it.

My editing experience is confined to using a hex editor -- easier to edit bits and bytes -- could I edit bits an bytes if I burned to R/W CD and edit that CD with a digital editor? I am not doing any music files - strictly audio.

Thanks again for being so very helpful I appreciate it.
DewDude420
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Post by DewDude420 »

this subject did not need to be double posted.

one thing i just thought of since i'm on this post...how old is your computer? older computers sometimes had a problem with was a sound buffer that would sometimes get stuck or just not work properly..causing the studdering problem.
Coriolanus
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:50 pm

Post by Coriolanus »

DewDude420 wrote:this subject did not need to be double posted.

one thing i just thought of since i'm on this post...how old is your computer? older computers sometimes had a problem with was a sound buffer that would sometimes get stuck or just not work properly..causing the studdering problem.
I know these tapes. I have played them before so I know the problem is the tapes, which is why I want to put them to CD.

The Sound Card I used for the recorder was an SB Audigy.
DougDbug
Posts: 2172
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 3:33 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Post by DougDbug »

The voice of the reader acts like the tape got stuck or hung up... Is there any way to detect this defect automatically? Is there a software detection program for it.
Nope! You'll have to do it manually. The software can't tell what's intentional. I'll add one thing to DewDude's suggestion (in the other thread): Edit->Marker->Snap To Zero-Crossing This will force your start and ending points to a zero-crossing. Otherwise you might get a discontinuity that might sound like a "tick" (or something).
My editing experience is confined to using a hex editor -- easier to edit bits and bytes -- could I edit bits an bytes if I burned to R/W CD and edit that CD with a digital editor? I am not doing any music files - strictly audio.
Nope! Too much data. With a CD, you've got 44,100 samples per-second per-channel. You've got two bytes for each 16-bit sample (and the data for the left & right channels is alternated.) That's 176,400 bytes for every second of sound!!! In your case you've got a mono file (I assume), and you could use a lower sample rate, but it's still too much data to analyze that way. With GoldWave, you can zoom-in and manipulate the individual samples with the mouse.
I wonder if the restore feature of ISOBUSTER would help with these spots in the wave files?
Defects in the sound? Nope! Again, it can't tell what's intentional. A WAV file is just a series of numbers... It's like looking for a bad entry in a spreadsheet file.

:twisted: Geeze... that was a negative post... I said "no" to everything... time to sign-off for the day... :twisted: ...I do have a positive thought... The small amount of hiss remaining with Dolby and DBX should be easy to remove! :lol:
Coriolanus
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 3:50 pm

Post by Coriolanus »

Thanks for all your advice. Right now as you see by the new topic I posted I am unable to get these wave files to play in Goldwave -- see new topic.

Boy am I making a nuisance of myself :cry:
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