Audacity Forum

Hi,
Is there a way of getting Audacity to search the wave form for specific configurations or aberations? I'm thinking that if it would find sharp peaks, or waves below a certain length, that clicks which the click removal function did not remove, could be more easily found.
Thanks,
John

If you click on the name of the track and select "Spectrum", you will see your recording as a spectral display, rather than the standard waveform display. Clicks will appear as vertical lines in the display (you may need to zoom in a bit to see them).

Once you get used to the spectrum display you will be able to identify other things such as silence, drum and other percussive events, audio feed-back, etc.

Thanks Steve,
That's too freaky for words. Looks like something the scientists in a low budget horror flick would point to on their ghostometer as evidence of paranormal activity. I see what you mean though. But I don't think my machine is fast enough, because it doesn't seem to update the spectrum and the audio at the same rate. (Probably too much informaton?) It will definately take some getting used to. The first time I switched to spectrum I had this wierd combination of reds. Then I changed to greyscale; neither seemed to highlight the verticals very well. Is there another colour format, or is that it?
.......... john

A "click" is obviously a very short sound, so you will have to be zoomed in fairly tight to see it. As a test, find (or make) a click in a track and zoom in on the click so that 4 seconds fits the window. With it on the colour spectrum the click should stand out clearly as a vertical red line. Experiment zooming in on specific sounds and you will soon get the hang of it. Personally I find this a very useful tool.

O.K. I'll give that a try.
Thanks...... john
P.S. I won't have any trouble finding a click. I'm copying from records that I've had for about a hundred years.

John,

take a look at this thread I started a while ago on click/po removal with (non-Audacity) software: http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1994.

The ClickRepair that I use costs US$40 (but I think well worth it).

Gale Andrews posts a free (well, extended free trial) alternative in the thread.

And there others out there.

If you are working with old records this could save you a lot of time - like you I started out doing manual repairs, but eventually go tired of of it - plus I could see my capture/restoration project stretching out for years .....

WC

stevethefiddle wrote:A "click" is obviously a very short sound, so you will have to be zoomed in fairly tight to see it. As a test, find (or make) a click in a track and zoom in on the click so that 4 seconds fits the window. With it on the colour spectrum the click should stand out clearly as a vertical red line. Experiment zooming in on specific sounds and you will soon get the hang of it. Personally I find this a very useful tool.

This is a great trick. Dumb question: once you identify the click (i.e. the vertical red line), how do you get rid of it? I used the "silence" tool, but that seemed to just make the red line more pronounced.

(Note: I am still learning Audacity, so in my ignorance, I'm creating these clicks myself as I'm editing a vocal track. There are sections of the vocal that are harsh, and I've highlighted them and done the low pass filter on them. This fixes the harshness but leaves me with a click. If I'm going at this bass-ackwards and someone can give me some tips, they'd be very welcome!)

LilSpider wrote:...once you identify the click (i.e. the vertical red line), how do you get rid of it?

Get a copy of Audacity v.1.3.4 and install it (in a different directory to v.1.2.6)
Then use the "Repair tool" in the "Effects" menu.
http://audacityteam.org/download/features-1.3-j.php

stevethefiddle wrote:

LilSpider wrote:...once you identify the click (i.e. the vertical red line), how do you get rid of it?

Get a copy of Audacity v.1.3.4 and install it (in a different directory to v.1.2.6)
Then use the "Repair tool" in the "Effects" menu.
http://audacityteam.org/download/features-1.3-j.php

Great - I will give this a try. Many thanks