defaults for Click Removal effect & advice sought

[rorser]

I cannot seem to find here the default settings for Click Removal by DeForest. Can you help?
Also, if you could recommend more suitable settings for the 2 variables I would be most grateful. I have converted reel to reel recordings of LP records through Audacity and am storing them as FLAC files.

[steve]

The default is 200 and 20.
I hardly ever use this effect, but my advice would be to experiment with a range of settings on a quiet section of your recording.
If you upgrade to Audacity 1.3.12 (highly recommended) you may find it useful to increase the "Preview Time" to say 5 seconds (Edit menu > Preferences > Playback).

You can get Audacity 1.3.12 from here: http://audacityteam.org/download/beta_windows
No need to uninstall 1.2, you can have both versions installed at the same time. Be aware that Audacity 1.2.x cannot open projects that have been saved by Audacity 1.3.x

[rorser]

The default is 200 and 20.
I hardly ever use this effect, but my advice would be to experiment with a range of settings on a quiet section of your recording.
If you upgrade to Audacity 1.3.12 (highly recommended) you may find it useful to increase the "Preview Time" to say 5 seconds (Edit menu > Preferences > Playback).

You can get Audacity 1.3.12 from here: http://audacityteam.org/download/beta_windows
No need to uninstall 1.2, you can have both versions installed at the same time. Be aware that Audacity 1.2.x cannot open projects that have been saved by Audacity 1.3.x

Thank you Steve.
I am using beta 1.3.12 of Audacity. I agree. The best way is to use the Preview. An wonderfully useful sub-set of the effects.
Gratefully, Richard

[waxcylinder]

Richard, I do a lot of LP and tape transcription. I use Audacity 1.3.12 for most of that process - but for Clik/Pop removal I prefer to use Brain Davie's excellent ClickRepair - it costs a little (c. $40) but is will worth it IMHO. See this sticky thread: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Audacity_Preferences

You may find the st of tutorials in the 1/3/2.0 manual on tale/LP transcriotions useful: http://manual.audacityteam.org/index.ph ... iscs_to_CD

My outline workflow for LP and tape transcription is:
1) Record one side of an LP/tape (aiming for a max level of c. -6.0 dB)
2) I either mark the approximate track/song starts as I am recording by placing labels (CTRL+B will mark the current cursor position or CTRL+M will mark the current record/playback position). Or after the recording I zoom to fit the entire project and then I can usually visually spot the track/song start points and label them approximately.
2) Export a single WAV file of the project
3) Process the WAV file through ClickRepair
4) Import the repaired WAV file back into the still open Audacity project
5) Delete the originally recorded track in the project - this leaves the label track and the cleaned up audio (still in synch.)
6) Edit the inter-track gaps: fade-out/proper silence/fade-in and possibly shorten the gap to clean off the LP surface noise
7) Adjust labels to exact positioning
8) Use the Amplify effect to bring the level up to -2.0 dB (0 dB can clip/distort in some players). I use Amplify versus Normalize as in Audacity Normalize works on each stereo channel separately and thus can alter/damage the stereo image.
9) Export Multiple to create a set of WAV files (at 44.1kHz 16-bit PCM stereo)
10) Exit Audacity
11) Repeat for side-2 of the LP
12) Back-up the set of WAV files (2 copies to 2 external USB disks)


Note that nowhere in this process do I bother to actually save an Audacity project. Also note that stages 2 and 3 give me temporary “backups” of the whole project that I can revert to if necessary. The only time I save the project is if I have to leave it part way through overnight.

WC

[rorser]

So, Waxy,
What does step 8 (Amplify) accomplish for one if all his reel-to-reel recordings were made pretty much the same way, i.e., by setting the recording volume at the same poiint on the recorder's meters?

[waxcylinder]

Ah, but then you're re-recording in Audacity - and at the levels you set your input signal to - either with the output of your R2R or with your Audacity input slider setting, or both.

So what step 8 does for me is it enables me to record at step 1 with little or no risk of clipping, but still with a good signal level, and with plenty of headroom for any editing I want to do. What step 8 then does is bring the maximum level of the signal up to a point where it goodly loud, but without clipping. I could Amplify up to 0dB but some CD players and MP3/AAC players clip with a 0 dB signal.

In some other software step 8 would be called "Normalizing" the signal - but as I point out, in Audacity Normalize behaves a little differently, and in a manner you may not want.

WC

[rorser]

Thank you for the clear explanation Wax, R

[rorser]

So what step 8 does for me is it enables me to record at step 1 with little or no risk of clipping, but still with a good signal level, and with plenty of headroom for any editing I want to do. What step 8 then does is bring the maximum level of the signal up to a point where it goodly loud, but without clipping. I could Amplify up to 0dB but some CD players and MP3/AAC players clip with a 0 dB signal.

In some other software step 8 would be called "Normalizing" the signal - but as I point out, in Audacity Normalize behaves a little differently, and in a manner you may not want.

WC

When I go to Mazzoni's Amplify, I find that if I set the bottom setting (New Peak Amplitude) to -2dB for what I want my max new vol. to be at, I must "deamplify" my recordings, i.e., I get a negative number in the top Amplification box. So this means that Amplify will knock down the amplitude of my music track? I don't like the idea of reducing the vol. if I am happy with it as it is. Why might I want to do this Waxy? Is it only, as you said before, that some players will clip? My tracks show no clipping now.
Thanks, R

[waxcylinder]

When you open up Dominic's Amplify, what you should see in the upper input box (labelled "Amplification dB:" a figure which shows the amaount of headroom to 0 dB i.e. the amount you need to amplify to get to 0 db.

So if you are having to de-amplify to get to -2 dB than this means that you are recording at a very high level. This is fine provided you do not clip the signal.

But if you are happy with the level of your final productions, and they pay well, then there is no need to tamper with it.

WC

[rorser]

When you open up Dominic's Amplify, what you should see in the upper input box (labelled "Amplification dB:" a figure which shows the amaount of headroom to 0 dB i.e. the amount you need to amplify to get to 0 db.

So if you are having to de-amplify to get to -2 dB than this means that you are recording at a very high level. This is fine provided you do not clip the signal.

But if you are happy with the level of your final productions, and they pay well, then there is no need to tamper with it.

WC

I think I understand, but just want to make sure I am doing this correctly. A) I put -2.0 dB in the lower box (New Peak Amp.), then B) I read the upper box. If the upper box is a NEGATIVE number, then the program will actually DEamplify my track (make it quieter) if I run it with that setting. Is that correct Waxy?