Audacity Forum

Have been searching for Live Recording workflow suggestions, especially whether it is best to First use Noise Removal or Normalize?

To date I have found workflow suggestions concerning LP digitization http://manual.audacityteam.org/index.ph ... gitization

but nothing concerning workflow for Live Recordings.

Am interested in any suggestions by those editing Live Recordings.

Thanks

Ken

KenO wrote:Have been searching for Live Recording workflow suggestions, especially whether it is best to First use Noise Removal or Normalize?

I've not got time to write a book on the subject, so to answer the specific question:

Take care using Normalize on stereo tracks. It processes each channel independently, so if there is a high peak in one channel but not the other, then the channel with the high peak will be amplified less than the other channel (so that the highest peak in each channel is at the same "Normalized" level. Generally it is better to use the Amplify effect on stereo tracks as this amplifies both channels be the same amount and so preserves the stereo left/right balance.

If the recorded waveform is particularly small I would Amplify first, but not up to 0 dB. I'd leave some amount of headroom for later processing tasks, so probably around -3 dB.

Noise Removal should be done before any effect that may change the "dynamics" (such as Compression or fade effects).