Audacity Forum

cosmiclight22 wrote:I click on the downloaded file to open it and save it in Audacity folder

don't bother opening it, just save a copy of the (.NY) file to the Audacity plug-in folder.

Ok great I did succeed to get the file into the Audacity plug ins by right clicking your link and save it,

I read your info explaining how the Hard limiter works, (about the Waveform squashed and being amplified) thank you for that
I am not a sound pro, though, sorry, how do I apply the knowledge??

I see these 3 settings in the Hard Limiter:

dB LIMIT WET LEVEL RESIDUE LEVEL
What do they represent? In poor words, which values (0, -0, high negative numbers, or high positive numbers) would help me to amplify the voice , in these 3 settings, without creating a big distortion??


And also, yes, I am sorry, to ask again, , I really do not know which are the Low Frequencies and the High frequencies values in the Equalizer, I am assuming the low might be the BASS ??
Which section of the sliders should I slide up (or down) in order to create some voice boost you think?
I know is not easy to know exactly , but just in general?

Or should I post this question in a different part of this forum?
Thank you sooo much...
Anna

cosmiclight22 wrote:I really do not know which are the Low Frequencies and the High frequencies values in the Equalizer

Bass = low frequencies = sounds below 200Hz (approximate)

There is a “Bassboost” effect, in the “Effect” drop down menu , or you could push up the sliders around 50-150Hz in the equalizer .

The "Soft Clipping Limiter" will do less quality damage than the "Hard Limiter".
Also, the "Soft Clipping Limiter" can automatically amplify the audio after squashing the peaks, whereas the "Hard Limiter" just chops off the peaks and you have to manually amplify it after.

Thanks a lot
Anna

Scroll back to my previous post Tue May 17, 2011 4:50 pm

Steve
Sorry, just going back to the Soft Clipping limiter you advised me before:

In which order do I apply it?
Is there a way to apply it before the recording?
Or should I first do Amplify, then Noise Removal as you guys advised, then Soft Clippings, then either Boost and then Gverb
Or do i apply Soft Clipping before i even do the Amplification and Noise removal?

In SCLimiter, which value is best to apply to the Linear Threshold to allow plenty of amplification but still be safe?-- I just experimented with 0.59 --while on the Hardness (Soft) I put 0.56--- and in the Make Up Gain I put 1 -yes
I do not know what it means but it increases the volume quite a bit, I like it, even though at some points it vibrates too much !!!

Also I remember you mentioning before that usually if I use the 32 Float bit, I will not get a clipping in anyway, even if I boost and amplify?
Or do i remember wrong?
Thank you so much
Anna

cosmiclight22 wrote:In which order do I apply it?

A typical work flow might be something like:

1. Amplify to -6 dB
2. Equalization/tone adjustments
3. Amplify to 0 dB
4. Noise Removal
5. Compressor
6. Reverb
7. Soft Clipping Limiter
8. Final tweaking of Equalization/tone adjustments
9. Final Amplification to -0.3 dB

cosmiclight22 wrote:Is there a way to apply it before the recording?

No (unless you have a hardware compressor/limiter, for example: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/MDX2600.aspx )

cosmiclight22 wrote:In SCLimiter, which value is best to apply to the Linear Threshold to allow plenty of amplification but still be safe?

With the above workflow, probably something like Threshold=0.7, Hardness=70%, Apply Make up gain = Yes.

cosmiclight22 wrote:Also I remember you mentioning before that usually if I use the 32 Float bit, I will not get a clipping in anyway, even if I boost and amplify?
Or do i remember wrong?

32-bit float format on Audacity 1.3.13 can support amplitudes above 0 dB without clipping, but the sound will still be clipped by your sound card when you play it back. If any of the processes push the peak level above 0 dB you should apply "Amplify" as the next effect to bring the level back down to 0 dB or lower.

Thank you Steve,

Those values you gave me for the Soft C Limiter really helped tremendously!!!

About the sequence you gave me, in the AMPLIFY, what about if the level of my recording is already at 0.1 dB ----- should I still reduce the volume to -6dB, even if the purpose is to boost the volume and not the opposite? Or can I go up instead, until it allows me to increase without allowing clippings (the OK button will still be on)

Also, in the Equalization, how do I know if I am adjusting the Tones in the right way, as I cannot listen to the recording while I move the sliders
(or moving the line up or down) and hear how they sound?
is it, by any chance, possible to skip the Compressor and/or the Equalization steps, as I really do not know how to use them correctly, especially if I have to do them twice, I might just destroy what was maybe good in the first place?

Also could you help me understand why usually I have to go back to Amplify again at the very end?

Would I still be OK if I skip that too? Or is it better to do that

Thank you so much
Anna

When using the Equalizer it is usually convenient to be able to cut and/or boost. If the audio is very close to 0dB before applying the Equalizer, then applying boost to any frequencies may push the signal over 0 dB and cause it to distort when playing through the sound card. Providing the audio is in 32-bit float format, the waveform will not be actually damaged, but if it is distorting through the sound card it makes it difficult to tell if you have adjusted the Eq correctly.

Actually, I don't do step 1, but skip straight to step 2 and use the "Draw Curves" view. If the amplitude before processing is a little low, then I will make the Eq curve mostly above the 0 dB line and if the amplitude is quite high I will make the Eq curve mostly below the 0 dB line. In effect, the Equalizer is providing the amplification. If I've got it about right, then step 3 isn't required either.

The exact amplification level is not critical until you get to the final step. It just needs to be kept in a reasonable range so that you can hear it clearly without distortion.

cosmiclight22 wrote:Also, in the Equalization, how do I know if I am adjusting the Tones in the right way, as I cannot listen to the recording while I move the sliders
(or moving the line up or down) and hear how they sound?

This is (in my opinion) one of Audacity's major weaknesses. It is also the highest rated feature request on the Audacity wiki: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Featu ... hest-rated
The "Preview" feature can be a help, but by default the preview length is rather short. If you go to "Edit menu > Preferences > Playback" you can change the preview length. I find it useful to increase this to 5 or 6 seconds.

Also, before Equalizing a long track, test your settings on a couple of short sections. When you have it right, apply to the entire track.
(Tip: use Ctrl+Z to Undo the effect and Ctrl+R to apply the same effect with the same settings)

cosmiclight22 wrote:is it, by any chance, possible to skip the Compressor and/or the Equalization steps,

You do not have to use any of the steps. Each step in that workflow accomplishes a particular task, but if that task is not required then that step should be skipped.

The Equalization step is only necessary if you need to make frequency adjustments. For example, if the recording sounds a bit "thin" (lacking bass) you may want to increase the bass frequencies. If the recording sounds "tinny" and "hissy" (excessive high frequencies) you may want to turn down the high frequencies. If you do not want to adjust the frequency balance, miss out the Equalization step.

Noise Removal can be useful for reducing low level constant noise in the track. For example if there is a little bit of hiss, then Noise Removal can help to reduce that noise. Personally I think this effect should be called "Noise Reduction" rather than Noise Removal, as attempting to completely eliminate (remove) the noise will probably require such aggressive settings that it causes noticeable damage to the remaining audio. When using this effect, aim for reducing the noise without damaging the remaining audio. "Damage" will typically sound like a bubbly metallic effect and can sound worse than leaving a little bit of noise.

"Compressors" produce "dynamic compression". That is, they reduce the difference between loud and quiet so that the audio level is more even. This can be useful for making the overall volume level greater and for evening out the volume level. If used too much it will make the sound boringly even.

The Soft Clipping Limiter chops off excessively high peaks, but does so more gently than "hard" clipping. This effect causes intentional "damage" to the sound, but if used excessively it will sound distorted. Used in moderation it can allow the overall level to be significantly increased without noticeable distortion.

Most of the effects can cause subtle changes to the frequency content, so it may be necessary to tweak the Equalization again at the end, but if it sounds OK, skip this step.

Apart from the final Amplify step, all of the other Amplify steps are just to keep the audio level within a useful range - loud enough to hear clearly without distorting. The final Amplification step is important because that sets the level of your final exported audio.