Audacity Forum

Steve
I do not know how to thank you, that was really a difficult task for you to answer, I am a difficult asker, and it was for me like a really needed almost classroom lesson to learn, that clarify things a lot
on the other hand I realize now that is not so easy to record if you do not know anything about the physics behind the sound and sound frequencies, so that is my flaw even though I have learned so much so far through you guys that is amazing

When you say:

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.
I am actually concerned exactly about that, that I might not even realize if I distorted the sound, now that I understand that seeing the red clipping on the wave, is not the only tool to notice distortions, and so I have to ask same question again, sorry, where can I see if I "have pushed the signal over 0 dB" ?
Do i see it in Audacity in the linear meter of the playback when I play it back or in the waveform graphic? Or somewhere else?

When you say:
""in 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"

That is an easy way to adjust for me, but, it sounds good, , but I am not sure I know what AMPLITUDE is exactly, are you referring to the shape of the waveform graphic? Or where in Audacity do I go to see if-- the amplitude level before I draw the curve, is either below or above 0 dB?

Yes i feel sometime that the recording has a hissy sound somewhere or similar,so referring to when you say:

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.

Are you referring still to the "draw curve" view and not in the actual equalizer view?
Or are you referring to all those sliders in the Eq view?

And in both views---, how do i find the sliders for the bass frequencies and also the sliders for the high frequencies in that slider set? Is there a way to answer this question in an easy way?

And if in "draw curve" view how do I tweak the curve to adjust the bass and the treble? is this the same as AMPLITUDE? same thing? So it is always the same thing we are talking about but in different words?

Then a different question:
IS it possible, if I only have one or two red clippings in the graphic after the effects, to just select those tiny pieces and go into Amplify and reduce the noise with a lower value just in those selected pieces? or would that create a mess?

Yes I totally hear you about the noise removal, unfortunately because of my problem that I have never been able to resolve yet, with Bill's guidance , I was able to resolve it, only through Noise Removal, and I am glad that I can do that, and so I have to use that feature all the time

So, from here, my last question

As I really value your opinion so highly, can I do again a sample of the recording, first after the first usual steps, just Amplify and noise removal, then do another sample of same recording after I have further added some other effects, maybe Eq or BassBoost or SoftClips L-- or both , and let you be the judge?
I would appreciate that so very much
I still would like to learn about AMPLITUDE and the rest though!!

Thank you again for the effort, I appreciate it very much
Anna

cosmiclight22 wrote:on the other hand I realize now that is not so easy to record if you do not know anything about the physics behind the sound and sound frequencies

The basics of recording are pretty straightforward, and you appear to now have a pretty good grasp of that. The finer points of audio production are a lifetime quest of learning and experience - it depends how far you want to take it.

cosmiclight22 wrote:where can I see if I "have pushed the signal over 0 dB" ?

The most important part is to avoid clipping when you record. It is often convenient to click on the end of the meter toolbar and stretch it out to full screen width so that you can see it more clearly. Aim for a maximum recording level of about - dB so as to avoid the possibility of clipping.
If the recording level hits 0 dB, then you will see a red line at the 0 dB mark in the recording meter (see picture below). If this happens then you need to reduce the recording level and record it again.
The other really important time to avoid clipping is when you Export the finished audio file.
If you are just working on one audio track, use the "Amplify" effect to amplify the finished track to just below 0 dB (say, -1 dB) immediately before Exporting.

If you are using 32-bit float format (the default) for your audio tracks, the Audacity is very forgiving of exceeding 0 dB, providing that the audio is not clipped in the original and is not clipped by the final export. It is advisable to keep below 0 dB at all times, but 32-bit float is forgiving so you don't need to worry unduly about going a bit over while you are working - just get it right at the start and the end.

cosmiclight22 wrote: I am not sure I know what AMPLITUDE is exactly

"Amplitude" is how big the waveform is vertically. This corresponds to the meter level. The bigger the vertical height of the waveform, the higher it will show on the meter.
If a waveform touches top or bottom of the track, then it has an amplitude of +/- 1, which is exactly the same as "0 dB".
The linear scale "+/- 1" as shown on the vertical track scale and the "dB" scale on the meter are just different "units" (like "inches" and "centimetres") for measuring "amplitude".

cosmiclight22 wrote:Are you referring still to the "draw curve" view and not in the actual equalizer view?
Or are you referring to all those sliders in the Eq view?

The "draw curves" and the "sliders" are just different ways of adjusting the Equalizer settings. Some people prefer the sliders. I prefer "draw curves".

cosmiclight22 wrote:how do i find the sliders for the bass frequencies and also the sliders for the high frequencies in that slider set?

The bass (low frequency) sliders are on the left. The treble (high frequency) sliders are on the right. It is a gradual progression from very very low on the extreme left to very very high on the extreme right. a "middle" frequency is about 1 kHz (1000 Hz) which is just to the right of the middle slider, an about the same place in the graph of the Draw Curves view.

A good exercise to get used to the idea of what specific frequencies sound like, is to import a bit of music, then using the graphic (slider) view in the Equalizer, set all the sliders to minimum, then push one of the sliders up to maximum. Press the "Preview" button to hear the effect. Now pull that slider down to minimum and push another slider up to maximum and preview again. You may have difficulty hearing the true effect of the sliders at the extreme left and right, but you should be able to clearly hear the effect of the sliders that are toward the middle. Press the "Cancel" button when you've finished experimenting to escape from the effect.

cosmiclight22 wrote:in "draw curve" view how do I tweak the curve to adjust the bass and the treble?

Examples:

cosmiclight22 wrote:IS it possible, if I only have one or two red clippings in the graphic after the effects, to just select those tiny pieces and go into Amplify and reduce the noise with a lower value just in those selected pieces? or would that create a mess?

If there's only one or two red lines, then while you are working you can probably ignore them (providing that you are working in 32-bit float format). However, before you export your final file there should be no red clipping lines.

If you amplify just one section of a recording, you may hear that the volume (loudness) suddenly changes where you have a adjusted it, and that may not be desirable. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is if you like the way that it sounds.

cosmiclight22 wrote:can I do again a sample of the recording, first after the first usual steps, just Amplify and noise removal, then do another sample of same recording after I have further added some other effects, maybe Eq or BassBoost or SoftClips L-- or both , and let you be the judge?

Sure, go ahead, but it would be most useful if you also include the same sample before you have done anything to it (just the raw, unprocessed recording).

Steve thank you again and again
I think I finally understand now how it works, that makes so much difference, wow, it is really easy to work in the Draw Curve" view
I am glad you posted that pic about the bass and the treble, and told me where each is positioned and where the middle is,
because i was trying to do the wrong thing, I have always thought I needed more Bass Boost, while instead I need the opposite,
I needed to increase the treble instead but I did not know,--- now that I have done exactly as you advised, experimented, it makes a big difference and I did use your second picture option u gave me (above) the one with more treble and I really like it, thank you

OK I understand about the other steps too, thank you, like, what pushing the signal over 0dB means, how to check that and the step before exporting, great!!
I have also experimented to go directly to Eq instead than doing Amplify, just by moving the straight line above 0, like 3 dB or 3 and half
And I wanted to ask you:

1) Which step do I do first, 1) bring the line above the 0 in the "draw curve" view and then--- 2) tweak or higher the treble (draw the second pic you posted)?--- or higher the treble first--- and then bring the line above the 0 as an amplification?

2) The other question is: I have tried to use the Eq (bring the straight line above 0 to 3 or 4 dB) instead than using the Amplify. But when I use the Eq to move the line above 0,(to boost the general volume) and move it to the same dB value that the Amplify window would allow me (for example in the Amplify it allows me to reach a level of 5.4 dB without create clippings) , but when I tried to use the Eq and move the line above 0, to about 4.5 dB or even less, then 1 or 2 tiny clippings appear in the wave graphic,

So can I use the Amplify option to increase the volume, rather than the Eq, the way I learned to do it so far, and use the maximum level of volume allowed there? Is it the same--- or not? I just do not understand why in the Eq it allows me only to push the signal to 3 or so dB, while the Amplify allows me to increase it higher,to 4.5 dB, thats all!!

3) I also wanted to know if after the steps of Amplify,--- or moving the line above 0 in the Eq,-- and then the step of doing noise removal, then, adjusting the treble and lower a bit the bass in the Eq, after all these steps, can I go to Amplify again and increase volume a little more?
It does allow me to do that, but I wonder if is good or maybe not, because it may give me some distortion I am not aware of? To me it sounds good even after doing the Amplify a second time.-- Then I add the Gverb or Anvida verb Yes? No?

Thanks so much again, all this is really helping tremendously

Anna

cosmiclight22 wrote:1) Which step do I do first, 1) bring the line above the 0 in the "draw curve" view and then--- 2) tweak or higher the treble (draw the second pic you posted)?--- or higher the treble first--- and then bring the line above the 0 as an amplification?

That's down to your personal preference - experiment with it and see what works best for you.

cosmiclight22 wrote:2) .... So can I use the Amplify option to increase the volume,

Yes you can.

cosmiclight22 wrote:3) .... can I go to Amplify again and increase volume a little more?

Yes you can.

Your questions now are about gaining experience, and I can't help you with that. Play with these effects and have fun with it. Experiment with wildly wrong settings to see what happens. Try doing things in different orders to find out if it makes any difference. Trust what your ears tell you. At the end of the day what counts is what works for you.

Thank you sooo...much for the answers

Sorry, I just have a quick question about the 2nd step of my previous post, just want to know the reason why, when boosting the volume through EQ, the Eq allows me only to push the signal to 3 dB and not further (with no clippings),--- while the Amplify allows me to even push the signal higher, even to 4.5 dB with no clippings, why the difference? Which is more correct? And Should I know the reason why this difference?

Thanks again
Anna

I'm not totally clear on the question.
How are you "pushing the signal to 3 dB" with the Equalizer? Could you post a screenshot?