Audacity Forum

Hello. I'm new to the forum, and hope some experienced audio editors can help.

I've used Audacity 1.26 and the Beta version for about a year now, and felt comfortable doing simple editing. But I've started a lengthy project of dubbing over 100 reel-to-reel tapes, and over 75 LP albums into the digital domain.

I purchased a "package" including the A.R.T. USBPhonoPlus preamp/digitizer and SoundSoap 2 (Bias s/w). I didn't find a trial of SoundSoap, but I find it's interface rather unusual. My biggest problem is "installing" the SoundSoap VST plug-in with Audacity. I can't figure out how to get the two integrated within Audacity. Has anyone figured out how to do this?

I need to integrated them because SoundSoap does not have a way to display a waveform so you can easily locate specific areas. For example, SoundSoap has a great feature called, "Learn Noise." But for it to work, you must first locate a sound passage where there is noise, but no musical/voice content. I've always found it extremely easy in Audacity to locate the interval between LP or R-R tracks---it's usually 2 or 3 seconds. But to find that "silent interval" within SoundSoap with the small "slider" control (you move it while you're listeing), is really hard. I have a Logitech trackball which works well, but the precision of that small slider is crude time-wise, and it's next to impossible to mark the beginning and end of the silent portion using that feature. Anyone out there with SoundSoap (not Pro) experience that is familiar with this problem?

Thanks.

smile711 wrote:I can't figure out how to get the two integrated within Audacity. Has anyone figured out how to do this?

According to the Audacity wiki - SoundSoap doesn't work with Audacity: http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... T_Plug-ins

If you need a free VST host to use it with, have a look in the downloads section of Behringers web site.

Thanks for your input. I am unfamiliar with Behringer and their products. I went to the downloads section, and there were many, many products to choose from. You mentioned a free VST host: Which one would that be? I am doing this project (gratis) for some seniors as a way to archive these LP albums. It's just a shame that the dealer would "bundle" the fine ART preamp with a software package that doesn't function with the VST feature. And worst of all, SoundSoap's CD-ROM included in the package has Audacity included, as if to say they would interface together.

If you know of a Behringer product solution for me, your suggestion will be most appreciated.

Thanks.

If you are on Windows, have a look at this one: http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm

For a more advanced (more features - a full Digital Audio Workstation) try Reaper (free demo version, very cheap to register - excellent value)

Of course you are likely to still need an audio editor - I recommend Audacity 1.3.5

smile,

like you I got a free trial vn of Soundsoap with some h/w I bough - and like you I didn't like the interface.

I use Audacity mailny for transcribing LPS & tapes and cleaning them up in the process. I started off just using Audacity for this - in 1.3 the ne Repair function is particularly useful. But I evenually found that too much manual work - so another posting on the forum pointed me in the direction of soem software developed by an Australian mathematician, Brian Davies. He has two piecs of software one is ClickRepair the other does noise removal. They are not free, but their relatively minor cost represent excellant value for money I believe.

I have bought the ClickRepair and now use it extensively - I used the noise removal for the free trial period on a couple of LPs that I have that are obviously recorded from old 78's and the noise remval tool worked well too.

Brian allows a 21-day trial prior to purchase - so you get plenty of time to try before you buy.

See: http://wwwmaths.anu.edu.au/~briand/sound/

WC