Audacity Forum

Hello,
I have an audio file digitized from 1/4 tape, it's from a radio archive pre-FM, the left channel is less bright sounding than the right, I've tried EQ'ing the left to match the right
but still sounds less clear. The best I've been able to get it sound is using stereo expansion eg. inverting/exchanging layering over original file, I just can't get it right with EQ alone...
Could somebody please have a go at trying to 'correct' the left channel (whatever process you think it takes, it may be more than just EQ), and tell me what you did if you were able to 'fix' it?, it would be very much appreciated!
Attached in this post are 3 different 6 second .WAV samples as suggested by Steve, also here's a full song .WAV download link if anyone prefers to check it out as a whole song file, link will expire in 6-7 days:
https://we.tl/t-9Zm3MhTMZc
The 3 different song samples should require the same adjusting as each other as they're all part of the same concert file.
Sample #1 Sample #2 Sample #3 Thanks in advance for any help!

bomber1978 wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:32 pm

... I've tried EQ'ing the left to match the right but still sounds less clear. ...

Possibly they are mid & side rather than left & right.

If that is the case you need a decoder. e.g ...
https://www.voxengo.com/product/msed/

Hi, Thanks for your reply...
Unfortunetly I only have Audacity and Adobe Audition 1.5, is there a way I can use a decoder like that without buying a new program?
About the file you've changed, it does sound better, bass has become clearer, but I'm not sure it's correct, as in the sample you posted you can hear a drum pad trigger "swoooosh" sound is very buried under the music, in the 80's and 90's radio broadcasts that drum pad trigger "swooosh" sound was
coming clearly from the left channel, so I don't think it's quite the right 'mix' you posted, even though sounds better than my raw file!
For your comparison, here's the same song taken from 1981 radio broacast old cassette tape, this is how the instrument placement mix should sound:
https://we.tl/t-kY50xMl9YJ
And here's again is my raw 'muddy sounding' file that needs brightening up:
https://we.tl/t-9Zm3MhTMZc
Thanks again in advance for any advice.

bomber1978 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:37 am

.... I only have Audacity and Adobe Audition 1.5,
is there a way I can use a decoder like that without buying a new program?

The Voxengo MSED plugin is free, no strings attached.
The 32-bit VST* version is compatible with Audacity in Windows. (There is also a version for Macs).

[*VST not VST3]

While you're there get a copy of Voxengo GEQ which allows you to adjust the EQ of each channel independently in real-time

Thanks, after a while of playing around with this I think it's the best I've had it sound..., it's creating a very similar sound I was getting when using a "stereo width expansion" process and "stereo field rotate" and creating a mixdown file, but this sounds more correct, more full and balanced in both channels.
If this is a mid-side recording, what is the purpose?, I believe it was originally mixed to stereo in 1981 from multitrack, would it have been mixed/mastered to mid-side? if it's mid-side would it then be decoded to left-right for radio broadcast like the radio broadcast sample I posted? I'm just confused about how/why it would be mid-side as I'm really only familiar with L+R !

Is there a way to do this mid-side panning on the fly, or at least hear more than 6 sec samples?

Thank you very much!!!, I really appreciate !!!, this is a great help!

I don't know about Mid-Side. There would be no reason to want that and that would have been pretty cutting edge back then.

I think it's much more likely it's a four-channel tape, stereo this direction and stereo that direction, and you're listening to tape edge damage, or player head misalignment.

Koz

For a "quick and easy" fix you can get quite close by applying the "Bass and Treble" effect to the left channel only, with "Treble" increased to +24 dB and the other sliders at 0.0.

bomber1978 wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:42 am

Is there a way to do this mid-side panning on the fly, or at least hear more than 6 sec samples?

With plugins & some Audacity native effects, (like bass & treble),
it is possible to adjust the parameters whilst the track is playing,
i.e. in real-time, as if it the plugin was a physical device.
[ In practice there is some latency, less than a second, rather than 6 seconds ].

kozikowski wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:17 am

I don't know about Mid-Side. There would be no reason to want that and that would have been pretty cutting edge back then.

I think it's much more likely it's a four-channel tape, stereo this direction and stereo that direction, and you're listening to tape edge damage, or player head misalignment.

Koz

When I first heard the file, my first thought was the left channel was suffering from digitization with bad tape head or something, but I don't know enough about tape to be sure... If it is tape edge damage or player head misalignment as you say will this left-right pan fix it?, it seems to be making it sound quite a lot better than anything else I've tried! What will happen if it's tape edge damage?, what part of the sound will tape edge effect? As I've said before it seems to be the left channel that's muddier sounding, but seems to clear up with some of these panning and EQ processes I've been trying, but that may be the muffled sound is just being covered by the less muffled right channel, I'm still trying to work it out!

steve wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:28 am

For a "quick and easy" fix you can get quite close by applying the "Bass and Treble" effect to the left channel only, with "Treble" increased to +24 dB and the other sliders at 0.0.

Also a nice improvement, sounds very good with some EQ, thank you!
Is there a way I can find the details of what the actual adjustments that treble EQ preset is applying?