How Do I Add more RIAA Curves?

[Gale Andrews]

I found the original RIAA in the EQ which sounds better than the one I downloaded...thanks
For my taste I still need to boost the treble after though.

Now I know where the "EQCurves.xml" is I can't open it with my free WinRAR so I can't paste the above curves.(if that's what I need to do).

What curves exactly do you want to add to Audacity that it does not already have?

The curve you posted at http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... 43#p289543 is already in Audacity at "Select Curve:" then choose "RIAA".

Do you want to make a new RIAA curve of your own with less reduction of treble, then save it as a new curve? If so you can do that in Audacity. We can tell you how to do it, if that is what you want to do.

WinRAR only opens archives that are already compressed, like an XML file inside a ZIP file. EQCurves.xml is not in a ZIP file or other archive, so WinRAR will not open it.

If you want to edit EQCurves.xml directly, you have to open it in a text editor like Notepad, but it is safer to use "Save/Manage Curves..." then "Import..." to import a curve's XML file. If you make the slightest mistake editing EQCurves.xml in Notepad, then Audacity won't be able to use it.

Do you already have a different RIAA curve that you want to import into Audacity that you know you like?

On the Computer Audiophile site I found this...
" Audacity has several RIAA equalization variations to choose from:"
In a screen capture it shows quite a few other options like COLUMBIA LP and NAB.
(I'm also now curious about the eRIAA curve)
My 2.1.1.0 version just has one RIAA

I think it is really poor that http://www.computeraudiophile.com/conte ... g-windows/ implies that those pre-RIAA 78 rpm and early LP curves that were once in Audacity 1.2 are shipped in recent Audacity and then refers to all those curves as "RIAA". RIAA is merely a specific type of EQ curve, just as NAB and AES are other specific types of EQ curve.

I sent feedback to their webmaster about that and other issues in their article.

Anyway, those other pre-RIAA 78 RPM and early LP curves have to be downloaded from http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/EQCur ... recordings. To make things easier for you, I attached the XML file here for you. Do not use WinRAR to open it. Just use "Save / Manage Curves..." then "Import..." to import the attached file.


Gale

[Koukol]

About four days ago I came across a site that demonstrated 3 or 4 curves so I thought I could add them (or something similar) to Audacity and choose what best works with each recording.

Just to be sure...the RIAA curve in Audacity is a standard for today's recordings and would be the same in equipment equipped with a RIAA curve (ART USB Phono Plus) and all these other curves are just modified ?

If so.. I guess I can modify it myself as you suggested.

[cyrano]

If things are right, the RIAA curve is the only one you need for vinyl.

The older ones are there because before the RIAA curve, there was no standard. When we go back to before vinyl (the 78 rpm era), the curves applied usually had to do with imperfections in recorder and cutter. And since playback devices differed a lot too, everybody was using the tone correction anyway. That was largely a matter of taste, so nobody worried.

IF you'd want to use these older curves correctly, you'd need to know the curve applied when the record was made. Usually, it's not easy to find that, unless you're dealing with a well known and famous label.

It's not all that important anyway, since pre-vinyl recordings will probably need to be equalized anyway.

[Koukol]

OK...thanks Cyrano, Gale and Kozikowski!

[Koukol]

Hello again.

I just noticed when I apply the RIAA curve in the EQ it reduces the volume.
But when I use the RIAA I uploaded awhile ago the volume doesn't change as much.
I also noticed both curves reduce the Dynamic Range.
Is this normal?
Do I amplify after applying the RIAA curve from the Equalizer?

The first picture below is the raw vinyl rip, second the EQ's RIAA applied and the third the other RIAA I have applied.

[steve]

I just noticed when I apply the RIAA curve in the EQ it reduces the volume.
But when I use the RIAA I uploaded awhile ago the volume doesn't change as much.

Because the Equalization effect is boosting some frequencies and reducing others, the overall level may increase or decrease, depending on the curve being applied and the frequency content of the audio being processed. It does not really matter if the overall level is a bit low while you are working on it, but you should adjust the level before you export the finished audio file. If the peak level goes over 0 dB while you are working, it will probably sound distorted because sound cards are not able to reproduce sounds over 0 dB. If that happens, you can use the Amplify effect and amplify by a negative amount to reduce the level.

A good way to set the level before exporting the finished audio file is to use the "Normalize" effect (http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/normalize.html). The normalization level should be a little less than 0 dB (for example, -1 dB).

[Koukol]

Thanks for the reply, Steve.

When I upload any music into Audacity I usually use Amplify to boost or reduce the signal to 0db. (I think this is the default setting or else I made it the default.) All I have to do is open Amplify and it automatically chooses the db to adjust to achieve 0db.
Would this be the equivalent of the normalizing process you just described?
Should I reset the 0db to -1db?

I'm concerned how the signal looks after I apply the RIAA since it looks nothing like a well recorded CD...it looks like a brick-walled CD.
I'm trying to get the most accurate rips of my vinyl collection.

[steve]

"Amplify" always defaults to a peak level of 0 dB. That is not a user setting.

"Normalize" allows you to set the peak level. If you set it to 0 dB then it will apply the same amount of amplification as the "Amplify" effect. Personally I prefer to leave a little "head room", so I "Normalize" to -1 dB.

it looks like a brick-walled CD.

If you mean that the waveform is flat across the top/bottom, then you may have a problem. Usually a well recorded vinyl album will be more wiggly than a CD.

[Koukol]

Thanks again, Steve.
I guess brick-walled was the wrong term now that I get it means clipping.
I was just surprised with the above pics when both RIAA reduced the two original spikes around the 1.16 mark.
I take it the after pics are fine since you haven't expressed any concern.

[Gale Andrews]

I was just surprised with the above pics when both RIAA reduced the two original spikes around the 1.16 mark.

The RIAA curve (supplied by us) as expected boosts the bass and reduces the treble. If those spikes after 1 minute 15 seconds were high frequencies, one would expect those spikes to reduce.

I am not so sure that the overall level should go down so much. Normally RIAA would increase the overall level, unless your audio has excessive high frequencies or no bass frequencies.

If you like you can attach a short sample of the audio: How to post an audio sample or select some audio, open Analyze Plot Spectrum... and attach an image of Plot Spectrum.

How are you connecting the turntable to Scarlett exactly?


Gale