Topic: how to best add volume and keep hiss down with an analog master and SF8?

[heyitsmejess]

i have a beautiful analog master of a verrrrrrrrry quiet show.  im trying to figure out, using what i have, how to best maximize the volume and remove a good deal of the hiss that comes along with it.

i have SF8 to work with, as well as audacity.  i have the master captured to the drive, just need to figure out what to do next.

i played around with smooth compression and volume maximizer, but wasnt sure of the results, and am looking for opinions!

thanks in advance!

[stevetoney]

i have a beautiful analog master of a verrrrrrrrry quiet show.  im trying to figure out, using what i have, how to best maximize the volume and remove a good deal of the hiss that comes along with it.

i have SF8 to work with, as well as audacity.  i have the master captured to the drive, just need to figure out what to do next.

i played around with smooth compression and volume maximizer, but wasnt sure of the results, and am looking for opinions!

thanks in advance!

I'm not sure how it's done in Soundforge, but I've used Audition over the years to master alot of my old cassette tapes with pretty decent success.  In fact, Audition was able to really improve many of the more hissy tapes or generational tapes that I had.

What I do is find a silent spot between songs where there's nothing but hiss.  I zoom in on that sound bite.  I use the noise reduction filter and select 'get profile from selection'.  Audition characterizes the hiss in that selection.  I then save the profile.  After saving the hiss profile, I run the filter on the entire tape to and Audition remove only the stuff that's been captured in that profile from the master audio. 

After removing the hiss, I can hear the audio a little clearer so that I have a better idea what I want to do with it, like bumping the levels a little bit.

I think you know that you can't expect miracles...if your audio is really low and the hiss is really prominent, then you might not be able to bump the audio too much without also bumping background noise.  I suppose you could try filtering the hiss out AFTER you bump the levels or maybe even run the filter twice (once before and again after), but I'm not sure the net effect would matter much in your final product (runner the filter before or after bumping levels).

I'm not sure if this answers your question.  This is pretty basic stuff, so I have an idea that you might have been looking for more than what I've given here...and of course since I don't have Soundforge, I might not have even begun to address your question.

[Brian Skalinder]

Apologies if you've already addressed these points, but I think they're important to note.  First things first:

• Did you adjust azimuth on the playback deck during transfer?  It not, check if your cassette deck allows you to adjust the azimuth, either with an external knob, or by popping off the cassette door shell.  And if the playback deck doesn't provide azimuth adjustment at all, try to track down a deck that allows azimuth adjustment and re-transfer.
• Did you use an ADC internal or external to your computer?  Most internal ADCs are plagued by self-noise, so if you used internal, try to find an external ADC and re-transfer.
• If you transferred at 16-bit, did you maximize levels, i.e. did your peak levels approach, but not quite reach, 0 dBFS during the transfer process?  If not, I'd re-transfer, as you want levels as close to 0 dBFS as possible during the 16-bit transfer process.  If you transferred to 24-bit, you've got more wiggle room with respect to your peak levels.

Only then would I look at solutions in the digital realm.  IME, it's easy to over-do noise reduction, and most over-do it (guilty myself at times in the past, before I knew better).  So, try to use a light touch when applying noise reduction.  I suspect you'll have better success with SF than Audacity.  Sorry I'm no specific help with SF, I'm unfamiliar with the program.

[stevetoney]

IME, it's easy to over-do noise reduction, and most over-do it (guilty myself at times in the past, before I knew better).  So, try to use a light touch when applying noise reduction.  I suspect you'll have better success with SF than Audacity.  Sorry I'm no specific help with SF, I'm unfamiliar with the program.

Good points for sure Brian. 

I'd also add that the success that I experienced (as mentioned in the thread above) is based on listening to the end result with nothing even close to audiophile equipment.  In my case, I was rescuing some fairly rare and, to me anyway, valuable Stevie Ray Vaughan audio from analog oblivion, so any sonic improvement was considered a resouding technological triumph.  So, depending on where you're at in the realm of expectations, your mileage will definitely vary.

[momule]

How about a small sample to get a feel of what were working with.

[heyitsmejess]

there was no NR used in the recording.  levels were maximized (more on this in a second).  i did use the a/d internally with the computer, as i dont have an a/d box (why my aiwa dat deck goes unused).  no need to adjust the azimuth, as it was played back on the same deck it was recorded on.

what i wound up doing is sending the signal through a CA9100 preamp before it went line in to the computer.  i turned the gain all the way up, and adjusted the line in level accordingly.  that way, the volume of the recording was raised, and the limited line in level kept any extra analog hiss down to a minimum (still more than i would have liked, but acceptable).

one other problem with this recording....occasionally the volume drops for about 1 second, then it comes right back.  cant figure that one out. 

anyhow, here is the recording....feel free to comment!

http://www.archive.org/details/cj2007-11-27

thanks again, all!

[dorrcoq]

You must be one of the last people taping with a cassette deck

[heyitsmejess]

You must be one of the last people taping with a cassette deck

im alright with that! 

[dorrcoq]

You must be one of the last people taping with a cassette deck

im alright with that! 

Except for the tape flips...

[heyitsmejess]

yeah...that screwed up my bisco recording (10-17-07), but it wasnt that great of a recording to begin with.  brian porters capture kills mine hands down.

but the cowboy junkies and samples recordings ive done, the flips werent an issue at all.

one day soon, i will have a digital flash recorder (or maybe a jb3), but for right now, as my favorite songwriter says, im on a low budget.

oh yeah...and +t to all!

im still open to suggestions, so feel free!

[Charlie Miller]

no need to adjust the azimuth, as it was played back on the same deck it was recorded on.

Not true. Head's can move out of alignment over time...mainly on Sony D6's...

[heyitsmejess]

no need to adjust the azimuth, as it was played back on the same deck it was recorded on.

Not true. Head's can move out of alignment over time...mainly on Sony D6's...

learn something every day!

i know dropping/abusing a recorder can lead to this.  what about everyday use?