Thank you for such kind words, and I will do what I can to reveal what I do to get rid of noise in sound forge. Here is a message I sent to Nolan about it, but I'll amplify. Well, this is "off list," so no prob, and as far as replying, hey, what are we here fore, to help one another? Damn right! So, I enjoy it since I've done many hundred books and know how valuable it is when you hear something which, going in sounded like that unmentionable schtuff you mentioned, but coming out sounds fantastic! I, presume, you do have the sound forge noise reduction plug in, so if you do, then you're going to find that it will do a magnificent job, especially if you can get it to sample the sound in such a way that it automatically picks the "hiss," and/or the "noise" it is suppose to hear, and not what you don't want it to reduce like the voice. Since you've recorded in SF before and know how to reverse, what I do is make a region for each side of each cassette, and then have sf write those regions to specific *.wav files, and then use something else to make the mp3s at 32K or 32K with vbr so the sound is as good as it should be. I record at 44,100Hz and then change the sample rate to 22,050, (NOT RESAMPLE) just change the sample rate so the pitch halves, to resample would not change the pitch but you'd loose quality, and then apply noise reduction since the noise you wish for the NR to hear would be at the correct pitch as well. I hope some of this rambling helps. You can change the amount of noise reduction in the nr reduction plug-in, rather than use the preset of "0.250 seconds (a quarter second) (for fast computers) and then, since it's mode 1, you can then change the amount of supression in db. The "sample noise" checkbox should be checked, and when you first have it sample a noise, it auto unchecks itself since the nr plug-in has found the sample and made it's configuration and to that noise it's sampled, it's set. Change the db slider to, let's say, minus 40 DB and while listening to the "preview" you'll be amazed how wonderfully it will work. Then, save the setting, but make sure, before you save that setting, that the sample checkbox is then, checked, since if you use that setting in the future for another minus 40 db sample, you wish it to sample at least a quarter second of noise automatically, and by default. Many guys forget that checkbox and figure that since the slider is set for minus 40 db, it will get rid of the noise, forgetting that it needs to sample first some noise before it can apply it's magic to what you wish it to hear, not a voice or music. Plan to use a selected part of the noise when you make the nr plug-in hear noise, (the beginning of each side of a book is plenty of room for it) and you'll be really pleased, I guarantee. That dec, will make a huge difference though the handi-cassette is good one track at a time, even has better or less cross talk one track at a time, but is tedious that way. Recording off that dec in your garage (when you set it up) the right channel is tracks 4 and 3 sides 1 and 2 of the tape, and you know that if you first record 1 cassette, that if you press tab it will put the left channel by itself into a way which you can work with separately. Press tab until you hear only the right channel, then reverse it all at once. Then you should down sample, normalize, noise reduce, make regions for sides (which for best results should be noise reduced separately) and then have sf make your *.wav files. Getting to those sliders for minus db can be problematic, though, fortunately I have jfw 5.0 and it's native sound forge configuration files, so the sliders can be found. You must play around a good bit in the plug-in configuration, trying up and down arrow to find out which field(s) get changed, but when you do and learn which does change that slider from about minus 12.5 db which is a default setting when using the preset for "fast computers with 250 millisecond capture, you then will be amazed how well it works, again, especially, if it just hears noise such as tape hiss or hum before the recording begins. I hope all this helps. Take care and write to let me know how you're doing. Curtis Delzer
At 02:06 PM 1/4/2006, you wrote: Thanks for the outstanding advice regarding the plug-in and the handi-cassette. I knew it was a piece of something unmentionable when it came to reproducing stereo sound; I need to hunt up my old cassette deck stored in a box in the garage, and I'll do that this weekend. I wonder if we could communicate via e-mail off list so I can get a somewhat better handle on how to even begin to use that plug-in. I can't even get the auto trim crop to trim the silence off both ends of the recording appropriately--obviously operator incompetence alive, well, and at work in front of my keyboard. <smile> Again, Curtis, thanks for replying. I know it took time out of your life, and silly and goofy as it sounds, any time I get a reply from anyone, it's kind of a significant thing, especially when I stop and recognize how busy I get and how easy it is to just say "poor slob; hope someone somewhere can figure that out for him," and hit the delete key. So when I say thanks for writing back, I truly am grateful. Where do I even go to activate the plug-in? I assume I have to select some tape hiss; that's easy enough to do. And do you do that before or after you resample? Nolan Crabb [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ] On Behalf Of Curtis Delzer Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 12:18 AM To: PC audio discussion list. Subject: Re: Sound Forge 8 and Noise Reduction Questions Sorry, but the HANDI-CASSETTE has a lot of cross talk by default, and nothing in sound forge can correct this. A better way is to use a regular stereo cassette dec and record tracks 1 and 4, then turn the cassette over and then record sides 2 and 3. This will make a file about an hour and a half long, (probably closer to about 84 or 85 minutes give or take). In SF you can press tab and get to either the left or right side, and you wish to reverse the right channel as you know. If you have the SF noise reduction plut-in, it is superlative at getting rid of the hiss. The commercial cassette stereo recorder has a much better cross talk capability, even a non expensive one. Somehow, the HANDI-CASSETTE, in stereo, is pretty lousy in this regard. If you use the sound forge noise reduction plut-in, use a facility in it which lets you sample the hiss in such a way that it is beyond the beginning of the tape and just before the narrator begins, and save the setting. You can tweak the settings to get that hiss up to 99 db below what it is, and if you do it right, the hiss will be virtually gone leaving the recording even better than the original, I know, I've done it several hundred times. Good luck! Curtis Delzer At 05:18 PM 1/3/2006, you wrote: >Greetings, all, and thanks in advance for reading this. > >I'm using Sound Forge 8 to digitize NLS four-track books for use in my Book >Port. So here's the question: > >I'd love to reduce some of the tape hiss I get and to reduce some of the >crosstalk that comes about when I record in stereo. (I record using a >handi-cassette as my player, record the tapes at double speed, then reverse >tracks 3 and 4. I then resample the recordings so the speed is normal, >combine the tracks and save them as single MP3 files that I later suck into >the Book Port. > >How do I institute the plug-in that would help reduce at least the hiss if >not the crosstalk? > >Please, no messages about how I need a different player as my source. Trust >me, I get that already! > >Thanks for any help you can give. > >Nolan Crabb > > >_______________________________________________ >PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org > >To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other >lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com At 02:26 PM 1/4/2006, you wrote: >Nolan, I have had good results in removing crosstalk by using the >Noise Gate function in the SF8 menu. That's Noise Gate rather than >Noise Reduction. You need to tinker with the decibel setting - >somewhere between -30 and -35 worked best for me without cutting off >the speech at the end of phrases, and you still get crosstalk >sometimes during the speech, but it made a big difference in the final >product. > >I endorse Curtis's suggestion (posted later) of using a commercial >stereo cassette deck, and resampling and reversing tracks to get the >final result. It's a little more technically intensive, but the >results are worth it. I would love to know Curtis's secret for >removing as much hiss as he does with Noise Reduction. I could never >achieve those results, which I am sure is more a comment on the >operator than on the product. > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Nolan Crabb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "'PC audio discussion list. '" <Pc-audio@pc-audio.org> >Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 8:18 PM >Subject: Sound Forge 8 and Noise Reduction Questions > > >Greetings, all, and thanks in advance for reading this. > >I'm using Sound Forge 8 to digitize NLS four-track books for use in my >Book >Port. So here's the question: > >I'd love to reduce some of the tape hiss I get and to reduce some of >the >crosstalk that comes about when I record in stereo. (I record using a >handi-cassette as my player, record the tapes at double speed, then >reverse >tracks 3 and 4. I then resample the recordings so the speed is >normal, >combine the tracks and save them as single MP3 files that I later suck >into >the Book Port. > >How do I institute the plug-in that would help reduce at least the >hiss if >not the crosstalk? > >Please, no messages about how I need a different player as my source. >Trust >me, I get that already! > >Thanks for any help you can give. > >Nolan Crabb > > >_______________________________________________ >PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... >http://www.pc-audio.org > >To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists >we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com > > >_______________________________________________ >PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... >http://www.pc-audio.org > >To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other >lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com
