Blaze Audio
Presents
How to Convert your
LPs and Tapes to CDs
Copyright 2007 by Singing Electrons, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Contact us at [email protected] to request permission to reprint portions of this manual.
Contents
Step 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Step 2. Making Connections .......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Step 3. Recording: Setting Levels .................................................................................................................................................. 9
Step 4. Making the Recording ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Step 5. Using Power Record to Stop Recording Automatically ................................................................................................. 10
Step 6. Using Wave Breaker to Split Long Files into Tracks ..................................................................................................... 11
Step 7. Editing with RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn ........................................................................................................ 12
Step 8. Removing Noise with the Noise Reduction Effect……………………………………………………………… …..16
Step 9. Using Record Cleaner to Clean Recordings Automatically.............................................................................................17
Step 10. Setting Volumes for Each Song ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Step 11.Burning the CD….. ......................................................................................................................................................... 19
2
Step 1. Introduction
Records and tapes wear out, and there is no better way to preserve your music than to convert your tape and vinyl collection to
CD. Fortunately the process has become both easy and inexpensive.
Here's what you need to convert records and tapes to CDs and MP3s:
-PC computer running Windows 2000, XP, or Vista
- Sound card or USB audio device
- Turntable with a built in preamp, a receiver, or an external phono preamp
- Proper cables
-Conversion software
-CD burner (standard in most PCs and laptops)
-iPod & iTunes on your computer or other MP3 player
This manual is based on Blaze Audio's LP and Tape to CD Conversion Software Suites, which include the following
programs: RipEditBurn or RipEditBurn Plus, Power Record, Wave Breaker, Record Cleaner and the Conversion
Assistant: the best, easiest to use tools for the job. You can get a trial version at www.blazeaudio.com and see for yourself.
This manual also contains information about the USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter and the LKG PRE 600 phono preamplifier,
both available from www.blazeaudio.com
The USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter is a compact external sound card that has a 1/8" stereo line input, 1/8" mic input, and 3
1/8" outputs for stereo or 5.1 surround sound. It has an attached USB cable that plugs directly into your computer.
The LKG PRE 600 phono preamplifier is a specialized preamp designed exclusively for use with phono turntables. When
used together, the USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter and the LKG PRE 600 phono preamplifier make a complete
communication path between your turntable and your computer.
To listen to samples of recordings and effects, visit http://www.blazeaudio.com/products/ripeditburnPlus.html and
http://www.blazeaudio.com/products/lp_to_cd_suiteplus.html and click on the Audio Samples button next to the screenshots.
The manual is divided into a number of different steps. You can follow them in order, or skip to the one that is giving you
trouble. The steps are listed in the Table of Contents on page 2.
3
Step 2. Making Connections
A few pictures can save many words, especially when it comes to connectors. If you don't know what RCA, 1/4", and 1/8"
stereo plugs look like, we have provided the pictures here. Remember, jacks are the holes you put the plugs into.
RCA Plugs
¼” stereo plug
1/8" stereo plug
RCA Jacks
It is very important to use stereo connectors, to record in stereo rather than mono. In the pictures below, the stereo connectors
are on the top and the mono connectors are on the bottom.
The metal part of the stereo plug (top) is divided with an insulator between the right and left channels.
¼" Stereo Plug (top)
¼" Mono Plug (bottom)
1/8".Stereo Plug (top)
1/8" Mono Plug (bottom)
There are several possible ways to connect from your tape deck or turntable to your computer's sound card or our USB 5.1
Channel Audio Adapter, and you may have to experiment to find the best solution. Some general guidelines follow.
4
GENERAL COMMENTS AND PRECAUTIONS:
In order to record, you need to connect your turntable, preamp, receiver, or tape deck to your computer's sound card or USB
audio device.
DO NOT connect speaker outputs that are designed for speakers that don't
have their own power supply ("unpowered speakers") to your sound card or
USB audio device. If you do, the output may damage your sound card or USB
audio device.
Use the headphone jack instead.
The picture at the left shows the most common connectors for speakers that do
not have an external power source. Don't use these. .
You can use speaker outputs designed for speakers with an external power
source, the kind you probably use with your PC. If you are in doubt consult a
qualified service professional.
Outputs for unpowered speakers
If you have red and white RCA plugs on your cable, connect the red plug to the right RCA jack on your turntable or tape deck
and the white plug to the left channel. There are some variations and you may have to experiment.
Make sure you connect to the line or aux input on your sound card or USB audio device. Don't connect to the mic input
or your recording will be distorted and you might damage your audio hardware.
PLUGS AND JACKS
RCA plugs
RCA jacks
1/8" Stereo Plug
5
TAPE DECKS
If your tape deck has a headphone jack, connect a stereo cable with the appropriate plugs between the headphone jack and the
Line or Aux input on your computer's sound card or the USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter's Line input.
Cable plugged into the headphone jack
If your tape deck has RCA jacks, connect a cable with two RCA plugs on one end and a stereo 1/8" plug on the other end
(available from Blaze Audio) between the tape deck's RCA jacks and the Line input on your computer's sound card or the USB
5.1 Channel Audio Adapter’s Line input.
If you have red and white RCA plugs on your cable, the general rule for hooking up the left and right channels correctly is to
connect the red plug to the right RCA channel and the white plug to the left channel. There are some variations, and you may
have to experiment.
DO NOT connect speaker outputs that are designed for speakers that don't have their own power supply ("unpowered
speakers") to your sound card or USB audio device. See page 4 for an illustration of unpowered speaker outputs.
TURNTABLES
Turntables may have RCA jacks, or an attached cable with either a 1/4”stereo headphone plug or RCA plugs (see illustrations
on p. 4) If you have something else talk to a qualified service professional. Most turntables require a stereo receiver or a phono
preamp to provide sufficient amplification and proper equalization.
How can you tell if you need a receiver or preamp with your turntable? If you have been listening to your records on speakers,
you have some sort of preamplification and RIAA EQ, either a receiver or an external or internal preamp, and you can connect
those directly to your sound card or USB audio device using the guidelines below for our devices.
If you have been listening to your records through headphones or have just set up your turntable and do not have a preamp or
receiver, you can check to see if your turntable has built-in preamplification by connecting the turntable directly to the line
input of your sound card and making a short recording. If the sound you record is very weak and somewhat distorted, you
definitely need to connect through either a stereo receiver or a good phono preamp such as the LKG PRE 600 phono
preamplifier.
Blaze Audio sells the ultra-compact LKG PRE 600 phono preamplifier that accepts RCA plugs from your phonograph, and the
equally compact USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter that acts as an external sound card, creating quieter recordings and
eliminating the need to crawl around the back of your computer to plug things in. It has a 1/8" stereo input jack, 1/8"
microphone input, and three 1/8' headphone/speaker outputs (accommodating normal speakers or Dolby 5.1 surround sound
equipment), and connects via an included cable directly into your computer's USB port. We also have cables for connecting
the units together. Visit www.blazeaudio.com for more information.
6
CONNECTING THE TURNTABLE TO YOUR COMPUTER VIA THE LKG PRE 600 PHONO PREAMPLIFIER
If your turntable has RCA jacks or an attached cable with RCA plugs, connect them to the RCA input jacks on the LKG PRE
600 phono preamplifier. Connect a cable with two RCA plugs on one end and a 1/8" plug on the other from the RCA outputs
on the LKG PRE 600 phono preamplifier directly into your computer's sound card's Line In or Aux input, or, for superior
recording quality, into the 1/8" Line input jack on the USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter. Plug the USB 5.1 Channel Audio
Adapter’s USB connector into your computer's USB port.
The LKGPRE 600 phono preamp with cables
plugged into the input and output jacks
The complete setup, from turntable through the LKG PRE 600
preamp, to the USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter, into the computer
The USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter's Line In
jack and the 1/8"plug from the preamp.
CONNECTING A RECEIVER TO THE USB 5.1 CHANNEL AUDIO ADAPTER
If your receiver has RCA output jacks and you are using our USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter, connect a cable with two RCA
plugs on one end and a 1/8" plug on the other between the RCA jacks on the receiver and the Line input on the USB 5.1
Channel Audio Adapter. Plug the USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter's USB connector into your computer's USB port.
7
If your receiver has a 1/4” or 1/8” headphone jack, use a cable with the correct size plugs to connect it to the USB 5.1 Channel
Audio Adapter's Line input.
A receiver with a cable plugged into the ¼"
headphone jack. The cable had a 1/8" plug, so
a 1/8"-to-1/4" adapter was used to achieve the
correct connection.
The USB 5.1 Channel Audio Adapter plugged into
a receiver's headphone jack.
DO NOT connect the speaker outputs to your USB Audio Device.
CONNECTING A RECEIVER DIRECTLY TO YOUR COMPUTER'S SOUND CARD
If your receiver has RCA output jacks and you want to plug directly into your sound card, connect a cable with two RCA plugs
on one end and a stereo 1/8" plug on the other end between the receiver and the Line, Line In, or Aux input jack on your sound
card. Don't plug it into the sound card’s mic input---you will overload the input. See pictures below.
If your receiver has a 1/4” or 1/8” headphone jack, use a cable with a ¼” or 1/8” stereo plug at one end and a 1/8” stereo plug
at the other end to connect to your computer sound card’s Line, Line In, or Aux jack. Don't plug it into the sound card’s
mic input. See pictures below.
DO NOT connect the speaker outputs to your sound card (see GENERAL COMMENTS AND PRECAUTIONS above).
When in doubt, consult the computer's manual or ask at a knowledgeable stereo store.
PLUGGING INTO THE COMPUTER'S SOUND CARD
Most computers' sound cards have four 1/8" jacks: two outputs and two inputs. Always connect preamps, receivers, and
turntables into the Line or Aux input, never into the mic input. See illustrations below.
Computer sound card inputs
8
Check the markings on the back of your sound card to determine the correct input jack. There are usually either symbols or
text labels back there to help you out. If the labels are not clear, refer to your computer's manual.
Make sure that the plug you use going into your sound card is a 1/8" stereo connector (see photo below).
stereo 1/8" plug
Don't use the input marked as the microphone input either by the word "Mike" or "Mic" or by an icon
of a microphone except to plug in a microphone.
Step 3. Recording: Setting Levels
Before you start recording your tapes or records, you need to make sure that the recording level is set correctly. If the recording
volume is too low, you will lose quality. If the recording volume is too high, your recording will be distorted.
Image 1: RipEditBurn Plus's
recording controls, set to record
from "Line", showing record
volume control slider (vertical)
and pan slider (horizontal).
Image 2: RipEditBurn's
recording controls, set to record
from "Line In", showing record
volume control slider (vertical)
and pan slider (horizontal).
Image 3: RipEditBurn Plus's and
RipEditBurn's playback volume
control (vertical slider), pan control
(horizontal slider), and recording level
indicators (vertical bars).
CHOOSING THE RECORDING SOURCE
In RipEditBurn Plus, choose Device from the Record From drop-down menu (see Image 1above). In RipEditBurn Plus or
RipEditBurn, click the Rec Source button until the text above it reads "Line", "Line In", or "Line (ext)" (see Images 1 and 2
above). If none of these is available, go to File>Preferences in RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn, and select the Devices
tab. Set the playback and recording devices to the sound card or USB audio device you are using.
SETTING THE VOLUME AND PAN
The vertical slider to the left of the Rec Source button sets the recording volume (Images 1 & 2 above). Somewhere between
half and full volume should serve as a good starting point. The horizontal slider controls the pan (relative strength of the left
and right channels).
9
The vertical volume control slider in Image 3 (above) controls volume during playback, and the horizontal slider controls the
pan during playback, so you can listen to each channel separately. The vertical bars on the right in Image 3 indicate the
volume level during recording and playback.
Set the output volume on your source. If you are recording from a receiver or amplifier, set the volume so that you get a good,
full sound on the speakers with no audible distortion. If you are using a headphone plug on the source, use a pair of headphones
to make sure the volume level is high but not so high that it distorts. If you are connecting directly through RCA jacks, the
volume controls on the source will probably not affect the loudness; it should be set automatically by the equipment.
Start playing your record or tape and click on RipEditBurn Plus's or RipEditBurn's Record button (see Images 1& 2 above).
You will see the "Choose Format" dialog box. Set the bit depth and sampling rate to 44100 Hz, 16 bits, and stereo for the best
(CD-quality) recording. Lower sampling rates and bit depths are not as high fidelity but they use less memory space. When you
record at 16 bits per sample, 44,100 samples per second, stereo, you are using 176,400 bytes for every second of recording.
Each minute of a song takes 10,584,000 bytes on your hard drive. Make sure you've got plenty of room before you start.
Recording Level Indicators and Clipping Lights
Watch the recording level indicators (the vertical columns on the right in the image below). These dancing lights show you at a
glance if you are recording at too high or low a recording volume.
The higher the lit columns on the indicator, the louder the sound being recorded. You want to
record as loudly as possible, but if the record volume is too high the recorded sound will be
distorted. When the volume level is too high, the amber lights at the top of the columns light up and
stay lit for a second even after the level goes down (see image at left). Keep reducing the volume
until you can play the loudest sections without the amber lights ("clipping lights") going on.
You can listen to the sound you have recorded by clicking the Record button again to stop recording, and then clicking the
play button. Adjust playback volume and pan with the sliders illustrated in Image 3 above. When you are happy with the level,
you can clear out your test recording by choosing File>New.
Step 4. Making the Recording
Make sure the vinyl is free of all dust and dirt. There are some excellent commercial products available from Blaze Audio for
washing the disc and cleaning your stylus before recording.
Set up for recording with RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn by following the steps in Step 3, Recording: Setting Levels.
Click the Record button before you start your turntable or tape player. Record all the way through and let the recording
continue for a few seconds after playback has stopped. You can edit out the silences at the beginning and end later.
Stop recording by clicking Record a second time. If you saw the clipping lights (see Step 3) go on during recording you should
listen carefully to the loudest sections, to be sure there is no distortion. You may want to re-do parts of the recording at a
slightly lower recording level.
If you are satisfied with your recording, use File>Save to save it to disk before you start editing. This will be a large file, and it
will take a while to save it.
If you have a long vinyl record or tape to record, you can use Blaze Audio's program Power Record to start and stop
recording automatically and to control the recording volumes while you are off doing other things. Power Record is described
in the next section.
Step 5. Using Power Record to stop recording automatically
It can be tedious sitting around waiting for each song on an LP or tape to finish recording. The LP/Tape to CD Conversion
Suites include the Power Record program that automates some of the recording tasks.
Power Record allows you to schedule the beginning and end of a recording session and includes automatic gain control to
prevent distortion caused by unexpectedly high volumes. If you own RipEditBurn Plus, you can also schedule timed
recordings of internet radio programs using Power Record. Power Record's Quickhelp file explains how.
10
1
RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn do not have to be launched to use Power Record to record your records or tapes. You
will use those programs later to edit your recordings, create your personalized playlists, export to MP3, and burn CDs.
Power Record's Automatic Gain Control lowers the recording volume when the input is too high, so you can record a
complete side of a record or tape without having to monitor the volume.
Do this test to be sure Power Record can "see" your recording source:
1.
2.
3.
4.
On your computer's desktop, click Start>Control Panel. Double-click Sounds and Audio Devices. Choose the
Audio tab. Set the recording and playback devices to the sound card or USB audio device you are using.
In power Record, choose File>Preferences. Click Devices and set the recording and playback devices to the same
settings you entered in your computer's system in step 1 above.
On Power Record's screen, in the bottom center under Instant Recording, click Record Source until Line or Line In
appears.
Click Record and start your LP or tape. If the volume indicators under the Record button light up, your settings are
correct. If they do not light up, you will have to experiment with different Record Source choices and settings.
To set the automated timing:
Click Add in the upper right of Power Record's screen.
Name the event (such as "Diana Ross Anthology"). The file will automatically be saved under this name at the conclusion of
the recording session. By default, all saved files will go in a Power Record folder in your Documents. You may change the
location by going to the menu item File>Preferences>Save Location, clicking on the "…" button under "Create Recorded
Files In", and choosing your preferred location from the directory. Set the time you want to start recording and the time you
expect the recording to be finished. One side of an LP is about 25-30 minutes long. You can delete any silence at the end if
you overestimate the ending time.
Choose One Time Only from the Recording Frequency drop-down menu.
Click Audio Properties on the left side of the window.
• Set the Recording Source to Line or Line In
• Choose the recording quality you want (CD is the best, but uses the most memory space; FM is next, and AM uses the
least memory but its fidelity is not as high)
• Choose the file type (WAV, MP3, or WMA). WAV is used to make CDs and has the highest fidelity; MP3 files are
compressed files and are used by iPods and can be sent in emails more easily; WMA files play on Windows Media
Players.
• Set the Recording Device so it is the same as #2 in the "Do This Test" section above.
Click Finish. Power Record is ready to start and stop your recording session.
When Power Record begins recording, the little clock face to the left of the file name on the main screen turns blue and the
hands start moving. Start your LP or tape playing and go mow the lawn, buy groceries, or take a nap. When the recording is
finished, the file is saved automatically under the name you entered in the Name the Event box.
Step 6. Using Wave Breaker to Split Long Files into Tracks
If your recording included more than one song or track, splitting the file into individual tracks will facilitate editing. Wave
Breaker splits long files automatically and creates a playlist of the files that can be burned to CD or put on an iPod or WMP.
Wave Breaker is included in Blaze Audio's Conversion Software Suites and Recording Studio Software Suites and is
available as an add-on to RipEditBurn Plus, RipEditBurn, and Wave Creator.
SPLIT A FILE
Install Wave Breaker on your computer (it installed automatically if you installed a Conversion Suite or Suite Plus, or a
Recording Studio Suite or Suite Plus).
11
1
You can load a previously recorded file directly into Wave Breaker from File>Open, and it will immediately be split into
tracks.
If you are working on a file in RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn, access Wave Breaker in the Tools menu by choosing
Split Files into Tracks. Save the file if it is not already saved. Wave Breaker opens with the file loaded and automatically
begins to split it into tracks.
Wave Breaker searches the file for places where the signals are quieter than 10% of maximum amplitude for a duration of at
least 3 seconds and breaks the wave files at these points. If you wish to change these default settings, choose Preferences from
the File menu and choose the Track Splitting tab in the dialog box. Enter the new values and click OK. Click Analyze File
on the main program screen to split the file using the new values. All the tracks will be split according to the new criteria,
whether they are selected or not.
SPLIT AN ALREADY SPLIT TRACK
To split a track further, you must specify where you want Wave Breaker to split the track.
Click on the file name in Wave Breaker's main window to select it, click Play and note the time position (i.e., 000:19:344)
where you want to split the track. To find the location in the file's waveform in RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn, position
the cursor at the spot where you want to split the track, and note the time position in the time window under the transport
controls.
Check the box next to the file name in Wave Breaker's main window and click Split Track. A dialog box opens, asking you
to enter the location where you want the track to be split. Enter the time position and click OK. Wave Breaker splits the
selected track into two tracks at the specified point and adds the newly split tracks to the list in the main window.
SAVE A SPLIT FILE
The default names of the split files are displayed in the program's main window. You can edit the file names by right-clicking
on the file name and entering a new name.
Wave Breaker saves the split files to the same location as the original file, unless you change the file path at
File/Preferences—General tab—Output File Location before you click on Save. Choose the file type (Wave or MP3) of the
split file to be saved from the drop-down menu next to the Save button.
When you click Save or choose File>Save, you will be asked if you want to save tag information in the new file. If you
choose Yes, a dialog box will open asking for song information, such as artist, composer, album, etc.
MERGE FILES
You can merge split tracks back together.
Select any number of consecutive tracks from the list in the main window by checking the boxes next to the file names. Click
Merge. Wave Breaker merges these tracks into one track and only the new merged track is listed.
EDIT FILES
Check the boxes next to the file names of tracks you want to edit.
Click Edit. You will be prompted to save the split tracks if they are not already saved, and then the files will open in
RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn.
Step 7. Editing With RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn
Editing takes some patience but a little time spent editing your files can make a major difference in the quality of your CD. It
is also an opportunity for you to add your own creative touches to your music.
12
1
You are dealing with large files, and sometimes it can take a long time to process each effect. You might want to cut out a
small portion of the song and work on it until you like the way it sounds, then apply the effect to the whole song.
Save often, but make sure to keep the original so that if you decide you don't like what you've done you can go back. When you
are happy with the result, it is often convenient to save it in a different directory. You can put all of your final takes in one
directory, all ready to burn to a CD.
SPLITTING INTO TRACKS
If there were several songs on your tape or record you will probably want to split them into separate tracks before editing. This
saves time in the editing process, and allows you to list the tracks in any order on your final CD or MP3.
Step 6 described splitting files using Wave Breaker. In RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn, you can use the editor to cut out
each track and paste it into a new file. Select the section you want to make into a separate track, copy it (Ctrl-C), click
File>New, choose the correct settings in the dialog box, click Ctrl-V, and use File/Save As to save it as a new track.
TRIM BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS OF SONGS
Next, you'll want to trim the beginning and the ending of
each song. Use the menu option View/Zoom to Selection
to enlarge the part you are editing. Edit/Undo allows you
to undo back one level if you make a mistake. Edit/Revert
discards all changes back to the last time you saved the file.
Removing the silence at the beginning of a track
CLEANING UP POPS, CLICKS, AND HISS
Often recordings made from vintage tapes and records have a variety of flaws, including scratches, pops and clicks, and hiss.
Blaze Audio's Record Cleaner will help you eliminate pops and clicks and reduce other noises easily and automatically. It
includes a sophisticated pop and click filter, a notch filter for getting rid of 50 or 60 cycle power hum, and a hiss reduction tool.
If Record Cleaner is installed on your computer, you can access it from the Tools menu in RipEditBurn Plus and
RipEditBurn. See Step 8 for more information about Record Cleaner.
Here are some techniques for noise removal using RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn.
Reducing Hiss By Adding EQ With RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn
Adding EQ or equalization can help a lot. We suggest reducing
the high frequencies to get rid of hiss. EQ can be found in the
Effects menu. 10 frequency ranges are controlled by sliders,
allowing you fine control.
13
1
EQ window open in RipEditBurn
Pop and Click Removal with RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn
Sometimes the Record Cleaner program will not completely get rid of a pop or a click. In that case you can often edit it out,
using RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn.
Magnify the section with the problem (see picture at left). You
will probably see a very steep line or set of lines. Abrupt changes
in a waveform cause pops and clicks. With care you can
probably eliminate just the part of the waveform that is making
the noise, thus improving the quality of the recording. If you take
too much out the timing of the music may be noticeably altered,
so be careful.
Abrupt changes in a waveform cause pops and clicks
Spike representing the Click
We took a small bit of a recording from an LP that had a click left over even after running our automated Pop and Click
Removal tool in Record Cleaner. If this click happened in louder music it would not have been noticeable, but in the middle
of a soft string section it stands out. Here's what to do to get rid of a click like this one. The screenshots are of RipEditBurn
but the process is identical in RipEditBurn Plus.
First, find the exact spot where the noise occurs. Zoom in
on that spot. As you zoom in more and more, you should
eventually see a bump in the waveform as in the screenshot
at left.
14
1
Use the mouse to select the just the portion that has the abrupt
transition from low to high or high to low, as at left.
Once you have the click selected, use the Amplify effect to reduce the volume
of just the click. Usually setting Amplify to about 0.3 is effective, but you may
need to experiment. Values between zero and 1 reduce the volume of the
selection, values greater than 1 increase the volume, a value of 1 causes no
change, and a value of zero is silence.
Here’s what the result looks like:
If that's not quite enough, undo the operation and try it again with a
lower setting. If you reduce the volume all the way to zero, you are
likely to get a break in the sound that may be nearly as disturbing as the
click.
Add Reverb or Echo
Recordings often benefit from the addition of reverb or a bit of echo. You can add the sound of different-sized rooms with
RipEditBurn Plus’s Reverb Effect. With RipEditBurn, try an echo delay of around 70 milliseconds and set the echo
strength to 35% and see how it sounds.
Using the Notch Filter Effect with RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn
The Notch Filter modifies voice or music by completely removing (or drastically reducing) a specific range of
frequencies/pitch from the sound. So, it's possible to eliminate hum of a specific frequency or scrub out a specific note.
15
1
You set the center frequency, which specifies the frequency of the sound that needs to be removed, and the bandwidth (the
range of frequencies to be removed above and below the center frequency). A lower value removes less sound, a higher value
removes more sound.
Step 8. Removing Noise with the Noise Reduction Effect
The Noise Reduction Effect is sold as a plug-in to RipEditBurn Plus, RipEditBurn, and Wave Creator.
The Noise Reduction Effect allows you to remove unwanted sounds such as tape hiss, sounds of wind, rain, hum, audience
noise, and crackle from recorded audio.
Follow these steps:
1. Locate a section in your audio file which contains just noise (hiss, hum, crackle) but does not contain music or voice: a
section which should have been otherwise silent. Noise can often be isolated at the beginning or end of a file, and in pauses in
the sound during the music. The Noise Reduction Effect includes 8 preset samples of common audio noise, in case you cannot
find a silent section in your file. The use of the presets is described in the next section, Installing And Using The Noise
Reduction Presets.
2. Select the Noise Only section in your file by positioning the cursor at the beginning of the desired selection, holding down
the left mouse button and dragging the cursor to the end of the selection. The selection can be quite short. The selected area
will be highlighted.
3. From the Effects menu, choose Noise Reduction.
4. In the dialog box that opens, you can save your noise profile for future use by checking "Save Profile" and entering a name
in the window. Click on the Calculate Noise Profile button. This will build a noise identity for the selected section. The
window will close.
5. Select the section of audio which needs to be cleaned, or select nothing if the entire file needs to be cleaned.
6. Once again, choose Noise Reduction from the Effects menu.
7. In the dialog box, use the Noise Reduction Level slider to set the level to 3.
8. Click on the Remove Noise button. The noise will be subtracted from the file. If the audio is distorted, Undo the operation,
and go back to step 6 (there's no need to calculate Noise Profile again for the same file), and this time, reduce the reduction
level one step, and try again. If not enough noise is removed, set the level to a higher number.
Noise Reduction Level: This controls the severity with which the noise components are removed. A high value will remove the
noise more agressively, but might also affect the original voice or music. A low value will remove the noise less agressively,
affecting the original voice or music a little less, but at the cost of leaving some noise in the signal.
INSTALLING AND USING THE NOISE REDUCTION PRESETS
------------------------------------------------
16
1
The Blaze Audio Noise Reducer comes with a set of carefully prepared noise profiles that you can use to remove unwanted
noise from your recordings. Here's how to use them:
- Open your editor (RipEditBurn Plus, RipEditBurn, or Wave Creator)
- Click on File->Open
- Navigate to the folder your editor is in. That will probably be one of the following:
\Program Files\Blaze Audio\RipEditBurn Plus
\Program Files\Blaze Audio\RipEditBurn 2
\Program Files\Blaze Audio\Wave Creator 3
- Open the Noise Reduction Samples folder and pick the profile you want to work with
- Click on Effects->Noise Reduction, then Calculate Noise Profile in Phase 1
- Click on Effects->Noise Reduction
- You may need to adjust the noise reduction level. Start low, then add more as needed.
- To test your setting, click on Remove Noise and then listen to the file
- If you don't like the result, click on Edit->Undo, then go back and try a different noise reduction level.
-The program will use the analysis it did to remove the noise. In fact, the file should be nearly silent!
Important Hint- before you click on Calculate Noise Profile, check Save Profile and enter a name for the noise profile. That
way it will show up in the list of profiles you can load it in to use next time in Phase 2.
Step 9. Using Record Cleaner to Clean Recordings Automatically
Four tools in Record Cleaner help eliminate unwanted noise from recordings: Remove Pops & Clicks, Eliminate Hum,
Reduce Hiss, and Noise Gate (which measures the levels of each frequency and reduces the ones that are likely to be noise).
Each tool is controlled by a slider and allows you to listen to the results before you save the changes.
Pop&Click removal
Scratches, dirt, and wear on the surface of a record can cause pops and clicks in playback. Live recordings sometimes have
unwanted loud noises, and tapes can wear in such a way as to have pops and clicks. Unfortunately, those pops and clicks are
really annoying when they make their way onto a CD! This tool will help remove them.
Back up your file before starting to use this tool. Our editor provides one level of undo, but sometimes you need more than
that, so it's important to be able to go back to the original.
The slider adjusts how aggressive the program is at removing pops and clicks. Near the bottom, the click has to be severe for
the program to remove it. When the slider is at the top much less severe clicks will be removed. In general, try to use the
slider in as low a position as possible since the click removal algorithm also removes a little bit of sound quality.
If most of a recording is OK but there are a few spots with clicks, select those spots and apply the click removal tool to each
one. That way you only affect the part that has the click. Experiment until you find the right combination for each recording.
You may find that it is impossible to remove some clicks using this tool. In those cases we suggest you magnify your view of
the area around the click and look for very steep changes in the waveform. These cause the click. Using RipEditBurn Plus
and RipEditBurn, you may be able to cut out just a tiny section and remove the click without audibly changing the timing of
the music (see Pop and Click Removal with RipEditBurn Plus and RipEditBurn in Step 7).
Professional sound editors may spend many hours cleaning up each section of a recording. We have tried to make the process
as easy and automatic as possible, but sometimes you will have to do quite a bit of experimentation. Make sure you back up
your file often as you work, so you can go back to a previous version.
Hum Removal
Ask any professional sound engineer about hum from power supplies- they will know all about it! There are a variety of things
you can do to prevent it, but, if your recording already has it, you'll need this tool.
17
1
Technically this is called a "notch filter". It completely eliminates the sound in a narrow band (a "notch"). Back up your file
before starting to use this tool. Our editor provides one level of undo, but sometimes you need more than that, so it's important
to be able to go back to the original.
If you live in North America the power coming from the power company (sometimes called "mains power") is almost certainly
at 60 Hz, or cycles per second. In Europe and much of Asia it is usually at 50 Hz. If you are not certain which hum you are
hearing, experiment. If neither one seems to quite do the trick, go to the Effects menu in RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn
and click on Notch Filter; that effect will allow you to set the frequency that is being eliminated.
Hiss Removal
There are many sources of high pitched hiss or crackling in recordings, and this is a good tool for eliminating many kinds of
noise from a recording. Back up your file before starting to use this tool. Our editor provides one level of undo, but sometimes
you need more than that, so it's important to be able to go back to the original.
Our hiss remover is an equalizer, set up to make it very easy for you to remove high frequencies. Lower slider positions
remove less sound, higher ones remove more. Try several different settings to find the one that works the best.
You may find that there are certain sections that need more of this processing than others. Sometimes hiss is especially
noticeable in quiet passages. Select each section individually and find the setting you want.
Noise Gate
A noise Gate is a special kind of filter that measures the levels of each frequency and reduces the ones that are likely to be
noise. A slider controls the amount that is removed.
Very noisy recordings will respond better to a higher amount of noise reduction. If your recording is clean but just has a little
noise in the quiet parts a lower setting should work very nicely.
Often it is best to apply this tool only to the sections that are particularly troublesome. Experiment to find the best setting for
each recording.
Step 10. Setting Volumes for Each Song
If all of the tracks you are going to burn on your CD come from the same record or tape you can probably skip this step, but if
you are mixing tracks from different sources and different genres you may find that the volumes of the tracks on the final CD
varies unacceptably and you will find yourself jumping up to change the volume for each track when you play the CD.
There is a good way to avoid this problem. Before you
save the final version of each track, click on the Normalize
button on RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn . The program
analyzes the track, finds the loudest section, and adjusts the
entire song so that it is as loud as it can be with no
distortion. Then save the final wave file and you're ready to
burn!
18
1
Step 11. Burning the CD
In RipEditBurn Plus or RipEditBurn, click the Burn button. Select the tracks you want on your custom CD with the Add
Track button. Move them around, listen to the tracks, and delete any ones you don't want. Click on Burn CD
If you have any questions, visit our website's Tutorials department at www.blazeaudio.com/learn/ where you can view free text
and video tutorials. You can also contact us at [email protected].
19
1