[ronfint]

I have a rather large collection of LPs (~5000) and I'd like to transfer some them to my MacBook Pro. I am playing them on an Immedia RPM table and arm with a Lyra Titan cartridge and a CAT Ultimate preamp. I am using a Griffin iMic and Sound Studio 3 to get aiff files, normalize, and split into tracks. Then I have used ClickRepair to remove pops and clicks.

So far, so good. The last step is where I could use some help. At this stage I'd like to reduce surface noise. The most effective tool that I've found to date is the noise removal effect in Audacity with a noise sample taken from the runout track of the LP. This step definitely detracts from the sound. It is not too bad if used lightly, but then little noise is removed. (By the way all these LPs have been thoroughly cleaned.)

Does anyone have a better technique for removing surface noise? (I also have SoundSoap which I absolutely hate.) I have many LPs of violin recitals, and if I can learn how to remove the surface noise, I'd like to digitize all of these.

Thanks,
Ron

 

[bigshot]

There are two types of noise reduction... impulse and broadband. You need to do impulse noise reduction first, so you can go easier on the broadband. I use the declicker in Spark XL, but it's not available any more. (By the way, the latest version of SoundSoap works great if you know how to adjust it properly.)

Hope this helps
Steve

 

[ronfint]

Thanks very much! I guess that ClickRepair is taking care of the impulse noise. (Is that right?) So I'm interested in the broadband noise. I've been trying Amadeus Pro recently, and often it works well using the FFT noise reducer turned way down. But sometimes this completely detroys the music.

Do you have any tips for using SoundSoap? I have downloaded the most recent version, but every file I clean with it sounds terrible.

Ron

By the way -- your moniker reminds me of the days when I lived in New Orleans and Big Shot Cola was one of my favorite drinks.

 

[bigshot]

The trick to using Sound Soap is to do as much impulse cleaning up as possible before using it. Broadband noise reduction is best used sparingly. Pick a section of blank groove towards the middle of the disk. (Lead in and lead out are liable to sound different than the rest of the record.) Apply the pattern detection, and then switch to noise only monitoring. Increase the sensitivity until you start hearing the rhythm of the music in the noise, then back it off a ways. Then switch back to the music and ramp up the intensity as little as possible. I never need to go further than 1/4 turn (9:00). Sound Soap is a dynamic filter. It applies more noise reduction to quiet areas than it does to loud ones. So don't set it based on the loud parts. Set it in a relatively quiet section of music.

Here's a post where I go into detail about my restoration techniques. I specialize in 78s, but LPs are easier to clean up. The only thing there's no hope for is distortion from groove damage. It's easier to just get another copy of the record than try to repair that.

See ya
Steve

 

[ronfint]

Thanks very much, Steve. Your advice is really helpful. SoundSoap is now working well for me. I've owned this program for three and a half years, and for the first time, I'm beginning to understand how to use it effectively.