What is the best (most cost-effective) software for editing audio when
transcribing records onto CD, especially for removing pops, crackles, and
noise?

I'm using GoldWave (from about a year ago) and find that its noise filter
tends to be rather costly in terms of musical timbre; it makes all
instruments sound more bell-like. Also, its pop filter seems to hate
trombones.

How is Adobe Audition?

Also, as a general question, can I run other software on my PC while it is
recording audio, or is there too much risk of tying up the CPU and losing
brief stretches of sound?

If all you're doing is simple transcription, you might want to look at
one of the packages more specifically oriented toward that use, such as
Cakewalk's Pyro. (Not a plug; it's just one I happen to have on my machine).

Admittedly, I've been using Sonar for that purpose, and have recently
added SoundSoap to that system... but that's arguably overkill for your
task.

The trick with noise reduction is often one of using as little of it as
possible.

"mc" wrote in message
. ..

What is the best (most cost-effective) software for editing audio when
transcribing records onto CD, especially for removing pops, crackles, and
noise?

I'm using GoldWave (from about a year ago) and find that its noise filter
tends to be rather costly in terms of musical timbre; it makes all
instruments sound more bell-like. Also, its pop filter seems to hate
trombones.

You've heard that old saw about getting what you pay for? Well, that happens
only if your're a little careful and/or lucky but its a hard rule to beat.
Goldwave is a great value and has at least one unique feature (The equations
processor) that Audition lacks. But, its a simple, inexpensive package.

How is Adobe Audition?

By many accounts far better.

Also, as a general question, can I run other software on my PC while it is
recording audio, or is there too much risk of tying up the CPU and losing
brief stretches of sound?

Depends on your PC. My other PC is concurently ripping a CD on one DVD
drive and loading about 3 GB worth of raw tracks from its other DVD as I
type this.

I love GoldWAVE for what it is worth.

As far as cleaning up record pops is concerned, I just try to clean the
record itself as well as I can and then I make the recording. I listen to it
carefully and if there are really bad pops, then I actually find them in the
wave and fix them by hand; more or less moving just a couple of points
around to look more like the natural curves of the wave. Trying to do it
with software is just voodoo as far as I'm concerned.



"mc" wrote in message
. ..
What is the best (most cost-effective) software for editing audio when
transcribing records onto CD, especially for removing pops, crackles, and
noise?

I'm using GoldWave (from about a year ago) and find that its noise filter
tends to be rather costly in terms of musical timbre; it makes all
instruments sound more bell-like. Also, its pop filter seems to hate
trombones.

How is Adobe Audition?

Also, as a general question, can I run other software on my PC while it is
recording audio, or is there too much risk of tying up the CPU and losing
brief stretches of sound?

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...

I'm using GoldWave (from about a year ago) and find that its noise filter
tends to be rather costly in terms of musical timbre; it makes all
instruments sound more bell-like. Also, its pop filter seems to hate
trombones.
....
How is Adobe Audition?

By many accounts far better.

Thanks. I've obtained Audition on 30-day free trial and really like it.
Its noise filter is much less heavy-handed. That may be due to having more
reasonable defaults -- but reasonable defaults are one of the things we want
our software to have. (I get Adobe products at academic prices, and I'll
probably buy Audition.)

I agree with someone else about doing as little noise filtering as possible.
But, in general, the reason I'm capturing records onto CD myself, rather
than just buying a CD of the same album, is that the records are old and
irreplaceable. Digital filtering is a godsend.

Also, as a general question, can I run other software on my PC while it
is recording audio, or is there too much risk of tying up the CPU and
losing brief stretches of sound?

Depends on your PC. My other PC is concurently ripping a CD on one DVD
drive and loading about 3 GB worth of raw tracks from its other DVD as I
type this.

Yes, but if I understand you, neither of those is a real-time application.
Capturing incoming audio is real-time work. I suppose all I can do is
experiment. But a lot depends on how good Audition or GoldWave is at
commandeering a high enough priority on the CPU.

mc wrote:
"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...

I'm using GoldWave (from about a year ago) and find that its noise filter
tends to be rather costly in terms of musical timbre; it makes all
instruments sound more bell-like. Also, its pop filter seems to hate
trombones.
...
How is Adobe Audition?

By many accounts far better.

Thanks. I've obtained Audition on 30-day free trial and really like it.
Its noise filter is much less heavy-handed. That may be due to having more
reasonable defaults -- but reasonable defaults are one of the things we want
our software to have. (I get Adobe products at academic prices, and I'll
probably buy Audition.)

For simple pop and click repair, Waverepair (shareware) has some intelligent options.
Clive has also put together lots of good suggestions for doing LP-to-digital
transfers on his site.
But again and again I've found that the best thing is to locate the
clicks automatically but repair them manually. Even then I often have
to go back and check for ones that the software 'missed'.

http://www.delback.co.uk/wavrep/


--
-S
"The most appealing intuitive argument for atheism is the mindblowing stupidity of religious
fundamentalists." -- Ginger Yellow