Generic remastering chain for cassette transfers

[capacitor]

Howdy all,

I'm getting ready to record a pile of old cassette tapes. I'll be using a Project's RCA ins, then out to some as-yet-undetermined recording software.

Any suggestions for a generic recording chain, to improve the sound of the cassettes? Basically a set and forget deal.

This Project card has the Synth/Sampler pack, so there's a bit of a limitation. Third party freebie suggestions welcome as well. I have no $$ for plugs so I'll have to make do.

Also, any suggestions for the recording software are welcome. Please don't say "Sound Recorder"....

[kensuguro]

you can use audacity to clean the recordings. It's got fft based noise removal if I remember correctly. it's not the prettiest, but hey, it's free.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features

[astroman]

yeah, it's free... but a piece of poo, really really close to Sound Recorder... instead of Asio it can do a couple of nice tricks with drifting latency etc
why not testdrive Reaper for this project ?
eventually an application where the code is smaller than the documentation - how long have I been waiting for something like that ?
the trial is not crippled in any way and a 'non-commercial' license is only 50 bucks.
Comes with a ton of filters, processors - probably noise reduction, too.

cheers, Tom

[garyb]

yes, reaper might be a real good choice....

[Neutron]

Reaper ++

[kensuguro]

Ah, so if you had some dollars to spend, reaper would be good. I have it, it's not the best (yet) for MIDI and VSTi because of limitations with automation, but for audio, it's awesome. If the MIDI automation was done right, then I'd use it as my main sequencer.

And it does have a fft based noise reduction filter. so there you have it.

But for free, I still think audacity is your best bet. Oh, and if you have a month to spare, you can set up ubuntu studio for your recording project. Then you'd have Ardour for recording, and a bunch of LADSPA effects all for free. But you'll probably need a full month to get things working, and to learn how to use the most basic tools.

[capacitor]

(2x post)

[capacitor]

Reaper is looking great. I have it in my laptop already & will install on my parent's system. Scope is already installed.

Any suggestions for a mastering type of effect, to apply (in gentle amounts) to the program material?

It is predominantly recordings of 1950's era Stan Kenton LPs, if that really matters

Just trying to spice up the sound a bit while recording each tape. Signal chain: cassette player RCA out -> Scope RCA analog in -> ? -> Reaper

I was thinking Decimator, just to p*ss my Dad off

[garyb]

you can use a little eq and compression, but the old music has already been mastered. it's more likely that you may need to eq a bit to make up for the damage done by the denoiser. an exciter(very subtly) may help also.

[capacitor]

Thanks to all of you. I'm going to use this opportunity to try a few devices (SBC, BDX ValveDrive, Tube Taper among others), and suss ASIO routing between Scope & Reaper. Also will have fun testing Shroomz' new filter. There are quite a few tapes to process.

Time to play (or is that record?)

I am not looking forward to the ensuing conversation, however:

"Dad, here are your tracks."
"Son, they sound great, what did you do??"
"Well, I, um, well, I used a Vintage Love Warmer."
"Son - I don't give a &*#@! about your porn memorabilia collection."




(I'm stoked about the VLW and thanks & kudos to MCCY )

[capacitor]

Yes & most definitely from what I've read I only have the stock S&S pack, so PsyQ is NA for this particular project

Just found out about the SBC low band bug, so that's out unless there's a fix.

I'll check out the raw material off the cassettes, then we'll see what can be tweaked. It is interesting music and originally from vinyl, so this will be fun.

Not like adding subharmonics to a hip-hop mix.

[Tau]

Hey,

just a thought - it might be better to first transfer the tapes to wave without any processing, and only afterwards applying eqs etc. (same as a normal recording session)

This way, it'll be easier to tweak and correct mistakes, and it'll actually save you time if, for example, your father is less than pleased with the result. You could even do a single track to start out, find the most appropriate settings and devices, make a few versions, and then proceed to the whole tape.

I used to do some vinyl restoration for some friends, and, most of the time, it's a compromise between sound quality and noise. To avoid long arguments, I always provided the clean recording from the turntable on a cd, alongside the "cleaned up" one (simply with matched loudness) - this way, it's their choice as to what they prefer to listen to.


T

[ChampionSound]

Just found out about the SBC low band bug, so that's out unless there's a fix.

Hi capacitor,

FYI, there is a bugfix of the SBC, and the bugfree SBC.oxe is downloadable from the server. Sorry, I forgot what the server address was, maybe someone can mention it?

[capacitor]

Thanks very much & I'll search (& post the current url for the fix).

Tau, I'll heed your advice & record straight thru (except perhaps with a limiter) on the original.

I think my Dad will not care about the processing - he's from the Dark Ages from the tech/audio perspective.

In other words, he's got Golden Years, but not Golden Ears