Tape Noise

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SoundRookie

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I recently recorded a live concert to a cassette using a Peavey mixer, and a Denon Cassette Deck. I used Dolby C noise reduction. I want to record some parts to my hard drive. I am running the cassette deck into the line-in on my sound card, and recording a wav file. The thing is, when I play the file, I get alot of tape noise. Is there a simple way to eliminate this?
 
sounds like you have switched off the dolby C - have you?? with dolby C shouldn't have any noise at all. make sure it's switched in.

cheers
John :)
 
Dolby C

I double checked - I did indeed have the Dolby turned on.
 
Even with Dolby C you will get some noise but you are describing "alot of noise" which shouldn't happen. Check the settings on your soundcard and Windows volume controls to make sure you are not having to send an excessively strong signal that will have an inherently high noise level.

Mark
 
MGS means it the other way around.

An excessively strong signal would have distortion. A WAEK signal would have noise, since youneed to amplify it and would end up amplifying the noise too.
 
Some of the digital audio editors have a tape hiss removal algorithm (Cool Edit 2000 sells an add-on to do this, for example), but I have no experience with whether they work well or not. The trade off is that the frquecy response is going to be notched in certain parts of the spectrum and the effect might or might not have an audible effect on the recording.

However, before you try this you need to record a good solid signal off the tape, otherwise you'll be closer to the noise floor and raising the sound up louder will make the noise more apparent.
 
Noise

Well-it's not really alot of noise, but I strive for perfection.
 
SoundRookie said:
I recently recorded a live concert to a cassette using a Peavey mixer, and a Denon Cassette Deck. I used Dolby C noise reduction. I want to record some parts to my hard drive. I am running the cassette deck into the line-in on my sound card, and recording a wav file. The thing is, when I play the file, I get alot of tape noise. Is there a simple way to eliminate this?

My Peavey sensors are flashing. BEEP BEEP BEEP!
::Targeting Peavey mixer::
FIRE! Whooooshhhh.....
:: B L A M ! ! ! ::

Isaiah
 
Hey!

I thought the idea of using analog tape was to have tape hiss!

:)

Forget trying to remove the hiss. You will notice it at first, but as you listen to the recording, after about 30 secs you won't notice it anymore (unless it is a lot of hiss....). The brain is wonderful at filtering out distractions. That is also the demise of most peoples recordings. They get used to the bad sound and think it sounds good after a while.

Anyway. If your CD has no more hiss then the cassette itself, don't worry about it. Anything you try to do to remove the hiss is only going to make the audio sound worse.

Enjoy! :)

Ed
 
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