Cool edit pro 2.0

[tbirddmnd]

Cool Edit Pro 2.0

Hey everyone!
Is anyone here aside from me familiar with a great audio program called COOL EDIT PRO? I have it and I've been using it to RESTORE and basically REMASTER the sound on many a vinyl LP. I can REMOVE clicks and pops, REMOVE hiss, equalize and shape the sound the way I want to (add treble/bass, minimize treble/bass and just about play with any frequency I want to). I can also expand the dynamic range, and many many other things. I've been working on the KPM vinyl volumes I own and those that have been recorded for me onto CD-R and MiniDisc by others who were so kind. For crying out loud, I can make these tracks sound like they have been on CD from the start! Absolutely phenomenal!

The only drawback I have against me is TIME! If I were single I'd have all kinds of time to devote to these restorations and I would be able to knock out a volume per day. But unfortunately it's not the case! I do have a CD burner on my home computer (finally) and although Cool Edit Pro has burning capabilities I use the NERO software that came with my burner.

So does anyone know what I'm talking about? If not, hop over to: http://www.syntrillium.com/cep/ and take a look. It's a great tool! If anyone here uses it, what are your experiences and opinions of it?

To Sermad: You haven't totally forgotten me have you? I know you're busy!

Gonzalo Duque "Gonzo"
tbirddmnd@worldnet.att.net
Westland, Michigan USA

[TOWNY]

I know exactly what u r talking about as do a lot of other board members i'm sure -

I prefer soundforge myself with the waves restoration plugins, i would advise caution with too much noise removal etc, i have found if i listen back to tracks i mastered when i first got all audio'd up they have a nasty edge to them - too many frequencies have been messed with. After a good 5 years of endless tweaking i have now got a good little setup/routine for re mastering old material from vinyl and have also realised that if a recording has inherent analogue hiss etc then that is best left pretty much alone. I will only remove the frequncies that i have added from my outboard equipment at the recording stage - amp/mixer/stylus etc

[sermad]

I love Cool Edit because it has an incredible 'pop-click' filler - its simply the best one out there.

But...all the plugins which filter the whole track take too much information away. Try listening to the noise that will be removed by the filter and you'll probably hear a very faded version of the track playing. Thats music not noise being stripped out.

This happens in Cool Edit (good but not good enough for me) and SoundForge.

Personally when I record vinyl to cd I don't do anything other then a 40hz cut to get rid of rumble.

You can always play about and come back to the cd's to clean them up when the software is better - At least you've got an untreated master.

[wooly]

"peak" by bias, together with the waves plugs are the best i've heard. but it's like any system - the more restrained you are with the processing, the better and most "open" it will sound.

recently i've heard some absolutely terrible "re-mastering" jobs which have stunned me in the fact that they've been allowed a release. squeaky artifacts all over the sound is nasty and doesn't make you want to listen to it!

[TOWNY]

Quote[/b] (wooly @ 27 June 2003,13:24)]recently i've heard some absolutely terrible "re-mastering" jobs which have stunned me in the fact that they've been allowed a release. squeaky artifacts all over the sound is nasty and doesn't make you want to listen to it!

I completely agree wooly ! I've heard some criminal ones - not worth a penny IMO.

[theeman]

gotta agree with what's been said so far. the Sonic Foundry vinyl remastering Direct X plugins are good if used in moderation - they'll work in any Direct X program although like most people here I prefer SoundForge for vinyl work. Steinberg do a reasonable declicker.

like Sermad I used to use the de-hisser a lot but it strips out way too much goodness even if you sample an apparently silent portion of track. these days I manually remove really bad clicks by just applying the declicker to the click itself at high magnification but otherwise leave the track alone (i don't run the declicker over the whole track)

these vinyl tools are really optimised for jobs like cleaning up knackered 45s/LPs/78s. i've done some work on trashed 78s (talk about cue burn - but with a heavy steel needle) and the results are amazing - from unlistenable to slightly processed but acceptable. doesn't do too much good to NM standard vinyl though, you really lose the crispness particularly on snares, hi-hats and toppy brass.

soundforge has all the usual goodies anyway - parametric EQ etc etc. if you really want to goof around.

[agenda]

i generally keep it rough and ready, esp when sampling. apart from general laziness most restoration tools seem to scrape away the highs of the track leaving it dull

Cool Edit, Cool Edit Pro is the top of the line sound editing software for PC's worldwide and for the price it still can't be beat
The price for Cool Edit 2000 is a joke with the Noise Reduction and Filter Plug Ins, it's still a stupid inexpensive price

Been written up in every magazine world wide as THE BEST HANDS DOWN for many years now

The TIME issue depends on your machine, not Cool Edit
RAM and your chip. It's all on you
Keep rockin'

Jack

Cool Edit also has the Parametric and all the great Filters as well with the Plug In for around $50

Sound Forge is horrible and clunky compared with Cool Edit
and requires about 10 times as much Chip use and RAM and still
can't even come close to fantastic sound CE provides WITH NO SOUND ARTIFACTS

SF will add artifacts if I did 1 filter and 1 noise reduction.
CE can do endless filters, endless noise reduction with no artifacts whatsoever.

I hate Sound Forge

There is no comparison whatsoever between CE and SF and SF costs at least twice as much for 10 times less the quality as CE

Jack

[tbirddmnd]

Thanks to everyone who responded! I was beginning to think I was the only one who was using an audio program to restore vinyl since I've not read it mentioned here.

With regards to the time issue, I have some fairly decent RAM memory, a 256 MB and a 128 MB, but I may take out that 128 and replace it with another 256. I've got a Dell Pentium 3 operating at 933 mHz and a 20 gig hard drive. What I meant by time, it's that if I were single and not married I could devote as much time as I wanted to cleaning all my vinyl, not just library records. Don't want to say that all my vinyl is in sad shape, but there are some folks who record library vinyl for me onto CD-Rs and their records aren't always the best in the world. But it beats not having the volumes I want.

I understand and agree on the processing, I usually use the preview button to hear what it sounds like when I remove hiss or noise reduction before I even apply it. There's also a bypass button so you could compare it with or without the reduction before it's applied, and also a feature to keep only hiss and noise so you can really hear if any music is being taken out before you perform the procedure. If I think the end result is too "phasey" then I just hit the undo button and change my parameters.

I really like the click/pop eliminator with Cool Edit Pro 2.0, and for most of my projects I use that, the quick filter for a slight bass/treble boost, and sometimes the dynamic range expander if I feel a track needs it. I have different settings for the click eliminator depending on the severity of the track. I'm completely satisifed with it!

[TOWNY]

Quote[/b] (Jack @ 27 June 2003,18:35)]Cool Edit also has the Parametric and all the great Filters as well with the Plug In for around $50

Sound Forge is horrible and clunky compared with Cool Edit
and requires about 10 times as much Chip use and RAM and still
can't even come close to fantastic sound CE provides WITH NO SOUND ARTIFACTS

SF will add artifacts if I did 1 filter and 1 noise reduction.
CE can do endless filters, endless noise reduction with no artifacts whatsoever.

I hate Sound Forge

There is no comparison whatsoever between CE and SF and SF costs at least twice as much for 10 times less the quality as CE

Jack

Different strokes Jack - I don't hate either proggy but i personally prefer Sound Forge. Don't find anything clunky about it at all and as i don't tend to use bundled plugs makes no real odds to me - exception being the pitch features in cool edit.

As far as quality goes, there just can't be any real difference - there is no logic in that !

I'm sure there are plenty of peeps who would swear by Wavelab in much the same way, i guess it's all down to what you spent yer pennies on and what you are used to working with and at the end of the day it's the quality of ones ears/judgement/monitors/hardware that is the key to a good master/mix/track

[TOWNY]

Oh, i forgot to mention - scratches and pops are lovely sometimes !? I've got some records that are completely fooked, but i kinda like 'em that way and if i ever pick up an EX+ copy i damn sure keep the knackered one.

Sound forge sux

Diff strokes and all that

I forgot we can't have a difference of opinion
Please forgive me. It's the heat that's killin' me

At least there's no shouting

I can't remember if you the guy that was sending me those 2 CD's. I don't need them, so save your postage money.
and enjoy the Bug In OST CD. I know you already do
It's a killer. Mr Wooly loves his to bits as does everyone else.

Stay cool